Ric Bucher has always liked nothing more than breaking down guards, whether it be on a
playground or on paper. Here he does it for ESPN.com. We call it "On Guards" for obvious reasons. Look for this feature each Monday. Better yet, be on guard for it.
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| McGrady |
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| Rose |
This week's feature guards: Indiana's Jalen Rose vs. Orlando's Tracy McGrady.
Used to be you could look at a player's size and weight and know what
position he played. Magic Johnson, the first 6-9 point guard, was the first to defy
presumption, making McGrady and Rose merely the latest. Both were small
forwards last season -- darn effective ones, too -- but desire and circumstance
have moved both of them into the backcourt. The Pacers-Magic Christmas game
served as the basis for putting Rose on the rise and McGrady on the decline.
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RIC'S GUARD RANKINGS
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THE WEEK'S TOP 10
1. Kobe Bryant - NBA Player of the Week
2. John Stockton - Appears to have found the basketball equivalent of Viagra
3. Jason Kidd - One-game rest produces a triple-double and best shooting all
season
4. Stephon Marbury - Nets' woes taking effect, one-assist game follows a
3-for-14 shooting night
5. Eddie Jones - Back-to-back 31-point games
6. Gary Payton - TOs up, 3 pt. FG pct. waaaay down
7. Allen Iverson - Deserves kudos for missing only one game with
dislocated shoulder
8. Jalen Rose - Averaging 33 points over last four games while shooting 56
pct.
9. Andre Miller - Turning into a nightly triple-double threat
10. Steve Francis - Providing all of the Rockets' fuel despite a sprained
ankle
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On the rise: Rose
(24.0 ppg, 5.2 apg, 5.3 rpg, 1.0 stls, .486 FG, .910 FT)
A broken left wrist in the preseason forced
him to miss the first 10 games of the season; that being his shooting hand,
the injury slowed him for several games even after his return. Having shot 50
percent or better in four consecutive games before facing Miami Wednesday
night indicated that he has found his stroke again.
Rose also has listened to
his body -- the stiffness in his wrist having limited his range, he's been
choosier about the three-point shots he takes. He's also been more aggressive
going to the hoop, earning 35 free throws in those last four games, a total
it took him eight games to reach upon his return. Overall, Rose has
demonstrated that his strong scoring last season was no fluke. His ability to
pull up off the dribble at the free-throw line or post up on the right block
for turnaround jumpers and spinning drives makes him one of the league's most
versatile offensive threats.
As for his point-guard skills, well, the jury remains out. He hasn't
actually played the position that much because coach Isiah Thomas has made
backup point guard Travis Best, who played admirably in Rose's absence, his
sixth man. But what time Rose has logged running the offense hasn't been
particularly noteworthy. He's averaging more than three turnovers a game and
has an awful assist/turnover ratio of 3-2. Rose and Reggie Miller are fast
friends, but Miller's game has been hurt since Rose's return, Rose simply not
being as sharp getting the ball to Reggie in rhythm when he comes off picks.
My guess is that the Pacers, and Rose, would be better served if he played
predominantly small forward and ran the offense only when it created an
obvious mismatch for Indiana. But the Pacers are committed to making the
system with Rose at the point work and now that they've finally settled on a
starting lineup -- Jonathan Bender, Jeff Foster and Jermaine O'Neal joining
Miller and Rose -- the continuity could help.
On the slide: McGrady
(26.2 ppg, 4.6 apg, 7.8 rpg, 1.6 stls, .453 FG, .744 FT)
McGrady isn't on a slide as much as the Magic is, but McGrady is sure to
be affected -- if he hasn't been already. In his last three games he's hoisted
an average of 25 shots and made only 37 percent, contributing to three
Orlando losses. The Magic signed Hill not only for his all-star talent but
his ability to mentor McGrady, who is the Magic's offensive focal point after
chilling in Vince Carter's shadow last season. Now McGrady must carry the
load the rest of the way and opposing teams will prepare accordingly.
The
Pacers proved how effective that can be, using Derrick McKey to limit McGrady
to 1 for 9 shooting and five points in the fourth quarter as the Pacers
pulled away. McGrady is so quick and versatile and has such a solid handle
that he can beat almost anybody one-on-one and he's not afraid to draw the
double team and give up the ball. But now he must find a way to beat the
double team before it arrives and then find his teammates off penetration. He
also needs to exert more effort defensively; Jonathan Bender got most of his
career-high 20 points against McGrady, reducing the impact of T-Mac's 43.
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| Miller |
This week's guard to watch:
The loss to injury of both Bimbo Coles and now Zydrunas Ilgauskas has put
the team solely in Miller's hands and he responded with a season-high 30
points and 10 assists against the Hornets.
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ALSO SEE
On Guards (Bibby and Jackson), Dec. 18
On Guards (Stockton, Blaylock), Nov. 27
On Guards (Nash, A.Miller), Nov. 20
On Guards (Anderson, Billups), Nov. 13
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