Casspi added that he is not happy with the way Coach Paul Westphal is using him, and that he is not...

Casspi added that he is not happy with the way Coach Paul Westphal is using him, and that he is not able to play to his full potential.

Jerusalem Post

about 1 year ago PurpleLoco 13 comments 0 recs |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

The rest of the article is old news,

but I’m sick of talking relocation, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Perhaps the coaching staff is behind Casspi’s mysterious disappearance on offense? It’d be interesting to find out if this is the case at all.

In these times, you have to be an optimist to open your eyes when you awake in the morning.
~Carl Sandburg

by PurpleLoco on Mar 17, 2011 2:44 PM PDT reply actions

Casspi needs to gain weight

pure and simple. He can’t even catch the ball sometimes, and one light swipe from a defender causes him to loose the ball. He can’t use his size or his driving ability because he can’t keep his balance or focus through contact. In this regard he reminds me of Martin in his rookie year, when he easily gets thrown off his rhythm by regular NBA defense because of his utter lack of strength. He needs to just hit the weight room, and come back 20 pounds later and we’ll see what he can do.

Phil Jackson, after treatment for a kidney stone "When the anesthesiologist leaned over me, he said "We named your kidney stone Kobe because it's not passing."

by Ellimist on Mar 17, 2011 3:51 PM PDT reply actions

Ya, just look at what gaining pounds did for Donte's career.

by AyyJude on Mar 17, 2011 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions

He's already added nearly 20 pounds.

From 207 to 225. I’d imagine that if the coaches and front office think it’d be useful to add more, and if they don’t think it would have adverse effects on his game – I’ve heard that adding too much weight can screw up your shot for a long time – then they’ll ask him to add additional weight this summer.

But Westphal hasn’t mentioned anything at all this season about Omri needing to bulk up, in contrast to last year when he talked about it pretty much all the time after Casspi hit the rookie wall.

In these times, you have to be an optimist to open your eyes when you awake in the morning.
~Carl Sandburg

by PurpleLoco on Mar 17, 2011 4:15 PM PDT up reply actions

I think the full potential Casspi is looking for is something other than a spot up shooter

Look at how he was used on the Israeli team. He was given opportunities to cut to the basket and play in the post. That’s what he wants. With that said, when he gets those types of opportunities in Sacramento he tends to turn the ball over. Omri needs to work on his ball handling skills. A quick move to the basket and maybe a jab step would be nice additions to his game.

Kwill: Walton said Casspi has a lifesize poster of himself he brought into the locker room.

section214: Omri unleavened

by sac_faithful on Mar 17, 2011 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs

Nicely stated

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Mar 17, 2011 5:55 PM PDT up reply actions

Agree. Maybe PW could do more

But, this is more on Omri than PW.

by SPTSJUNKIE on Mar 17, 2011 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions

And Omri has been working on ballhandling.

He said somewhere that he’s been working on it for an hour every day with Coachie and B-Jax. I expect that next season [and probably this summer, during the Eurobasket], we’ll see marked improvement.

In these times, you have to be an optimist to open your eyes when you awake in the morning.
~Carl Sandburg

by PurpleLoco on Mar 17, 2011 6:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Let's not forget his woeful shooting percentages outside of 3 pointers and dunks

PW doesn’t strike me as a coach who encourages his players to branch out and develop their skills, rather one who, having identified something that he thinks works, sticks with it. Omri may simply not be getting the opportunity to take other types of shots because he’s yet to consistently demonstrate that he can make them.

by lead_pipe on Mar 17, 2011 6:36 PM PDT up reply actions

A question of

the chicken and the egg, IMO.
Is he not scoring consistently from 2 because he gets few opportunities, or is he not getting opportunities because he is not shooting well from 2? The truth is perhaps somewhere in the middle, I don’t know.

What I do know is that last year his game was more diverse, less one dimensional, and he shot .446% from 2. Not great, but not awful. This year he’s taken more shots from 3, less from 2 and is shooting .417 from 2. That’s simply bad. But last year he showed some good moves inside, and had some baby hooks, floaters and fade aways in the post. So it is not that he doesn’t have that ability.

I’ve said it before; Omri would be one of the players who would benefit most from a good, speedy distributor. On fast breaks alone, he would raise his PPG and FG%. and this season, he gets almost zero plays called, what makes it difficult for a long-distance shooter to get untracked.

Omri sure has his limitations, but he’s not as mediocre as this season seems to indicate. And when you look at how some players have regressed under PW, including Omri, JT, Greene and Landry (and Tyreke, but he is injured), you have to wonder if this is the right coach for such a young team.

Dunking Dutchman - betting that Omri will have at least 12 games with 85% TS% this season.

by RikSmits on Mar 18, 2011 12:37 AM PDT up reply actions

I wanted Omri to be the scoring option off the bench

That way when Tyreke and DMC were on the bench he could have his way out there. But I think PW has been reluctant to do that because he has been so ineffective this year. Now with MT23 in the mix I doubt that ever happens unless Beno comes off the bench when Reke comes back. As it stands now they seem to feed JT while in the second unit and he has been effective.

Kwill: Walton said Casspi has a lifesize poster of himself he brought into the locker room.

section214: Omri unleavened

by sac_faithful on Mar 18, 2011 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions

Not sure where you got your numbers

But Hoopdata has Casspi shooting 35% on short 2’s, 42% on only 0.5 mid range 2’s and shooting 36% on long 2’s. And, his average for all 2’s not counting at the rim was 35%. I think that shot at the rim was his 2nd highest zone in shots taken and his highest shooting percentage at 65%, so it’s making his numbers look better than they are.

For Omri to expand his offense it has to start with the long 2’s because PW wants him to be a 3pt threat. And, as other have pointed out he’s not a good enough ball handler to be a player who can pull up off the dribble, rise up and hit a mid or long range 2.

Like Luther who’s a good catch and shoot player or has the ability to drive and finish at the rim, neither Luther or Omri can pull up and hit a jumper like Beno. It requires good balance and ball handling skills and a lot of practice. Beno has the Beno Draino perfected from the left elbow, but have you ever seen him make that shot from the right elbow?

Casspi is another young player whose skills don’t match is desires quite yet. So, I agree with you that with the right playmaker who can get the ball to him close enough were his skill will let him either catch and shot or drive and finish. As for a different coach being the answer, all I can say is that PW has his hands full developing Cousins and Tyreke. So, I think Omri is going to have to do a lot of work improving his game in the offseason, and until then PW needs him to do what he does best for now.

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
The greatest impact player in NBA History - Tim Donaghy

by HighTops on Mar 18, 2011 2:24 PM PDT up reply actions

I think when Evans gets back, we're going to see some sets with him at the 3, with Beno and Thornton in the back court.

And it will be good.

Rocks are free, and slingshots easily stolen. And for a limited time, every third person who follows me on Twitter (andy_sims) gets a free ice cream cone.

Which I will eat.

by andy sims on Mar 18, 2011 8:13 AM PDT reply actions