Off-Day Open Thread: Should We Worry about Rashard Lewis?
by Evan Dunlap on Mar 15, 2010 2:00 PM EDT
in Off-Day Open Thread
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PrintAs noted in last night's recap of the Orlando Magic's loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, forward Rashard Lewis has struggled mightily lately. He's not having a great season overall, sure, but he's been especially ineffectual since the All-Star break, averaging 11.6 points on 51.3% True Shooting, and 3.8 boards in 33.1 minutes. He laid an egg last night against Charlotte, missing 6 of his 7 shots--many of them wide-open--and grabbing just 2 rebounds in 34 minutes. In the last week, he played 110 minutes and managed 11 rebounds, which is almost exactly the rate at which Boston's Brian Scalabrine, who's about as mobile as the basket stanchion is, has boarded this season. And after last night's loss, coach Stan Van Gundy expressed concern about Lewis' lack of energy lately.
Unsurprisingly, Lewis--who made waves earlier this year by refusing to re-enter a game because Ryan Anderson, his backup, was playing so well--is saying the right things about putting the team first and his individual needs second. From Josh Robbins of Orlando Sentinel:
"It's a team," he said. "It says ‘Magic' on the jersey and not ‘Lewis' on the front of the jersey."
And from Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse:
"I'm a veteran now on a good team, a team competing for a championship. It's loaded. Sometimes you have to sacrifice for that. As long as we're winning, I'm comfortable with it.''
Check that last part again: "as long as we're winning." Lewis spoke up earlier this season about not getting enough touches, and one wonders if he might voice his frustration again if Orlando goes through another rough patch.
So my question is two-fold: how concerned are you with Lewis' recent poor play? And to what extent are you worried about his attitude toward taking on a diminished role this season?
An optimistic argument goes something like this: around this time last year, his productivity had a similar decline, and he bounced back in time to play quite well in the postseason. Odds are he makes it two years in a row; betting against Lewis to deliver in key situations during his Orlando tenure has proven unwise.
The pessimistic outlook? He's 30 years old and taking more jumpers (and, consequently, fewer foul shots) with each passing year. And he's owed in excess of $60 million over the next three seasons.
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Playoffs cannot get here soon enough!
Rashard “Mr. Clutch”Lewis will be fine.
by O-Town MagiCane on Mar 15, 2010 2:13 PM EDT reply actions
I’m not worried at all either. Rashard is an incredible player. His defense is still outstanding (when it’s not a big mismatch and factoring in his team defensive contributions as well), he hits 3’s like he’s cold-blooded, he plays within the system very well- when to shoot, pass-, and he has the versatility to go midrange, post up, and drive. I would like to see some more efficient inside game, where he drives, gets to the line more, and can hit the mid/close-range runners and shots better but that’s just not a big part to everything else he brings.
by derekk on Mar 15, 2010 2:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
He will be fine
Like it was noted in the post, he had a very similar decline near the end of last year before the playoffs and was fantastic once the playoffs started. I guess my only worry is that he won’t be heading to the local GNC to help recuperate his energy this year.
Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek
Short term, not too too worried. I think he will do fine in the playoffs.
But he needs to restructure that contract if he wants a championship. He just seems so damn un-tradable it’s not even funny.
Ice-O is gonna be alright
Let’s see what the playoffs bring. I predict he’ll round into form by then. That’s when we need him most.
I cannot be the only one worried
he’s been like this practically all season—not awful, but just not there. With exception of the very beginning of the season after he came back from his suspension, Shard’s just been nonexistent. :|
I'm a girl.
I agree
He has missed open looks all season, looks rarely missed.
I think he will be fine, but I find that concerning..
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+1
He just looks not all there. No energy (or only in very limited and specific spurts). I think he’ll be fine for the post-season.
And, he’s got little room to beef about his touches when he could be doing more with the ball when he gets it. Maybe SVG’s limited him to jump shooting….but I think it may be RL that is limiting himself.
I’m more concerned about the gas in the tank for the remaining $60M. http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/01/20/for-prime-out-loud/
(And at least at this site, we can talk about Lewis’ struggle without the banality of “move him back to SF” or “start Bass”….but now that I said that, somebody won’t be able to resist ….)
"I've had people say, 'I don't need to check the [player statistics]. I've seen it with my eyes.' Well, I would also say your eyes lie to you sometimes, and some of the guys you may really like and think are really doing things, when you get deeper into it, aren't or vice versa." ~Stan Van Gundy
by magicfaninTN on Mar 15, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
The guy don't even dunk in transition
I am not worried about the slump, just waiting for the playoffs. And he better not let me down !
some times I imagine this team with VC & J-Will at their prime...
Yeah, that's probably the foremost concern in his head.
I hate Varejao.
I misread the question
I thought it said “Should Rashard Lewis worry about our opinion ?”
some times I imagine this team with VC & J-Will at their prime...
A little worried
maybe he’s just pacing it for the playoffs. I know it’s a team sport but I think he still needs to give it his all every time he steps on the floor. I’ve been noticing all season long how lazy he’s been especially on defense. It’s true they all got a bunch of All-Stars in the team but if they’re not playing at an All Star level then they’re just another team. I hope he picks it up in the post season.
I'm a little worried.
Now, just as I knew that Vince Carter couldn’t possibly keep playing as bad as he did in January, I know that Lewis will be key for the Magic uring the playoffs. Just like last year.
Magic Fan since the 1992-1993 Season.
by North of the South on Mar 15, 2010 2:55 PM EDT reply actions
Not too worried
All shooters go through slumps. The truth is, as VC began meshing with the starting team we haven’t had to rely on Rashard very much this season to produce offense. The fans (me included) have just taken notice to his poor play recently b/c he’s been in a slight lump. He’s a great professional and always plays hard and it bothers me a little that people are bashing his efforts and calling his play, dare I say, lackadaisical. He can not and will not pass up open shots. That is how shooters play the game. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a shooter’s gotta shoot.
"One thing about knowing that you're dying is that it keeps reminding you you're alive so it's no time to pass up a party."
- Warren Zevon
by Wally Balls 407 on Mar 15, 2010 3:06 PM EDT reply actions
The truth is that your offensive positioning (and playcalling, I agree) has a lot to do with your usage rate
You can’t expect to shot that number of jumpers with you not working to get open/to create shots.
He doesn’t currently do a good job at that right now.
slight *slump
"One thing about knowing that you're dying is that it keeps reminding you you're alive so it's no time to pass up a party."
- Warren Zevon
by Wally Balls 407 on Mar 15, 2010 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Just an extended slump
I think he can get himself out of the slump once he creates a little for himself. Often times last year, Rashard could back his man down and get an easy twelve to fourteen foot jumper to get himself going. When that didn’t work, he looked to drive and get to the line as well. I think this year, as he continues to figure out playing with Vince, he’s unsure of when to get himself going. However, once he looks for his shot a little more, he’ll go back to shooting the ball normally. If y’all noticed last night, and most games this season, he really has just been more than content waiting for the ball to swing back, and just taking 3s.
Sweet Lew
We call him that for a reason. Rashard will be 100% fine come PO time. He may be going through a small slump lately but he will give us what we need to be successful come post season time.
On a good note, I personally feel likerashard has played exceptionally well on the defensive end on the recent 8 game win streak.
Vince Carter - Half Man, Half Retired
Matt Barnes - Half Man, Half Tattoo
by magic12ball on Mar 15, 2010 3:15 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Blatche has been lighting everyone up lately.
Maybe he finally gets it. He was even a willing passer in that game against us, when he usually is like a black hole.
I hate Varejao.
True, but I'll take 7/8 good defensive games from him.
Vince Carter - Half Man, Half Retired
Matt Barnes - Half Man, Half Tattoo
by magic12ball on Mar 15, 2010 4:26 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
His defense isn't what it was last season to boot. I don't see a silver lining here.
Rashard has gotten worse virtually across the board… the only area of his game that hasn’t regressed is his clutch play. He has almost no lift going to the basket which really hurts his effectiveness on drives. Even though he is younger than Vince, his age seems seems to be more of an issue. The shooting and rebounding numbers are very, very disappointing. He gets more wide open looks than anyone on the team.
Everyone should be concerned by the fact that our highest paid player is getting $18 million to be the third best PF on the roster. 13.8 PER is completely unacceptable.
Will he turn it around? I dunno, there is a heckuva lot to turn around.
The real "Masters of Panic" are commenting on this blog.
Just a little worried.
But more so about next year than this year. I think he just needs to get more involved with the offense, because otherwise he just hangs out behind the 3-point line, relying on the guy guarding him to just leave him open. Hopefully when the playoffs start, he’ll be looking better. Maybe Stan needs to sit him for a couple games to let him rest, I don’t know. I’m grasping at anything here.
I hate Varejao.
Meer and Shard…the full time whipping boys of the Orlando Magic…
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
No one's full time.
The real "Masters of Panic" are commenting on this blog.
by ben_gleicher on Mar 15, 2010 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions
More like dudes who get killed whenever they're playing poorly...
And don’t get enough credit when they play well.
I hate Varejao.
The only thing that worries me about Rashard is his huge contract.
His contract is basically untradeable. His decline is not that big of a deal because he is getting older and it is expected. Plus, we have Dwight, VC and Jameer as offensive options before Rashard. We will be fine, even if he is not performing at his best.
He's untradeable for two years
His last season, he’s a $20 million expiring contract. If we wanted to trade him that year, I believe somebody would be willing to take him for the off-season cap space and free agency possibilities (cf. Tracy McGrady this year).
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
Contract to Performance Ratio
has been poor at best almost all season… definitely not getting what we paid for… Sweet Lew needs to pull out some cold-blooded dagger game winners this post season again to maintain any semblance of affirmation.
Shard certainly needs to channel his inner Ice-O a bit more, but then we’ve not really had a whole lot of down-to-the-wire games in recent months, to my recollection.
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Worried?
Yeah, I kind of am. The timing of the slump is bad. The other 4 starters are playing basically their best ball of the season gearing up for the post season but Rashard is playing his worst ball of the season. Ontop of his decline (which with 100% certainty is a decline because it’s been gradual the past 3 seasons) is the Supplement. That should concern people because it brings serious questions. Does Rashard recognize his decline and was/is trying to mask it?
There was a 2 minute stretch last night where the Cats were playing Theo at C and Tyrus at PF. We got 4 offensive posessions before Larry called a timeout to put Diaw back at PF and we went 0-3 with 1 TO. Lewis got the ball only once and he launched a 3 that missed. It was the perfect time to post up Lewis and we never recognized the matchup. All of Rashard’s numbers have declined since he’s been in Orlando except for steals (1.2). Yes Rashard has a “lesser role” now with VC there but his FGA is 11.7 which is only 2 FGA per game less than last season so it hasn’t been a huge decline in shot attempts or anything, he’s just missing wide open shots.
He’s had 1 good month this season and is working on his 4th sub par/bad month. Last 6 games he’s shooting 32.1% FG & 27.6% 3-point. It’s not as noticeable when a backup puts up those numbers because they aren’t taking as many FGA. All will be forgotten if he plays in the postseason like he did last year but still, at $20 mill a year there are no “free passes” for dragging through the regular season in my opinion. If Dwight dragged through the regular season we’d be fighting for a 6-8 seed right now. ‘Shard can’t do much about a decline from age but effort has got to be there on every single posession of every single game. If using Dwight in that instance is unfair then use Jameer. If he dragged through the season like Rashard seemingly has we’re not sitting in 2nd place in the East right now.
Too harsh?
"It can be done, you can just crush somebody"
Some good thoughts
"Everyone is passionate about the Magic and that's great, but the key is keeping things in perspective and staying realistic." - erivera7
by Mike from Illinois on Mar 15, 2010 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not sure posting up Tyrus is a good option for Rashard at this point in his career.
TT is faster, stronger, and a better leaper. He’s the kind of PF that Rashard helps pull out to the perimeter to open up the lane for Dwight.
"I've had people say, 'I don't need to check the [player statistics]. I've seen it with my eyes.' Well, I would also say your eyes lie to you sometimes, and some of the guys you may really like and think are really doing things, when you get deeper into it, aren't or vice versa." ~Stan Van Gundy
by magicfaninTN on Mar 15, 2010 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions
This is WAY off topic, but it would help a lot.
Does anyone know the name of the older guy that sits behind the Magic bench and always yells at the refs?
That's Jack Nelson
Are you looking for stock tips?
"It can be done, you can just crush somebody"
Thanks.
My buddy is writing an article on the different kinds of Magic fans, and we couldn’t think of his name.
by TheNole9Yards on Mar 15, 2010 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Looking at Lewis's three point shooting this season
When Rashard first came back from his suspension, in his first 5 games back, he was an icy 5 of 29 on threes (17.2%).
Then, from November 26th through January 6th, he heated up to the tune of 63 of 133 from long range (47.4%).
Since January 8th, he’s cooled off considerably, shooting 66 of 187 from long range (35.3%).
In the shorter term, since February 10th, he’s even worse at 29 of 95 (30.5%).
For the season, that all averages out to a respectable 38.4% from three point range, so he’s due to bounce back sooner rather than later.
Better his slump is happening now rather than the playoffs.
"Everyone is passionate about the Magic and that's great, but the key is keeping things in perspective and staying realistic." - erivera7
by Mike from Illinois on Mar 15, 2010 8:14 PM EDT reply actions
Yah, if there is one thing to take from this info
is that maybe he will hit his upswing for a good lil while in the middle of the playoffs.
Make a lot of us shut up, too.
We dont really need Rashard to put up big numbers
just hit the wide open threes,shoot for a decent percentage, be consitant with it and average at least 15 points a game because he is very capable. He shouldnt be getting 3 points in a loss in any game.
Me Against The World And I'm Winning
A little worried
He needs to shoot for a decent percentage no matter how many attempts he has.
He can’t defer too much to others (DH, VC to score, DH Matt Barnes to rebound). That’s not sacrifice.
+1
Most teams would be really concerned, but our depth allows 1, even 2 guys to slump now and then. How boned would the cavs be if LeBron (ever) slumped?
Bleeding Blue Black and Silver for 20 of my 23 years.
by FLYNN47 on Mar 15, 2010 10:44 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
LeBron won't, though
He works too hard on his game and he has too many strings to his bow. It’s similar to Kobe and VC – arguably similar talent levels, but Kobe just keeps working to add more thing to his game, whereas Vince settled for what he is two or three seasons ago.
Rashard worries me to some degree, but not that much. Frankly, when you have three other guys who can fill it up on any night, one starter having a bad one shouldn’t matter too much. Between Dwight, Vince and Jameer (and of course our bench) we should have had enough to get over the Bobcats, even with Rashard having a poor one. But Nelson had a shocker too and Dwight missed a lot from the line. You can’t expect to win when only half your team shows up. Chalk it up to a bad night.
His overall season has been pretty mediocre, though – his PER is below 15, which is the league average. I know PER isn’t everything, but when you’re paying a below average player at his position max money, you’ve got some issues long term.
by eltharion_doa on Mar 15, 2010 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I really hope to seem him post up more.
but I am not worried.
We got RA to fall back on.
I am worried actually
I could easily say “yeah it’ll pass” but my concerns won’t pass until Shard steps it up. You can’t expect a VC 48 point game, maybe a 7-10 shooting performance, 3-5 from downtown, couple of trips to the line from some drives. Best case scenario, a dunk lol
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