作者ilovet (一年)
看板Hornets
标题[外电] West showing scoring potential in camp
时间Thu Oct 14 15:05:45 2004
原文出自 nola.com
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1097648977263270.xml
West showing scoring potential in camp
Second-year Hornet has improved skills
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
By Jimmy Smith
Staff writer
Looking for the most eye-opening moment of the Hornets'
week-long training camp?
Here's a nomination: second-year forward David West, doing
a cross-over dribble, stopping and arching a 15-foot jump
shot.
It's a scene that has played itself out repeatedly in eight
practices, catching the attention of Coach Byron Scott.
"I thought watching him last year, he was a pretty
good-looking rookie," Scott said. "I thought he did some real
good things. I see the same things now that I saw last year,
but better. He's doing them with more confidence.
"The one thing I didn't see last year was that he could put
the ball on the floor as well as he can. He's an excellent
passer, so there are two things that I see now that impress
me. I really like what I see. He's going to be a great player."
West gets to show off his newly minted, multidimensional side
today, as the Hornets open the exhibition season against the
Dallas Mavericks (7 p.m. at New Orleans Arena), the first game
in the Scott era and the first of West's sophomore season in
the NBA.
A reluctant shooter as a rookie last season, West often passed
up open shots and passed to veteran teammates. But West, a
graceful, 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, grew weary of being hounded
by Darrell Armstrong and P.J. Brown to shoot if the opportunity
presented itself.
So, during the summer, West said he concentrated on perfecting
his ball-handling skills.
"It's something to just get my shot off," said West, the 17th
player selected in the first round a year ago. "A lot of times,
I'll be guarded by a guy who's 6-10 or 6-11. And they can't
deal with somebody making a quick move like that. So it's just
something I've been working on to help me get into my shot a
little better.
"I just cross over and shoot. Especially within the offense,
anytime I get a chance to get that ball on the wing, I'm going
to give it a whirl."
West played in 71 games with the Hornets as a rookie, averaging
3.8 points and 4.2 rebounds. As the season went on, it was
evident his confidence swelled and his performance steadily
improved.
"That, I think, was just learning," West said. "Being around
these guys, learning the ins and outs and how things go. The
one thing P.J. told me when the year was over was to bring
something new this year. You've got to add something to your
game every year to make yourself more valuable.
"This year I'm just looking forward to helping and taking
some of the pressure off the other guys and helping this
team win games."
Brown has worked daily against West in practice. He's watched
the youngster progress markedly and blossom into a more
self-assured player.
"I think his confidence is better," Brown said. "Having a year
under his belt has really improved his confidence a lot. He's
like the rest of us, trying to learn the system. But I think
he's grasping the system pretty quickly, and he's applying it
to the game.
"He's really playing hard, and he's asserting himself. I keep
telling him I want him to become a go-to player. That's what I
envision for him. And I want him to envision that for himself,
for one day to be a No. 1 option. Not just to be a role player,
a defender, a rebounder. Be a guy who can be depended upon on
a nightly basis to put some points on the board."
Scott wants that, too.
"I'm telling him to shoot the ball when he has a shot," Scott
said. "He has a very good touch from 17, 18 feet. And I'm
telling him to look for that shot on a consistent basis. And
if he knocks it down on a consistent basis, it makes him a
much more dangerous basketball player."
West is aware that more will be expected from him now that he
is no longer the least-experienced member of the team.
It is a role, he said, he is ready to assume.
"I know that Darrell was on me all last year to shoot the ball,"
West said. "When the open shots are there, you've got to take
them, because it opens the floor up and gives us another threat.
"When my shot's there, I'm going to take it."
. . . . . . .
Jimmy Smith can be reached at
[email protected] or (504) 826-3814.
--
※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 140.117.190.7
1F:→ ilovet:0银的文章耶~ 不知道怎麽办到的:P 140.117.190.7 10/14