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Message: [QUOTE="RF2044, post: 2522401, member: 40"] There is no way that anybody is going to be a 20ppg scorer like Battle. But what we're talking about is complimentary skill sets, and being able to alleviate some of the burden that Frank has this year, which don't play to his strengths. I think Tyus is a terrific player. And I think that Frank has improved immensely -- can't be debated. BUT, both of these guys have limitations that hamstring the team against better defensive teams, and against strong on-the-ball pressure. Unlike what some suggest in this thread, I think that Battle is a fairly limited ball handler. Yes, he has occasional flashes of highlight reel plays [like the ones where he does that spin move to free himself up]. But it seems from observation that he has 2 or 3 comfortable things he tries to do with the ball, and if defenders key on those things, they can prevent him from doing them. I also keep in mind the two backcourt violations against pressure in the FSU overtimes, the numerous shot clock violations last night where he couldn't get a shot off. Now, not all of those things are 100% his fault, but some of it is undoubtedly tied to him not being the most fluid ball handler. Secondly, Frank and Tyus paired together have pros and cons. The pros -- they are enormous on the top of the zone, they have size to finish over smaller defenders when they get into the lane, they can both be streaky hot shooters, etc. But the cons are that they predominate the ball, they spend a lot of time dribbling on the perimeter without purposeful movement, and they both seem to be more iso-oriented, despite not having the games to consistently beat guys off of the dribble [not saying that they can't, just that it isn't either player's forte]. Having two guys struggle to beat guys off of the dribble, who spend too much time dribbling outside on the perimeter, and who aren't especially great at breaking down their defenders causes the offense to break down in key spots. They are two terrific players, and they play well together in general, but their skills sets aren't optimized in terms of compatibility. And against some of the better teams we face, these limitations can be exploited -- as we saw last night. The questions you raise above remind me of the on-paper comparisons between the 2009 versus the 2010 team. Were Triche / Scoop "better" than Jonny Flynn? Was Rautins "better" than Devo? Not based upon raw talent, but sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. And that's what I see with Frank being paired with players who can shoot, drive, and pass a little bit better than Battle. It isn't an indictment of Battle, who is a terrific player albeit one who has a few kinks in his game that will get smoothed out as he develops over time. And it isn't a knock on Frank to suggest for all of his vast improvement, there are parts of his game that are limitations that likely won't improve much. If you believe that Frank would be a more efficient player if he didn't have to do as much--as I do--then it isn't difficult to project how him in a lineup with Carey, Hughes, and Bazley who would be able to take some of the ball handling / play making responsibilities off of his plate -- would make for a more complimentary lineup. [/QUOTE]

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