^why dont you think he wont grow anymore?

I had several growth spurts when I was in college


never know

[Edited on January 28, 2008 at 12:05 PM. Reason : 3]

1/28/2008 12:04:56 PM

his shooting form is fine when he doesn't kick his legs out. i think there's been one three he has missed where he didn't kick his legs out, and no shots made when he resembles a frog while shooting. with javi, you can automatically tell if his three pointer is going in upon release.

so i'm guessing he has also picked up on that. that's something that can definitely be fixed.

1/28/2008 12:06:43 PM

The reply sent to me from Lenox Rawlings...

Quote :

"My mistake. I wish it hadn't happened. Thanks for writing, Lenox Rawlings"

Yeah, Javi needs to assert himself more and create/take more driving/scoring opportunities himself (i.e. shoot your own lay up instead of attempting to give the ball to Gavin for a turnover...however, it would have been tight had he thrown it off the backboard for Gavin to dunk) He's coming along though, slowly.

1/28/2008 12:24:19 PM

last night's line against duke wasn't too bad for javi. especially only 3 turnovers versus duke's excellent defense... for reference, marques dropped 4 turnovers to 1 assist in 13 minutes.

J. Gonzalez, G
28 mins
2-2 FG
1-2 FT
3 RB (2 Offensive)
3 AST
4 Fouls
5 PTS
3 TO

2/1/2008 11:07:18 AM

At least one, and possibly two of Javi's TOs were BS. Duke only has a hash mark for the 5 second call on one side of the court. On one occasion, Javi clearly advanced the ball across where the hash mark would be to break the 5 second count, yet was still called for a 5 second violation. Even Len Elmore pointed out that one. On another occasion about 2 minutes before that one, it looked like Javi advanced the ball but it was hard to tell without the hash mark there.

2/1/2008 11:14:39 AM

yeah, one time they called it on him when he was inside the 3 pt line.

2/1/2008 11:17:05 AM

No hatin' on Javi. He's improving every game, and this season is going to serve him well in the future. I'm stoked with his last few games, and he's starting to think about driving and shooting the three every now and again. He keeps this up, and we're going to be in good shape going into the next couple of years.

2/1/2008 11:37:08 AM

his flop after the whistle was fucking histerical

2/1/2008 11:45:14 AM

he's keeps playing better and better...he should start, dunno why johnson gets that honor

2/1/2008 11:59:45 AM

Maybe he likes coming off the bench?

2/1/2008 12:01:07 PM

Quote :

"At least one, and possibly two of Javi's TOs were BS."

don't forget the one where paulus kicked the ball out of his hands and got credit for a steal.

and i would just like to point out that he's been playing much much better, like i said he would.

2/1/2008 12:29:23 PM

he's been playing better but he still can't shoot

2/1/2008 12:37:50 PM

whatever, the kid's driving the lane and scoring/dishing. he's making huge strides.

2/1/2008 12:38:47 PM

^yep

2/1/2008 12:42:26 PM

that drive and kick to grant in the corner for 3 was nice

but more times than not i'm not a huge fan of the whole "jump in the air and hope to find somebody to pass to" method...lots of turnovers caused by that

and he needs to work on not picking up his dribble all the time...that shit infuriates me...our whole team does it...HEY I'M GONNA DRIBBLE TWICE AND PICK UP MY DRIBBLE SO THE DEFENSE CAN SWARM ME

2/1/2008 12:44:18 PM

he's not perfect, but he's quickly becoming serviceable. he might even end the year being good.

2/1/2008 12:45:55 PM

i'm optimistic as shit and plus our PG production couldnt get a whole lot worse...all we need to do is have manageable PG play come tournament time...college basketball's postseason still pwns college football's, so the season's not over until we either lose in the acc tourney or somehow win the acc tourney and then its not over til we lose in the ncaas...i have a feeling we'll be a final 4 team this year...but in the NIT

2/1/2008 12:48:40 PM

in some thread practically dedicated to bashing javi a month or two ago i said that all his critics were going to look like the guy who started the brandon costner lollerskates thread last year (b/f costner decided to go lollerrskates on us again this year). yall said he would never make it in the ACC and sid was an idiot for thinking he could.

and i was right. he's obviously got a long ways to go. but he's a freshman and has improved significantly throughout the season. he will be a fine pg in a year or two.

2/1/2008 12:55:41 PM

The biggest improvement is he grew a pair.

I'd much rather have a young point guard attack the defense and live with his mistakes than be tentative, drawing 5 second violations, turning the ball over out top, and never getting us into our offesnse.

2/1/2008 1:08:18 PM

^^ i, too, supported javi. don't try and steal all the glory.

2/1/2008 1:10:35 PM

Next year we will be fine at PG because Degand was pretty solid and now that Javi/Johnson are getting big time minutes they will be experienced as well. Marques played TERRIBLE last night. How many times did he telegraph a pass right to a Duke player for a dunk?

2/1/2008 1:11:23 PM

^ I think Johnson will be joining Ferguson on the waste of a scholarship squad next year.

2/1/2008 1:15:56 PM

^^ 4

2/1/2008 1:17:16 PM

i feel bad for the johnson since he's a transfer and all.

what he needs to do is learn to be courtney fells and be his backup replacement next year.

[Edited on February 1, 2008 at 1:18 PM. Reason : don't know what i was thinking w/ 'backup', fells is going pro]

2/1/2008 1:17:51 PM

^^^Johnson has some talent and ability and can improve.

Let's not forget that he is not a true point being forced to play point.

2/2/2008 11:49:16 AM

Javi is definitely getting better. His handle is a lot more controlled now, and he's starting to create more offensively.

As far as his shooting goes, IIRC he won some big 3-pt shootout in high school. I think it coincided with some all-star event in Florida. So the guy has the ability to hit from the outside, just has to get right in the head (and eliminate the damn kickbox jumpshot).

2/2/2008 4:04:35 PM

Quote :

"^^ i, too, supported javi. don't try and steal all the glory."

2/2/2008 4:34:59 PM

Good Lord I expected this thread to be at the top.

If he makes his 3s and plays like he did tonight minus those last 5 minutes and a few bad passes, we will be tough to beat.

GG Javi.

2/5/2008 11:46:22 PM

yea I'll take 3-5 for 3pt land all day long

2/5/2008 11:47:19 PM

Quote :

"Let's not forget that he is not a true point being forced to play point."

I wouldn't call it "being forced"

wasn't one of the reasons that he transferred here because he wanted to play point?

[Edited on February 5, 2008 at 11:51 PM. Reason : ]

2/5/2008 11:51:23 PM

he hustles more than anyone else out there. you can tell he wants it bad. he's the shortest guy out there for us and he led us in rebounds tonight. he made some good passes and dribbled the ball out of pressure well at times. he really gets after loose balls and there were several times that his hustling kept possessions alive for us. he's definitely improving more with every game and i think that trend will continue.

2/5/2008 11:51:51 PM

^didn't know he had the most rebounds. cmon hickson/mccauley.

gg javi.

2/6/2008 8:14:13 AM

GG Javi.

he is definitely improving. i cannot see how people will not admit this. he's still not a top ACC point guard, but he's coming around. statline:


J. Gonzalez, G
29 mins
4-7 FG (3-5 3pt) 11 PTS
5 REB (1 OFF)
3 AST
3 TO

2/6/2008 8:39:10 AM

Quote :

"wasn't one of the reasons that he transferred here because he wanted to play point"

yes, thats how it was portrayed

and Javi is really growing up before our eyes. He played very tough last night. i was really proud of his effort

2/6/2008 9:27:44 AM

when he matures enough not to make those really dumb passes that create turnovers, he's going to be quite a threat.

2/6/2008 10:19:14 AM

it is also huge that he is only a freshmen. ANY point guard that plays for 4 years at a school is going to be a solid contributer within no time.

2/6/2008 10:21:17 AM

Quote :

"it is also huge that he is only a freshmen. ANY point guard that plays for 4 years at a school is going to be a solid contributer within no time eventually."

fixed it for you. now i agree.

2/6/2008 10:23:25 AM

didn't engin start all 4 years?

when did he start to hit his stride? junior year?

2/6/2008 10:46:07 AM

A big lol to those that thought he'd never be an ACC caliber PG.

Remember Gavin a few years ago? McCauley freshman year?

Some kids really grow a lot from freshman to upperclassmen, and especially when they get lots of playing time. Javi is young and already has improved leaps and bounds over where he was at the beginning of the year.

It just goes to show, you never know.

2/6/2008 10:56:25 AM

Quote :

"Remember Gavin a few years ago? McCauley freshman year?"

Bad examples.

McCauley rarely played because we were pretty deep in the frontcourt. Gavin actually showed the talent and athletic ability to be an ACC caliber player, he was just stuck behind Hodge.

I'm satisfied with the way Javi is improving, but I still think he's going to be a backup for the rest of his career here if the point guards we have coming in pan out. He's just not athletic enough to be a top-flight ACC point guard.

2/6/2008 11:16:34 AM

I disagree.. I think what Javi lacks in physical attributes, he more than makes up for in heart. The effort is and has been there even when he is/was making dumb mistakes on offense. I think Javi wins the starting job next year. At worst, he splits time with Degand.

2/6/2008 11:54:38 AM

i guess i kind of agree with both of you a little bit (^,^^). i think javi has definitely improved, and will continue to for the rest of the year. starters don't usually lose thier positions just because of an injury so you'd have to think degand would be the starter next year. i think if javi keeps it up and keeps improving, he very well could outwork/outplay degand for the job though.

2/6/2008 11:58:36 AM

I'm not saying Javi=Grant or McCauley...just that it goes to show you how much players can develop and change.

All our "reliable" players weren't so hot when they started...Grant, Fells, McCauley, etc. They didn't get a whole lot of playing time, but when they did they were pretty fucking meh.

Look how they turned out so far.

Just saying, player development is a very dynamic and unpredictable thing.

2/6/2008 12:00:42 PM

Quote :

"Just saying, player development is a very dynamic and unpredictable thing."

It is and it isn't.

I don't think anyone who saw Gavin his first year would be at all surprised with how he is playing right now. Shit, I thought he would be contending for ACC player of the year by his senior year (so I overpredicted).

McCauley you couldn't even predict because he barely played...but I remember being pretty impressed in the few moments he got. So I wasn't too surprised when he played so well last year.

After watching Javi play his first few games this year, my first reaction was: "Holy fucking shit this kid is not mentally ready to play in the ACC right now...add to that he can't make up for that with crazy athleticism/skill." My hope was that after he got some experience under his belt he could run the offense, limit his turnovers, and make a wide open shot. That's what he's doing right now, and to me, that's his ceiling.

Right now that's the best we can hope for, and I'm learning to be satisfied with that. I'm not trying to downgrade the kid, but I'd put money on him never making 3rd team All-ACC in his three year career here. I will give him credit for developing faster than I thought he would...but I don't see it getting too much better.

2/6/2008 12:07:18 PM

I like and pull for the kid but start over Degand next year?

I am not sure he has gotten that much better. I liked Degand a lot at the point.

2/6/2008 12:10:47 PM

lets just wait till he gets a full season under his belt before we starting predicting who should start next year

2/6/2008 12:12:27 PM

he's already playing better than degand was imo and is getting better every game

2/6/2008 12:13:11 PM

Quote :

"but I don't see it getting too much better."

that largely depends on Javi dude. Granted, I'm not one to say he'll ever be All ACC, but he will continue to improve, I definitely believe that. Reason why is that it looks like he has focus and tenacity, things in short supply at NCSU except for Big Ben and Gavin and Fells intermittently.

2/6/2008 12:13:35 PM

^I'm basing it all on athletic ability. Javi is an average athlete. He's not Mike O'Donnel, but he's also not going to blow by anyone or dunk on anyone. I hate to say it, but a basketball players athletic ability is going to limit the kind of player he is...especially if you're a 6-foot point guard. You can have all the handles in the world, but if you don't have the speed or quickness to get by the defender once you make your move, then it won't matter. And you can be a Reddick-like shooter, but if you don't have the size and jumping ability to shoot over someone, then it won't matter how good of a shooter you are. I'm just saying that there is a ceiling...unless Javi gets on some ridiculous training program that makes him stronger/faster/quicker.

Quote :

"he's already playing better than degand was imo and is getting better every game"

Although Degand was having his struggles too...I loved his size/speed/quickness at the point. He was faster/quicker at getting to the basket than Gavin and Fells were. He was also the only one hitting open threes in that Michigan State game. I just think Degand has a higher ceiling than Javi.

2/6/2008 12:23:17 PM

julius mays ftw

2/6/2008 12:33:37 PM