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December 18, 2006

The Robot

JayJay wrote this today:

So, what to make of the past few games? Andrea continues to progress, TJ is slowing the game down a bit and making better reads (especially at the end of the game) and MoPete is starting to look like MoPete again, draining 3s and playing some great D. But with all of this being said, the key has been…Rasho. Rasho you say? Yep. The big lug (and if there was ever somebody you could call a big lug, it would be Rasho) has been a force, rebounding and playing D, even showing that while he’s a big lug, he’s still quick enough to realize when to step down and get his hands ready for a scoring opportunity.

Has he been lighting it up? No. Has he been somebody other teams have been scared of attacking? No. But he has been solid down the middle of the court, which has been essential without Bosh around. Check out these numbers: In the last three games, Rasho has a total of 32 points, 10 blocks, 4 steals, 4 assists in 99 minutes. Rather pedestrian, wouldn’t you say? But the things that have to be noted with Rasho are the intangibles. For instance, the guy sets a pick like nobody’s business, opening the floor for TJ to either get a good look or to turn the corner en route to the lane.
It also may not be pretty to watch (think of kids jumping at bubbles floating in the air in the summer), but Rasho’s very active on D, getting a hand up on inside shots and making players alter their shots.

The good thing too, is that you can see Rasho rubbing off on some of the other guys, especially Bargnani. Bargnani has that tip-out back to the guards almost down to a science now. Realizing that he isn’t big enough yet to get down and dirty for a full game of rebounding, Bargnani has been able to get up and just knock the ball back to the point, letting TJ set things up again. On top of all of this, Rasho always seems to have the same demeanor. Whether he has started a game 5-5 shooting, made a good pass, put up a block, knocked somebody to the floor…it’s the same Rasho expression. It’s almost robotic. But hey, if Rasho “The Robot” Nesterovic (possible new nickname?) keeps ticking like this, oil that baby up.

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