What's the over/under on the number of games until Antonio McDyess thaws out? Five? Seven? 10? I really have no idea, I just hope it's before Christmas. After a 1-for-6 game against the Rockets on Friday, he's shooting just .348 on the year.
I know, I know, it's only been eight games, but realize that this is a guy who's shot .494 over his career (not to mention .513 last year), so his current mark is really sticking out. And with his drop in field-goal percentage has come a drop in shot attempts (7.8 to 5.8) and minutes (23.3 to 18.9). As a result, his scoring has dropped from 9.6 ppg to 4.6 pgg -- per 48 minutes, that's a decline from 19.8 to 10.8. The good news is that he's been a bit more active hitting the boards, as his per 48 minute rebounding totals has actually jumped from 12.9 to 14.6.
But enough with the numbers, they simply reinforce what anyone who's watched a game has seen with his own eyes: he just looks off. As far as I know he isn't hurt, and I highly doubt that he's struggled to digest Flip's new offense. The problem is just that his shots aren't falling. Confidence is a bitch; once it starts to waver, it tends to snowball.
I made this a separate post because I'm hoping in another eight games I can point back to it and laugh. We'll see.
Antonio McDyess [ESPN.com]