I heard he was a way better defender than hinrich, who never backed down from anyone. He didnt waver, ever. Not in big game shot situation, not guarding the best player of the best team. He was a terrific passer and ultimately a quiet person, who still learned how to communicate to his team and be a leader without words…..thats what ive always heard about stockton, i never remember hearing anything about him being dirty though….

There are so many comments made about him being a poor shooter, I can only assume people aren’t looking at the stats and are going by last year’s reputation. People talk about wanting someone to hit 3s to space things for Derrick – Kirk’s the top 3-point shooter on the team right now and 13th in the NBA (qualified players). His /40 stats aren’t down much, and that all comes down to playing a decreased offensive role on the team. And I’ve been extremely impressed at how he’s handled the change in roles while still helping Derrick out a lot and being more vocal with the team.

I get the whole issue with his contract and salary distribution given what is basically a hard cap with JR. I don’t quite get the anti-Kirk vibe that shows up so often. Even with an entire season of having him on court proving beneficial, and with an entire season of Vinny showing that Derrick and Ben are going to get their minutes, people still start griping the second Kirk comes in the game.

has gotten better, just not in terms of stats though. Look at how he played before, it was dribble dribble, pass or shoot. the best basketball i saw from hinrich was when he returned from injury, and i want to call that hinrich cieling, if he can do that for even 50 games a year, i think he makes it within the top 15 pgs in the league.

Though he hasnt been able to keep that high level up, he still has shown abilities from that short period. For instance, his lead passing has been incredible, as have his bounce passes. His mentality has seemed more pgish, and i think he came into this season thinking he would be more of a pg. I think after rose displayed his abilities and hinrich was injured, it became obvious rose was the pg of the future so hinrich, when his thumb healed, began to work on his shot, which has gradually been getting better at least from 3pt range as the season has gone on.
His defense still isnt where it was awhile ago, and i think thats more because of last year and being called for ticky tack fouls, which is fine….he has began to talk more to refs and be more “captain” like, i think eventually he will be able to get away with a bit more.

The only question is will his improvement mean anything to this team. I still want hinrich to remain a bull, but honestly everyday i look at what he does within 20 min of game time, and wonder what would happen if he was a starter….and he wont be a starter on the bulls anytime soon….so for that reason i wouldnt mind seeing hinrich play for portland where i think he would be in a position to play alot, play to his strengths, and actually help a team out that has the star power to go all the way.