(04-21-2021, 01:36 PM)HanspardsShowerVoice Wrote: [ -> ]His Real Plus Minus numbers would support this assertion .. he's the 3rd ranked shooting guard behind Paul George and James Harden.
He just doesn't get the recognition he deserves because he plays next to Dame, which is somewhat understandable. I love me some CJ.
It will get really interesting in places 6-8 in the West now. Grizzlies are playing Clippers today with them missing basically everyone. Kawhi, George, Ibaka, Beverly, Rondo and Jackson are all out. Memphis and Portland are than playing 3 games with eachother in 6 days. Memphis just 2.5 games behind Portland. Memphis is also playing Denver in those 6 days and Portland is playing Indiana.
Part of me hopes we slip to the 11th seed and miss the play-in/playoffs all together. Maybe that will jumpstart our self reflection.
(04-21-2021, 07:21 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: [ -> ]"If anyone had known Randle could transform himself from a career 29.5 percent shooter from 3-point range into a 40.5 percent shooter this season, and dared to say so, chances are such bold souls would not have been believed. Randle’s improvement from deep, after all, is the most significant midcareer increase in long-distance shooting proficiency in league history.
You can look it up: Randle is on pace to become the first N.B.A. player to enter a season with a 3-point success rate below 30 percent (on more than 500 attempts) and then shoot 40 percent or better on 3s (with a minimum of 150 attempts), according to research from the noted statistical expert Justin Kubatko."
https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nyt...aign_id=48&emc=edit_msb_20210421&instance_id=29483&nl=marc-stein-on-basketball&productCode=MSB®i_id=111490376&segment_id=55987&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F6d026f60-09ce-535f-b3d9-26383c318606&user_id=2165524f4c24ba64d8065ca5c0694322
I was a big Randle Fan in the draft. I thought he would be a mix of Barkley and Zach Randolph. Early in his Laker career I was disappointed in his early years. I was completely out on him when I hear Zach Lowe say the Pelicans found out quick that he and Anthony Davis could not play together because of defense issues. It just goes to show you that not all players develop in a straight line. Sometimes it is a matter of getting that right player at the right time.
So who is the next former lottery pick who may need a change of scenery or two? The Bulls appear to have broken Lauri. If you catch him on the right night, he looks really good. I wonder what his market will be this offseason. Also, the Bulls have him coming off the bench. Do they resign him in a 15 millionish dollar offer?
I like to rip on Trae but that is a shame.
Injuries are piling up..was scared for Luka during the attempted alley oop, legitimately thought he got hurt there..
Luka, pls dont do alley oops if you are on the receiving end!
(04-21-2021, 10:08 PM)Hypermav Wrote: [ -> ]I like to rip on Trae but that is a shame.
No idea why bashing Young is a thing here. We got what we wanted and so did the Hawks, seemingly. Punch up, not down. Hoping it's nothing serious.
(04-21-2021, 10:14 PM)cow Wrote: [ -> ]No idea why bashing Young is a thing here. We got what we wanted and so did the Hawks, seemingly. Punch up, not down. Hoping it's nothing serious.
I think most Trae Young bashing is in response to salty Hawk fans that insisted/insist that Trae is in the same stratosphere as Luka. Trae is a helluva player and I find his court vision some of the most pleasing in the NBA, but his size limits what a Young led team can do.
I agree with you though. Hope Trae makes a speedy recovery and it's nothing serious. Injuries are terrible.
(04-22-2021, 01:00 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: [ -> ]I think most Trae Young bashing is in response to salty Hawk fans that insisted/insist that Trae is in the same stratosphere as Luka. Trae is a helluva player and I find his court vision some of the most pleasing in the NBA, but his size limits what a Young led team can do.
I agree with you though. Hope Trae makes a speedy recovery and it's nothing serious. Injuries are terrible.
I just generally find Trae Young unlikable, both in the way he handles himself and his particularly style of play. Has nothing to do with the Luka trade.
(04-21-2021, 07:28 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: [ -> ]So who is the next former lottery pick who may need a change of scenery or two? The Bulls appear to have broken Lauri. If you catch him on the right night, he looks really good. I wonder what his market will be this offseason. Also, the Bulls have him coming off the bench. Do they resign him in a 15 millionish dollar offer?
I'm still holding onto my Justise Winslow stock.
(04-22-2021, 07:56 AM)HanspardsShowerVoice Wrote: [ -> ]I just generally find Trae Young unlikable, both in the way he handles himself and his particularly style of play. Has nothing to do with the Luka trade.
I'm still holding onto my Justise Winslow stock.
Interesting name. He was awful in one of his first games back when they played the Mavs prior to the all star break. He just hasn't been able to get on the court. Plus, he looks a little heavy.
I liked him in the draft as well. It looks like he has a 13 million team option this offseason. That will be interesting. If he can stay healthy and get into a little better shape, he could be an interesting reclamation project.
(04-22-2021, 08:19 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: [ -> ]I liked him in the draft as well. It looks like he has a 13 million team option this offseason. That will be interesting. If he can stay healthy and get into a little better shape, he could be an interesting reclamation project.
He definitely needs to stay healthy for a long period of time. He's kinda like Randle in that he's a little bit of an unconventional player who might need time to figure out what he is in the NBA. You look at Randle and you see this 6'9" 250 lbs. power forward prototype body and that's the easy projection for him, but he's actually a really gifted creator with the ball in his hands and that's what the Knicks have unlocked that no one else previously had. I think Winslow can be this really weird 3-D point forward ... someone who could simultaneously play a small ball 4 and can also be your second ball handler on the floor. Even if he's never a great individual player, he could be a way to put playmakers at all 5 positions in a free flowing motion offense on the right team with the right teammates.
(04-22-2021, 07:56 AM)HanspardsShowerVoice Wrote: [ -> ]I just generally find Trae Young unlikable, both in the way he handles himself and his particularly style of play. Has nothing to do with the Luka trade.
I'm still holding onto my Justise Winslow stock.
I don't want players the Heat already discarded.
They seem to have nearly the same needs in s player than us. If somebody isn't doing well there, he won't do here.
(04-22-2021, 09:07 AM)HanspardsShowerVoice Wrote: [ -> ]He definitely needs to stay healthy for a long period of time. He's kinda like Randle in that he's a little bit of an unconventional player who might need time to figure out what he is in the NBA. You look at Randle and you see this 6'9" 250 lbs. power forward prototype body and that's the easy projection for him, but he's actually a really gifted creator with the ball in his hands and that's what the Knicks have unlocked that no one else previously had. I think Winslow can be this really weird 3-D point forward ... someone who could simultaneously play a small ball 4 and can also be your second ball handler on the floor. Even if he's never a great individual player, he could be a way to put playmakers at all 5 positions in a free flowing motion offense on the right team with the right teammates.
Don't know if you remember or not, but he started at PG in Miami a few seasons ago when Dragic was hurt. He actually handled it well.
(04-22-2021, 10:46 AM)Mapka Wrote: [ -> ]I don't want players the Heat already discarded.
They seem to have nearly the same needs in s player than us. If somebody isn't doing well there, he won't do here.
Ehh .. it's not like he was a complete bust there. They signed him to an extension. He was just hurt a lot, the Heat promised Butler they would go all out for a Championship and they had a chance to get two proven playoff rotation contributors in Crowder and Iggy for a guy who was having on and off back issues. Like I said, he's got to get healthy and stay healthy. Otherwise there is no chance, regardless of the talent.
Mavs and the Heat are a lot alike ... neither one would offer Crowder an extra year because they wanted to go big game hunting in free agency in 21-22, and now he's been one of the biggest steals of free agency and current a Top 10 power forward in Real Plus Minus (currently sandwhiched right between John Collins and Zion). I wouldn't say either front office is foolproof.
(04-21-2021, 07:28 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: [ -> ] I was a big Randle Fan in the draft. I thought he would be a mix of Barkley and Zach Randolph. Early in his Laker career I was disappointed in his early years. I was completely out on him when I hear Zach Lowe say the Pelicans found out quick that he and Anthony Davis could not play together because of defense issues. It just goes to show you that not all players develop in a straight line. Sometimes it is a matter of getting that right player at the right time.
So who is the next former lottery pick who may need a change of scenery or two? The Bulls appear to have broken Lauri. If you catch him on the right night, he looks really good. I wonder what his market will be this offseason. Also, the Bulls have him coming off the bench. Do they resign him in a 15 millionish dollar offer?
On this train of thought again, I overlooked who might be the obvious answer ... Malik Monk, who has suddenly resembled the same kind of shooter we remember from Kentucky and is now currently 42+% at 3P%. Wonder what kind of offer he is going to get as an unrestricted free agent. He's a bit of a one hit wonder work in progess, but he's still just turned 23 years old a couple of months ago.
The Ringer had a good write up on Monk recenty, and go into the deeper issue of how teams handle player development. Especially for 19 year old kids who come in the after a 1 and done year in college and need a ton of patience and support on and off the court, and how teams with playoff and title aspirations have hard time finding the minutes to let them take their lumps. And it's even worse for young kids today who live on social media where the criticism and pressure is in their face everyday.
The question of how to properly develop a player is tricky. Every team has their own approach for getting guys up to speed, as well as their own timeline. Oklahoma City, for example, is letting its young, inexperienced roster play through mistakes as part of a rebuild, while the Warriors have struggled with how to incorporate no. 2 pick James Wiseman as they’ve tried to compete. (Wiseman is now out for the rest of the season with a meniscus injury.) Then there’s the fact that no two players grow and learn the exact same way.
“I had a head coach on a different team telling me that for a top-10 pick, the best thing they could have done was put them in the G league,” the scout said, referencing the fact that some young picks don’t get enough in-game experience early in their NBA careers. “But there was too much pressure. He was a top-10 pick in the draft, so it’s also about how the player handles it. … I think the best teams know how to make the G League a vehicle for development.”
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2021/4/20/...opment-nba