Yesterday, 01:27 PM
(Yesterday, 01:00 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I agree with this, too, but I don't understand the panic (not from you, but judging by the preseason game threads). We all knew this was a young player with rough edges that would need smoothing. I saw more than enough from his sporadic good shooting, instinctive cutting, rare athletic/size profile and his ability to just flatly run the floor in transition to feel pretty good about him as an investment, especially given what they gave up to get him. He's one of the players I'm most excited to watch this season.
I agree that he needs some time, although I wonder why, going in to his 3rd season, he still needs to let the game "slow down" for him. Maybe it's just the overhang of being a #1 pick and feeling like he has to live up to that status. Maybe he just needs some treadmill time pre-game to lower his energy levels. Another factor is what kind of atmosphere there was in the ATL locker room. Personally, I think he'll come around as the team bonds during the season and he finds his rhythm.
On a larger scale, I'm still waiting to get a sense of this team's identity. I know it's "Coop's Team", but the preseason was such a jumble of partial rosters, resting/injured players and inconsistent play, it's hard to get a feel for the team. Established teams like OKC, SAN or HOU have an identity and can afford to spend the pre-season evaluating low rotation and 2-way players. DAL, IMO, is more like an expansion club with all the new faces and players returning from extended injury absences (and some still out). I know it's probably going to be ugly for a bit, and I'm looking forward to seeing how all the parts meld together, but watching Coop's growth and Kyrie's return are primary reasons to sit through some of the bad basketball that's about to happen.
But maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy. I think I'm entering my "Get off my lawn" phase.