Around the league thread 2021-2022

[Monster]

Barnes looks great. It all comes down to that jumpshot. If he can hit that consistently, he could really be Kawhi-like (stylistically, not saying MVP-level great necessarily) with a dash of Draymond's grab-and-go game, picking up assists in the open floor. High-motor. Great size and physical tools. The thing I kept hearing over the offseason was that a major selling-point for him was actually his off-the-court personality. Apparently, everybody loves the guy and he's a total team player. With Barnes, OG, and Siakam, that team has a few big two-way wings now, and that's the kind of player everybody wants.

This rookie class is going to be interesting. As exciting as it was watching our defense in that Rockets game, it was also kind of exciting seeing Jalen Green. The Beal comparisons are legit. He's not nearly as fluid an athlete as LaVine, which is where that comparison falls flat. But man, he is quick and aggressive and skilled at finishing. His handle looks great for a 2 guard. Kind of looks like a way more athletic Jamal Crawford or Lou Williams mixed in there with that Beal. His jumpshot looks a bit weird. He kind of pops up like a frog, and his shooting hand has a kind of weird, sideways motion. If that's not an issue though, yeah, I could see him becoming a big time scorer. He didn't have a great game against us, but you can see the talent there. The question is going to be on the defensive end. He and Porter will be fun to watch, but yeah, they are gonna lose a lot of games this year!

Also, not a rookie, but I just need to say (again) how much I love Ja Morant. Everybody does, I know. But watching him play is such a joy. Just the way he moves is so aggressive and stylish and fearless. It's honestly beautiful. His small size will limit him, especially on the defensive end, but it also makes him that much more impressive to watch. He's like a much more athletic Iverson. Pound for pound, I don't think there's any doubt he's the most athletic guy in the league right now. If you haven't yet seen his highlights from the opener this season, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aTXYeEFqr8check it out. If you don't like watching that, you don't like basketball.

The think about Jalen Green in that game was he broke down the D and then made some nice passes. He also seems to be able to do moves that report himself to a spot a few feet from where he was before. I think he did that once to Okogie who of course was playing terrif D all night and it was like where did that guy go? He is much taller than Beal and ai think a LaVine is a decent company since they are scorers ans athletes. Green is more polished than Lavine was but ai think LaVine had a better looking shot and probably a better handle. LaVine was one of the worst rookie team defenders I have ever seen. Green likely isn't that bad.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Barnes looks great. It all comes down to that jumpshot. If he can hit that consistently, he could really be Kawhi-like (stylistically, not saying MVP-level great necessarily) with a dash of Draymond's grab-and-go game, picking up assists in the open floor. High-motor. Great size and physical tools. The thing I kept hearing over the offseason was that a major selling-point for him was actually his off-the-court personality. Apparently, everybody loves the guy and he's a total team player. With Barnes, OG, and Siakam, that team has a few big two-way wings now, and that's the kind of player everybody wants.

This rookie class is going to be interesting. As exciting as it was watching our defense in that Rockets game, it was also kind of exciting seeing Jalen Green. The Beal comparisons are legit. He's not nearly as fluid an athlete as LaVine, which is where that comparison falls flat. But man, he is quick and aggressive and skilled at finishing. His handle looks great for a 2 guard. Kind of looks like a way more athletic Jamal Crawford or Lou Williams mixed in there with that Beal. His jumpshot looks a bit weird. He kind of pops up like a frog, and his shooting hand has a kind of weird, sideways motion. If that's not an issue though, yeah, I could see him becoming a big time scorer. He didn't have a great game against us, but you can see the talent there. The question is going to be on the defensive end. He and Porter will be fun to watch, but yeah, they are gonna lose a lot of games this year!

Also, not a rookie, but I just need to say (again) how much I love Ja Morant. Everybody does, I know. But watching him play is such a joy. Just the way he moves is so aggressive and stylish and fearless. It's honestly beautiful. His small size will limit him, especially on the defensive end, but it also makes him that much more impressive to watch. He's like a much more athletic Iverson. Pound for pound, I don't think there's any doubt he's the most athletic guy in the league right now. If you haven't yet seen his highlights from the opener this season, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aTXYeEFqr8check it out. If you don't like watching that, you don't like basketball.

The think about Jalen Green in that game was he broke down the D and then made some nice passes. He also seems to be able to do moves that report himself to a spot a few feet from where he was before. I think he did that once to Okogie who of course was playing terrif D all night and it was like where did that guy go? He is much taller than Beal and ai think a LaVine is a decent company since they are scorers ans athletes. Green is more polished than Lavine was but ai think LaVine had a better looking shot and probably a better handle. LaVine was one of the worst rookie team defenders I have ever seen. Green likely isn't that bad.

Good points.

Yes on the passing. I should have mentioned that. Those were some clever passes that you can only make if you have good floor vision and instincts. I still remember the LaVine as PG experiment his rookie season. Not pretty. I wouldn't put Green in that situation, but he does seem to have an eye for dumping the ball to the open guy when he draws the defense.

You should be right on the defense too. He seems to be a bit clever and crafty, and Zach never really was, at least not with us. That should help him deflect balls and pick up steals.

As for the handle, he can tighten it up at times, but it looks to me like he's capable of making more instinctive moves than Zach with the ball. Check out that behind-the-back crossover early in the game. That was so quick and so sick. Zach is much more fluid, which is why I trusted his shot more than I trust Green's at this point, but that also means you can see Zach's moves coming a bit more. Green's more perky-jerky style makes him more unpredictable with the ball, I think. He's just super quick at changing speeds.

And yeah, he's got that length advantage on Beal. I think the Beal comparison fits a bit more with his less-fluid, more upright style, especially on his jumpshot. I think he's also got Crawford-like crossovers, but he's quicker than Jamal, and I think he may even be quicker than Beal. He doesn't look totally in control of his body yet, like Beal is in his upright style or LaVine in his more fluid style, but you have to imagine that will come.

We'll see. He hasn't really proven anything yet. But the signs look really good.

[FNG]

Barnes looks great. It all comes down to that jumpshot. If he can hit that consistently, he could really be Kawhi-like (stylistically, not saying MVP-level great necessarily) with a dash of Draymond's grab-and-go game, picking up assists in the open floor. High-motor. Great size and physical tools. The thing I kept hearing over the offseason was that a major selling-point for him was actually his off-the-court personality. Apparently, everybody loves the guy and he's a total team player. With Barnes, OG, and Siakam, that team has a few big two-way wings now, and that's the kind of player everybody wants.

This rookie class is going to be interesting. As exciting as it was watching our defense in that Rockets game, it was also kind of exciting seeing Jalen Green. The Beal comparisons are legit. He's not nearly as fluid an athlete as LaVine, which is where that comparison falls flat. But man, he is quick and aggressive and skilled at finishing. His handle looks great for a 2 guard. Kind of looks like a way more athletic Jamal Crawford or Lou Williams mixed in there with that Beal. His jumpshot looks a bit weird. He kind of pops up like a frog, and his shooting hand has a kind of weird, sideways motion. If that's not an issue though, yeah, I could see him becoming a big time scorer. He didn't have a great game against us, but you can see the talent there. The question is going to be on the defensive end. He and Porter will be fun to watch, but yeah, they are gonna lose a lot of games this year!

Also, not a rookie, but I just need to say (again) how much I love Ja Morant. Everybody does, I know. But watching him play is such a joy. Just the way he moves is so aggressive and stylish and fearless. It's honestly beautiful. His small size will limit him, especially on the defensive end, but it also makes him that much more impressive to watch. He's like a much more athletic Iverson. Pound for pound, I don't think there's any doubt he's the most athletic guy in the league right now. If you haven't yet seen his highlights from the opener this season, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aTXYeEFqr8check it out. If you don't like watching that, you don't like basketball.

Drew, Barnes has been on my radar too since his dominant Vegas performance. And you're right about his personality-they love him in Toronto. Check out this love note he wrote to the fans last month:


https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/scottie-barnes-toronto-raptors-nba-basketball

[Monster]

Barnes looks great. It all comes down to that jumpshot. If he can hit that consistently, he could really be Kawhi-like (stylistically, not saying MVP-level great necessarily) with a dash of Draymond's grab-and-go game, picking up assists in the open floor. High-motor. Great size and physical tools. The thing I kept hearing over the offseason was that a major selling-point for him was actually his off-the-court personality. Apparently, everybody loves the guy and he's a total team player. With Barnes, OG, and Siakam, that team has a few big two-way wings now, and that's the kind of player everybody wants.

This rookie class is going to be interesting. As exciting as it was watching our defense in that Rockets game, it was also kind of exciting seeing Jalen Green. The Beal comparisons are legit. He's not nearly as fluid an athlete as LaVine, which is where that comparison falls flat. But man, he is quick and aggressive and skilled at finishing. His handle looks great for a 2 guard. Kind of looks like a way more athletic Jamal Crawford or Lou Williams mixed in there with that Beal. His jumpshot looks a bit weird. He kind of pops up like a frog, and his shooting hand has a kind of weird, sideways motion. If that's not an issue though, yeah, I could see him becoming a big time scorer. He didn't have a great game against us, but you can see the talent there. The question is going to be on the defensive end. He and Porter will be fun to watch, but yeah, they are gonna lose a lot of games this year!

Also, not a rookie, but I just need to say (again) how much I love Ja Morant. Everybody does, I know. But watching him play is such a joy. Just the way he moves is so aggressive and stylish and fearless. It's honestly beautiful. His small size will limit him, especially on the defensive end, but it also makes him that much more impressive to watch. He's like a much more athletic Iverson. Pound for pound, I don't think there's any doubt he's the most athletic guy in the league right now. If you haven't yet seen his highlights from the opener this season, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aTXYeEFqr8check it out. If you don't like watching that, you don't like basketball.

The think about Jalen Green in that game was he broke down the D and then made some nice passes. He also seems to be able to do moves that report himself to a spot a few feet from where he was before. I think he did that once to Okogie who of course was playing terrif D all night and it was like where did that guy go? He is much taller than Beal and ai think a LaVine is a decent company since they are scorers ans athletes. Green is more polished than Lavine was but ai think LaVine had a better looking shot and probably a better handle. LaVine was one of the worst rookie team defenders I have ever seen. Green likely isn't that bad.

Good points.

Yes on the passing. I should have mentioned that. Those were some clever passes that you can only make if you have good floor vision and instincts. I still remember the LaVine as PG experiment his rookie season. Not pretty. I wouldn't put Green in that situation, but he does seem to have an eye for dumping the ball to the open guy when he draws the defense.

You should be right on the defense too. He seems to be a bit clever and crafty, and Zach never really was, at least not with us. That should help him deflect balls and pick up steals.

As for the handle, he can tighten it up at times, but it looks to me like he's capable of making more instinctive moves than Zach with the ball. Check out that behind-the-back crossover early in the game. That was so quick and so sick. Zach is much more fluid, which is why I trusted his shot more than I trust Green's at this point, but that also means you can see Zach's moves coming a bit more. Green's more perky-jerky style makes him more unpredictable with the ball, I think. He's just super quick at changing speeds.

And yeah, he's got that length advantage on Beal. I think the Beal comparison fits a bit more with his less-fluid, more upright style, especially on his jumpshot. I think he's also got Crawford-like crossovers, but he's quicker than Jamal, and I think he may even be quicker than Beal. He doesn't look totally in control of his body yet, like Beal is in his upright style or LaVine in his more fluid style, but you have to imagine that will come.

We'll see. He hasn't really proven anything yet. But the signs look really good.

Excellent breakdown. I think you are right Green has some moves right now that will actually work. Lavine I think had a. Enter base skill for a guy that played like a combo guard. Like I said Green is more polished. He played in the G-league last year so he knows more what he is doing. Lavine was mostly raw talent although his shot always looked good which was why his other raw skills made him really intriguing. He shot 84% from the FT line as a rookie and that athletic ability was just ridiculous.

Green is one of those guys that until he puts some things together is gonna looks meh for stretches of games and then have 6 possessions where he looks really good with moves and passes and hitting jumpers. Honestly it's a bit of a shame for his development that Wall won't be playing for them. I think he would help Green get some easy looks. Instead Green is gonna be able to do all the things this season.

[FNG]

I'm not on the Jalen Green train. I think he is going to sell a lot of jerseys and posters, but ultimately his poor defense and inefficient shooting is going to doom him to being an unsuccessful, albeit exciting, player. I note that he had an ORtg of 102 and a DRtg of 112 last year in the G League...that sounds about right to me. Through his first 2 games he's making 32% of his shots, and 18% on threes (5.5 attempts per game). I think he will improve, but not enough to be a positive player.

Maybe he'll fool me, but right now he doesn't look like my kind of player.

[Monster]

I'm not on the Jalen Green train. I think he is going to sell a lot of jerseys and posters, but ultimately his poor defense and inefficient shooting is going to doom him to being an unsuccessful, albeit exciting, player. I note that he had an ORtg of 102 and a DRtg of 112 last year in the G League...that sounds about right to me. Through his first 2 games he's making 32% of his shots, and 18% on threes (5.5 attempts per game). I think he will improve, but not enough to be a positive player.

Maybe he'll fool me, but right now he doesn't look like my kind of player.

If we are going to go off his G-league stats of 15 games...well then you might love this guy since he was wildly efficient 61.3% TS who had just turned 19 years old. I'm not exactly on the Green train or whatever (I'm a Wolves fan I've been mostly on the L train...) but he is an interesting player.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Just some things from tonight:

Lakers start 0-2. Players fighting on the bench. That team has so many huge personalities from Lbj, AD, Westbrook, Melo, Rondo, Dwight, DeAndre. They have to tier talent but if it goes bad this will explode.

Raptors destroyed the Celtics. Scottie Barnes went off. I honestly believe the Celtics will be fighting to make the play in game and I thought that before the season.

Knicks are really deep

Hornets win again. The wolves and Hornets must be pumped with their 2nd year rookies.

Pelicans get crushed again. Wolves need to work then tomorrow. Should start the year 3-0. At worst need to split.

Rockets crush the Thunder. How much is it that the Wolves D was just that good on Wednesday.

Really happy the NBA is back.

Yeah, love seeing this happen with the Lakers. Screw that franchise for taking the easy path based solely on their location and pedigree. Hopefully that team crumbles under the collective weight of all those personalities. The Milwaukee vs. Phoenix finals last year was one of the most gratifying things I've seen happen in the NBA in a long time.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

It's nice to be in a conference where two teams have completely stripped themselves down to the studs (OKC and Houston) and another one is a step further along in re-building (Pelicans) but without its best player when we play them twice. If the injury gods keep at bay, the wind may be at our back in other ways as well.

[Lipoli390]

Hey Monster - Did you see that my guy Myles Turner had 40 points 10 rebounds and 3 blocks tonight? :)

Hey Lip stats on NBA 2K or whatever don't count. ;)

Well after that performance I guess the Pacers are out on Simmons and the poor Lip's dream of Myles Turner on the Wolves is dead. Just kidding Lip will stop at nothing to get Myles Turner. He is obsessed with that guy.

Yep. The dream is over. It sustained me throughout the long often frustrating off-season, but now I'll have to move on. My new obsession? - Bismack Biyombo.

You need help. lol

Edit: Or maybe another hobby. Have you considered forging your own sword? Maybe blowing some glass with Stephen Weatherly?

Lol. I'll consider your advice, Monster. I've always liked glass.

[Lipoli390]

Great to see the Sixers lose even though I can't stand the Nets.

It's also great to see the Lakers getting trounced by the Suns. Unfortunately, I haven't watched the game so I haven't seen drama I've been reading about. What's next for LeBron if the Lakers don't win a championship this season? Does he try to assemble another super team somewhere else?

How about Torontos' Scottie Barnes. 25 points and 13 rebounds tonight. Most pundits thought they took Barnes too high at #4. Masai Ujiri is a smart dude and probably the best PBO in the NBA.

Masai is further proof that it ultimately comes down to having an eye for talent. The best PBOs have it and the worst ones don't. Honestly, Rosas had a good eye for talent. He made a mistake with Culver, but he was actually trading up for Garland. His mistake was stupidly giving up an asset without knowing for sure he could get the talent he identified and then stubbornly refusing to trade back in. Otherwise, we've seen his eye for talent repeatedly in his signing of drafting of Naz Reid, Jordan McLaughlin, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. I wouldn't be surprised if Bolmaro gets added to my list by this time next year. I also see his trade for Beasley as another example of Gersson's keen eye for young talent. And while I didn't like the DLO deal, there's no denying DLO's talent. Rosas could be frustrating and was apparently difficult to work with. But he left us a lot of talent and a really good head coach.

Getting Vanderbilt in that deal was pretty good too. I was a bit KBD fan but man that was a good swap.

Barnes is averaging a double double.

As for the Lakers...hate them or whatever but that team has some legit talent on it and I think they do actually have some guys that are solid compliments. They mostly need to stay healthy but there is a lot of egos on that squad.

I forgot about Vanderbilt being part of that deal. Honestly, the more you look back, the more you appreciate Rosas as a PBO. Everyone makes mistakes and he made his share. But he made a lot of really good decisions on player personnel.