MM 2.0's more important summer league game 2 grades

You've waited patiently, so now I will reward you with my sleep depraved analysis

Lillard - B. This grade is based more on the fact that he tried to do a little too much in the second half, instead of being a PG. He still ran the team really well though for the most part, and should have ended with 6 assists. All star potential for sure

Leonard - C. Leonard got schooled by a Euro who has a ton more experience than him. The reason the grade is low is mostly because I didn't see the hustle I saw in game 1 (Randy Bodek told me he looked frustrated that no one was getting him the ball and acted out on it) That could be, but he needs to bring more energy (adjusted up .5 for stomach flu)

Smith - A+. As I have said like a thousand times, Nolan is a combo guard that really is more effective playing the 2. He made great decisions the entire game

Babbitt - F. Luke, Luke, Luke. If Luke is not shooting well, there is nothing else he brings. I really don't see him as a long term fit for this team, and it wouldn't surprise me if he is dealt before the season

Barton - C-. Meh is probably the best way to describe his game so far. Looks like he has the goods, but may take him a while to develop them

Diebler - F-. Dude sucks ass harder than Kingspeed on a date with an NBA player

 

With Leonard I am wondering if his great Game 1 was really a result of NO not really having a quality C to match up with him. I think he may have a tough 1st year, and we all have to be patient with him.

 

I would agree with your conclusions MM, except I'd drop just about everybody a half grade ... maybe a full grade for Babbitt He was worse than useless out there, plays like he's stuck in mud and he's got nothing else in his bag of tricks except for that deep 3

 

Leonard had a reputation during college for sulking when things weren't going his way.

 

Who do the Blazers start at center and who comes in as back up? Yikes

Can Smith be relied on to hold down the fort as a backup PG position next year? I didn't think so after last season, but maybe.

I need to see Lil play because all the comments I read bring me back to Bayless in SL, yet sounds like everyone is convinced he will be a good NBA PG . . . and this board has pretty good analysis on Blazer players.

But if this board has good analysis going on, it was concluded time and time again last year that Smith would have to improve a great deal just to be a good back up PG.

 

Hickson will start unless they can make a move for Robin Lopez.

Smith is a 2 guard, but can spell the 1 for short stints. Olshey has already said he wants to bring in both a vet center and pint guard

Lillard is nothing like Bayless. Anyone who says that after watching him play doesn't know basketball

Lillard tried to take over too much in the second half, but got the ball into the offense quickly, and made very good decisions for most for most of the game. He is a very good passer, but no one makes any shots. Kind of a dumb way to look at it, but after watching the first two games, Lillard should be averaging 6-7 assists per game if guys could simply make wide open jump shots and lay ins

 

Thanks for analysis.

Forgot about Hickson, not the best, but an NBA talent who fill the position if needed. Hickson was a good sign.

 

I wonder if Freeland might start (at C) over JJ? I think he might "if" he shows he is good enough in camp and I think he may be.

 

Who knows at this point, but Freeland himself said he was a stretch 4. I really thin kit's Hickson or a yet to be named player not the on the roster yet

 

Lillard is nothing like Bayless.

Firstly, he passes the ball. Bayless never passed the ball in SL.

Secondly, the guy can shoot. He hit, what, four or five threes yesterday? Bayless couldn't hit the broad side of a barn for his first two years in the league.

My biggest concerns with him yesterday was that he needs to work on dribbling in traffic and I wanted him to take over the game when things started getting out of hand. He had a very consistent game throughout both halves, but he never just took over. I wanted to see him just put the team on his back for a quarter and dominate. I didn't really see that yesterday.

 

I pretty much agree with all this. I'd say Lillard was more of a B+ and Leonard was a D. I was very disappointed with Leonard yesterday. I was hoping he'd rise to the challenge and start throwing his weight around a bit, but he pretty much floated. If it's true that he was sulking because his teammates weren't getting him the ball, they need to nip that shit in the bud right now.

 

Anything with his game to this point can be easily fixed with experience.

As for taking over, I thought he tried too hard to take over actually, but it's almost impossible to take over a game when the opponent knows only two guys on the team can score.

 

I don't know, I guess I didn't see it. It seemed like he controlled the game more on Sunday. He definitely played well, but with his threes dropping he could pretty much get that whenever he wanted to, so it felt like he coasted more. In the first game he couldn't get his shot to fall, so he was taking it to the hoop more, drawing fouls, and controlling the tempo.

 

Leonard's knock in college was for his size, he didn't rebound with a passion . . . is that what you guys saw?

 

He pretty much checked out, so yes, that was it. The easy excuse would be to say that he was going against a formidable front line, but I just didn't even see effort from him. Yes, the Houston bigs were impressive, but Leonard is a big guy. I just didn't see him boxing out at all. They got a TON of offensive rebounds.

I was okay with Motiejuna abusing him because the guy is fucking polished and he has a ton more experience, but it was the lack of effort that annoyed me.

 

I saw that last night. it was almost as if he were disinterested, but I think I said earlier in this thread that one of the masses smarter than me said he looked a bit irritated by not getting the ball. Just looked a bit off. Also, he was out of position a lot due to being out of position, as well as having to cover for guys blowing past us on the perimeter

 

Why would he get the ball though? He has no offensive moves to speak of. Outside of lobs and feeding him on the pick and roll, what else can he do?

 

Leonard was hopelessly outmanned last night. Houston had three bigs in for long stretches of the game, and the closest thing Leonard had to help was Babbitt at the 4. They would draw Leonard away from the hoop and there was no one else to provide any resistance.

 

I just really wanted to see him get in there and mix it up. He can't foul out so why not use that big body of his? I didn't really see him boxing out at all.

 

a) Aldridge, with Hickson or possibly Freeland at PF.
b) Leonard

Indeed. I wish the Blazers were now offering Stiemsma twice what Minny is while Minny's cap space is tied up with the Batum offer. Not that he's good, just that he has shown he can play C in the NBA for perhaps 10 mpg. And he blocks shots like crazy.

I REALLY wish the Blazers were finalizing a deal to get Noah.

I don't think so. His improved play has come playing SG. He's OJ Mayo Lite. We still need a PG. CJ Watson?

Just pay the damn $4.99 - it really is worth it. And if you do, you can watch the first two games, because they're cached.

He's by no means a pure PG, but he's far from a Bayless. Bayless wasn't even playing PG (Koponen was - and doing it well - I wonder of Dallas would give us his rights back?) and Bayless was getting all his points off FTs. The clue that there was something wrong was that some scrub backup SG that didn't play any minutes for the first few games took over at SG after Bayless left early and put up 30 points in the last game. I don't see that happening with Lillard.

Lillard's best performance was in the second half of the first game. This second game was more about Nolan. I'd say Lillard will probably end up being about Ty Lawson level, which is not to be sniffed at.

You crazy.

Hey, we're as amazed as you are. Just watch the games! He just seems to have recovered his confidence. But that's sort of a pattern with him: star in HS, scrub in first year at Duke, bounces back to be All American.