They both need PT to improve, and I'd rather see the minutes go to Robinson. The team obviously sees Leonard as a stretch four, but I don't see how we can adequately develop both young bigs. One has to go. I'd prefer it to be Leonard.
Our offense is among the best in the NBA. Now, they need to work on the defense. And defense is definitely not Leonard's forté. Besides, Robinson oozes all kinds of energy while he's on the floor.
You don't see how we can adequately develop two young bigs? I'm not following. Are our teacher-to-student ratios too low during practice? Are we over the "raw young player" luxury tax quota? Is this Thunderdome? [video=youtube;pmRAiUPdRjk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmRAiUPdRjk[/video] I like T-Rob. I think he's got great potential as a hustle player. I think he deserves more playing time than Meyers right now. But I don't see how any of that means that "one has to go".
We are probably stuck with both. Olsehy will need to be creative with next season's roster additions.
I'm guessing creativity is not a problem for Olshey when it comes to roster moves. Last summer he added Lopez to our starting line-up, and Williams, Wright, Robinson, McCollum, Crabbe, Watson to our bench just by letting Hickson, Babbitt, Nolan Smith, Pavlovic, Jeffries, Maynor walk and throwing in a couple 2nd rounders. Our bench still needs improvement, but both the veterans and young guys we have now are WAY better than what we had last year - and most importantly of all, he added a REAL starting center. BNM
We are blessed with both. No need to decide now. Continue to develop them both and play them off of each other. There is no telling what the future holds.
The nice thing is, given their skill sets, they could eventually co-exist. Robinson is a great offensive rebounder, but Leonard is developing into a better defensive rebounder (based on recent performance). Leonard can spread the defense with his shooting so Robinson can attack the rim. They aren't there yet, but they are both very young and improving. BNM
The OKC bench is outscoring other teams reserves more than the OKC starters are outscoring other teams starters. It doesn't mean the OKC bench is better than the OKC starters!
But by those amounts? With Durant on the floor they tend to outscore their opponents by 7.3, and when he sits they tend outscore their opponents by 8.7? Obviously this is tied into the substitutions themselves, along with their opponents' substitutions (which was part of my original point), but that difference still seems odd. Regardless, your interpretation is probably correct -- I'm just surprised by the magnitude of the effect.
Yes. In the games we lost during Meyers' tryout, Meyers/Trob were not the difference makers. That Trob may have contributed to one or more wins since then is not relevent to the previous losses referenced in the initial question, nor does it lead to a conclusion that Meyers would not have similarly contributed. They both have a long way to go, and I'm rooting for both of them.
I think Robinson brings an energy on both ends of the floor that Meyers does not bring. They're both athletic, they both make silly mistakes, but Robinson has an extremely high motor. That kind of energy is contagious.
Repped for multiple good points over multiple threads. Leonard is young and unformed. So is Robinson. I'd actually like to see them play together, basically switching the high and low post positions on offense. As for defense, both need to study at the feet of Lopez. Robin has size, but he's not very athletic. Yet he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Bottom line, he's a guy who has maximized his talent level. Robinson and Leonard have only begun to scratch theirs. Best yet, it seems Leonard and Robinson both want to work on their games.
