Just got done watching Pelicans-Lakers. Some take-away points: Ryan Anderson is a frequent comp for Mirotic. After watching this game I don't think it's as accurate as it appears on the surface. This might sound weird, but I actually think Anderson is closer to Boozer than Mirotic. They have different physiques, but they play the same way. The biggest difference between the two is that Anderson has a three point shot which shapes the way he's used in a number of ways. But Mirotic is a much more dynamic athlete and can do a lot more with the ball in his hands. He hasn't put it together, but you can tell that Mirotic has disruptor potential on both sides of the ball, whereas a guy like Boozer (and Anderson) obviously do not. I think Mirotic could actually project to a Chris Bosh type player as his best case scenario. I haven't seen that comparison thrown around, but I think it fits better than some of the others. 2). The Lakers are a sad group this year, and their defense is almost worse than advertised. It's just so easy to score on them when you need to. However, it is kind of fun watching Kobe's last hurrah. It's entertaining to watch him boldly going down in flames on his own terms. He's lots a good bit of his athleticism but his body control and footwork are at all-time highs so he can still manufacture lots of points, albeit with mediocre efficiency.
I think getting paid $17M at age 34 playing for the worst team in the league isn't much motivation do do more than shoot. Scoring is the glory stat.
Other than Kobe, the Lakers don't have a lot of guys who tend to shoot much and even Kobe's gotta get tired of firing 'em up sometimes. Boozer will get his shots and grab enough rebounds to keep his PER respectable.
Melo had 46 last night! Yet Knicks lost again. http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400578418
Glui screen capture tool on the Mac. Uploads to Dropbox and puts the URL to the image in my clipboard. Insert the image with the editor, like any image. Glui has tools to annotate the image, like the red arrow.
Dont look now, but the Bucks are 5-5 http://sportstwo.com/threads/274623-Bucks-hold-off-struggling-Heat-91-84?p=3473372#post3473372
Deng just might get another year or two at $10mil. As for Gay, it looks like he's finally found a home.
Interesting topic. I don't think salary is a great indicator with these two players. Deng has always played in what some athletes consider destination cities. Sacramento and Memphis? Not so much. Still, I think I'm leaning toward Gay being more valuable than Deng. Deng is the better player with most rosters. But Gay plays incredibly well with ball dominant post scorers. That's a neat skill, and one many small forwards *cough* *Josh Smith* lack. I'd bet Gay would fair better with the Bulls' current crop of bigs than Luol Deng would.
