Did Pat Connaughton make his case for being one of the untouchables?

Agreed about Jake. I've always been in support of this guy!

As for PC, I've not been fooled by BGD w/ this thread. After last night I gotta say that I'm gonna give a lil' more credit vs. before to PC; I was 1 of those that didn't think he'd even b able to stay in the league, now I think he actually can become a solid bench guy (aka I'm not saying he'll become a very good player but someone will want/can use him & NOW he'll actually be able to make some meaningful contributions ).

 

I've got no complaints after last night...rookies did good..Layman has great timing and good form...his defense was good all night...he's just rusty...I'm impressed with Napier, Connaughton and Layman for a scrub game...first big minutes I've seen...they played defense first...Layman didn't shoot well but I'll give him credit for not giving up ....he kept taking it to the rim after his jumper was cold...gotta like that adjustment.

 

Remember the last game of the season way back when little used Jeff Pendergraph lit up the Warriors for like 28/15 on the last game of the season? Now where he at? Just enjoy a fun win and great effort from the bench guys. Props to this group, they bust their asses every day.

 

He's probably going to be playing baseball next year.

 

I agree that Connaughton will probably be gone before Layman, but it has nothing to do with "upside" or on court performance. It's all about the luxury tax. They basically signed similar contracts but Connaughton signed his a year earlier. So, Layman has a guaranteed contract for 2017-18 and Connaughton does not.

The three players on the current roster who do not have guaranteed contracts for 2017-18 are Ezili ($7,733,000, only $1,000,000 guaranteed), Connaughton ($1,471,382) and Quarterman ($1,312,611). Those are the three players most likely to be cut. Layman's $1,312,611 is guaranteed for 2017-18. So, there is no point cutting him to save money. The only way to dump his salary would be to trade him for a future 2nd round draft pick.

It sucks that this is what it will likely come down to, because I disagree about who is the better player and can have the more positive impact on the future of the team. Connaughton has been here a year longer, which helps his cause (other than the contract situation). He seems well liked by his teammates and the coaches and plays within the system. I think he could potentially develop into a much cheaper Allen Crabbe replacement. Remember, it wasn't until his 3rd year that Crabbe "broke out", which unfortunately led to that ridiculous contract. If anything, Connaughton has shown more in his first two seasons than Crabbe did.

He's a better rebounder and passer than Crabbe (or Layman), and while we hear excuses about Layman's incredibly poor shooting being caused by the fact that he doesn't get regular minutes and therefore can't establish a rhythm, Connaughton, who gets similar minutes, has no problem coming in and knocking down shots. In fact, Layman (11-46 = .239 3FG%) has attempted twice as many 3-pointers as Connaughton (12-23 = .522 3FG%), but Connaughton has made more. And, that's an important skill in a bench player, especially a deep bench player, the ability to come into a game cold and knock down shots. Other than those first 8 minutes against Golden State, Layman has not shown he has the ability to do that - quite the opposite.

Yeah, the sample sizes are small for both players, but in comparable minutes, Connaughton has outplayed Layman, and it's not really close. I'd hate to lose the better player to save $1.4 million in salary, but that's what it may come down to.

Untouchable, of course not. Cheap and serviceable, quite possibly.

BNM

 

Connaughton had his Luke Babbitt moment last night....I think he'll stick in the NBA. He's a way better defender and ball handler than some guys think. For a rookie....he's doing ok considering he's only really played one full game all year.

 

Yeah, but unlike Ha Seung-Jin, Pendy/Ayres stuck in the league for five more seasons after that and won a ring with the Spurs. He wasn't great, but he was a solid role player, especially those two years in San Antonio.

BNM

 

He's not a rookie. This is his second season with the team.

And hey, Luke Babbitt is a starter in the NBA. That proves anything can happen.

BNM

 

I stand corrected...good catch. As to playing time, he's sort of still a rookie to me...Nurk said he felt like a rookie still....but you are correct...he's been on the bench for 2 years now.

 

How very unWestbrook-like of him. He completely missed a chance to pad his stats in a meaningless game.

BNM

 

Thanks for expanding on this. This is what I've been trying to say for a while now - PC, TQ, and FE will be gone... we have 3 1st rounders.

 

Pat has an NBA three point shot, NBA hops, and he's a decent ball handler.

Pat > Babbitt. And Babbitt is still playing.

If Pat isn't on our bench next season, I hope we at least trade him for another asset.

 

Agreed on all counts, but if it comes down to Connaughton vs. Layman, I'd keep Connaughton 10 times out of 10. We will also have two additional "floating" roster spots next year. That, plus waiving Ezeli, gives us enough roster openings to absorb our three rookies (if we keep all three picks and all three players are good enough to make the team).

And again, we have until the last day of the 2018 regular season to make any roster moves necessary to get under the tax threshold. So, we could keep both Layman and Connaughton around until the trade deadline and see how much they improve between now and then. I know I've been harping on Layman's shooting, but nobody can be this bad, He eventually has to start making some shots. So, give him (and Connaughton) another summer league, training camp and maybe even all the way up until the end of February and see who is the better player at that time.

BNM

 

If he wants to be an AllStar he has to score DDigits even when he's resting ffs!

 

We also have Ezeli's roster spot and two "floating" roster spots to absorb those three rookies.

The bolded part applies to guys like Connaughton and Layman. We wouldn't have to cut them to make room for our rookies.

The luxury tax nightmare is another issue. We need to move someone with a BIG contract.

BNM

 

Here's the next big question....

Can Leonard throw a baseball??? He could be the next Randy Johnson...

(I will admit that he did have a pretty decent game last night.)

 

We all had a good laugh and enjoyed last night's improbable win, but I think it also may have some (minor) longer lasting impact. Yeah it was just one game, but it showed these guys they are real NBA players that can hang with a team like the Spurs.

I think it was also important for guys like Meyers, Vonleh and possibly Shabazz, that will actually see some rotation (non-garbage time) minutes, to boost their confidence and comfort level heading into the post season.

At the very least, a few guys increased their trade value, even is only slightly. After last night, I would be surprised if Shabazz Napieer doesn't show up on a few whiteboards around the league this summer as a possible cheap back up PG target.

BNM