Now that we got a glimpse of McCollum

'Refined' and 'Will Barton' never belonged in the same sentence in the first place. CJ has a much higher IQ and is certainly a smoother, more refined player but Will has some innate ability to create when nothing else is going on. He has length, is a good rebounder and when under control (not often enough) can make the good pass, has decent handles and can create shots.

I wouldn't want more than one of him on my team but there is a place for him somewhere. Maybe it is with CJ where they can both help each other with the ball-handling duties. They certainly would be a unique contrast on the floor. I'd take that over the lilliputian Mo/CJ backcourt.

 

Barton/CJ has been disastrous in the past. Neither has the ball handling to break a press.

 

There was the one disastrous example against the Mavs but other than that, they haven't seen a lot of time together, have they? I'm not saying it's ideal or that they wouldn't need to improve but I'm tired of such an outsized backcourt when we go to the bench.

 

They shared a backcourt in the summer league and it was not good. That was against some scrubs. Barton has bad decision making and CJ isn't a point guard. He can handle the ball, but he's not a guy you want running the point.

 

Barton is a playground baller.

 

Neither of them should be running the point on their own but compared to Mo and his attempt to dent every NBA arena floor in the league with his over-dribbling, I'm looking for alternatives.

 

I think Watson isn't so bad. He was getting shafted by the refs last night. The guy isn't going to blow up the scoreboard, but he's steady.

 

I like Earl as he gets the rest of his team much more involved. That said, he has 9 fouls in his last 22 minutes of play. Meyers Leonard only wishes he could hack that quickly. I get that there is rust but DAMN!

 

And if you go back and watch that Mavs 4th Qrt, the collapse had nothing to do with CJ. Dallas was trapping on everything. They also figured out that there were NO ball handlers besides CJ. They were denying him the ball with a 2nd defender roaming in the passing lane. Literally could not get the ball, and when he did he was trapped immediately. He had 0 turnovers in that ugly span. That was all Meyers, Wright, Barton, and T-Rob. CJ's handles are good, but he's either not ready, or possibly even capable of running an offense.

Small backcourt when we go to the bench wouldn't bother me if our backup PG was legit. For instance, Darren Collison/CJ - I'd like that. But Mo/CJ isn't pretty most nights when both are looking for their own shots.

 

Half of those fouls are the result of being over aggressive on D. (Like the last one he picked up pressing his man in the backcourt) Those things are easy to fix. What's not easy to fix is having a SG play PG. That seldom works out for a long period of time. Especially in the playoffs.

I am not totally writing Mo off as a PG just yet, but if he going to play it he needs to play smarter. As Inspector Harry Callahan once said "A man has got to know his limitations". Mo has to choose his spots when to be aggressive and when to just run the offense. He can handle the ball well enough bringing it up court, it's the rushed passes that he sometimes makes that drives me crazy. And because he is often playing with bench players, he has to be even that more under control.

Personally I think Earl has a more of a calming effect when he is on the floor, but if Mo can dial it back a notch, his shooting skills are a nice asset to have out there.

 

But we know Mo can't do that. He is who he is. And his coach it appears is telling him to push the ball and look for his shot. I have no problem with Mo catching and shooting or getting the ball in the flow of the offense and working for a shot. I just don't want him running the point. Clearly CJ is his replacement long term. So when do you give CJ his minutes is the question to me.

 

Let me clarify that. I don't like Mo at backup PG. I honestly prefer Watson. I'm OK with Mo at backup SG. But at some point that job is going to be CJs, either sooner or later, this season or next. So, when should we start grooming CJ and cutting Mo's minutes?

Honestly, I think trading Mo with one or two other backups not named "CJ" to get a better backup PG or post defender would solve a lot of problems.

 

I pretty much agree with everything you said. Not sure what a trade could bring so I am going to assume we stand pat.

I think Terry is in a tough spot. Earl is a better PG than Mo, but you would either have to play Mo more as a SG or bench him. And benching him won't happen. Not sure how our chemistry would be effected if he did and I doubt Terry would take a chance. And if he plays Mo as a SG then there are not enough minutes for CJ.

So I think it is safe to say that Terry will keep things as is and leave Mo at the point. So the next best thing I can hope is for Mo to play a little more under control at the point. Maybe as he and CJ play more together the offense with the second unit will gel a little bit better. It could happen especially if they have Wes in there at the SF. I say bring CJ in early for Wes and then bring Wes back to start the 2nd with CJ and Mo