Feel like we have no clear 3rd best player. During our earlier stretch when we were killing, it coincided with Plums/Davis/Crabbe playing some of the best ball of their respective careers Argument coulda been made for a bunch of guys, but it seems like a lot of em have regressed back with no one having stepped up in a clear cut way. Still, we need a #3 when Dame and CJ are shut down on offense, or even a strong defender who can shut down opposing teams with his effort.
PER rankings: 1. Dame -- 23.3 2. Ed -- 18.1 3. CJ -- 17.5 4. Plums -- 16.4 That's pretty much the only stat that supports Ed being ranked higher than CJ. You seeing something different?
I'll come clean. I love CJ, and I am a HUGE (YOOGE) Ed Davis supporter. CJ is definitely our second biggest scorer. He's doing things only a 1B player would do on our team. He's obviously the second option in every way. But, I don't think he's our second best player. I do think Ed Davis is the second best player on our team. He's being used in the best way, too. Look at his ORtg and DRtg of 128/104. Both are the best on the team. Does that mean I want him to have a green light to shoot jumpers? Of course not! He's best utilized as the garbage man for our less efficient lineups. He's the only player on the team with both an Offensive Plus/Minus and Defensive Plus/Minus that's positive. When he's out there, he's providing a massive positive contributions to the team. Should he be starting for us? Probably not because he's undersized and best used in the 20-25 minute range, rather than the 30-35 minute range of playing time. I love CJ; he's right where Dame was last year, and playing his heart out. I'm happy when he's playing, and don't mind his slumps because it's obvious he's learning the game. But for overall contribution to the team, Ed Davis is more positive than CJ. The smoke bomb part was to lighten this up because it is such an unusual stance.
I love Ed's game, but when people are talking about the best players on a team they're usually thinking in terms of scoring and who can get their own shot. That's definitely CJ after Dame. Ed is one of those essential glue guys that every team needs. His rebounding is great, he's a solid defender, and he's a terrific garbage man when it comes to a put-back or finishing a play on an assist. However, he's definitely not someone that you can throw the ball in to and have him make something happen on his own.
I think it's Plums, and I think it would become obvious if his ball-handling opportunities were increased. His dribbling and passing skills are elite for a big man, and I'd really love to see us take greater advantage of them. Dame and CJ get iso opportunities, but I'd love to see a lot more of Mase breaking his man down off the dribble. It would give our offense a unique and unexpected look, IMO.
Our third best player is Meyers Leonard's shoulder who isn't afraid to take one for the team so we dont' have to watch him play against the spurs.
It's interesting how so many of us were duped into thinking Meyers would easily assume this role behind Dame and CJ before the season started. I even made a thread claiming this year's jump for Leonard would be like Aldridge's jump his second season. He has 0 votes. Damn.
I voted for Henderson. However after reading the comments I might have to agree that Ed's production as of late has been great. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the starting line up to see how that changes the flow. Plums has really good court vision and has great potential offensively especially if he could pick up a 10ft shot to open up the key. Defensively I think he is behind Ed in terms of development. I love both of them and would love to see them grow over the next season. Henderson and Crabbe both have their strengths/weaknesses, hendo is just more polished. I guess we just need more time to develop a number 3...or possibly trade for one.
Plumlee. McCollum is a one-dimensional scorer, and not a dependable one at that. Plumlee gets more minutes than Davis, so Plumlee ranks above Davis. Aminu: The coaches are trying to make Aminu into another Batum, so Aminu is playing inefficiently. Aminu could be a Davis if so ordered. In a trade, McCollum is the most valuable, but the question was, which one is most important to our winning. (Well, it implied that.)
Really surprised at the love for Henderson. Guy averages less than 20 mpg for the season. For our third best player, Terry certainly does not think much of him. Crabbe plays the same role as Gerald, and is sitting at 26 mpg for the season.
Your not getting a better Player than Dame, so 2nd best is the best we will get. There are what, maybe 20 players in the league truly better and possibly more impactful. He is not replaceable, nor will we find anyone to come here that is bigger. With that said, I think we can bring in a #2 like a PA and CJ slide to the third best. How many players do you think are out there that would bump Dame to the #2? Of those, how many are actually available?
