I freaking love the way this guy plays the game, but I have no clue (nor, it appears, does anybody else..) if he has what it takes to succeed in the NBA. Great dribble, good shooting form, playmaking instincts and incredible size and quickness are there, but he is very raw. I hope we don't cut him, but if we're not going to even play him in the preseason, how do we know what he can do? http://www.nba.com/playerfile/luis_montero/index.html Shout out to Phil Pressey while I'm here
Him not playing at all actually tells me they plan on keeping him. If he was in a fight for a spot you'd think he'd be given a chance to play, and at the very least put something on tape for opportunities with some other team.
Imagine if Shaun Livingston was young again, never blew out his knee, could shoot off the dribble and had played against inferior competition his entire life
No, because Johnson was without any ambiguity brought in specifically for training camp and nothing more. Nobody had any illusions that he was actually competing for a spot. Montero, Alexander and Pressey were all added to the roster in July; Johnson not until the end of September.
Pressey ads nothing of value to the team. Neither does Johnson. I'd rather go with a raw 6'7" guy instead of a horrible undersized PG.
Montero sucks. He's not going to be anything. I'm hoping Johnson, Montero and pressey all get cut and we sign someone who is a surprise cut
I think they should only sign players who have previous NBA experience. If every team did that we could abandon the draft while watching players play into their AARP years. Shaq against Kareem right now, can you imagine?
Great idea! NOT Plain and simple Montero sucks. Just because he appears athletic, a tall wing and may have some decent handles doesn't necessarily translate into anything for us. A guy with Much more fanfare and hype in Robert Upshaw was just cut by the Lakers. I don't care either way if Montero is kept or not, but from what most of us have been able to see if him, I'm confident someone better will be cut by teams paring down their rosters.
I'm intrigued by Montero. He has size, aestheticism, handles, a jump shot, and can get to the rim. He just needs to play, and gain game experience is all. The only concern is if the blazers have the time to wait for him to catch up. This season is for development, so I see no need to cut him now. I wish the blazers would do like the Timbers and start a D-League team and have them play locally somewhere like the Chiles Center or even Memorial Coliseum. The players could get practice time with the blazers and play for the D-League team.
or make a 3pt-er to save his life. I'm not sure Livingston is a good comp. He had elite court vision and not outside shot. A raw Penney seems closer to me.
I'd keep Montero, D-League him some, and have him practice with the team, at least unless/until we need his roster slot for someone else. Nothing to lose here.
He shoots it well, and from deep. This is for the last roster spot, not an impact position. Give me the 6-7 quick as hell point guard project any day
Yeah, that was my point. I watched Livingston when he came into the league. Super great vision and passing, and ball handling, but couldn't hit a jumper at all. It was really a problem. I haven't seen that kind of vision from Montero, and he likely doesn't have that. But, he is quick, long, has great handles and a very nice outside shot. He isn't super young, but I would still take a chance on him. If he does develop he could be an excellent backup PG, and possibly more.
I love how everyone has formed opinions about a guy they haven't seen play.... In particular those that say he sucks.
I'm still hoping he'll become younger version of Leandro Barbosa..he's the bottom of the bench so wouldn't play this season anyway
