<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Basileus777 @ Jun 28 2008, 02:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 28 2008, 12:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Netted @ Jun 28 2008, 12:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Basileus777 @ Jun 28 2008, 12:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Those guys are rookies or 2nd year players. Rookies, even those with a lot of potential, are rarely players you can consistently rely on. Teams are going to double Vince and dare everyone else to beat them. Those 20 ppg RJ gave us are going to be very hard to replace.</div> Nets went to the Finals with 3 rookies providing some decent support. Not that we're going to the Finals. There will be a decent mix of vets and youthful enthusiasm when all is said and done. </div> Sixers got to the playoffs and pushed Detroit to 6 games with a rookie starting, another coming off the bench playing an important part. Hawks pushed the Champion Celtics to 7 games starting a rookie at center. Boston had a rookie and a 2nd year player that they relied on off the bench. New Orleans relied on a rookie and a 2nd year player off the bench. Detroit relied on Stucky to get them into the ECF. Houston relied on 2 rookies, one of them starting, to win 21 games and get them into the playoffs. Not even all of these guys were lottery picks, yet teams were able to rely on them. I wouldn't put it past these rookies to be able to contribute something to this team. Even a 2nd year player - you never know how quickly a player is going to progress. </div> We aren't just relying on rookies/young players to provide a spark off the bench. Carter, Harris, and maybe Boone are the only proven players on our roster. There is a lot of holes on our roster right now. We have a bunch of unknowns in our frontcourt. Our backcourt is paper thin and unless we acquire someone else, we are likely to be starting the likes of Bobby Simmons or Trenton Hassell. </div> We could have a starting lineup with players who are all experienced. And we most likely will. So yes, we are just relying on rookies and young players to come off the bench for us.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Astral @ Jun 28 2008, 01:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Every year we say "we will have an easier time scoring". It hasn't exactly happened, at least it hasn't helped the team. I also disagree about your assessment of our shooting ability. We have NO pure shooters. Here's out roster: Devin Harris - not a perimeter threat when defenses collapse in the post Vince Carter - scorer, ball handler Yi Jianlian - our best mid-range shooter. Not consistent enough. Great form, great elevation. Nenad Krstic - one of our best shooters... if he comes back fully healed.. mentally and physically. Josh Boone - putbacks? Sean Williams - Flashes of brilliance Stromile Swift - it's the contract year. wouldn't be surprised if Swift started raining threes. Trenton Hassell - "if the basket is not within my reach don't ask me to shoot" Marcus Williams - "I have a ball? In my hands?! ...must....shoot.." 38%FG Maurice Ager - not a shooter Bobby Simmons - ..... Chris Douglas Roberts - slasher, scorer... but not a shooter Brook Lopez - can hit an occasional mid-range jumper but inconsistent Ryan Anderson - a great shooter, but he has so much depth in front of him, and he's a rookie who is raw defensively. Can't see him getting much PT.</div> We're building assets and i'm sick of ignorant posters, not your Astral, spewing two lines posts about how we have no shooting without looking at the roster. I agree with the most part about your assessments but I do have a couple comments. Maybe Bobby Simmons does nothing for us, that's a real possibility with his constant state of injury, but if he does play he's a another option that can spot up in the corner and he does play a poor man's RJ game. Anderson, aside from being a rookie, has the same exact package Boki does and can probably get some minutes at the 3, Frank will fall in love with him, count on it. Yi and Brook are big big upgrades from Diop offensively and having two guys who can spot up from midrange gives us the ability to keep that inside outside dynamic on the floor unlike last season where we would have to play Sean and Boone, Boone and Diop, Swift and Diop if Nenad was in foul trouble or injured. If we keep Nenad we have 3 bigs who can spread the floor. If not we still have 2, and that's 1 more than we had last season. Having "pure shooters" is ridiculous at this point because we need to establish and identity and a team game where we can find out what kind of shooter we're looking for in the first place. The Sixers this past season traded away Korver and actually improved as everyone on that team found an identity and made some real noise with even less outside options than we have now. This is the time where they assess what position they need that shooter at, how will he affect their team dynamic and make the other guys even better. Pure shooters are whip cream on the sundae, not the ice cream. Look at New Orleans, they established a persona while Peja was out. This season they bring back Peja and add Mo Pete and they're devastating. If we were in the West I would say we need to stack up facing Phoenix and Golden State but really our main concern now needs to be getting to the foul line, especially in the East where low scoring is rampant. Our two main initiators (VC, Devin) are also our two best slashers and that is alot of pressure to put on them. CDR should help out big time and if our bigs are aggressive attacking the hoop a la Boone and Sean we'll get there but the biggest loss we're taking in the RJ deal is the ability to stop the clock and cut into the lead from an aggressive move to the basket. We are also weak defensively but we have enough active bodies where we can say, go out and play hard or you sit, just trying on the defensive end will be huge upgrades to the revolving door defense we saw from Kidd and RJ the past couple seasons. We can be a scrappy team and Frank will reward those who put forth the effort. Lets just hope it's the new guys who give us those added shooting dimensions. If not we'll look for one at the deadline or next summer.
