Who would do a Robinson + Leonard for Gortat trade? I actually would. (But I'd check to see first if Robin Lopez hates him from their battles in Suns training camp. I thought I saw them chatting amiably during the preseason game.) I'm not a huge fan of Gortat, but his contract runs out at the end of the year if we don't like him.
I think gortat would want to start. I'm not sure I want that type of situation. It's apparent we need a good reserve center. I would love to have gortat too. Just don't want issues between the two.
I'm not defending him at all; I'm just saying your comparison doesn't hold water. Rasta bringing up Telfair is much more valid. Qyntel would be an even better comparison. Someone who has all the physical tools, all the athleticism you could possibly want, but doesn't have the head to make the body do what it needs to do. BEFORE giving up on Leonard, I'd like to see him get big, consistent minutes in the D-League to see if professional coaching coupled with significant professional playing time can help him develop the instincts and court-awareness necessary to become an NBA player. But I don't think he has shown anything that warrants PT with the big boys at this time.
I don't know man. If my memory serves me correct, Jermaine looked equally as lost when first a Blazer. It's one of the reasons he got no burn.
I couldn't disagree more strongly. Not about his instincts, but about his drive. Speaking of instincts, remember, he learned how to play the game as a guard, then suddenly grew five or six inches one summer in high school. For a kid who had such a dramatic growth spurt, he's crazy coordinated. It'll take a couple more years, but unlike most other project centers in the league, nearly all of his weaknesses are in areas that can be learned. I just hope that we have guys coaching him who can teach those things to him.
Good point, and I guess we should be glad that we're not looking at Ronnie Price/Nolan Smith/Luke Babbitt as our first wave off the bench.
That trio makes me depressed. Even if Thomas Robinson has a so-so year (6-8 ppg, 6-8 rebounds per game) it'd be an improvement over the crap that the bench last year produced. If Leonard doesn't improve much over the year, it'll suck..but he's a project. He can have flashes of excitement, but I'm not expecting anything out of him. Not that he CAN'T or won't, but I don't want to set him up for failure.
It is better in college football. Once fall camp starts, it makes no difference who was a 5 * and who was a 3 * ...they all start even. Fans get it too. Not sure why NBA fans get caught up in where a players is drafted. I was not a fan of the Leonard selection and said so on draft night. But personally he has exceeded my expectations. He will be fine for 10 minutes a game. My beef is that we are forced to play Joel at center and I think he is much better suited as a back up PF. We need a 3rd center. Not PF's who can play center.
Last year, despite his poor play, Leonard averaged 17 and a half minutes per game because our bench was so anemic. If Leonard starts racking up DNP-Coaches decisions, maybe he'll start to realize that in order for him to play meaningful minutes, or to even have a future in this league, he's going to need to focus on things other than his three-pointer or hairdo. I'm nowhere near giving up on him. 7 footers with that kind of talent are rare. He needs to develop more, and until he does, we should implement tough-love. Keep him 3rd string. He'll get the message. Despite what some have said in this thread, I've heard he does have a drive, and he is intelligent, he's just very raw. That can change, just not over night. I like the guy, bake the cake. Even if it's in that enchanted land of potatoes we call Idaho.
I think this is the crux of the matter for me and why I'm with Rasta, MM, and others as way off the Leonard bandwagon: 1) I have never seen worse instincts in a basketball player, including high school players. 2) As you point out he DOES have drive. The reason I'm so down on him is that he seems to be Driving in the Wrong Direction. Basically, we want him to be Bill Walton, he wants to be Clyde Drexler. Most of his hard work is negated because he's putting most of his effort into the wrong stuff. Yes, the coaching staff has him working toward the Walton route, but that's not where his heart lies. He'd much rather work on his 3 pointer, and sailing in for dunks. Put more concisely, he has no instincts and while he is a hard worker, he is working hard at becoming a player we will all hate.
Exactly, and I can't think of a player that looked this clueless that has become a successful NBA big man. Can anyone?
Leonard can't be the official whipping boy, because he's NEVER been good enough to make a difference. Aldridge, on the other hand, is a much better candidate for this award. He refuses to play around the basket, where we need him most, and has become just another version of Rashweed Wallace. All he wants to do is shoot 20-footers now. This team will never be as good as it can be as long as Aldridge is playing an outside game rather than an inside game.
Nobody's saying he won't ultimately be a bust, just that it's too early to give up on a 21 year old 7 footer with rare skills, on a rookie contract, 4 preseason games into his second year... But maybe the internet is the wrong place for common sense and patience. The Freeland bashing last year was non stop, now suddenly he's a different player. And he'd been playing a lot longer than Meyers.
If you follow him on teh instagram, it seems he spends more time working on his body and strength than basketball skill.
