It's crazy how people forget what happened in Game 7 just 8 months ago. Or that Game 4. Dame was worn out after the OKC series and was hounded nonstop by like 2-3 Denver players every possession, and CJ came up big. He's seemingly regressed this year but he doesn't deserve the vitriol that he gets here sometimes.
Not sure anyone forgets....but it might be possible some people feel that if he were a little more supportive in an efficient manner, Dame wouldn't have been so exhausted. CJ should be coming up big when his teammate is hounded by 2-3 defenders. The amount of open opportunities is huge.
The first time I saw Trent on the court, I was shocked at how quick he was to shoot. He gunned and gunned and gunned, and frankly I thought he'd either be out of the league in a year or turn into something pretty decent. Most likely out of the league. Per 36 minutes, he was putting up 16 shots a game as a rookie! Given that he shot 32%FG and .238 from three as a rookie, I couldn't believe the balls he had. Mo Harkless might disappear for quarters at a time, but when Trent was in you knew he was there. He was doing terribly, but he was there. Turns out, though, that he was getting his reps in. Maybe it was his dad or his agent or Dame, but somebody told him to just do his thing so he'd know what's what when he got a real chance. He figured out how to find his space, and he sped up the release of his shot. He's still chucking, but he's a bit more judicious at 12 FGA's per 36 this year. After indecisive guys like Aminu, Hark, Batum, Martel Webster and now Simons, it's kind of nice to have a young gunner. I'm 100% convinced that Gary Trent Jr will never, ever, EVER pass up an open shot. He won't get a ton of assists, but he won't turn it over either. It's either going off the basket or in the basket or it's getting kicked back out to the point guard. He knows his role and that's what he does. When the playoffs roll around and everybody swarms Dame like they always do, I have no idea if Trent will make shots. But he absolutely will take them.
not really. Seven games isn’t a sample size. There’s a much larger sample of this team not winning when Dame is off. You can bring up the other players, but they’re not getting paid $100M.
Playoffs all 4 seasons, advancing in the playoffs twice, winning 50+ twice in the 4 seasons that the backcourt has been together?
If the Nuggets series was validation what was the series against the Warriors, who unlike Denver and OKC, sold out on Dame and dared CJ to beat them? Or how about the Pelicans? Teams don’t typically employ that strategy in the regular season, so those wins aren’t validation.
Fine, but until we find someone better at creating their own shot in the playoffs , CJ is who we have. And I say "playoffs" because as we all know the playoffs is a different animal. Completely different game because of the defense. Don't get me wrong I love what Trent is providing and my gut says Simons will get there too. But as of right now, neither is as capable as CJ, despite the lack luster season he is having.
My problem with CJ is his production doesn’t match his contract. A guy making that much money should be able to command some sort of respect from other teams, but I have yet to see anyone throw a double at him, even in games Lillard has missed. We’re paying Lou Williams Anthony Davis money.
Yes that is the problem that most fans have. Once a players "gets paid" the "hate" for that player tends to increase dramatically. Few live up to the expectations.
CJ has put up 25-4-4, while shooting 45% from the field, and 40% from 3, over 20 games over the last two playoffs. As a second/third banana, that is great production. Dame's astronomical rise is not reproducible, and I feel it has clouded how consistent CJ is.
The things last year there wasn't has many offense minded player around Dame. You had CJ and you had Nurk and sometimes Aminu and Harkless woul have good games but that was here and there. You had Curry off the bench. But this year there double team Dame other players will make them pay Trent Ariza Whiteside Melo and CJ is starting starting to make teams pay for doubling Dame. Yes CJ still does his iso but that has cut down some he starting do some catch and shoot and he also doing a extra pass for better shot so it not all bad for CJ. The problem I got with CJ is when he goes iso he gets tunnel finish and looking to score. Instead set other players up for better shot. Plus right now his defense is the weak link in there with any lineup.Even Dame has step his defense lately. Plus CJ doesn't have to score 20 some points to win games anymore.
Chris Paul - 38 mil Westbrook - 38 mil John Wall - 38 mil Blake Griffin - 34 mil Kemba - 34 mil Lowry - 33 mil Hayward - 33 mil Conley - 33 mil Kyrie - 32 mil Harris - 31 mil Middleton - 31 mil Millsap - 31 mil Love - 29 mil Vucevic - 28 mil Horford - 28 mil Derozan 27.7 mil CJ 27.6 mil
Like half? CJ's contract is not nearly as egregious as people make it out to be. He's in the Tobias Harris/D'Angelo Russell/Middleton/Murray level of overpaid, yet people talk like he has some toxic contract. This is the new reality in the NBA. Of the contracts already signed, CJ will be the 26th highest paid player in the NBA. Once the summer hits, he's gonna move down that list to probably the 30th range. He's not the ~ 30th best player in the league this season, but he was last year and has produced decently well in the playoffs as a secondary threat.
Does a Gary Trent thread have to become a CJ thread? I guess if we are going down that road, I'm all aboard us trading CJ for Tobias Harris over the summer and letting Trent or Hood start next year. With Dame, Harris, Melo, Nurk, Hood, Collins and Trent, we shouldn't have a problem creating shots. Realistically, if Hood is recovered he'd be starting SG.