I would support trying to get two late 1sts for Napier, Vonleh, and Aminu, then using one of those late 1sts for Tyreke and Brooks (MEM wants a 1st) and the other with our picks (2018, 2020, 2022?) and Nurk to get a star PF (Someone like Griffin, not Love) A lineup of Lillard / McCollum McCollum / Turner Evans / Brooks Griffin / Collins Davis / Reed That's a nice lineup.
I don't want to speak for someone else, but I think that's just the point. Hindsight isn't 20/20 when you're a Zags fan and your idea is "always get the Zags guy." In fact, hindsight does you no good at all.
Unfortunately the daily grind of the NBA while being an insulin dependent diabetic was too much to handle. Hasn't really been done before. From stories I heard he would dominate in practices. Even Kobe called him one of the fiercest competitors he ever faced. He showed flashes in his rookie season, just couldn't put it all together.
Another Random Stat: ZCo is currently 4th in +/- among rookies https://www.basketball-reference.co...=2018&age_min=18&age_max=20&order_by=diff_pts
Personally, unless that versatility makes you a superstar level player, being an elite scorer makes a sizable gap in and of itself. I think with a player like CJ or Lillard, you put a post who is strong on the screen-and-pop or screen-and-roll or a top-of-the-line rim protector, that player is more valuable than a player who is the jack of all trades and the master of none. Versatility might be nice, but elite level shot-creators/scorers are harder to find.
I love CJ, so this is hard for me to argue. But thats completely untrue. The league is filled with guys who can score. In my mind, there's not much difference between CJ and guys like JR Smith, Nick Young, Lou Williams, Jamal Crawford....I could list on and on. Being able to create your own shot is for sure a commodity, but I wouldn't say its too hard to find. A 7footer who can guard 4 different positions and can put the rock on the floor and create for himself and teammates is harder to find. Olynyk's defense blows CJ's out of the water as well. https://www.hothothoops.com/2017/9/...t-james-johnson-hassan-whiteside-luke-babbitt
Why does a guy like JR Smith stick around as long as he has if he offers nothing but being able to score? Because scorers are so valuable. You can play all the great defense you want. If you don't have a guy or two that can put the ball in the hoop, who can't create a good scoring opportunity against great defense or when a play breaks down, you lose, more often than not. Unless you are arguing that Olynyk is an elite level defender; that's the only case I think changes things. But then we've moved goalposts, because what I said (or meant to say, if I wasn't clear) was versatility in and of itself, doesn't close the gap on a guy being an elite scorer.
Of course not, but people are the same way with former Ducks. There's bias but you're also educated on that player by way of being a fan.
It was clear that Morrison was an emotional wreck when he broke down crying while the last game of his college career was still winnable. Anything he didn't overcome after that was just an excuse for weaknesses he had already shown.
Interesting. If you expand it out to anybody under 24 this year, he's 27th. Every hyped young player in the league is on the list above him. Maybe I'm starting to fall back in love with Collins. Also, today I learned Giannis is only 23. Fuck, man. That guys is going to be tearing up the league for forever.
Well, my stat wasn't completely random. I looked at a couple of rookie rankings online and thought "they're (mostly) all playing on bad teams." So, I thought I'd look at +/- which should rate some of those rookies lower, and sure enough, they do.
That's not really an individual stat. It's HIGHLY team dependent. Look where Donovan Mitchell (101), Kyle Kuzma (136), Devin Booker (152) and Lauri Markannen (154 of 157) are on that list. Do you really believe Booker and Markannen are the 6th worst and 4th worst players under 24 in the entire league? Their ratings are a reflection of the fact that they are both playing big minutes on shitty teams. BNM
Olynyk is a decent player, but he is a career 6th/7th man. Nothing wrong with that, but C.J. is a significantly above average starter at a position that is in high demand due to a current shortage of quality players at that position. The whole can Dame and C.J. coexist argument has been beaten to death, but the fact is, whether we keep him, or trade him, we're lucky to have C.J. He has significantly more value, both on the court and as a trading piece than Olynyk. BNM
So we’ve reached the stage where Kelly Olynyk is in the same ballpark as CJ? CJ is better, and more valuable, and yes, by a wide margin. The fuck?
If we'd had Olynyk, would we have been less likely to re-sign Meyers? If so, does that make up the gap in value between KO and CJ?
No. It's not about the differential between bench players. Basketball, with only five players on the floor at a time, is about having the best player. In this hypothetical, that's CJ, and it's not close.
Well, if you want to play that game, if we had Olynyk, would we have drafted Collins? Regardless, if we had Olynyk today, he'd be redundant and not fill a position of need. We have others who can play back up 4 and 5 just fine. We don't have anyone else who could fill C.J.'s role as a significantly above average SG. BNM
