Doc hasn't made one good move as a GM. Hawes was the worst signing by any NBA team last Summer.
Austin Rivers is terrible. A couple good games doesn't change that. He can't shoot and he's not a PG. On a good team, he's nothing more than a 9th or 10th man. The last three games he scored 8, 5, and 2 points. +/- was -15, -12, and -18.
I like to say that a kid that is 22 is terrible and will not ever be a good player and right off glimpses of what he can do ... that's what I like to do.
Doc isn't a great coach and thus far has been a terrible GM. Their bench is awful and the bad moves finally caught up with them.
The Clippers are basically the Sonics of the 90s. A legit title contender that underachieves regularly in the playoffs and doesn't have the management to get them over the hump.
Flagged for calling a team that has never made the Conference Finals a legit title contender.
Doc isn't a great coach and thus far has been a terrible GM. Their bench is awful and the bad moves finally caught up with them.
The Clippers are basically the Sonics of the 90s. A legit title contender that underachieves regularly in the playoffs and doesn't have the management to get them over the hump.
Flagged for calling a team that has never made the Conference Finals a legit title contender.
Kind of mindblowing that a team in Los Angeles has never accomplished that.
Doc hasn't made one good move as a GM. Hawes was the worst signing by any NBA team last Summer.
Austin Rivers is terrible. A couple good games doesn't change that. He can't shoot and he's not a PG. On a good team, he's nothing more than a 9th or 10th man. The last three games he scored 8, 5, and 2 points. +/- was -15, -12, and -18.
I like to say that a kid that is 22 is terrible and will not ever be a good player and right off glimpses of what he can do ... that's what I like to do.
You probably pretend Thomas Robinson and Derrick Williams might turn out pretty good.
What makes you think Austin Rivers will be good? What standout skill does he have?
Doc hasn't made one good move as a GM. Hawes was the worst signing by any NBA team last Summer.
Austin Rivers is terrible. A couple good games doesn't change that. He can't shoot and he's not a PG. On a good team, he's nothing more than a 9th or 10th man. The last three games he scored 8, 5, and 2 points. +/- was -15, -12, and -18.
I like to say that a kid that is 22 is terrible and will not ever be a good player and right off glimpses of what he can do ... that's what I like to do.
Well that's exactly what the Pelicans and Celtics said to him dipshit. They were sending him to the NBDL.
He's got a real explosive ability to score in his game ... when he has confidence he can get to the rim well and is a decent perimeter defender.
By no means am I saying that he's anywhere close to a finished product. He's got a lot of growth in his game that he's got to continue developing. But he's also 22 and has a long way to go from a development standpoint. I don't see any reason to believe that he can't be a productive rotational player at minimum. If he develops I could see him being a slightly better scorer than guys like Danny Green or JJ Redick. Both of those players struggled their first few years in the league until they were able to continue developing and carve their niche out.
I like Rivers' skill set ... I'd definitely buy stock on him right now.
He's got a real explosive ability to score in his game ... when he has confidence he can get to the rim well and is a decent perimeter defender.
By no means am I saying that he's anywhere close to a finished product. He's got a lot of growth in his game that he's got to continue developing. But he's also 22 and has a long way to go from a development standpoint. I don't see any reason to believe that he can't be a productive rotational player at minimum. If he develops I could see him being a slightly better scorer than guys like Danny Green or JJ Redick. Both of those players struggled their first few years in the league until they were able to continue developing and carve their niche out.
I like Rivers' skill set ... I'd definitely buy stock on him right now.
What part of "he's an undersized 2 guard who can't shoot" do you not understand? You seem to fancy yourself as a basketball purist. I would think a purist would hate Rivers' game. JJ Redick averaged 16 a game this year. I'd be surprised if Rivers ever did that on a team that wasn't tanking.
Since when is 6'4" undersized? He's the same height as Redick with 10 extra pounds.
The roles in the game of basketball are becoming more and more blurred. Being successful is as much about who you play with (and do your games complement) as it is your own skill. For example, anybody that thinks that Danny Green would be as successful on another team is crazy.
I don't know what Rivers' ceiling is at this point. I do like what I've seen in glimpses. Consistency and further development are obviously huge to reaching potential.
If you go back and look at Redick's career, I highly doubt anybody would have said that he'd be a 16 point scorer at any point in his first 5 years in the league when he combined for a grand total of 19 starts.
Since when is 6'4" undersized? He's the same height as Redick with 10 extra pounds.
The roles in the game of basketball are becoming more and more blurred. Being successful is as much about who you play with (and do your games complement) as it is your own skill. For example, anybody that thinks that Danny Green would be as successful on another team is crazy.
I don't know what Rivers' ceiling is at this point. I do like what I've seen in glimpses. Consistency and further development are obviously huge to reaching potential.
If you go back and look at Redick's career, I highly doubt anybody would have said that he'd be a 16 point scorer at any point in his first 5 years in the league when he combined for a grand total of 19 starts.
I agree about Redick, but he came into the NBA as a great shooter. He's always had a standout skill. By year 3, he was a contributor who started some playoff games for an NBA Finals team.
I disagree about Green. At this point, Danny Green could play for anyone in the NBA. I bet he would be pretty good too. Obviously playing for the Spurs has helped him develop, but then again there are plenty of other guys who have played for the Spurs and they still suck. He's a very good defender, one of the best spot up shooters in the NBA, has developed a little bit of game off the bounce and he's 6'6". Again, he has standout skill(s). He's in the top 20% at his position as a shooter and as a defender.
Rivers has no standout skill. He's kind of explosive and seems to be a decent defender. Every 5-10 games he gets hot and looks good, but he's nowhere near consistent. Flip Murray could light it up every now and then too. I would put more stock into Tony Wroten becoming a good player over Rivers. I doubt it will ever happen for either of them, but at least Wroten has an elite skill.
I guess what it comes down to is that the way I see the game right now you have to be able to put the ball in the basket. No question Rivers isn't consistent enough right now. But I did see some burst in his game that is huge in today's game whether it be to stretch out a lead or to reel somebody back in (see Rockets, Game 6).
I think Rivers is the poster child of why leaving college before you're really ready to contribute in the NBA is such a terrible idea. He's on his 3rd team and he's only 22. People already are ready to write him off as a result. If he was a rookie this year and was doing this many would be saying that he's got some upside in his game.
The league is as talented now as it has been in a long while. Teams are deeper, games are higher scoring, and those without skill are getting completely exposed. I'd recommend that we revisit this more when he is 24 to 26 years old and see where he is at.
I think Rivers is the poster child of why leaving college before you're really ready to contribute in the NBA is such a terrible idea.
Disagree.
If a player has de-risked himself to the point of being a top10 pick, you should leave ASAP. That's what happened with Rivers. You get guaranteed $ today, and NBA development > CBB development. You'll probably say developing his game with Coach K against amateurs is better than the NBA. I disagree with that, most players seem to as well.
Comments
What makes you think Austin Rivers will be good? What standout skill does he have?
By no means am I saying that he's anywhere close to a finished product. He's got a lot of growth in his game that he's got to continue developing. But he's also 22 and has a long way to go from a development standpoint. I don't see any reason to believe that he can't be a productive rotational player at minimum. If he develops I could see him being a slightly better scorer than guys like Danny Green or JJ Redick. Both of those players struggled their first few years in the league until they were able to continue developing and carve their niche out.
I like Rivers' skill set ... I'd definitely buy stock on him right now.
The roles in the game of basketball are becoming more and more blurred. Being successful is as much about who you play with (and do your games complement) as it is your own skill. For example, anybody that thinks that Danny Green would be as successful on another team is crazy.
I don't know what Rivers' ceiling is at this point. I do like what I've seen in glimpses. Consistency and further development are obviously huge to reaching potential.
If you go back and look at Redick's career, I highly doubt anybody would have said that he'd be a 16 point scorer at any point in his first 5 years in the league when he combined for a grand total of 19 starts.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/redicjj01.html
I disagree about Green. At this point, Danny Green could play for anyone in the NBA. I bet he would be pretty good too. Obviously playing for the Spurs has helped him develop, but then again there are plenty of other guys who have played for the Spurs and they still suck. He's a very good defender, one of the best spot up shooters in the NBA, has developed a little bit of game off the bounce and he's 6'6". Again, he has standout skill(s). He's in the top 20% at his position as a shooter and as a defender.
Rivers has no standout skill. He's kind of explosive and seems to be a decent defender. Every 5-10 games he gets hot and looks good, but he's nowhere near consistent. Flip Murray could light it up every now and then too. I would put more stock into Tony Wroten becoming a good player over Rivers. I doubt it will ever happen for either of them, but at least Wroten has an elite skill.
I think Rivers is the poster child of why leaving college before you're really ready to contribute in the NBA is such a terrible idea. He's on his 3rd team and he's only 22. People already are ready to write him off as a result. If he was a rookie this year and was doing this many would be saying that he's got some upside in his game.
The league is as talented now as it has been in a long while. Teams are deeper, games are higher scoring, and those without skill are getting completely exposed. I'd recommend that we revisit this more when he is 24 to 26 years old and see where he is at.
If a player has de-risked himself to the point of being a top10 pick, you should leave ASAP. That's what happened with Rivers. You get guaranteed $ today, and NBA development > CBB development. You'll probably say developing his game with Coach K against amateurs is better than the NBA. I disagree with that, most players seem to as well.