Sadly right now they are probably in our top five in terms of being competent NBA players. And Ronnie Price is right after. I'd say Pavlovic has looked considerably better than Wesley. If we just cut Babbitt, Ammo, Karl and Wesley (and Elliot, because I have lost the ability to have perpetual hope in perpetually injured players) I wouldn't bat an eye. Oh, and throw Nolan in there, too, at least as soon as Price recovers.
Wes has value. I'd rather trade him if he's not someone that will contribute to our future. Personally, I'd really like to see more of Barton. I saw some things from him in SL that I really liked. I love the way he plays the passing lanes, and he's certainly more athletic than Wes.
Just to get this straight in my head, you're comparing Sasha Pavlovic with Wes Matthews and Luke Babbitt?
Wesley... as in Wesley Matthews? WTF. Me too. I think he's got a nice handle too. He's probably better suited for that bench scorer/playmaker role than Nolan.
It's not so much that Pavlovic is good. It's more that Wesley is not. He really seems to be regressing from his rookie year. And now that we have Lillard, who is less of a PG than Miller and yes, even Felton, we can't afford to have a SG who can't dribble. I was watching the game last night (on the feed that should not have existed) and saw what looked like a summer league throw-in PG getting abused on D. "Who's that fool?" I thought. It was Matthews. And D was SUPPOSED to be his strength. I'm really hoping that Houston releases Shaun Livingston, just because they have too many players, because I think he would make a useful player for us, even to play alongside Lillard. Lillard has been a total non-factor in the first half of most of the games he's played in because he's been trying to get everyone involved (you know - BE A POINT GUARD) and it just doesn't come naturally. If we had somebody big enough to play SG but with PG skills to put next to him, maybe he could be his second-half self all game. But playing alongside Matthews, that isn't going to happen. (I also hope Barton can grow into this role.)
so you're thinking that barton can build up enough PG skills to put Lillard at the 2, but you don't think Lillard can muster enough natural PG skills to be effective unless he's at the 2?
I also like Barton. Wesley is a very nice impressive person, I would make him captain, but he's not our best option at SG. I also agree with the point of having a more skilled SG (dribbling, passing) next to Lillard and I think Barton is exactly that kind of player.
Don't try to read between the lines, because you're not very good at it. I want someone at the two who can allow Lillard to concentrate on scoring more. Lillard is never going to be a Jason Kidd or Chris Paul, but I'll settle for a Terrell Brandon or even a Russell Westbrook-lite. Olshey compared Lillard with Billups, and it's worth remembering that Billups really struggled playing PG for his first couple of years. Damian is our PG of the future, no question, but I don't want to suffer through a season of first halves like we've been seeing. Actually, I think Lillard plays PG better when he's not focusing so much on getting people involved. He overthinks and doesn't do anything well. Let him play his Weber State style, but have someone play alongside him (who's better than the Nolan that Stotts HAS been playing alongside him) who can help pull up the average assist rate for our backcourt.
You don't say? You mean to tell me that he has regressed since playing with Deron Williams? That is shocking.
Yes, he has actually become a worse player. Playing with Deron Williams can make you LOOK better (although, it didn't do much of that for last year's Nets) but it doesn't actually make you better. However, I meant to say he looks worse than his first year with us.
Except that Babbitt plays forward, of which we have a bazillion, and Pavlovic plays SG, of which we have a rapidly dwindling number. Pavlovic would make an (even worse) PF than Babbitt, I'll grant that. But with Aldridge, Freeland and Jeffries, there shouldn't be any PF minutes for Babbitt. Babbitt would be a significantly worse SG than Pavlovic. Besides which: Pavlovic has been around. He knows how to play NBA basketball. He had a significant role on the LeBron Cavs. We need a few players who basically aren't just running around like chickens with their heads cut off. There is a value in basic competence, and it's particularly premium on this team right now.
Pavlovic is absolutely terrible. He played a role on the LeBron Cavs because the LeBron Cavs had no one except LeBron. Pavlovic has SUCKED statistically every year, with or without LeBron. His career PER is 8.4, and that's slightly inflated by his one year with an above average PER. Wesley's career PER is 14.1. The only thing Pavlovic is better at than Wesley is rebounding. Shaun Livingston? You seem to just want to acquire and hold on to the scrubs of the league.. If you were allowed to assemble a team it would be absolutely awful.
Which is exactly what watching this team will give you right now. Did you know that Wesley earns $6.5M? And the Knicks are paying Pavlovic's salary. Which is less than a fifth of Wesley's.
You mean in the last two years? or Never? I have no idea if he is the same player that he was with Cleveland, but he had some decent years. (Shot over 40% from 3 pt range two different seasons and played solid D) He also has played in 52 playoff games. Maybe he has lost a step, but at 28 I think he is an asset. I have no idea why he has not played much since, but at one time he did receive some phrase. Just not sure what happened to the guy.
