Is anyone on our SL team worth keeping?

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I agree that it goes way beyond the box score. You could clearly see in SL that Lillard had intangibles that would translate to the league regardless of whether he hit shots at the same rate. OTOH you can see why a guy like Pierre Jackson can't hack it in the NBA. He has 1 vs. 5 scoring talent and can get hot but he can't adapt to fit an offense or make the right plays.
 
Rastapopoulos said:
Worth keeping:
Vonleh - he could be a third string PF maybe down the line.

And Murray was taken with a LOW first round pick. And yet he was so much more talented than anyone on our roster
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WTF are you smoking? At least Brent Barry gets it.
 
Definite NBA Talent: Vonleh

Exciting Prospect: Montero

Promising Rookie Longshot: Layman

On the Cusp: Connaughton

Euroleague or Bust: Cliff

Yet to be determined: Napier

Should be legally barred from ever playing basketball again: Smith

The rest: Who?
 
Vonleh is primed to be a hell of a pf in the NBA

Layman has me interested...I see a lot of potential in him...his play reminds me of the Blazers in the late 70s...ok maybe the chops have something to do with that.

Connaughton has me disappointed. After hearing all the hype that he has been playing better then ever this summer and hadn't missed a shot since April, I expected more. But, it's just more of the same.

Montero has something about him, like there is a great player trying to break out, but he just can seem to translate to the game. He has potential, he just hadn't had a chance to hone himself with what little playing time he has had.

Alexander brings a great physicality to the game. But, he is clumsy and un balanced a big man as I have seen. Like Montero there is one hell of a player somewhere in there, that just can't get out, and won't unless he gets more experience.

Russ Smith is an offensive firework, he can hit the three or attack the basket. But, he can't pass to save his life, not exactly a positive attribute if you are a pg

Everyone else is no where ready to get near an NBA court
 
Since the SL guys haven't played together, new to the coach if they have one, they only have one chance to look like a ball player.
They will look as good as their play-maker can quickly make a team of them. Usually don't have that on the team.
Bayless buried Batum in SL while impressing everyone. Batum was the only keeper I saw though, even though he rarely was part of the Bayless show.

No TV here in the boat yard so no SL games here. Are you sure there is not a player that can play but is just hidden by the play of the ball handlers?
 
BBert said:
Definite NBA Talent: Vonleh

Exciting Prospect: Montero

Promising Rookie Longshot: Layman

On the Cusp: Connaughton

Euroleague or Bust: Cliff

Yet to be determined: Napier

Should be legally barred from ever playing basketball again: Smith

The rest: Who?
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/thread
 
Vonleh, Mojntero and Coughnaton. Ill give Laymen a pass because this is his first NBA opp.

Vonleh improved significantly from the first game to the second.
 
MarAzul said:
Since the SL guys haven't played together, new to the coach if they have one, they only have one chance to look like a ball player.
They will look as good as their play-maker can quickly make a team of them. Usually don't have that on the team.
Bayless buried Batum in SL while impressing everyone. Batum was the only keeper I saw though, even though he rarely was part of the Bayless show.

No TV here in the boat yard so no SL games here. Are you sure there is not a player that can play but is just hidden by the play of the ball handlers?
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Montero
 
Orion Bailey said:
Montero
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Montero looks lost on the court...he plays defense more akin to the NFL. That said he can shoot when he is on, and he can feed the ball...he has the potential to be a combo guard in the NBA, he just needs more playing time and experience, which he likely won't get with a stacked Portland team
 
BonesJones said:
Layman.
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Agreed. Layman has that thing you look for in a player. He is going to be good. I see him as more of a four then a three.
 
Chris Craig said:
Russ Smith is an offensive firework, he can hit the three or attack the basket.
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He can't even do that. He couldn't shoot the 3 in college, he can't shoot it in the D-League, he can't shoot it in Summer League and hasn't been able to shoot it in his limited NBA playing time.

In 27 career NBA games he's shooting .188 3FG% (.319 overall).

Last season, in the D League, he shot .304 3FG%.

In his D League record setting 65-point performance, he made one 3-pointer (1-5 3FGA). In that game, he was 24-42 from the field, but 16 of those FGs were layups and he was also 16-20 from the foul line. Here's a video of every bucket Smith scored in that game. Look how easily he waltzes down the lane for layup after layup. Jerryd Bayless would have scored 100 points in that game.



And, that is Russ Smith in a nutshell. He can score in the paint and get to the FT line against inferior competition. Just how bad was Canton's interior defense? In spite of Smith's record setting night, all three of his starting front court teammates shot better from the field than he did. They combined to shoot 21-31 from the field.

And, here again, is Russ Smith's game in a nutshell. In spite of setting a D-League record with 65 points, and all three of his starting front court teammates shooting > .600 FG%, his team still lost by 11.

He is a destitute, indigent, homeless person's Sebastian Telfair. I was flabbergasted when we used a lottery pick on Telfair. He was the shortest player NBA player ever drafted out of high school, but was touted as the highest scoring high school player in New York state history (at the time, his record was since broken by Lance Stephenson). The problem is, he was an undersized PG with no outside shot. He relied on his quickness to finish at the rim against inferior competition. Once he got to the NBA, defenses almost immediately adjusted, dared him to shoot from the outside. He couldn't finish in the paint against NBA competition and couldn't shoot from the outside, and the rest is history.

Smith is just as small and isn't even as good as Telfair. Who is Smith's agent? I suspect his presence on our Summer League roster is Neil doing someone a favor to build some goodwill he can hopefully cash in at some point in the future. We sure don't need an undersized, ballhog PG that can't shoot the 3. Not in SL and certainly not on our NBA roster.

BNM
 
The Summer League's a shit show. Let's call it like we see it. It's there to give us a glimpse of future stars and throw cities like Vegas a bone. The way they run the games there is little way to tell anything about the players. They invite players like Russ Smith who try to dominate the game as much as possible in hope of a fall invite. And it's hard to get a read emerging player skills because the coaches run it like a more organized scrimmage.

But.... I like Layman the most. He has a very smooth skill set that translate well at a couple of positions. Montero has a good shot and quick hands..... but is pretty far being fundamentally given his age. Vonleh shows thst he's grown defensively and has some understanding of what he's doing under the basket offensively. But will he get enough minutes? And Pa'ts obviously a right off.... if he has any plusses, I haven't seen them.
 
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MarAzul said:
Really? I have yet to see him play.
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Chris Craig said:
Montero looks lost on the court...he plays defense more akin to the NFL. That said he can shoot when he is on, and he can feed the ball...he has the potential to be a combo guard in the NBA, he just needs more playing time and experience, which he likely won't get with a stacked Portland team
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I think Montero looked lost because of this russ guy. I think Montero expected more touches and isnt getting them, so he is off his game.

What I like from Montero so far is his handles and up and down court play. He was running a very crowded fast brake and he dribbled behind his back seamlessly in traffic while damn near sprinting. IT really impressed me considering we are lacking in solid ball handlers(not so much anymore). His transition D is lacking, but again I think Russ had a part in that. Montero is very quick and can get out on the ball almost any time, but he didnt because that was Russ's job.
 
Orion Bailey said:
I think Montero looked lost because of this russ guy. I think Montero expected more touches and isnt getting them, so he is off his game.

What I like from Montero so far is his handles and up and down court play. He was running a very crowded fast brake and he dribbled behind his back seamlessly in traffic while damn near sprinting. IT really impressed me considering we are lacking in solid ball handlers(not so much anymore). His transition D is lacking, but again I think Russ had a part in that. Montero is very quick and can get out on the ball almost any time, but he didnt because that was Russ's job.
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Yeah. Inviting Russ Smith to SL was definately a mistake.
 
BonesJones said:
Yeah just needs more muscle.
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The cool thing is he's gradually added muscle through his college career and isn't maxed out yet physically. I also thought he would struggle moving laterally like Connaughton so I was wary of the "athletic" tag, but so far he's shown more than capable.

Chris Craig said:
Agreed. Layman has that thing you look for in a player. He is going to be good. I see him as more of a four then a three.
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I can see him at both. Right now though I think he's a three just because I don't think he's strong enough yet to play four.
 
Shooting, instincts, and intangibles are the biggest factors in whether a 2nd round pick turns out to be a steal. Crabbe's an example. Chandler Parsons and Draymond Green are others.

Connaughton has shown to have none of them.

Layman seems to have the instincts and intangibles as well as a good shooting stroke. I like that he plays within himself. Not saying he's gonna amount to anything but he has the foundation.
 
Natebishop3 said:
Who the hell is Coughnaton?
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Just between you and me, he's doing that on purpose <cough cough>.

As for this thread, it's entirely negative. I see talent in all the players. This sums up my defense against all the criticism.

Denny Crane said:
The players are there to work on specific aspects of their games or to tryout for a roster spot.
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jlprk said:
Just between you and me, he's doing that on purpose <cough cough>.

As for this thread, it's entirely negative. I see talent in all the players. This sums up my defense against all the criticism.
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admit it...you just want a more quality D league talent pool where defense is a secret password only known by a few select players
 
Here's what I'll admit...I enjoy D-League and Summer League more than the NBA.

As the poor people's song, Guantanamera, says, "The rivers please me more than the sea."
 
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