Now that we got a glimpse of McCollum

[Natebishop3]

I don't think it's a coincidence that CJ has had his two best games without Mo in the lineup.

 

[BBert]

Now that we've gotten a glimpse of McCollum, I'd like another look. Please. Thank you.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

CJ has really improved his trade value!

 

[e_blazer]

If CJ keeps playing like this, Mo will be playing somewhere else next year. I can live with that.

 

[OneLifeToLive]

He's great when he is playing in the flow of the offense. When his teammates see that he is open and they get the ball to him at the right time(somethin that doesn't happen when Mo is there). He can hit the outside shot if given it to him at the spot and position. But more so, he looked good running the team and playing to find the open man.

He might be a player after all. Lets see if he can keep it up.

 

[craigehlo]

CJ looks like he has a first step to get past his defender. Very encouraged by this and his solid court vision.

 

[OneLifeToLive]

CJ looks like he has a first step to get past his defender. Very encouraged by this and his solid court vision.

His flick of the wrist swing pass to Damian in the 4th which lead to a three point was a thing of beauty. As was his drive to hoop, throwing it out to Wes Matthews for a three was awesome stuff. My favorite plays of his of the night.

 

[Hobbesarable]

If CJ keeps playing like this, Mo will be playing somewhere else next year. I can live with that.

CJ is giving our team points off the bench. It'd be awesome if he can do that consistently.

I agree. I can live with Mo playing elsewhere next season. Here's the question: which FA should our team target with the MLE?

 

[Natebishop3]

CJ is giving our team points off the bench. It'd be awesome if he can do that consistently.

I agree. I can live with Mo playing elsewhere next season. Here's the question: which FA should our team target with the MLE?

We need a big that can come in and score. I would love to add Spencer Hawes.

 

[Hobbesarable]

We need a big that can come in and score. I would love to add Spencer Hawes.

I don't think he'll sign for the MLE. Hawes strikes me as a fellow playing for the contract of his life this upcoming FA.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

CJ looks like he has a first step to get past his defender. Very encouraged by this and his solid court vision.

...against Minnesota. Remember, this win sucked; nothing we saw can bear any weight. :MARIS61:

 

[jlprk]

Taking advantage of Mo when his sister died. McCollum is shady.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

We need a big that can come in and score. I would love to add Spencer Hawes.

I wouldn't hate that, but I feel like we need all the defense we can get.. I'd just wish we could get someone who makes us better on that end as well as being able to score.

 

[Pinwheel1]

We need a big that can come in and score. I would love to add Spencer Hawes.

I don't know, I am fine with Joel off the bench. Sure I would like Hawes as well, but a big that can score is not a priority for me. Maybe a big who is defensive oriented who can start in case Lopez get hurt. I am assuming Mo will not be back as CJ will be as good as him by next year. (As a sG)

I think a back up pG is a bigger priority. (or an upgrade at sf ) That would make the bench better. Plus I think TRob will be better next year.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I also think Mc Collum might be a better defender already than Lillard; and I thought that even before he stripped Barea and took it in for a score. He seems to get down in a better defensive stance than Lillard.

 

[Natebishop3]

I don't know, I am fine with Joel off the bench. Sure I would like Hawes as well, but a big that can score is not a priority for me. Maybe a big who is defensive oriented who can start in case Lopez get hurt. I am assuming Mo will not be back as CJ will be as good as him by next year. (As a sG)

I think a back up pG is a bigger priority. (or an upgrade at sf ) That would make the bench better. Plus I think TRob will be better next year.

I just don't know man. I like TRob, I really do, but we seriously need a vet big off the bench. Right now I'd deal Robinson to bolster our bench. I'd prefer to deal Leonard though, and hold onto TRob.

I wish we could get Asik. I think he'd be perfect, but Houston seems completely unreasonable in what they want for him. I know some people have suggested Sanders, but the guy is virtually untradeable with that poison pill provision.

 

[Blazinaway]

If CJ keeps playing like this, Mo will be playing somewhere else next year. I can live with that.

I believe Mo and/or his agent has already indicated he will opt out and enter free agency this coming summer, so we will need a replacement for him in any case, so if we can do it "in house" with CL then that's tremendous as we can use those $$$ to address other needs

 

[Hobbesarable]

I believe Mo and/or his agent has already indicated he will opt out and enter free agency this coming summer, so we will need a replacement for him in any case, so if we can do it "in house" with CL then that's tremendous as we can use those $$$ to address other needs

In your opinion, which needs should be prioritized first, Blazin?

 

[TBpup]

It was a nice coming out party for CJ that was really started the night before with his 4-4 shooting in the loss to the Pacers. As was said before, tough to get a gauge on any performance versus a T-Wolves team without Pek/Love/K-Mart.

Sometimes, rookies just have great games. Remember Barton's against Dirk and the Mavs? 22 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists and 3 steals and if memory serves, very few and maybe 0 turnovers. It was the most efficient rookie game since something like the mid-90's.

[video=youtube;rO5KiL4bHJE]

 

[Natebishop3]

It was a nice coming out party for CJ that was really started the night before with his 4-4 shooting in the loss to the Pacers. As was said before, tough to get a gauge on any performance versus a T-Wolves team without Pek/Love/K-Mart.

Sometimes, rookies just have great games. Remember Barton's against Dirk and the Mavs? 22 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists and 3 steals and if memory serves, very few and maybe 0 turnovers. It was the most efficient rookie game since something like the mid-90's.

[video=youtube;rO5KiL4bHJE]

CJ is so much more refined than Barton though. It's not a fluke. The guy has a really good game. He just hasn't played in months. I also think Mo's horrible style of play on the bench was holding him back.

 

[TBpup]

CJ is so much more refined than Barton though. It's not a fluke. The guy has a really good game. He just hasn't played in months. I also think Mo's horrible style of play on the bench was holding him back.

'Refined' and 'Will Barton' never belonged in the same sentence in the first place. CJ has a much higher IQ and is certainly a smoother, more refined player but Will has some innate ability to create when nothing else is going on. He has length, is a good rebounder and when under control (not often enough) can make the good pass, has decent handles and can create shots.

I wouldn't want more than one of him on my team but there is a place for him somewhere. Maybe it is with CJ where they can both help each other with the ball-handling duties. They certainly would be a unique contrast on the floor. I'd take that over the lilliputian Mo/CJ backcourt.

 

[Natebishop3]

'Refined' and 'Will Barton' never belonged in the same sentence in the first place. CJ has a much higher IQ and is certainly a smoother, more refined player but Will has some innate ability to create when nothing else is going on. He has length, is a good rebounder and when under control (not often enough) can make the good pass, has decent handles and can create shots.

I wouldn't want more than one of him on my team but there is a place for him somewhere. Maybe it is with CJ where they can both help each other with the ball-handling duties. They certainly would be a unique contrast on the floor. I'd take that over the lilliputian Mo/CJ backcourt.

Barton/CJ has been disastrous in the past. Neither has the ball handling to break a press.

 

[TBpup]

Barton/CJ has been disastrous in the past. Neither has the ball handling to break a press.

There was the one disastrous example against the Mavs but other than that, they haven't seen a lot of time together, have they? I'm not saying it's ideal or that they wouldn't need to improve but I'm tired of such an outsized backcourt when we go to the bench.

 

[Natebishop3]

There was the one disastrous example against the Mavs but other than that, they haven't seen a lot of time together, have they? I'm not saying it's ideal or that they wouldn't need to improve but I'm tired of such an outsized backcourt when we go to the bench.

They shared a backcourt in the summer league and it was not good. That was against some scrubs. Barton has bad decision making and CJ isn't a point guard. He can handle the ball, but he's not a guy you want running the point.

 

[Hobbesarable]

They shared a backcourt in the summer league and it was not good. That was against some scrubs. Barton has bad decision making and CJ isn't a point guard. He can handle the ball, but he's not a guy you want running the point.

Barton is a playground baller.

 

[TBpup]

They shared a backcourt in the summer league and it was not good. That was against some scrubs. Barton has bad decision making and CJ isn't a point guard. He can handle the ball, but he's not a guy you want running the point.

Neither of them should be running the point on their own but compared to Mo and his attempt to dent every NBA arena floor in the league with his over-dribbling, I'm looking for alternatives.

 

[Natebishop3]

Neither of them should be running the point on their own but compared to Mo and his attempt to dent every NBA arena floor in the league with his over-dribbling, I'm looking for alternatives.

I think Watson isn't so bad. He was getting shafted by the refs last night. The guy isn't going to blow up the scoreboard, but he's steady.

 

[TBpup]

I think Watson isn't so bad. He was getting shafted by the refs last night. The guy isn't going to blow up the scoreboard, but he's steady.

I like Earl as he gets the rest of his team much more involved. That said, he has 9 fouls in his last 22 minutes of play. Meyers Leonard only wishes he could hack that quickly. I get that there is rust but DAMN!

 

[Kaydow]

There was the one disastrous example against the Mavs but other than that, they haven't seen a lot of time together, have they? I'm not saying it's ideal or that they wouldn't need to improve but I'm tired of such an outsized backcourt when we go to the bench.

And if you go back and watch that Mavs 4th Qrt, the collapse had nothing to do with CJ. Dallas was trapping on everything. They also figured out that there were NO ball handlers besides CJ. They were denying him the ball with a 2nd defender roaming in the passing lane. Literally could not get the ball, and when he did he was trapped immediately. He had 0 turnovers in that ugly span. That was all Meyers, Wright, Barton, and T-Rob. CJ's handles are good, but he's either not ready, or possibly even capable of running an offense.

Small backcourt when we go to the bench wouldn't bother me if our backup PG was legit. For instance, Darren Collison/CJ - I'd like that. But Mo/CJ isn't pretty most nights when both are looking for their own shots.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I like Earl as he gets the rest of his team much more involved. That said, he has 9 fouls in his last 22 minutes of play. Meyers Leonard only wishes he could hack that quickly. I get that there is rust but DAMN!

Half of those fouls are the result of being over aggressive on D. (Like the last one he picked up pressing his man in the backcourt) Those things are easy to fix. What's not easy to fix is having a SG play PG. That seldom works out for a long period of time. Especially in the playoffs.

I am not totally writing Mo off as a PG just yet, but if he going to play it he needs to play smarter. As Inspector Harry Callahan once said "A man has got to know his limitations". Mo has to choose his spots when to be aggressive and when to just run the offense. He can handle the ball well enough bringing it up court, it's the rushed passes that he sometimes makes that drives me crazy. And because he is often playing with bench players, he has to be even that more under control.

Personally I think Earl has a more of a calming effect when he is on the floor, but if Mo can dial it back a notch, his shooting skills are a nice asset to have out there.