I think Booker is legit. He's been fantastic and one of my favorite young players. I don't see any reason to think he can't be Klay Thompson in a couple years. But he plays a different position than D'Angelo so the comparison is kind of weird. We have a better young cast than they do though and it's not really close. I mean sure they've got Knight and Bledsoe, but the clock is going to hit zero on Bledsoe's knees tomorrow and Knight will leave soon. Then they have Booker/Bender/Len? That's your answer? Get out of here. The only team that I see with a comparable-to-maybe-better young cast is Minnesota. Orlando maybe, but I'm not convinced.
oh, minny's got us. but--call me a homer--i still think la has the advantage on most teams because all they need to do is field a competitive roster, and FA will take care of the rest. nobody's signing in phx or minny, so they absolutely must grow it all in house.
I think today Minny has us beat, but we may be able to catch up long-term depending on the strides that the two newbies make. Towns and Wiggins though is such a heck of a start. Mostly Towns is a heck of a start. I'm still not 100% sold on Wiggins. His percentages aren't great and his outside actually regressed slightly. He's not as good a defender as he should be and doesn't rebound as well as he should either. He's not a great creator offensively. Towns though has it all and then some. I'm a believer in Dunn and I like Dieng. LaVine is an enigma right now. He's a pretty good shooter and a decent playmaker, but not a defensive presence. He might be best served as a bench guy, especially with Dunn now in the mix. Still though Randle, Russell, and Clarkson are a damn good start and I think if Ingram and Zubac take the next steps in their evolution over the next 2-3 years we'll be right there with Minny. Ideally in four years you're starting at least 3 of those players and the other one or two are the FAs you mentioned. Ideally in 7 years that FA is Towns himself as Russell and the young crew convince him to jump ship.
Wiggins could be another Harrison Barnes. Dunn is solid. Lavine is an athlete though it remains to be seen if he can put it all together. He could be a Russell Westbrook Lite. Yes, it is possible Towns could leave for a bigger market and team up with a good friend.
i don't really like lavine. i think clarkson's a better player. lavine's game is prettier than it is effective.
Agreed. I think Clarkson is also a smarter kid. LaVine seems like he's destined for a bench role so far in his career. Clarkson is teetering on that edge, but improvements defensively can push him back into a starting role. Ultimately he might be a bench guy, but I don't see much hope for LaVine as a starter thus far.
I do think Minny has more potential what with Towns and Wiggins both having incredible ceilings. Nonetheless I think we are competitive with Minny and if one of Ingram or Russell leaps to top 10 player, we can be better. I also think the key to us being better is being a top 10 defense. Unfortunately I just don't see defense in this team's DNA yet. I'd love to see defensive improvement in Randle and Russell, and defensive potential in Ingram and Zubac this year.
Wow Derrick Rose.... this is very disturbing. Forgot about this criminal case. Heads up ..... some not suitable for children or prudish people language in the article. https://thinkprogress.org/derrick-rose-rape-case-2182c16b55e2#.irvlfr1fz
Yikes, I forgot about this as well. And like they mention it certainly hasn't been mentioned in the media at all. I don't know what really happened, but it sure doesn't sound good from that article. I wonder why there is zero coverage of this right now.
I haven't read this new article yet, but previously it was stated that they were in a continuing relationship that was consensual, and there appeared to be some funny business going on that would clear him. Like her being jaded or something.
It seems to me Kris Dunn has gone from underrated to overrated. He is an ok playmaker with a solid jumpshot and good D. But nothing about him is otherworldly spectecular. And on top, he is also 22 and more developed than most rookies (as he should be). For example Ingram has 4 years to develop before he is 22 and at that point will certainly be worlds better than Kris Dunn is today.
i was a big dunn fan pre-draft (and in last year's draft, really), but yeah, it may have gone a little too far. i think the love jaylen brown has received simply by virtue of being drafted by boston (too high, imo, they should have taken dunn) is also puzzling. haven't we seen enough of guys like mkg to tap the brakes on folks until they show us they can actually develop basketball skills? being athletic and balls-to-the-wall isn't enough to justify allstar level hype, imo. none of the top nba players under 7ft aren't very skilled. this is why i'm not as bullish on randle as some (hopeful, though). oh, and re: derrick rose: i haven't followed that case at all, but if you just follow the trail of his public statements about basically anything, you should be figuring out that this guy is a stephon marbury-level headcase. like, he needs a team of therapists...now.
Maybe so, but I think the biggest thing I am most impressed with him and why I think he could be someone special in the league his is competitiveness and how hard he can be on himself. I watched countless times during Summer League where he be visibly upset over a dumb play he made or trying to do too much. Its not the case for everyone, but anyone who takes the little things that seriously like Dunn does and who is put in a great environment with a coach who cares about the details of the game that Tom Thibodeau does, can develop a player into somebody. I think the C Bags in 5-10 years are really going to kick themselves for passing on him.
