D'Angelo Russell/Luke Ridnour Jordan Clarkson/Lou Williams/Jabari Brown Kobe Bryant/Nick Young/Anthony Brown Julius Randle/Brandon Bass/Larry Nance Jr. Roy Hibbert/Tarik Black/Bobby Upshaw Let's do it. I'm ready for the season to start if we end up looking like that.
My pleasure. I hope so as well. He had one of the biggest in season improvements that I've ever seen. I've been a huge Russell fan since well before we thought we had a shot at drafting him, but one of my issues with him is that he can sometimes be too-cool-for-school when the situation calls for the intensity to be ramped up. Clarkson has that in spades, and a 46th pick sized chip on his shoulder. They're a great compliment to each other on the court, and in terms of personality. If Clarkson can develop into a decent defender and can knock down spot ups at a higher rate, we're in business. I really, really, really hope that we show some patience with the young guys, and don't try to parlay them into a quick fix. Both in terms of their skill level, and their rookie contracts (which will be even more valuable with the salary cap bump), we're positioned for a great foundation. The appropriate max guys will come when we're competitive again. I'd rather not try to jump ahead in line, we're on a helluva course right now. Yes, I am.
I wasn't on the D'Angelo-train until we drafted him, but I've seen competitor in him just in interviews. I'm not sure what he'll look like on the court, but I could see him as more of a Harden type in crunch situations: trying to play it a little too relaxed instead of laser focused. Clarkson and Randle have that in spades though and I think they'll all feed off of each other in time. Heck it sounds like they're doing it already just in practice. My favorite part of drafting Russell was definitely running the two of them off of each other. I think they could fit like a hand in glove if given that opportunity. I think Clarkson will end up having to be our defensive hound on ball carriers so I hope he accepts that challenge. I'm just not sure D'Angelo could handle that regularly. I'm getting amped up just writing about it right now! When is tomorrow?
I thought today would have been more exciting by now. Let's get some of these things official and start having press conferences.
My brother and I are road tripping out to Vegas tomorrow morning and we'll be there through the Monday game. I'm so friggin' pumped, lol. I've had Russell as the #1 player on my board since January, and I was pretty much ready to streak naked through the streets when we took him. As someone who grew up on Magic, I can't wait to see him develop. He is an absolutely brilliant passer. I have no doubt that he's going to win those who wanted Okafor over. A little tidbit about his passing from Vantage Sports... "Russell’s best attribute is his ball control and passing vision. While his 5.0 assists per game and 30.1 percent assist rate are notable, his Vantage stats make those base numbers look even more impressive. Once you include passes to missed open shots, shooting fouls, and hockey assists, his numbers begin to pop off the page." http://www.vantagesports.com/story/VWlL3y0AACsAA8lf/vantage-scouting-report-dangelo-russell I'm telling you, this season is gonna be a ton of fun.
Oh I'm on board now. I definitely wanted Okafor before the draft because I'm a straight up homer for bigs who can post up. I love post game, it's easily my favorite part of basketball. But seeing the buzz, the reception, seeing ALL the NBA circles and spokespeople getting behind our pick made me dig deeper. I'm on board now for sure. I'm still not convinced he'll be able to create for himself the way Curry does (his role model), but in the pick and roll and on the fast break? I think this team is going to be incredibly dangerous as one of those up and coming monsters we saw in Golden State and Oklahoma City not too long ago.
I agree there are guys out there that could fill in spots, but none that will be franchise players to build around or anything. Russell and/or Randle both have to turn into all-star level contributors, or the team is in for a very long dry spell since eventually we will have to pay the piper on these Nash and Howard deals. 2017 is actually looking more and more like our best bet. Let our young pups marinate for a couple years, then we will be a draw. In 2017 there are a lot of nice players available. Griffin, Westbrook, Ibaka...Ibaka, if Upshaw doesn't pan out, could be an amazing center for us if the league continues to go in the direction of smaller frontlines.
That OS team he was on wasn't very good. There were games I saw him play where he wasn't impressive, but it was the opposing team taking the ball out of his hands with dts. With no other playmakers on the team he had a rough go of it. Then I'd see games where he was magnificent, and his pin point passing was what really stood out. I thought they should of taken Okafur....but I'm wrong a lot too.
Yeah there's bigger names out there afterwards. It'll be interesting moving forward because I believe strongly that Westbrook will want LA; especially if Durant leaves. So what does that mean for Clarkson? I think the Lakers probably make a run at Griffin, so what does that mean for Randle? Tons of money available and up-and-coming young guys... We're in for an interesting couple of years here.
The beautiful thing about Russell's game is his ability to have an impact on the game even if he's not shooting well. While he's a fantastic shooter, there are times when his jumper wasn't going in, but he could still affect in a very positive way with his court vision and passing ability. He has such an amazing IQ for being so young, while directing traffic on the offensive end he puts players in position to score so efficiently. His understanding of where to be offensively, make the simple play, is what impresses me the most. Another thing to take note of; Clarkson and Russell have the ability too rebound the ball rather well for guards and due to their size. Once that happens, their off and running. Russell, Clarkson, and Randle have the makings of being lethal in transition. This is not even mentioning Randle and his ability to rebound and start a fast break. We seen him do that during times last year during the preseason games.
Cowherd (Laker hater) said this morning he can't understand why the Mavs keep striking out and said if he were a FA, he'd go Lakers, Miami, and then Dallas, in that order. He's been talking about State taxes and it's impact and his opinion is that it means nothing. I think it plays a part, but when you're signing for the max, no, it doesn't matter. For example, CP2 and Blake have so much money coming in endorsements, the state tax pales in comparison. Jordan re-upping with the tenants instead of Dallas is further proof it doesn't play that much in their decision making.
I think this is something most of us haven't wrapped our heads around even though we know it. I'm expecting them to do this, but I can't even picture how much fun it's going to be. I think it was @gcclaker that compared Randle to the Malone and I can see that happening occasionally on the fastbreak. Seriously I think those three are going to be electric in the open floor and when the other team gets back reasonably, Kobe trails to three point line like Pierce used to with the C Bags and Hibbert lumbers down the middle of the floor to crush a dunk while the defense scrambles. Our team is going to be fun. They may not win a lot, but they'll be fun.
Well, like I said yesterday, DJ can forget about endorsements forever. No one wants a puss like him, doing what he did and royally screwing a franchise by going back on his word ..... for a spokesperson.
