Wmc 15/16: We are finally at the END! BYE BYRON!!!

Being that I was one who was very vocal on the Okafor train, I'll tell you I'm already over it. I was excited about what I thought was a pretty balanced core for the future with Clarkson, Randle and Okafor at the time. I was angry at the FO on draft day. But after we picked up Hibbert, Lou and Bass in the offseason I cooled down. In summer league I was down on Russell still, but after I found out he was hurt and after seeing his poise this preseason, I am feeling MUCH better about the FO's choice.

I can see now how the FO is trying to set up a squad for a big free agent signing and the addition of those guys should be good for that purpose. Hibbert makes more sense for us right now and even moving forward as a big who will not demand the ball, but will focus on D and rebounding. That leaves much more room for the development of Randle down low. Okafor and Randle together was going to be a difficult proposition as Randle's outside shot isn't great or even that good right now. Okafor and Randle would have been competing for a lot of the same space on offense and Okafor's weakest aspect was his defense, which is what we need the most down low.

In addition the playmaking of Russell is going to be a very nice enticement for a FA. His unselfishness and sick passes are going to make life a lot easier for another wing who can move off ball, especially. All in all, I see now how Russell is a better fit both for the present squad and for our future even though I thought it was nuts not to get one of the top two big men in the draft at the time.

 

Yeah, I can see the Lakers plan with Russell, what they saw and why they'd take him over a talented big like Okafor. We have a big in Randle, we have a scoring guard in Clarkson, they wanted a playmaker to pair with them. I can see Okafor and Randle getting in eachother's way, Okafor definitely needs to get his touches too. I see the style of ball they're going for with this trio, fast paced, 3 guys that can rebound and push the ball themself, and all can score. Of course only time will tell if it was the right move, but it's easy to see what the front office is going for here, and what they saw in Russell that they couldn't pass up on.

 

Couldn't hold Maccabi Haifa under 75. We have no hope.

 

^^Agreed, RandleROFY!

 

Whats up with Nance and Anthony Brown?

I have seen literally nothing from them so far this pre-season. Not saying I expected a huge impact but I expected a little more than absolutely nothing. Are they overwhelmed or what do you think is the real deal here?

 

I don't consider myself a great judge of talent, because I've been wrong a lot. That said, I agree with you, they look bad. Brown, average at best, maybe he can become a decent backup 3, but it's too soon to say. He does play solid man defense at times, and he broke up a fast break last night. He isn't being asked to do much right now, play solid defense, make open 3's, and I think he's capable of that.

Nance, I'm not seeing it. He can jump, and that's about it. It'd be one thing if he were 19 or 20 and we could say he's young, so he's raw, but he went to college all 4 years. I'm not seeing why we took him at 27, guaranteed deal, but a quick look back at the draft no names at the moment taken after jump out at me. I think we could have traded the pick if we didn't have someone we really wanted on this roster though. Nance looks raw, really, really raw. I said in game time he reminds me of Mark Madsen with hops. He hustles, and he jumps high, that's all I'm seeing. His shot is broken, he looks lost, he makes terrible passes/decisions, he doesn't look like an NBA player to me right now. I assume he will be spending a LOT of time in the D-League this season.

 

Agreed. Neither one has impressed me much. Nance can rebound but that's about it. I liked Holmes better than either of them.

 

Anthony Brown does not look like an impact player. Put him in the D-League for a while and hope for the best. Nance Jr. and Upshaw can join him. None of them look ready to contribute to an NBA team.

While we're at it, send Jabari home. I've grown sick and tired of his head-down drives, turnovers, missed jumpers, and poor attitude.

 

I thought Brown's reaction time wasn't all that great actually. He looked okay defensively. I didn't see Bowen, lock-down defender. I saw a slightly more focused version of Wes Johnson. What did I miss?

 

Not seeing it either, he gets beat off the dribble a lot. He plays hard, but that doesn't really matter if he still gets beat. And Bruce Bowen, kind of a ridiculous comparison, he was one of the best defenders in the NBA in his prime.