I was going to come in here and yell at him for not doing more when we were shorthanded. Made up for it with his first game winner though
These sorts of angles show that these guys are all aliens not just Wemby. On TV it looks like Rui is wide open and he was by NBA standards. But god damn if I got this shot i would be freaked out completely because BI and that insane wingspan went from the paint to contest the 3 literally within a blink of the eys.
So true. He looked like he had time to brew a tea, this angle shows how athletic and fast NBA caliber players are. To me LeBron looked like he almost fumbled and was slow as molasses on this last play, but from this angle it all looks smooth.
yeah, when you sit close at these games (i've only done so once), the difference between this and the game you've played is sort of jarring. i remember seeing sam cassell and being like...he's huge, actually! and the speed is wild. it's why the rookies take time to adjust--and why i've held out some hope for knecht despite his advanced age. it's just not the same game.
I remember getting tickets 18 rows behind the basket to the first round against OKC in 2010 and I couldn't believe how massive Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum were, just massive humans.
I'm going to be honest, I really want to like Rui but outside of having a good midrange, the guy doesn't do much else. His threes have to be wide open and he's always in a bad position because he doesn't play well off-ball. Often times, just standing there waiting for his defender to react rather than moving around. He can't rebound, can't pass, and doesn't play good defense. If I was Rui, if I'm not getting the ball and shots to score, I'm going to put 300% effort on defense. But you never see that. Constantly blowing defensive assignments, very stiff and doesn't move his feet when he has to... like, c'mon!
starting to fall here. i actually do like him, but i think the fact that he's the only guy on the team who consistently knocks down open threes has made him seem better than he's been. this is the first year that he hasn't improved since he got here, imo, and he still hasn't gotten himself to be above league average overall. it's been past time to pull him from the starting lineup. if he or his agent think this is going to make him money this summer, they're wrong. he's heading for a substantial salary drop as it is, and tbh--becoming a reliable producer off the bench is his path to an mle offer (from us or someone else). nobody is going to think of him as a starter, imo.
his primary value is as an expiring, though, so it's tricky. he does provide us with value, and we have to weigh what comes back with the lost flexibility. he's at the level where you're not entirely sure you can replicate his value in FA, imo. you probably can (jake's probably been about of equal value to us on lower cost), but it's not guaranteed. so anyway, yeah, if a clear upgrade comes for a long-term player that fits luka/reaves, then go for it. but no need to move for the sake of moving.
No idea if they have cap space or the full MLE available, but I think the Spurs could be a destination for Rui this summer. Basically fill the Harrison Barnes role for them long-term (Rui is like 6 years younger than Barnes I think). Would love to do Rui + salary filler and our pick for Vassell to help them clear their log jam at guard but there's no way they do that.
Needs to be our bench scorer until Lebron retires. If we can trade an expiring and Knecht and maybe a pick for that starting level 3 and D wing everything would fall into place. We will see if Rob can make it happen.
they're below the cap, much less the apron. so, yes they'll have full mle even after re-signing sochan (which i assume they'll do...but maybe not?). they're nicely set up until castle and harper come due, then they'll be where okc is now. perhaps having already won a ring as well, though.
i'm not following. he's a FA this summer unless he signed an extension of which i'm unaware. i guess we could S&T him somewhere, but with the new rules, S&Ts just aren't as common--the teams that stand to benefit most are generally excluded.
yes, this was my point. my original response was to the "trade him" comment. i won't rehash, but i feel like what i've said since makes sense, whereas "next summer" doesn't?
I use to like the idea of Rui as the 4 after LeBron leaves. But unfortunately I don’t think he really works in this team alongside Luka and Reaves. He doesn’t rebound or defend well. At his best, his efficiency is devastating when his shot is falling. Having a 4th or 5th option put up 15 on 9 shots means you’re humming. But the other team get it back on the defensive end. If Adou can develop, I’d prefer his profile around Reaves, Luka, a POA defender and Ayton.