Codman, thanks for the response. Really appreciate your analysis! As soon as the BK deal went down, I remembered your "decrease the drop" mention. And probably why the Rockets were also looking at Tyler Johnson. I think having more ball handlers on the roster is important so I think the addition could help. It will be interesting to see where BK gets minutes. When Lou Will was here it forced EG to get more SF minutes. I am guessing that would be the same case in this situation. That probably squeezes Gerald Green out of the rotation. I could still see Ty Chandler on the Rockets via buyout. I am not high on Chriss because of the low BB IQ....BUT, if he was focused on the Rockets in MDA's system as a backup 5 roll man, I could see him being effective and efficient. Perhaps adding value like Montrez Harrell did.
Why wait until the end of the season when you can will fill in two positions of need and get rid of a player that has never played in the NBA yet and someone that would not get of our bench. I expect that Ryan Anderson will have a very good year in Phoenix. He was dead to Houston.
I never even heard of these guys before. I'm not sure how I feel really. Hopefully one of them is better than RYNO when he did have a good day and light up the 3's, or what Melton may or might not have had in potential. Their stats don't show anything for me to get excited about for starters salary, so I am not sure what to think.
Same here on the IQ but I think a lot of time will be spent with Chriss just putting the facts before him. We have seen his talent and with Capela we have seen what happens when you grind and develop that talent. A lot of guys have talent and many don't make the right choices. Being able to save Tucker will be important. We need Chriss to come in and replicate Capela's above the rim and roll game that we often lose in that second team. That is an untapped weapon we have taken away from CP3 when Capela is out that can push his deadliness even farther. I think if Chriss finds a home and some early success it will lead him in the right direction. I like that he has 3pt range but his focus needs to be on mastering the core skills that keep him on the court and that's D and slashing/finishing. He can build his minutes that way and learn how to be a Swiss Army knife later. This is the struggle that so many young players have when they are playing to be starters rather than filling a role. He needs to be high energy and focused when he is in the game even if he never touches the ball. You fill a role well enough, you stay on the court. I have seen a lot of guys take 4-5 years to really develop into a player. We have all seen that slow arc but it takes consistency and commitment. Do one thing great and build. I see everyone's minutes getting squeezed but early in the season I hope they use it as a chance to reduce Harden and CP3's minutes.
Not like they were going to get rid of Anderson w/o giving something else up. Melton seems a small price to pay. Where would he have been on the depth chart? Likely not even in the rotation. Unproven, as you say.
very good trade, now we need to make knight and chris into serviceable backups so that when we face warriors in the playoffs, we have more body to throw at them!
Good article on Chriss from a Suns blogger. I think keeping things "simple" in terms of role will be important for Chriss. Looks like they didnt use him that well in PHX.
Biggest weakness: Basketball Lol Did they use him enormously well in Phoenix? Probably not. But this is the NBA. Players are going to have to have the ability to understand how to play NBA level basketball. Chriss got lots of opportunity. I expect VERY VERY little out of him, and don't envision him getting any playoff minutes... but recognize there is upside, so who knows.
Agree. I'm also convinced a lot of these Top 10 pick busts (especially bigs) are due to the player largely not caring to improve. Some, like Chriss, won't even put in gym work necessary for a professional level of condition. That shlt got him suspended by the team last year. Imagine if you won't work out like the other players, and that was a Draft Combine discovery, you are falling into 2nd Round if not the entire draft. But players can keep that a secret at age 19 and land top picks on raw athleticism alone. They had it really easy rising above the crowd (literally and figuratively) in high school and college, and didn't have to work at it much. Then, when they turn lazy ways -- with flashes of athletic eye-candy -- into a huge rookie scale deal, they just coast on their $15m+ deals and figure that's all they need or want in life. And if they want more money, they can then further land $1m per year deal after deal in Europe and China, to cash in further on their lazy, uninterested-in-working-hard ways. What really stands out for these athletic bigs who don't care to put in the work is the ones who blow their huge Team Option years from their rookie scale contracts. Chriss got his $3.2m Option year picked up, but looks like he will not get his $4m Option picked up ... but he still cashed $10m regardless. Bottomline: a lot of kids don't care enough, and their goals end at those huge rookie-scale deal. We blame mgmt and coaching too much sometimes for lack of development, which just entitles the lazy athletes with more excuses to coast on.
Yes, absolutely. A few caveats I'd make, though. First, while its not a lie, I think lazy and uninterested-in-working-hard carry negative connotations with them that I don't think are 100% fair, in the sense that, it's a-ok, if that's how they want to be. Not everybody wants to put in the hours at anything, or certain things, or everything, etc. And if there's a way to get ahead in life by putting in whatever you need to put in, without doing anything immoral or whatever, good for you. So yes, lazy and yes not interested in working hard, but doesn't need to carry with it the sometimes associated stigma of being a bad person or whatever. Second, while its certainly possible to come across a certain way pre-draft and end up being a completely different person... I think, especially for younger folks, this is easier said than done. Surely everyone makes an effort to put forth their best and most professional "face" ... but any kind of seasoned, accomplished or even remotely decent scouting department should have ways of getting to the bottom line on some of this personality stuff. Or at least close to the bottom line. Third, sometimes you just get what you get. If I think back on Stromile Swift, who Chriss compares to in the article, I'm not fully sold that any amount of hard work and studying would have meaningfully changed the way he played on the court. Definitely not to the extent simple system and scheme stuff would impact it. In other words, maybe he's just not that good at basketball, even with the athletic and size advantages. And by not that good I mean not that good professionally at the NBA level. It's not like there haven't been plenty of athletic freaks across all positions that simply couldn't cut it. The Suns have spent their highest picks again and again and again on bigs (Len, Bender, Chriss, Ayton... picks 5,4,8 and 1). Meanwhile they lucked into Booker and have f'd up their PG situation over and over. They're not good at drafting bigs with talent... so maybe he's just not that talented or good.
