Nothing, never mind. We simply disagree I think. I don't think the organization is confident in their ability to teach players to shoot (no reality where MCW is expected to take 3's). You do.
I've just seen him huffing and puffing after 5 trips down the court. Maybe I'm overstating things, but that's what I see. Personally, I hope our depth is solid enough that we can let him develop with longer minutes in the G-League.
imo... Project players are a total waste of roster spots for us - MDA aint gonna play 'em meaningful minutes - period. Young players get a few games to produce - and then be banished to the bench (ie Trez)... Heck MDA didnt even want to play GG ("The rotations are what they are")... Melton has a 50% shot at working his way into the rotation in a year or two... Hartenstein has a 25% shot at playing limited meaningful minutes at some point down the road... Chee is gonna be a waste... he's a novelty... trade him while he has value as an unknown commodity.. MCW will make it on the floor due to experience - and then be relegated to the bench when he doesnt produce to the level MDA desires (ie wont help MDA's offensive efficiency...) Bruno... Bruno idk.... he's a wildcard... MDA isn't going to develop anyone - bc he's too worried about his precious offensive efficiency and wants to be viewed as some offensive guru - hence the short rotations when guys are injured and running guys into the ground by keeping starters in the game after its already pretty much been decided... We are better off just constantly recycling Joe Johnson type type players on cheap contracts - and hoping for the best...
Fade, Welcome from the shadows! Nice thread to get you rolling. I understand your definition of project, but I would have still included Melton. Even though he looked pretty good in SL, he has only one season of college ball and he hasn't played in a real NBA game yet. With that said, I think Hartenstein and MCW have the best chance of getting early playing time (depending on injuries). While I love Melton, I think after training came he should get some run in the G-League to acclimate himself to our system and get him as many minutes as possible. Meanwhile Hartenstein spent a year there already learning the system and should get some playing time when Nene takes a night off. I'm real interested in how he does in the big leagues, he brings some additional size we can use against the big teams. Bruno is a wild card. I think he should go with Melt to G-League initially and get a good understanding of the offense. Build his confidence and then see if he can get some minutes off the bench. Again, welcome and thanks for the interesting thread--Lord knows we didn't need another "he who will not be named thread".
Dang, our Projects didn't even make the Top 10. Chicago's project was #1. Followed by New York. Almost like the NBA lottery 's order every year https://newsone.com/1555245/most-infamous-public-housing-projects/ ". USA Today described Cabrini Green as “a virtual war zone, the kind of place where little boys were gunned down on their way to school and little girls were sexually assaulted and left for dead in stairwells.” "Al Sharpton described Cabrini Green as a young and upcoming projects with values"
Remember when it was claimed that Lowry was a great shooter in practice but below average inn real games until he got comfortable? We know Ryno is a good shooter but he had a bad year. Confidence is a big thing. The organization sees these players more often than we do so I don't think its a complicated algorithm to find out if somebody can shoot. It's a matter of getting them to relax in a real game - that's the challenge.
You're definitely right and there's another important factor: shooting is a mechanical thing. Meaning, practice is a huge factor and a reward-based approach will be highly motivating (in contrast to a creative task, where bonuses are pointless and often detrimental). Here, the attitude of consistent work takes precedence over bursts or flashes of motivation. Instead of bothering to assess people's psychology, a statistician could probably gather some reference info about whether players are hard workers in the offseason and dump a bunch of them in a pool. Say they dump MCW, Caboclo, Qi, Capela and Melton into a hardcore shooting program for free throws and 3pters (two types of shots that seem to have a relationship) then even if 3-4 of those guys fail, it's worth how much you're paying them and the resources you put into it. You are already paying for those resources for Capela and Qi in the NBA and G League, why wouldn't you make the most of what you've set up already? Obviously some are way more likely than others to succeed (for example, MCW imo is basically hopeless compared to Qi). But I wouldn't underestimate how the MCW deal happened. If he came to the organization and was like: "whatever it takes, I'm 100% yours as a lab rat and will work my ass off or get waived quietly", he might have a chance. Maybe the trauma of being out of the fraternity of NBA players is enough to shift someone's motivation, who knows. Look at Lowry who you cited. Beverley is also a very good example of someone who couldn't shoot, who is now a very good shooter. The right attitude goes a long way. I don't see that attitude in any of these guys except Qi, Capela and we'll see about Melton. Caboclo and MCW strike me as guys with inconsistent motivation, which would radically affect the momentum of improvement.
Thank you for the kind welcome. I'm kinda torn between Melton getting experience in the g league and he staying at least most of the season with the club. His defense, rebounding, and just his basketball instincts tell me he could and should get some run with the big squad. Being around CP, James, and the rest of our vets could help him develop even faster from an is stand point. Also learning how to be a professional. Mike D is the pg whisperer, Jeff B is a defensive guru, and he can just be a sponge. The playing time in RGV would of course help him develop and refine his game. I'm just not sure if would be the most beneficial. i could be over rating this kids talent, and I admit that I have grown desperate for a playable draft pick. i just think this kid could fill at least the role of a Q Cook from GS last year or Dejounte Murray from his rookie year. Murray was a bit of a project but there was little doubt that he was NBA ready.
Well Lowry couldn't hit the broad side of the barn, so Clutchfans told him to stop playing xBox and go practice shooting, thank god for CF
I think MDA is a better than average coach - but def not the offensive guru people try to make him out to be... Another poster made the observation that 'MDA has a certain cockiness about him that is typically reserved for people who have actually won something'... which I thought was a perfect description... lol I dont like how he seems more obsessed with racking up reg season stats at the expense of having our guys well rested for the playoffs... keeping starters in when the game is pretty much already over - like the game where we up by 30 against the Knicks and all our starters were still out there late into the game... He doesn't 'trust' a third of the roster... if you don't trust them to do the right thing - then coach them and teach them... you gotta actually play them and deal with the growing pains and learning curve... I think he's too worried about his precious offensive efficiency... Before the great sh*tshow ending against the Spurs,the season before last, he was defending his short rotation right up to the final game saying people that are complaining 'don't know what they're talking about...' - and we saw how that turned out... after which he said he'd have to 'consider resting Harden in the future to ensure he's rested for the playoffs...' - well duh... Then last year he shaves like 1 minute a game off Hardens avg mpg - and then says the reason for Hardens slump was 'too much rest' - c'mon, still trying to justify the year before... MDA has his attributes... but it seems clearly evident that the dude is a stat padder... when you have the roster that we've had - and you dont play and develop a third of your roster... you should be putting up monster numbers... but people will just point at the offensive efficiency, the record and WCF app and declare him to be all that... but even McFail got us to the WCF - with a lesser roster...
I'm there with you, but I think at least 20 G-League games with Melton playing some PG/SG will give him the kind of exposure to our system against NBA minor league talent is essential to develop him for a role with the big club. He'll get exposure to all of the players and coaches in training camp and then get the opportunity to be "the man" on the Vipers. Then once he gets back to the Rox, he'll have some swag to take on a bigger challenge.
ummm you know its a different Ennis, right? James vs Tyler... idk if the JK was bc u were just kidding, your initials... or both... lol
One of the better project was Morris, but was flushed to make room for Howard. Morris has become a solid player and has more value than his brother currently. He was tweeter that found his role in the changing style of NBA play. I think his g league time has helped him have a successful career. As a starter he is a key player in his team success. He will always be the Rocket’s wrong draft pick but what the vision of the g league is all about.
