Is the dleague really the best way to progress rookies?

I don't think it works honestly. I think you waste a year of NBA development and also you pretty much humble players and likely take away whatever confidence they had built in college.

I think people think it works because it works in baseball but it's a different sport.

You don't really see many teams do what the Rockets do with their first round picks. I mean it's a serious question if the Rockets would have sent Drummond down to the D-league...and he's doing just fine. He's not tearing the league up but now he knows how tough the NBA level competition is.

These guys just go down there, get triple doubles and put up crazy stats then come back and have to adjust to the NBA level.

Honestly, I've said it before though it's my opinion.

 

Keep drinking that kool-aid. They are as NBA ready as many NBA rookies that got minutes early and succeed and they are as NBA ready as many that got minutes and didn't. Nobody is saying throw them out there for 30+ a game and let them do whatever but I find it hard to believe that none of these guys can play 10 min or so a game. This is just what the Rockets do whether these guys are NBA ready or not. Parsons only played because Mchale had no other options besides the head case that was TWill.

 

We have the youngest team in the league. Why are we worrying so much about some scrub rookies. If they earn their spot that's great but no reason to put them in before they can contribute.
I'd rather have our proven, young NBA players develop.

 

Marcus Morris is proven?

 

you're wrong, Budinger was starting in that spot pretty comfortably and then Parsons took over

People have been b****ing about throwing random rookies out there for big minutes since Adelman. A lot of idiots were raving about how McHale would free the rookies or whatever, but guess what, the bad players that Adelman thought wasn't ready for the NBA didn't get minutes either with McHale.

At this point, I fully trust the coaches that sees the players everyday in practice. I sure as hell trust their decisions about playing the rookies than random fans on the internet.

 

How am I wrong? Parsons got a chance to win the spot because he got actual minutes to show his worth. He didn't earn that spot through practice but instead from playing in actual NBA games and outplaying Bud. Mchale had no other backup 3 early on but Parsons.

 

How did you know he didn't earn his spot through practice. Where was this assumption even coming from. Parsons was on his way to the dleague based on his draft position and you think Mchale randomly gave him minutes without being expressed by him in practice.

I'm pretty sure Parsons got his minutes because he hustled harder in practice on defense, made high IQ decisions that made the coaching staff want to play a second rounder instead of Morris who was a first round pick.

 

Who else was he going to play at the 3? If you can tell me that I will agree with you. Marcus Morris can't play that the 3 which is obvious by now and TWill was a head case that Mchale tried to give a chance. Who else was going to get the back up 3 minutes besides a rookie parsons or an out of position rookie in Morris? What non rookie option did Mchale have?

 

I'm starting to doubt it's the coaches decision. I think this is how the FO belives is the best way to develop NBA players. Think about what Royce said about the lack of power McHale has, I honestly think he's talking about this Dleague thing. Because we all know he didn't want to go and IIRC McHale had glowing things to say about Royce before all that mess.

I think Adelman, McHale, it won't matter because the brass thinks this is the best way to develop rookies.

Also, it's pretty much impossible to know if a guy is NBA ready or not if you don't give him actual game time to prove it. If we knew if guys were NBA ready by practice and drills then the draft would be a perfect science.

 

When you start thinking "Hey, maybe Royce White is right about something", it may be time to check your conclusions.

 

So, how did Parsons, Patterson, Landry, etc. manage to get on the NBA court as rookies?

 

Well do you think McHale has the final call on who goes to the NBDL or not? Do you think he's the one sending players like Jones and D-Mo back and fourth? When these players always have gripes about going to the Dleague they seem to take it up with the FO and not the coach.

So yeah, I wonder if McHale has much say on who goes to the D-league or not.

 

not the "BEST" way... but if you can't find minutes for your rookies in actual NBA games better to have them get minutes in lesser competitive games in the D League that could enable them to "safely" work on their games and even boost their confidence.

Best way is still to play them in the NBA, give them minutes. learn on the fly, hand-on. Allow them to make mistakes.

The same way they did in the early Thunder years where they let their young core play and learn as they moved along.

 

Etc? I don't seem to remember the amount of 1st round rookies getting good PT since the Rockets got the Vipers.

Landry and Parsons are 2nd round picks. I've said that they treat their 1st round picks differently because they seem to think this is what is best for their development. I disagree because I see rookies playing well all over the league and contributing.

As I said, I disagree. They aren't getting NBA experience, they just go down there...dominate...and then get welcomed to the NBA. I really don't see the argument against playing them and getting them real actual minutes. If you think they are that good (as the FO seemed to think highly of D-Mo and Morris) then there really is no harm at all in playing them real minutes. What's the downside to that?

Patterson did go to the D-league though, he's been the exception if you look at recent history.

 

You can stunt the growth of a rookie a lot more by handing him a job
he didn't earn. It immediately sends the wrong message in terms of work ethic.

 

Do you think playing a rookie 10-15 minutes a game for a stretch would do the same? It's not like Morris is lighting it up out there these days.

 

What message do you send if a player is working his tail off but can't get any minutes? Even when the players ahead of him are playing terrible for about a 7 game stretch?

 

Why do you think they treat 1st rounders differently than 2nd rounders in terms of D-league use and development? Is there something special about draft position and the benefits of D-League?

I don't see any 1st round/2nd round difference. Guys who are ready for NBA minutes played NBA minutes. Guys who are not ready for NBA minutes or doesn't manage to beat out a player ahead of him got D-League minutes. If a guy is in fact ready as a rookie to compete in the NBA, he plays in the NBA, whether this happens at the beginning of the season (Parsons, Budinger) or in the middle (Brooks, Landry, Patterson).

Also, being a 2nd rounder has not guaranteed you NBA minutes or freedom from D-League. For example: Jermaine Taylor went to the DLeague and didn't get NBA minutes. Steve Novak didn't get NBA minutes and went to the DLeague. The 1st round 2nd round theory is pure BS.

This team isn't any more against playing rookies in principle than any other team. To the extent that they have give less minutes to rookies than other teams, it's a matter of this team not having been horrible for a while-- being not horrible means that (1) you don't get those highest and most talented draft picks (2) your rookies have more talented and ready-to-compete teammates to battle for minutes, and (3) the team isn't in "tank mode" where you give up winning as a priority and just feed minutes to rookies regardless of results.

 

Not taking politicking into consideration, rookies, in general, are not handed playing time. And this is what so many fans do not get. The rookies listed who get playing time are the ones, barring the players who had to fill open roster spots because of injuries, tanking, trades, free agency and or retirement, have taken it from another player. They've earned it.

It's really simple. Want playing time?
Beat the guy in front of you on the roster.
The D-League is there for those who have shown something worthy of developing, hence the big D for Development [League], and to think that this is hurting a player is absurd.
It's on the player to take advantage of his talent and resources to beat out the guy(s) in front of him.

 

I believe the difference in 1st to 2nd round is that they handle their 1st round rookies a lot more carefully. They are more worried about developing them and hoping they develop into the best player they can be. They are worried about them getting humbled in the NBA and so hope that when they do get minutes they'll be able to hold their ground (but they hardly ever do, they just end up still playing like guys getting their first minutes because the NBA is of course another level.)

I can't say anything about practice though because I'm not there. I know one thing is certain, you can't judge a player on practice and drills, otherwise NBA teams would hardly ever miss on players in the draft. With some of the games Morris and Patterson have had, it's kind of hard to believe that Jones and D-Mo were that bad not to see any minutes. Meanwhile Mchale changes it up by sending out Beverly while Douglas was actually playing well. So it was kind of a 'huh?' move there.

It's these things that make me think that they have certain rules with guys they really believe in. He throws a guy out there that barely got any practice with the team(assumed because he was just picked up) over two guys who have and at a position where the Rockets were getting next to 0 production.

While you are right on your 3 points. But some of these teams trying to get into the playoffs are playing their rookies like Sully and Henson.

Here's what I think overall. D-league just delays the year of learning experience. They go to the D-league and just dominate, they've been doing that all their life and that's why they were drafted. The only thing I think it's good for is keeping a guy in basketball shape and ready if you are certain he's not going to get any PT at all.

So I think the OP question is a legit one. Is it the best way to develop rookies?

Is it better than just playing them and getting them NBA experience?

Not that sending them to the Dleague is ruining them, but I've always felt it's the closest thing to wasting a year. Would have been interesting had the Rockets not made the Harden trade or got Drummond.