Could Motiejunas and Jones both move out of the rotation?

Just don't get on a soap box to evangelize your opinion. If you are arguing actual statistically significant data, sure go to the mat. But you have to understand that all of our betters like McHale and Morey are in charge. If Morey has not released or traded a player then it is not wise to take the opposite side in that argument. The fact that D-Mo is getting minutes has to be factored into your analysis at face value and not as some Machiavellian Morey maneuver. If you do that then everything will be fine.

 

I'm assuming you meant my fingers when you said my mouth.

Delusional? What exactly am I delusional about?

Work ethics?
Work ethic is one thing. But work ethic to make yourself a better player fitting into a team concept is something else. I'm sure DMo spent a lot of time in the gym this summer. I'm sure he pumped weights. I'm sure he threw a ton of post moves. I'm sure he took a ton of hook shots. (Very sure of that because his hook shot with his right hand has improved substantially.)

But what DMo didn't work on was his defense and his 3-point shot. He may have shot a ton of 3-point shots. But he didn't work on making his shot better. He just jacked up shots. The reason I know is because nothing has changed about his shot. He still shoots it almost flatfooted, with too much arm, not enough lift, not enough leg, not enough arc, not soft enough, and it is a hard shot that comes off the rim hard. It's the same shot he had last year.

Now contrast his shooting (which is the same as last year) to his running hooks in the lane (which aren't the same as last year). He's a lefty. But..he has developed his right hand and he's gotten substantially better at rolling through the paint and throwing up that right handed hook...even improving on the distance...able to hit that thing pushing out to 10 feet or so. Can't you see....that's what DMo worked on this summer??? DMo is an offensive player. He loves offense. He loves to hold the rock, loves dribbling it, loves to put it in the net. But he despises working on defense. And he apparently believes falsely that his jump shooting form is ok. I'm sorry if you think that is delusional. But that's what I see. I see a guy that spend most all his time further developing a skill that he is already good at and neglecting a skill that he needs to develop that he is horrible at. I see a guy that will make a lot of money in this league but he is not long for this team.

The only way I can see us keeping DMo is if we trade for some mysterious defensive minded, hot 3-point shooting power forward who is big enough and bulky enough to defend the paint when Dwight sits. In that case, we can probably use DMo and let him further develop because he can play the pivot offensively while the other big spots up at the 3-point line...and he can slough off defensively on the least talented opponent 4/5 while this other mysterious PF/C we acquire for Asik handles all the dirty defensive work in the paint. Now...who is that guy??? Who is the 4/5 that we could acquire for Asik/TJones/others that shoots well enough to space for Dwight yet is effective enough defensively that he can control the defensive paint for us when Dwight isn't in there? And can he be acquired WITHOUT giving up DMo????? Sorry.....I don't see it. DMo probably has more trade value than TJones or Greg Smith although all 3 of their trade values is severely diminished. IF we were to acquire this mysterious 4/5 that would stretch the floor for Dwight and also be able to backup Dwight at the 5....it will likely cost us both Asik and DMo.

You see...I don't think DMo is useless. I don't think he is a bad player necessarily, in comparison with all the other bigs in the NBA. I simply think he is a terrible defensive player that cannot man the paint and won't ever work on his game in order to be able to man the paint. Because of that and the fact that he can't spash 3-balls at a decent rate...I don't think he's a fit here.

 

That's just it you keeping writing stuff that you don't even know about. DMo is a 7 footer shooting a 3 pointer. He doesn't need lift or to be much more than flat footed because people aren't blocking is shot. The more he comes off of his feet the more inconsistent the shot becomes. I guess the next thing you are going to say it that you what him to shoot his free throws with more lift and not be flat footed.

 

Look. This is a message board. I'll get on a soap box if I want to. You get on your soap boxes too. And I have argued significant statistical data. I have reminded everyone here that DMo has a good set of shooting history to look at now. And nothing has changed statistically in the trajectory of his shooting percentages. If anything they have dwindled in a somewhat downward slope. There's your statistical data to chew on.

Defensively is a little more difficult to quantify statistically. I simply tell you watch the action on the floor. Watch how DMo just mosey's around on defense, cheating, looking for the easy steals, turning his head and letting his man go back door, letting ball handlers just blow by him. Good lord. Anybody with eyes can see he can't defend the paint. We don't have to go analyze statistics and try to prove that.

Just because Morey and McHale haven't released or traded a player is no indicator of what they think about him going forward. Morey may be (and probably is) burning up the phone lines trying to sell another team on a trade to get max value for one or more of these guys. But you can get an indicator of how they feel about them when you SEE that they have fallen to AT BEST the 9th and 10th spots in the rotation BEHIND a minimum salaried free agent........

Minutes??? DMo has gotten minutes????

The last 2 games of the preseason before the season starts.....DMo has gotten minutes with the other bottom of the roster players, mopping up games and getting killed defensively by the opponent's end of the bench rotation guys. The last 2 preseason games is when the coach starts setting in his rotation. When the game was in the balance...who was playing?? The rotation guys. When the game is decided the rotation guys sit and all the rest of the non-rotation guys play. Who was out there? Brooks/Canaan/Brewer/Covington/Smith.....and DMo.

 

Be realistic. He's not even a 30% 3-point shooter. He does need lift. Dirk is a 7 footer and one of the best 3-point shooters in history. Know why? Part of the reason is because Dirk has lift. Dirk uses his legs. Dirk gets arc on the ball. Be realistic.

 

D-Mo hit 29% of his 3 point shots last season. As a rookie. At 35% he becomes a serious 3 point threat (coaches teach their players that they have to contest 3 point shots when the shooter hits 32% of them). That means D-Mo needs to hit an extra six out of a hundred 3 point shots to become an incredible offensive threat. Is anyone going to argue that D-Mo cannot do that in the next 18 months? After all it is very difficult to contest a 7 footer taking a three point shot. Especially one that has the quickness to drive around a lunging defender.

 

I think you have a point when it comes down to what we need to give up in order to get that 'mysterious 4/5' as you call it.

However, I think you're being a bit underestimating.

1) D-Mo's man on man defense has definitely improved. I'm not sure if you've seen him last season defend 1v1, but it's pretty clear to me that he definitely improved in that department a lot (perhaps the added weight had something to do with it too, but not all). His help defense and pnr defense are still below average even for 2nd units of NBA.
2) You're being too harsh on your assessment about his 'work ethic IQ', if you will. I think Donatas understands that he needs to work on defense and I'm sure he does that. That's one of the reasons why his 1v1 defense improved. The help/pnr defense is another type of animal though - it has much more to do with experience and adjusting to the game - some of the things that you'd expect a 23 year old to lack. Not sure if it's fair to write him off as a bust for that reason alone. That's why going against guys like Dwight in practices/scrimmages is invaluable for him. There's no doubt in my mind that D-Mo will become an average defender some day. That combined with his elite offense (if he improved his 3pt shot) might make him one of the top10 PFs in the league in his prime.

 

Proper arc yes, lift no.

 

Let's clear this out.

DMo gained weight (fat) during offseason -> He spending a lot of time now in weight room -> His shot obviuosly looks bad sometimes because of that.

Other than that, he's now better defender, better rebounder and better offensively than he was last season. And gain didn't hurt his speed.

 

In a year D-Mo has added 40+ pounds of muscle. That takes a work ethic. A serious work ethic. If you look at the tape of the Euroleague and preseason it looks like D-Mo is already at least an average defender. Maybe a plus defender. Nobody is currently knocking that bad boy down this season. Defending paint is the most complex task in NBA basketball. Few bigs come into the NBA with that knowledge and skill. But D-Mo looks like he has a lot of promise.

 

I don't think you know what you are talking about as far as D-Mo is concerned. D-Mo went from the NBA season directly to his national team. The training for the European national teams is much more brutal than the training for NBA teams. National pride and all that. D-Mo has not had an off season to put on fat. And fat does not make you stronger. D-Mo looks like a force out there this preseason. He just is not moveable.

 

Dirk was a 20.6% 3 point shooter as a rookie....DMo a 28.9%. DMo has to improve his 3 point shooting less than Dirk did as a rookie, how about we give him some time before deciding what is "realistic"?

 

DMo could turn himself into a 40% shooter 3-point shooter in the next 18 months. That's not the issue. The issue is DMo could have turned himself into a 40% 3-point shooter in the LAST 18 months!! And he didn't do it. He's shooting the same percentages as he was 18 months ago!!! All the while knowing that for him to be able to shoot the 3-ball at this level he has to be able to master that shot to around 35-36% game accuracy minimum. We don't have another 18 months to wait and hope and wish that he does that. He'll most likely be firing up the same shot 18 months from now, perhaps improving a percentage or two from repetitions but leveling off around 32% with the same porous defense he was playing last year....but having further developed his post moves!!!!!

 

First of all, you can only work on so much in one off-season. Even if I ignore that, it's a lot harder to become a 40% 3 point shooter in one off-season than you seem to think so. Even if I ignore that as well, why don't the Rockets have 18 months to wait? They aren't a team whose window is closing, they are a team whose window is just starting to open.

If DMo was a 40% 3 point shooter, he'd be a top 2-3 PF in the NBA, you always have time to wait on a player with that potential.

 

If you would kindly review the tape of this preseason and the Euroleague championships you would find that D-Mo's defense is anything but porous. Sure he is going to be schooled at times by power forwards such as West and Randolf, but who isn't? Those two will score on TD.

 

Go back and look at their ages Bobby. DMo had a whole nother "rookie season" in Europe before he came over here. He was drafted, played over there, knowing if he was going to be shooting the 3 ball over here that he had to improve it. DMo is 23 years and put up 83 3-point shots last year in NBA games. At age 22, Dirk had already blasted his way onto the NBA landscape and put up 390 3-balls at a hit rate of almost 39%. In Dirk's second season there was MARKED IMPROVEMENT in his 3-ball. We're not seeing that from DMo.

It's really not fair to compare DMo to Dirk. Dirk was good early and it was obvious. Dirk was a budding superstar in his second year, at age 21. We're still trying to figure out what DMo is at age 23.

 

Exactly right. If D-Mo ever gets to 40% from beyond the arc he will be a power forward for the ages. Hell he is already the 10th - 15th best post player in the league. He would be a HOF candidate. I do not expect that to happen.

 

Because in 18 months DMo will be a pending free agent off his rookie deal.

 

Age is irrelevant in this case, the reason it takes Euros a while to adjust to the NBA is because it's a completely different game than the Euro game. Dirk would have struggled in his first year in the league no matter what age he was, pretty much all Euro's do. Dirk made DMo look like a great player if you compare their first seasons. You don't want to do that because it's detrimental to the crazy story you are trying to convince everyone of.

 

He's not a free agent till the 2018 season.