I know Nook has a great thread going in regards to midseason grades, but Clutch, Lachard Binkley, and I did a pod a few days ago grading how we think the rebuild is going so far. So technically its not simply a grade for this season alone. We discussed Stone, Silas, and a few key players in relation to how we think they've been based on our own personal expectations. Obviously all we have to grade Jabari on right now is the half season, but Jalen for example is a season and a half. etc. Interested to hear other opinions.
There better be a whole section of this podcast dedicated to how Silas is dropping the ball by not playing our best player - Josh Christopher.
Unfortunately the show was running long so we didn't squeeze in Jaygup, but I can guarantee you that I am a VERY vocal supporter and advocate of Josh Christopher getting minutes over guys like Gary Bird and Nix. I've been saying it since the first game of the season and I will continue to fight the good fight sir. No way you go from being one of the most impactful players off the bench in your rookie season to DNP status in year 2. Who was the sparkplug in a large number of the fake comebacks? There were also stretches of the season where he was clearly outperforming Jalen and I'm a huge JG supporter. Him being held accountable for whatever he's being punished for is hilarious when you see how much every other player on the team seemingly gets away with.
I’m a huge fan of the podcast, I thought y’all were a little harsh on your grades for the young guys. Do you think their individual grades would have been higher if the team had more wins?
Thanks! I can't speak for Clutch or Lachard, but I genuinely tried to evaluate based on where they are in relation to my expectation of where I thought they would be at this point in their development. Maybe I just think very highly of our guys lol. I do think that coaches and scheme have played a large role in their individual performances though. I very much believe in these guys. It's just been a rough 2 and a half seasons so far. I mean it's all subjective. What grades are you giving and why? I welcome other views and perspectives.
I just finished reading a thread that there is no wall and since there is no wall there cannot be a corner to turn. Our rebuild is cooked.
That's how you feel huh? Well...I guess that's about right lmao. I saw this earlier today and busted out laughing. Can't wait to repurpose it for something one day.
B- You would hope Green would be showing more, but Sengun looks better than expected. Everyone else is TBD
Can’t wait to listen but Stones invisibility cloak needs to be removed soon. The lineup meddling is concerning in addition to the free agency mishaps and horrendous trade deadlines.
Well, I thought the analysis was pretty spot on, but I suppose my expectations are a bit lower due to their respective ages. I'd have Jalen as a B+ and Jabari at a B- at this point. Jalen's game has flaws but he's averaging more than his age and hitting the boards more this year. Jabari's rebounding and defense have been solid and when his shot starts falling I think he will be an elite player. Looking forward to the next podcast!
Lineup meddling? You realize we are trying to tank to get a high pick right? Horrendous trade deadlines and free agency mishaps are way too exaggerated. Stone has been doing a great job rebuilding this team, 2 yr tanking and we got so many prospects. Compare that to teams like Orlando who have 3 busts on their team to begin with, thats 3 yrs of tanking right there down the gutter. To even imply he aint doing a good job is ridiculous.
Yes lineup meddling. Did you listen to the pod? Clutch and everyone else mention that and their grades on stone. Incomplete is about right but stone has “lucked into picks” as Clutch said. I actually give him credit for drafts. But the FA fiasco is not overblown, imagine having Oladipo on a huge contract right now lol. Also, not trading EG two years ago is terrible (deadline) I get the tank, but playing EG 30 min a night in spite of player development is ridiculous.
Yeah but busty Orlando is in a better place than us now and absent another stroke of luck, there is literally no chance that changes for years. The Rockets rebuild is not going well. Most of it is just bad luck. Most of any rebuild is just dumb **** luck. I know we like to tell ourselves morality play type stories about being virtuous and then being rewarded - but that ain't the way it works. But... some of it is dumb decisions.
I wish we were more aggressive on the trade front. I’m not sure I have the stomach to watch us sit out another deadline. aside from EG, we need to consolidate around our best prospects. We don’t have the minutes to take on more developmental prospects that aren’t top tier. That means that Milwaukee pick, for example, needs to be traded for something. It means figuring out if we can trade non-core prospects like KMJ, Christopher, Garuba, for something significant that can help our team next year or in the longer term. We need to be in asset collection mode; why are we so passive?