He needs to stop pressing, and focus - stop hanging his head when he misses a shot and get back on D, overall - the truth is he just needs to grow up and mature - which is true of most 19-20 year olds....people are too impatient, this guys got the "IT" factor - and we need to let him cook and grow - he has that kind of star power if he is groomed correctly, and responds to what Ime is trying to do. Will be fun. Most of the players I like are not "LOVE" affairs, just guys I want to see given an opportunity - Cam though, is different, I see the potential for greatness in him - doesn't mean he will get there, but he has that competitive nasty streak that all the greats have....and I want to see if he can get there.....because if he does. this team will be much better because of it. I love that we have Durant here, while FVV, Green and Brooks are nice mentors they can show how to be a professional etc, but they are all limited as players not great ones just good......KD is A GREAT player, and one that demands the respect that comes with it. I think for Amen, Cam and Sengun etc KD is going to be a model that will allow one or all to model themselves after and break into that upper echelon. To me, Cam and Amen have the greatest ceiling potential on this team. DD
I can see this Having all the tools is not enough Cameron Whitmore Position: Small Forward ▪ Shoots: Right 6-7, 232lb (201cm, 105kg) Team: Houston Rockets Born: July 8, 2004 (Age: 20-353d) in Odenton, Maryland us 6'7 is a good size for an SG in the modern NBA maybe a little short for a SF He might need to work on strength and hustle 44.4% from the Field 35.5% from 3 We expect rebounds? Steals? He has to contribute outside of just scoring What are you seeing that I am missing? He has shown flashes but I am not seeing what you see. You HATED Francis . . .and I simply do not see this guy being near as good Rocket River
Jesus, place some of that blame on the player. Cam was absolutely atrocious to start the year and it took him months to get untracked. Ime gave him quite a bit of playing time the year before because Cam was hitting his shots. Coaches like Ime want to see guys still playing hard defense even when their shot isn’t falling. Cam instead hangs his head and defends worse when his shot is off. That’s why he rode the bench and spent time with the Vipers last year. It wasn’t some capricious whim on the coach’s part.
First - I did not HATE Francis, but I knew that he was never going to lead us anywhere, ultimately that is what happened. I see Cam's aggression and belief in his ability to score the ball as a major asset, he is the closest 19-20 year old I have seen like this since Kobe, now that doesn't mean he will get there, but for me, he is a very smart player, he is a bit of an introvert that is driven, and is frustrated that he hasn't gotten his minutes, and frankly Ime gave up on him too early, IMO, he outshot Jalen green overall and from 3pt range last year. So, I think he is going to be very good to great, and a real go-to scorer in the league.......if .....IF he listens to Ime and throws off the immature pouting. DD
And when he came back he pouted on the bench and when got minutes still dogged it on defense. I guarantee this pre-season is his last chance to show a winning attitude. Like DD, I love his aggression on the offensive end, but that is not enough to declare him a future star.
I agree with this, and said as much, but GREAT coaches like Pop, will yank you out, TELL YOU to get back on D, and put you back in.....Ime did the yanking but didn't put him back in..... I believe IME has room to grow as well, and I applaud Stone for trading away 2 of his favorites sort of forcing his hand to play Reed and Cam.... Ime is too defensively focused, because that is what he was as a role player, he was never an offensive threat, so he overlooks offense for defense. We need balance, IMHO, it is much easier to teach a gifted offensive player to play defense than the other way around. You guys are right about Cam needing to embrace what Ime is saying - that is part of the maturation process. BTW - it is ok to have a different opinion - if you don't see what I see, that's ok you see what you see......either way, gonna be fun watching this year's team. DD
I agree with everything you said here. Cam certainly has the potential to be a good player. It is all between his ears and Ime, so far, is not patient enough to properly develop young players. Adding Durant probably will make him even more focused on winning now, rather than development. The only way Ime has been willing to change is when injuries have forced it. Hopefully he can improve as a head coach.
Yes, but you can learn from teamates, Durant has major RIZZ with the players, they all respect him and will be watching him and learning from him - as an example, I could see Cam watching Jalen and going...WTF....why is that guy playing over me, and he would be right......turns out we were upping his trade value so we could flip him for Durant. So, I don't mind his frustration, nor do I mind that is what Stone was doing....... What I HOPE is that Cam learned from it, and he will embrace this opportunity and will learn how to be a star under Durant's shadow - same for Amen and Alpi......FVV, Brooks etc were not going to be able to teach them that, as they were never stars ...... KD is, and still is..... PS. Ever notice that Cam is not on social media all that much, you don't see videos of him working out, or working his brand etc, like Jalen, IMHO, that is because he is just GRINDING and is ignoring all the BS of social media and those guys usually have the better overall success - beware of guys that look to be popular - they usually fall short. Quite a few good defensive plays in there, and he draws fouls and finishes through contact.... I DARE ANYONE TO WATCH THAT VIDEO and not come away thinking he will be a star once he matures. DD
I want Cam to compete with Jabari for that final starting spot...I think we'll be more explosive on offense if Cam was in the starting lineup and Jabari can be our 6th man. Then, we can use the MLE to go get Alexander-Walker or Gary Trent Jr for our reserved shooting guard position. In addition, if Cam doesn't work out in the starting lineup, at least we get to showcase his skillset to increase his trade value just in case we need to upgrade an area on our team by trade deadline.
Not true - Pops yanked guys and didn't put them back in many times. The whole reason Kawhi didn't stay in San Antonio is because Pops refused to give preferential treatment to players who had more promise. Ive seen enough of these "former players appearing on podcasts talking about their careers" to know Pops is notoriously difficult and harsh on his players. Go watch interviews with Danny Green, Lamarcus Aldridge, Stephen Jackson, Richard Jefferson, etc. This 'Pops as a talent nurturer' narrative you are running with to criticize Udoka is completely made up - in fact it's the quite the opposite. He nurtured talent by pushing them harder and keeping them on very short leashes regardless of talent level...and that's ultimately what cost him Kawhi but also what allowed him to build a dynasty around a lot of players who were castaways from other teams or late draft picks. Pops prioritized execution and effort over talent and that's exactly what Udoka is doing with Cam and the rest of the roster. To be clear, YOU think talent and promise is more important than consistent effort and execution - NOT HOF coach Gregg Popovich or one of his many active proteges like Udoka. ...and by the way - I agree about Cam's promise...but it's not in a vaccuum - he can't fulfill that promise unless he is really locked into the details. He's going to have to learn that and the longer it takes for him to pick up on that, the less likely it is that he will get to that next level because there is a relatively short window before a player hits their prime.
I want Cam as the starting SG......and KD as SF, Bari at PF and Sengun at center...and FVV (for now) at PG. Here is where I hope we are at the end of the season Starters: PG - FVV - Reed backup SG - Cam or Amen SF - Durant - Amen backup (Tari can also backup at SG) PF - Bari - Tari backup C - Sengun - Adams backup Holiday is 10th man for me.....that is what I hope we go to war with. DD
I love how you left out the teams likely best player next season lol. I’m assuming it was a subconscious error.
You vision for our team's future is that Amen isn't even in the rotation? Are you TRYING to troll everyone at this point with these bad takes?
Agree to disagree, Pop played a 19 year old PG in Parker who wasn't ready, he put up with Ginobli and his crazy stuff because he saw greatness in him, yes Pop was harsh, and demanding - and I respect that about Ime, but Pop always put players back in - he didn't drop them from rotation while they were learning. Pop understands you need BALANCE to win, you need guys that aren't great on D who are great on O to win in the league - IMHO - Ime is still learning that. You are right about Kawhi though, some GREAT players don't respond to that - not everyone does.....ultimately I think that was a major mistake on Pop's side, losing him was a hit they are just now recovering from. DD
LOL - Ooops, major fraudian...fixed it...would be ok if Amen takes over at PG or SG too......or anywhere really, I think we have like 7 starter level players.... Thanks for the heads up......major league brain fart. DD
I will be shocked if KD plays more 60 games this season. In those games I suspect Tari and Cam will be competing to start those games. It’s really up to Cam if he can do the fundamental team needs necessary to win that role. Right now id favor Tari to be first man up when KD sits, but it’s totally up to Cam and now hard he works over the summer to elevate his game.
Honestly, the Rockets should LOAD manage KD - and I hope they do.....he is here for the playoffs......and we have enough to win some games with him getting time off. DD
100%. I hope he’s only playing those 60 games because of load mgmt and not serious injury. As I mentioned in the KD trade thread I think this season and that trade is all about putting Amen and Sengun in the position to lead this team all season. The Jalen trade imo was the front office signaling their belief in Amen, and subsequently their belief in Reed and Cam to provide what Amen brought last year coming off the bench to start the year and growing into a potential star. Such a huge year for all these guys but it really starts with Amen imo.
Cam has unbelievable talent. He's headstrong but coachable. The question is whether we can afford to be patient with growing pains. My guess is there's not much margin. He's only 20 years old and lacks game experience. He'll need a great offseason where he drills down into the details so he won't be a negative on either end of the court (or the locker room). Cam has star-level potential, but we don't need a young star or diva wrestling through growing pains or crying about playing time or touches. We need a tough-nosed competitor who will bring their lunch pail every day, grind, and contribute. The presence of Durant should help.
This is the way....actually I'll extent it to say we should be load managing Durant AND FVV to keep them fresh for the playoffs while we develop our young guys and open up minutes and experience for guys like Reed, Tari, and hopefully Cam too. As much as I loved Brooks, I think trading two for one was an underrated move that allows us to open the rotation up a bit more - especially when that "one" isn't hopefully only playing 2/3 of the season. One of the frustrating ironies about Jalen is he was relatively durable making our minutes crunch all the more difficult to address.
