He clearly was covering for Mobley too. He’s still an elite weakside defender but with no one to lock down the paint and bang with bigs, that isn’t as effective. And since he’s a BIG, that kinda matters. Yes, he has a rare ability to guard the perimeter with length and block weakside. What you primarily want from a BIG defensively is the ability to bang, protect the paint and grab boards. He’s struggling there without another BIG to handle those duties.
I think Green would have been horrible or not played much in any system early in the season. Mobley was more ready and filled a piece in Cleveland. While I think Mobley is a good defensive player and will get better, after this recent bit of play without Allen, I think it is fair to say that Mobley was likely getting too much credit for Cleveland's turnaround.
He clearly covers for everybody since his main job was to be a rim protector, I did not say he did not but I am interested to hear why you think he was clearly covering for Mobley? Was Mobley getting beat a lot to the bucket? Does his guy have a high percentage at the rim? You do not in today's NBA want a big that can bang, there are many other things you want a big to-do. So what if he is struggling there as a rookie and I have to take your word for it, my point is still that Mobley's success has far more to do than Allen being the primary rim protector.
If it wasn't apparent from my posts and post history, I have always been a believer of Jalen Green. I staunchly supported drafting him over Mobley and I staunchly defended him when people were calling him a bust 2-3 months into the season or trashing how he looks as if that mattered for basketball. Assuming there are no mishaps, I truly believe he has the potential to become a generational talent. I want to start off by saying this first, almost all the early criticisms of Green was warranted. He was a terrible shooter and inefficient volume scorer. When he wasn't getting bumped off on D, he looked lost and was constantly taking poor angles. Assuming he wasn't outmuscled and bumped off track on the way to the rim, he relied too much on just trying to lose the initial defender through pure speed and didn't really have a Plan B when that did not work. Overall, there was a clear cultural shock going from G-League to NBA. So why was I such a staunch supporter? It was because beyond his otherworldly athleticism, Green was always known for his strong work ethic and passion to improve and overcome. Unlike some other candidates, there was never a single word by anyone that stated otherwise. Everything said about him and said by him only cemented how hungry he was to become the best. This is the type of mentality that I always want in any player we are looking to become our franchise cornerstone and what drives players to push themselves to improve game after game, season after season. What we have seen thus far has definitely proven beyond a doubt of how hard a worker he is and how badly he wants to exceed his own lofty expectations. I am sure most of us can agree that the Green we see today is very different from the one we watch start the season. His footwork has become much more disciplined, his decision making on both ends is vastly improved as is his vision and playmaking, his bag of tricks has expanded and even includes a sideways midrange at the baseline. We can say the game has slowed down, but regardless, these improvements all take hard work and a ton of effort.
Folks were having issues scoring on the Cavs because they had two bigs that could rim protect. We can see from this season and last how things aren't the same with just one. Allen covered for everyone by providing an interior defensive presence that Mobley is still to light in the paints to handle. Of course you do. Having someone that won't get bullied in the paint is still vital in the league today. As far as the "so what", it's moreso related to the credit he was getting for the teams transformation on defense. Others were saying his pre draft issues still exist (mainly he needs to get stronger), and the good situation he wound up in made him look more elite than he really is. There is no issue for a rookie struggling. The nonsense of calling him the next Duncan, etc needs to stop though. Or even an elite defender, since he isn't elite when HE actually has to anchor a D. Does he have the potential to be that when if he works on his body....sure.
It‘s hard to argue against Barnes. Barnes has been spectacular. I would go with Cunningham simply because he is a much bigger part of the offense. And that‘s not just because he is the PG. He is their go-to player. He is scoring more and he seems to have more tools to score. Barnes is more a player that is filling a role right now. I think he would be more plug and play on a championship team right now - but Cade is carrying his team, that‘s why I would go with him. But there is a good argument for all 3 top players here. And if Green had played like he is playing in march the whole year, he would be right up their in the conversation and maybe even atop.
I don't know if it's been posted, but Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) and Alykhan Bijani ( @Rockets_Insider) discuss Corey Brewer, Jr. and Enes Kanter II.
Sorry this is not 1975 we can all see your posts, there’s no barrier. It’s just not true that you didn’t imply he would be worse than Devin Booker. You implied that many times while contradicting yourself. You implied that Booker was a dream scenario. You implied the we have a replacement level player. I understand you would now like to cherry pick your least harsh prediction since it suits, but the truth is you said all of those things and not just one of them. You were more wrong than anyone else on the entire board about who Jalen Green was going to be this season and now almost certainly beyond as well. Facts are facts. Even if part of what you said about Green was true, most of it was wrong. Welcome like anyone else aboard the bandwagon. We’re all winners here.
I am biased, but here is how I see it. Mobley Floor: Who he is now, elite defender, never really becomes an offensive force necessary to be a top 5 player Ceiling: Anthony Davis, but AD had a much more refined offensive game his rookie year, so this is a stretch Cade Floor: Multiple time all star, he has the stats now to be an all star as long as he improves his efficiency a little bit. He has got the all around game Ceiling: perennial all star. I still don’t see him being a superstar. He can prove me wrong but he doesn’t have the physical tools. Green: Floor: Zach Lavine light. Basically if he stays like he is now at 20 PPG he will be Zach Lavine light. This assumes minimal improvement. Ceiling: Superstar. He has the athleticism therefore has the highest potential.
I think Cade has a good chance to be a superstar. He has the poise and the skills to be an elite PG. Green will probably be the best scorer among this bunch. But Cade can be a better all around player. I like the ceilings of both guys. I said it elsewhere. Mobley needs to develop a better offensive game to be a franchise cornerstone. If he doesn't improve on that, he can only be a second or third banana on a good team.
I won't throw around the term SS lightly until it is done. I will say this, the Rockets are going to be entertaining, not necessarily being a contender though.
I am looking forward to seeing Barnes, Wagner blow up as well. Can't wait for another Kawhi like sensation.
Barnes is so inconsistent it is really hard to project. When he is on, he reminds me of the young Shawn Kemp. He also had some pretty bad games. I may be wrong. He doesn't seem to progress as steadily as Cade and Green. We'll see.
Yes, I am free to use numbers but I choose not to use random numbers to make a point I already made. The fact that you think the team numbers you used are not just as useless means there is no need to respond to you further.
Stats are useless because they have no bearing on my argument. There are no good stats for individual defense or what Mobley does for that team defensivley.
