Jones is definitely going to be the starting 4 imo. The reason being Dwight's interior defense is nowhere near what it used to be, so Jones is needed to bolster the shot-blocking of the starting unit. I would like the bench to be Beverley, Brooks, D-Mo, Asik because with two good finishers up front the quickness of the backcourt should be a nightmare for opponents. Harden can play the backup 3 or Jones at times. Casspi wouldn't be in the rotation unless he can beat out Brooks. I am also assuming that Brooks can get playing time over Garcia & Canaan. Since, if I remember correctly, McHale did not play 10 players basically ever last season so that means I think he will choose the top 8 or 9 players and not worry about positions particularly.
The only thing we can get from his stats is that he's a limited player. On a Cleveland team with no shot creator beyond Irving, he could not find any good shots to take. Basically a 3pt specialist who is only mediocre at that specialty, and never been considered a good defender. There's a reason why he was only worth 1yr minimum with 1yr team option. So while it's true from a pure floor spacing perspective Casspi is superior to Jones and DMo, the fact remains that he can't really do anything else. He has no inside moves or height of DMo. He has no athleticism and finishing ability of Jones. All he has is superior 3pt shooting. But even that is not exactly a rare commodity. The Rockets can find superior 3pt shooters. They're only not doing so because they want to see the sophmores first. The fact that Casspi is even being discussed is a testament to how crappy our PF position was last year. Not that he's actually a feasible option.
I actually think that Casspi is the better overall player compared to Jones and Dmo. He looked like the better player in Sacromento. No one really looks good in Cleveland. Defensively and rebounding Casspi is an upgrade to Dmo. Which is really sad. Morey actually called Casspi a 2way player. Something no one will mistaken Dmo for anytime soon. I am just not sold on TJones. He seems to have all the boxes checked as far as what this team needs from its 4. Yet, despite a productive summerleague, we did not hear another whimper from him again until the last 8 games of the season, after the team traded its entire PF rotation, went through every remaining PF, some SFs, and only in his last resort did McHale turn to Jones. Something doesn't add up. My guess is, he's an idiot. And not the bum-stomping variety, although that is a new revelation as well, but the on court kind. I don't actually watch the Cavs play, so I'm giving Casspi the benefit of the doubt as far as his decline the last few years. But who knows, I could be wrong. Maybe he really just sucks now. And hopefully I am wrong about Dmo and Jones, but from the summerleague that just ended and the last couple of international games, I haven't seen any huge leap from either one of them. This much is true.
I've been really high on TJones. In terms of skill set he seems to have what we need. But I heard his interview post his first summer league game and he's certainly not the brightest tool in the shed. I worry that that might be a factor on court. But it's just one interview and probably means nothing. Also Lin spoke highly of him... so we'll see.
Idiot is kinda strong language..but it may be true. I have seen that he is mentally slow to process, seen it in his speech, seen it in how slow he makes decisions on the court, catching and holding the ball, etc., and also in how long it takes him to uncork the jumper. Great athleticism, speed, and strength do not necessarily translate to greatness if everything isn't firing up in the brain on par with their athleticism. Hence, hesitations before cutting, and poor ability to switch off on screens, etc.
Lin is a positive person and a locker room leader. Lin was text-messaging Royce White last year trying to help him be positive and go to work. So, don't put much stock in Lin saying positive things about a player. He's not going to break down their pluses and minuses while he is playing in the league, only the positives.
Yeah T Jones. I just don't trust that guy. But he's so much more talented than DMo. I don't think either of those two are long term options. They are nice to bring off the bench, but even then I would give both those guys another 2-3 years before they crack the starting rotation.
i like this Idea starting OC at the 4 just like the 09 magic use Rashard Lewis as stretch 4 Jones cant stretch the Floor!..
First we gave up on Lin, only to see him resurrected from the dead. And now we haven given up on DMo and Jones. Maybe you've forgotten but DMo played really well in both Pacers games. DMo is also a full three years younger than Casspi, has a bigger upside, and is a true power forward. But Casspi is the man of the moment and so I guess that means we start him. I say play Casspi off the bench for a while and see how he does before starting him. However I still think you have to give your true power forwards the benefit of the doubt and first dibs.
could you imagine if we had d12, oc, and asik on the court at the same time? it would be a hack-a-three all day long.
Omri is turning out to be a gem of an acquisition but I think the most we can expect at this time is for him to crack the rotation. Once the regular season starts, don't be surprised if DMo starts, with a healthy dose of Casspi and Jones rotating in under certain situations.
Casspi could be a starter, but I think he's actually better used as a glue guy off the bench. He reminds me so much of a taller Delfino. He's going to be a great spark. Too bad we really don't have a power forward that could solidly start over him yet. He might start just out of necessity.
He will help with both Dwight and Harden in spacing. The NBA new players stat pages are horrible, or I would be interested in looking at his stats and try to find some interesting things.
If the other team is running small ball we can play omri at PF 'Starting' is overplayed and starting him against top PF is not the move. 'Starting' on paper sounds good for a second until you remember theres this think called defense. Let him play PF in spot small ball and SF in spot as well. That will get him enough minutes to be a factor while not exposing him against bruiser PF. We might be able to get away with casspi at PF quite a bit but he will get torched against guys like randolph.
I am sad to say that I agree with everything you said here and admire your willingness to say what is on your mind. That said, I think that DMo has improved significantly from last year and, while perhaps slightly behind Casspi at the moment, has the potential to improve dramatically more given his age and trend. Jones has all the tools but has not put them together yet, which is fine for a developing team, but not for one that hopes to be a contender. Ok to keep giving developing Jones, but we should not expect crunch time production from him unless he can quickly improve his feel for the game.
I think to Start each game you're gonna go with TJones. Unless you're facing a spurs or a grizzlies and you distinctly need to play big with our twin towers. Tjones I just think fits with the other starters right now IMHO and compliments them. But yeah, I love that we have so many rotational options and Mchale won't hesitate to pull the trigger with Casspi if adjustments are needed.
I have a feeling DMo is still our starter at 4. If Casspi manages to get a starting role at the 4, imagine how much further improved consistent play he must have displayed! Good times
