I believe you are correct, Wall is being portrayed as more selfish than he really is. Ast% of some notable NBA players in 20/21 (Wall was 36.2 Ast%): Westbrook 48.6 Trae Young 45.5 CP3 40.9 Morant 33.5 Lillard 34.6 LaMelo Ball 33.9 Lowry 31.8 Conley 30.6 Steph Curry 30.5 Kyrie Irving 28.6 https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2021_advanced.html#advanced_stats::ast_pct I don't believe Wall will get traded this season but I expect Eric Gordon with House to be moved. I believe the Raptors were pursuing a Siakim trade during the off season according to rumors. They have VanVleet and Dragic (35 yrs old) with M Flynn at point guard. Pass on Suggs for Scottie Barnes....possible replacement for Siakim? They want to run the hub of the offense through Scottie Barnes eventually. I believe the Raptors know they have a trade for Eric Gordon, House, Augustin whenever they want to pull the trigger on it. Raptors could use a SG in Eric Gordon and House helps fill out their SF spot, Barnes gets more playing time at PF as he gets more stamina. Scottie had poor energy in SL, reminded me of Capela when we first had him. _______________ Wood and Siakim could rule the NBA with their versatility, defense, mobility and offensive flexibility. Throw in Theis to the mix and up and coming Garuba and Sengun. Mighty fine!!!!!
Walls is the worst contract in the NBA. We are not going to be able to trade him unless we attach assets. I'm guessing a buy-out at some point so he can sign for the MLE as a backup for some contender.
As a man who is half-Iowan, and lived there many years, and is a Hawkeye alum, and who actually went to Grant Wood Elementary (the name of the painter) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (driving past it when I went to visit, it looks the same as 40 years ago), and who knows many Iowans including my family, I can assert that the lady in this painting would not be standing alone so close to a man of the African-American persuasion. Unless Father went into town and she's hungry AF? "Young man, could you help me reach something on the top shelf?" "What the....hey, that's not a corn cob, lady!"
14 pts/ 10 assists would make him an important contributor and an asset near the trading deadline, an expensive asset. He could do it if he went in with that mindset. Kind of makes me respect Rafer Alston's game who was all flash and pizzazz as Skip to My Lou but toned it down when he was Rafer. R.I.P the tear drop shot.
Tillman will pay Wall another $44 million not to win games, to not play back to backs and to say the he only wants " to play with guys who want to be here".
The problem is that if Wall and Wood stay healthy we won’t be tanking, we will be in draft purgatory.
Another notable (bearded) player that offsets Kyrie's number is Harden at 44.4% are we canceling him on CF now?
No I don't think so. I left out those outside point guard because, well........ Wall is a point guard. I didn't list Doncic either. Or LeBron James. But I did supply the link to ast% on the entire league. I'm just saying among point guards there are only about 6 or 7 better than Wall in Ast%. Edited: after looking at the list again, 3 PG's better than Wall in Ast%....that's a lot of selfish PG's in the league. Or is it just Wall head to that standard?
AST% is really not the number we want to look at when it comes to whether or not John Wall is going to be an asset to the rebuild next year on the court. To me, the number I want to look at is time of possession, the total number of minutes that a player has the ball in their hands per game. Obviously this is going to depend heavily on the coaching system, as well as the total number of minutes that a player is on the court. Even still... Since 2013-2014, as far back as the NBA tracks player touches, John Wall has finished first three times, and has finished outside the top 5 exactly twice...2019-20, when he was injured and missed the whole season, and last year, when he finished...sixth. SOURCE for 2020-2021 I don't think that John Wall's style of play is gonna change much in his 12th year in the league. It has always been extremely ball dominant; it's an effective style, but can limit the development of other players on the team. Realistically, Houston needs to have KPJ take all of these JW possessions and see if he's able to do anything with them, good or bad. Remember that he's up for an extension next summer, and he's a guy that is potentially going to make or break the rebuild based on whether he's a future building block that the Rockets get to lock in at a below-market number, or someone who gets massively overpaid and prevents them from adding a piece in 2023. The Rockets need to figure out what they have with him, and if the potential he showed last year is legitimate, or just him feasting during a lost season with no stakes. Is he Klay/Draymond/Steph, who were all absolute steals on their first rookie extensions, or is he Harrison Barnes, who turned down 4/$64M and allowed the Warriors to sign KD? If it's not KPJ, then it needs to be Green or Tate or Wood or Sengun. You need to stretch these guys out, beyond what they are comfortable doing, give them reps in diagnosing defenses and especially learning how to beat schemes specifically geared to stopping them. It undoubtedly is going to be ugly and frustrating, much like the current SL games, but that development path is going to be how the team eventually gets back to the playoffs. This is why I'm a huge fan of signing Theis over Olynyk, because Theis is a complementary piece that still forces the team to run the offense through the young guns. Olynyk is much better at being the initiator and a finisher, but we don't want him acting as a safety blanket; we want Green or KPJ learning how to use picks and diagnose the defense, not learning to spot up around the perimeter in anticipating of a KO kickout. Ultimately, I want a roster like the G-League Ignite put together last year; extremely low USG% veterans surrounding a core of young prospects. Push them to get better in practice, make sure that the old vets are always in the right position, but let the guys you're trying to showcase get the playmaking reps, whether that's finishing the play or creating for someone else. And unfortunately, that's the absolute antithesis of John Wall's game right now. BTW, if you look at Kemba Walker's time of possession stats in Charlotte before his last two years in Boston, he was also hanging around in the top 5-6 or so, right up there with Wall. And OKC didn't hesitate to buy him out as to not hamper the development of SGA/Giddey. Food for thought...
I've argued your points to a T before. But you are highlighting minutes and time of possession? Break down all numbers you want and two stand out $44 million this season and $47 million player option next year. Nobody is arguing fit in rebuild. Who do you think will take that contract? Im just pointing out that Wall can pass as proven in seasons when Wall was in the mid 40' in Ast%. Making lemonade out of lemons.
I was thinking more in terms of being unselfish in mentoring the young guys. I think he’ll attempt to help them improve. But agreed on the other point too.
Brett Farve said it's not his job to mentor Aaron Rodgers Aaron Rodgers is saying it's not his job to mentor Jordan Love to take his job. I don't expect Wall to mentor anyone. This is why Augustin is still with the team. *We (Rockets) supplied better screeners than last years scrubs. *We (Rockets) are hoping that better PnR threat to open up better looks from 3 from others. *We (Rockets/Wall) are hoping the trade value of Wall goes up. Then "We" are waiting to see if a playoff contender loses a star point guard to injury.... and even then it's hard to trade a $40+ million dollar player during the season without taking back crap contracts. Rarely room on the roster for that. Tilman would have to waive players and eat their contracts. Not likely to happen. This is why I've been saying just get ready to send him home.....piss him off......he favors buyout then/foregoes next season as a Rocket and opts out of player option. Tilman will have to pay the Wall salary one way or another. Whether it's to Wall or to flunkies that are brought in thru a Wall trade. At least sending him home avoids further injury or injuries. We keep the picks needed to move Wall. Plus allows Green/Porter to get started on real chemistry.
