Posted by BlueSeats:
Posted by tkf:
Posted by BlueSeats:
Briggs, stop flip flopping. You ride every little streak, up or down, for all its worth.
We are a very weak team that is overachieving for a very good coach. Its tenuous at best. We need a lot of work yet.
so are you happy with what we are doing so far blue seats? just curious.. we know how briggs flip flops, so just forget that for a minute. Tell me. do you like what you see so far? And who you would like to keep going forward... Also what do you think of gallanari? sorry for all the questions, but it has been a while since I have picked your brain... 
Heck, I don't know. I like Walsh and D'. The Marbury situation got off to an awkward start but the right decision was made. I like D's intensity. He's not a defensive stalwart, but some games we've played our best defense since 2003. That's not saying a lot, but still. Walsh stated a plan to be flexible for the 2010 sweepstakes, which I totally support, and dumping Zach and Crawford proved his intent. Unfortunately Eddy is becoming seriously untradable, which is really sad for a guy with his potential only making 10M.
Lee has been our "best" player in my eyes for years now and I'm pleased with his increasing offensive confidence. The other night he got a pass on the low block that he caught and spun under his defender so fast it was unstoppable. Its not like mega powerful, or super athletic, but his instincts are really good, and he plays within himself. He's trying to stretch his range, and he's not a good shooter yet, but nor does he force a lot of shots. A very efficient player. But you can't go all that far with Lee as your best player.
Nate is starting to remind me of Starks. A crazy, sometimes out of control, emotional guy who wins your heart. He needs to up his D to be as valuable as Starks was, and like Johnny, he could be replaced by an Alan Houston caliber player, but I can't hate on the Nate.
Chandler is still iffy. I wonder about his intensity. There's a bit of Tim Thomas to him: incredible physical attributes, bursts of brilliance, but is he hungry enough? Could be a confidence thing, but it looks like hunger.
Duhon has been an incredible surprise, especially as a playmaker. I like him. If we had a shooter it would really open things up. His defense isn't lockdown, but its there, especially when things are slowed down. He's not big or fast enough to contain, but he moves his feet and hands. He tries. Coach D' has been very, very good for him, and vice versa.
Harrington is weird. He's got skills but he's awkward in many ways. His interior moves are so gangly he always looks close to a walk or turnover, but I'd prefer him inside than out. However, he's certainly capable of getting hot out there. He's a bit streaky and seems to play on emotion that sometimes isn't there. For all his athleticism he should be blocking more shots. He's okay, probably a rental.
I like Gallo's skillset. I'd be pretty high on the kid if it weren't for his back. He does vacillate between nice aggression and a deer in the headlights. Can't tell if its because he's young or if the back is tender. I wont hate on the pick because if healthy he deos seem like a prototypical D'Antoi player: Can shoot, pass, put it on the floor, etc. He's a bit of a cross between Dirk and Diaw, and his talent level will fall somewhere between them (a wide range, I know) if he can get and stay healthy.
So I think its a really nice first year fr Walsh and D'. They're both showing the ability to make big changes quickly, and I think for the better. I still see us as a talent poor team, but we're overachieving and setting ourselves up with the possibility to add major talent down the road. I still think its really hard to win big in this league without scoring franchise caliber talent in the draft (yeah, there's Detroit, but even Shaq and LA had Kobe, KG/Ray and Boston had Pierce) so we better get busy there soon. But all in all I've got to give the coach and front office pretty high marks so far.
I think it'll be pretty difficult for anyone to say the culture hasn't changed for the positive in a pretty big way, though I'm sure many will try - and not just the UK mafia. D'Antoni has a whole crew of haters all to himself.
What do you think?
Very fair analysis. Very fair and very good.
I loved the mike D signing from the start and people can go back and look, I was 100% for it from the start. I know we needed a system that was proven and he has brought that here... The marbury situation was awkward, but necessary, and for all of those who were looking to bash walsh, saying that this would be a distraction were wrong.... the only thing distracted are those looking to find fault with walsh... the team has moved on..
Walsh has been great, so far, he has kept to his plan of cap flexibilty in 2010 and didn't rush to go out and sign players when we were shorthanded. The funny thing is, most fans were killing him because he didn't do so... Having a GM with patience and a plan is great.
As far as the players:
Duhon, I wasn't a big fan of in chicago, but I could understand why Mike wanted him. Endless motor, smart, will run the offense, will defend. All the other stuff, his scoring, passing and leadership has been a big bonus.
Lee: he is our best player, and as you said, we can only go so far with lee as our best player, and he has been for years. I know you and I were always high on lee, but I think he may be better than we anticipated and it almost makes you aprehensive to actually say, maybe he can be an allstar type player, especially in this offense. Either way, lee is proving that he can be a great support player to any franchise type talent..
Al harrington: I think he feels he is a start type player. At least he shoots that way... LOL.. But in reality, he is good scorer and an underrated defender. Al is the type of guy you can keep on your bench, he will be better than most of the second unit players in the NBA, can give you spot starters minutes and a lot of scoring... A rental at his salary now, a bench keeper if you can get him for much less..
Chandler: As you said, his demeanor screams laid back, his skills scream, AllStar. It is tough, a game like last night in which he filled the stat sheet, we should see every game. He needs to get nastier... if that is possible for him. I think he has the ability to be a heck of a player if he can figure it all out..
Gallo: Great size, shot and skillset, I wonder about his back, but if healthy, as you said, he can be a player between the Dirk and diaw talent level. Actually, I think he an give us the best of what both have. Gallo will take it to the rim, has a sweet shot, a handle and he is a good passer. That is what makes him different from dirk if you ask me, but more similar to diaw, but he is taller and also a better, much better shooter than diaw, so while I will temper my excitement simply because he is a rookie and the back injury still is a slight issue, I have high hopes for the kid, but am cautious not to get too excited here... Even when healthy, there are never guarantees in this league..
overall, as you said, we still need some more talent.I like nate, would like to keep him off our bench, because he still is a high skill level player and for a reasonable price can be great off the bench. I really feel we need to address the SG position. Q is a nice guy, but I would prefer a guy like kevin Martin would be killer on this team, in this offense...
We need a good draft this year and we can hope to get a franchise type player in 2010, with that, I think we an catpult into serious contender status with Dantoni having established his offense here, and walsh adding smaller key pieces... we have work to do, but it has been a nice year so far.. we are playing better than many(including myself) would have thought..
Anyone who sits around and waits for the lottery to better themselves, either in real life or in sports, Is a Loser...............
TKF
2/1/2009 4:15 PM
