• Carlos looked very good in the exhibitions. I have to hope he will just be adjusting to the team, his role, and the competition and he’ll end up somewhere between where we first saw him vs the ‘real games.’
• The defense will improve. It can’t get worse. Guys will be humiliated, will fight to be better, and Red will have to reconsider minutes based on performance on that side of the ball.
• McLeod will have to play, if he’s healthy. Dry Rub doesn’t look like he’s going to be able to maintain a heavy load (minutes or weight) for a full season. Naheem has to get ten+ minutes a game. I don’t even mind if it’s in M2M. He’s not ‘good’ at that, but I think he’s long enough and imposing enough that even when he makes mistakes, he can make up for some of them. And he will get better.
• Less reliance on Carlos if he doesn’t improve. Red seems to be giving him the benefit of the doubt, based either on practice or the exhibitions.
• Bell will shoot better. He has to.
• JJ has more confidence than ever.
• Donnie is learning that his HS stardom doesn't transfer. He’s going to have to work. Especially if he doesn’t want to go in the second round.
• If I believed in prayer, I’d use it on Chance. I can’t foresee him getting back to a health position with the knees where he’s going to be an effective defender against the other team’s PG. Just too much lateral and stop/start stress. Maybe that means he shares point duties on offense but plays the opponent’s 2 or 3?
• The only guys who should feel entitled to heavy minutes at this point are JJ and Lampkins. Everyone else needs to make it a matter of personal responsibility to correct errors, minimize weaknesses, commit to D, and as Melania teaches us, “Be best.”
