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Message: [QUOTE="Zelda Zonk, post: 4432489, member: 966"] I can't remember when we last had a team with so many question marks. What i'm trying to do now is recognize what each player is supposed to be able to do well. Taylor—not sure where all the enthusiasm is coming from so far. You folks seem to like his body quite a bit—not that there's anything wrong with that. But, he was billed as a shooter, and we're not seeing good shooting. The form is there, but the results not so much. Other skills? I don't see him putting the ball on the deck and driving—handle skills and quickness aren't there. So, how did Buddy score? Subtle, shifty moves, and an advanced skillset. Taylor is more physical, and he even moved around well, when i noticed him running around picks to free himself. But, he wasn't looked at, and didn't get a pass, and then i didn't notice that anymore. JB has to scheme for him, but we're at a point where there are so many questions and games and egos that need to be built and developed that there isn't a lot of time for consistent efforts to develop any one player. Feels to me like some decisions need to be made toward concentrating on a few, rather than all, because there are diminished returns when the effort is so diffused. Chris Bell—plays weak. I don't remember a guy who seemed both so slight and uninvolved. And as for his athleticism... I thought he won the dunk contest(?) but he had a breakaway opportunity and didn't separate from the trailing defender, nor elevate/explode to the rim. That was surprising/disappointing. He has a shot that might well be effective in time, but at this point, it just isn't. He splashed that one yesterday that looked smooth, but in just about every other attempt, it looks like a quick flick, and he doesn't do anything to get/create those opportunities nor make them easier once he does get a pass. No feints, no pumps, no jabsteps. It's just a catch and release situation. Not someone who creates offense for himself or anyone else. Someone compared Maliq Brown to Carmelo, minus the jumper. But, Carmelo wasn't just a good shooter. He was pretty masterful as a freshman collegian at the [I]triple-threat[/I]. With every possession, he gathered and in control to either beat someone with a shot, a drive, or a pass. And that's what made him difficult to defend. Brown is solid, and you get a sense he's not going to do anything wrong. But, he's not a threat. But, that's fine. We need reliable depth and maybe he deserves more of an opportunity than Benny, even now. I will probably not say a negative word about Joe this year. I think he will need to play 35+ minutes, and i have no problem with that—unless all of a sudden Bell and Taylor become Ray Allen. Jesse was good. Encouraging to see the array of ways in which he can be effective. And that oop where the pass was almost a line drive and led him from so far away—that was spectacular. Judah—i likened him to an unpolished Kenny Anderson. Not sure if it's the moves or the body. But, Kenny seemed smooth and in control. Judah seems a bit more herky-jerky and out of control. And when he does make shots, they're not 'clean.' He seems to pour them in, where there's a lot of rim and a 'swirl' involved. I think he'll be better and more consistent with strength, but it's more about his maturation that i think will lead to better results. Just recognizing what can and can't be done. Judgment. But, he's the one spark on the offense—and that's valuable. I don't see that same ceiling with Symir, although i'm pretty content with that rotation/depth—at least relative to where we are as a team. Benny—he's a conundrum. I get the sense that JB has a commitment there. And it's not so simple as seeing that maybe Brown is more effective on a statistical basis or whatever. I still believe in Benny's upside, but not that we'll see what we expected this year. I think it's largely mental, and i can identify with that. Unfortunately, having lived a long time with mental 'limiters,' it's hard to expect them to just be instantly fixed. Basically, sometimes 1+2 doesn't equal 3. It may not be a matter of learning something or understanding something. Sometimes the wires just aren't hooked up right. He'll do some really good things and have a few really good games, and we'll get excited and then... back to the inexplicable. [/QUOTE]

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