Zelaznyrules wrote:It will be a lot of fun for me, it will be misery for a lot of fans. It all has to do with expectations.
All this national Booker love has some people thinking we have a Kobe in his prime and we simply don't. He is still a very young player, he might look like an all star some nights but he'll look he belongs in college the rest of the time. If you were to compare him to starting 2's around the league, he'd definitely grade out near the bottom, right now anyway. By the end of the season he should start coming closer to delivering on his incredible promise but even then he'll still be a work in progress.
Len is playing himself out of the NBA before our very eyes. Tyson is never more than a half step away from a hamstring, knee or ankle based vacation. Warren is basically a second year player that still needs a lot of grooming. Chriss is as raw as they come, Bender makes him look like a seasoned veteran. Bledsoe isn't the player he was, and the player he was, was never the player we hoped he'd become. Knight is a player that few people like when he plays well and no one likes when he doesn't. Barbosa has a little left in the tank but still has the flaws he left town with. Dudley lost it before we traded him to the Clippers and moving him to power forward does little to hide his shortcomings. On top of all this, we're staring at our 7th straight year out of the playoffs and we have a wet behind the ears head coach running the show. Some fans aren't going to take all this well.
I'll be enjoying the season though because I've already come to grips with what I believe is our current reality. Hopefully by Christmas, we'll have completely given up on the season and started playing the young guys major minutes. Dudley and Barbosa will see the court in emergency situations only. Most of Bledsoe, Knight, Chandler and Tucker will have been traded for draft picks or 23 and under prospects. And our rotation will consist of Ulis, Booker, Warren, Chriss, Bender, Len, Jones jr, Williams and a couple of D league players. Our present is still bleak but our future has a lot to look forward to. But we're going to struggle out there until we develop these kids, add another potential star from this draft (hopefully) and cash in the 2 banked first round draft picks that Miami owes us.
Besides his baby face, Booker doesn't look like he belongs in college at all. He looks like he belongs in this league. I think you are being very dramatic to illustrate a point. Also, players develop their game over the summer not over the course of the season. I doubt by the end of the season he'll start to deliver on his incredible promise, players just don't "get it" towards the end of the season. That makes no sense at all.
You mentioned earlier that we have the worst center rotation in the entire league and it isn't even close. Really? I mean really? So you're telling me you'd take whatever the Pelicans have at center than our guys? Asik who averaged 6/4, Ajinca who averaged 4/6. How about the Hornets, you'd take Roy Hibbert over Tyson Chandler? How about even the best in class Warriors, Zaza Pachulia, you'll take him?
What were you hoping from Bledsoe last year? That wasn't what we'd hope he become? 20/6/4/2 shooting 45%, 1.5 threes per game. Those are pretty stellar numbers. Near borderline all-star numbers. If he replicated those numbers this year I'd be extremely happy.
If this is how many of you are going to act when we win a game, I can't wait to see how you all react when we lose games.
