Wendell Carter Jr - The Block Panther Edition

[sco]

About Wendell Vs. Lopez starting:

I dont think we will sacrifice any regular season wins this time around in the name of development.

That should answer the question of who should start.

The beginning of a game is important because it sets the tempo. Last season - we just kept losing games in the first quarter.

This season, I expect Lopez to be the steadying on-court presence for the entire lineup. This isnt just about who plays the Center position better ( the answer to which is still Lopez). This is more about who is a steadying influence on the court when the game starts.

Thats why I expect Lopez to start. And after the trade deadline passes, Wendell is gonna be given the rights to go berserk.

I disagree. It's not like starting Lopez would automatically give us more wins or make us a winning/playoff team.
I think Carter is just as good, if not better.

I go back and forth on this. Carter doesn't likely need much mentoring, and individually, he could be better than RoLo day 1. That said, RoLo's pick setting, boxing out and providing an easy target under the basket will make life easier for Dunn to settle down to start games. Dunn's attitude and approach, IMO, will impact our success at least as much as Lavine's and I think having RoLo on the floor as a starter to begin the season will have a big impact.

[RedBulls23]

When bring someone off the bench, you immediately set a cap for how many minutes they can play, and it might vary if someone like Lopez gets off to a hot start. Obviously if Carter's far from being NBA-ready, he shouldn't start. That said, if we see him as a key franchise cog why should we wait to start him? We wouldn't have done Lauri any favors by benching him behind Niko or Portis. Clearly throwing him into the Wolves sped up his development. Why not do the same thing with Carter?

Pasted for convenience :

Rolo should start for many reasons.

Rolo is almost surely the better player at this point.

There is no reason to force Carter into a situation where his performance is going to get picked apart in the context of a starting Center.

Starting the season on the bench allows hm to get his bearings, see the speed of the game, and learn from a quality veteran's play on the court.

Trying to develop 5 young players, all on the court at the same time, is difficult. Anarchy on the court is not a good thing. Rolo can help identify and communicate issues on the court and help direct traffic, assignments, etc.

Seems some are afraid Zach will ball-hog. If he really is inclined to do that, put him on the court with 4 players with less years of service than he has. Lopez can at least be a stabilizing and guiding voice on the court who Zach will have to listen to.

Bringing Rolo off the bench will not help his trade value.

I'd be inclined to agree if Carter were dumb and had poor fundamentals instead of very smart and having good fundamentals, and/or if Lopez were good instead of average at best. It's time for Kris Dunn to become more of a vocal leader and the coach needs to get the whole unit to be vocal.

To add, Lavine is also going into his 5th year. Yes he's young in age, but he's been in the NBA long enough now that he needs to take some leadership role and exhibit maturity.

I don't agree that the starting lineup needs Rolo's presence.

[RedBulls23]

Imo, Fred should go with the Dunn/Lavine/Parker/Lauri/Carter starting lineup in preseason and see how it goes.

Test it out against the other teams best and see how they handle it.

In general, I doubt starting Rolo or bringing him off the bench is going to be the difference between making the playoffs or not.

[DASMACKDOWN]

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[Stratmaster]

Pasted for convenience :

Rolo should start for many reasons.

Rolo is almost surely the better player at this point.

There is no reason to force Carter into a situation where his performance is going to get picked apart in the context of a starting Center.

Starting the season on the bench allows hm to get his bearings, see the speed of the game, and learn from a quality veteran's play on the court.

Trying to develop 5 young players, all on the court at the same time, is difficult. Anarchy on the court is not a good thing. Rolo can help identify and communicate issues on the court and help direct traffic, assignments, etc.

Seems some are afraid Zach will ball-hog. If he really is inclined to do that, put him on the court with 4 players with less years of service than he has. Lopez can at least be a stabilizing and guiding voice on the court who Zach will have to listen to.

Bringing Rolo off the bench will not help his trade value.

I'd be inclined to agree if Carter were dumb and had poor fundamentals instead of very smart and having good fundamentals, and/or if Lopez were good instead of average at best. It's time for Kris Dunn to become more of a vocal leader and the coach needs to get the whole unit to be vocal.

To add, Lavine is also going into his 5th year. Yes he's young in age, but he's been in the NBA long enough now that he needs to take some leadership role and exhibit maturity.

I don't agree that the starting lineup needs Rolo's presence.

I don't think you read my post closely. Lavine is one of the main reasons I want Rolo in the lineup.

Lavine has only played 3 full seasons. His play in the few games he did play last season did not show any understanding of playing within the offense. It did not look like a mature game, and the only leadership quality he showed was a willingness to take "the" shot. You expect hm to step in at 23 years of age after not playing for most of the last 2 seasons and lead the team on the court? Also, many are concerned he will be too ball dominant; so you want to put him in charge of leading a bunch of rooks and 2nd year players?

I am all for allowing Lavine to slowly gel into a leader role as he shows he is ready for it.

What I haven't seen after listing all of my reasons, are any reasons Carter should start, other than "he was a #7 draft pick". Lots of #7 and higher draft picks don't start immediately. What is the big need for him to be in the starting lineup? How is it more advantageous for him to play 25 minutes as a starter as compared to off the bench? Why s it a detriment to put him in the best possible position to succeed?

[RedBulls23]

I'd be inclined to agree if Carter were dumb and had poor fundamentals instead of very smart and having good fundamentals, and/or if Lopez were good instead of average at best. It's time for Kris Dunn to become more of a vocal leader and the coach needs to get the whole unit to be vocal.

To add, Lavine is also going into his 5th year. Yes he's young in age, but he's been in the NBA long enough now that he needs to take some leadership role and exhibit maturity.

I don't agree that the starting lineup needs Rolo's presence.

I don't think you read my post closely. Lavine is one of the main reasons I want Rolo in the lineup.

Lavine has only played 3 full seasons. His play in the few games he did play last season did not show any understanding of playing within the offense. It did not look like a mature game, and the only leadership quality he showed was a willingness to take "the" shot. You expect hm to step in at 23 years of age after not playing for most of the last 2 seasons and lead the team on the court? Also, many are concerned he will be too ball dominant; so you want to put him in charge of leading a bunch of rooks and 2nd year players?

I am all for allowing Lavine to slowly gel into a leader role as he shows he is ready for it.

What I haven't seen after listing all of my reasons, are any reasons Carter should start, other than "he was a #7 draft pick". Lots of #7 and higher draft picks don't start immediately. What is the big need for him to be in the starting lineup? How is it more advantageous for him to play 25 minutes as a starter as compared to off the bench? Why s it a detriment to put him in the best possible position to succeed?

No I'm saying Lavine can't be treated like some newbie. Not after the commitment they made to him this offseason.

He needs to step up and be more mature. No excuses. I expect a guy who's being paid as the best player to show more leadership.

In the end, I want Carter to be playing more minutes than Rolo. Really, I want all our young bigs in Lauri, Portis, and Carter to be playing more than him. Playing Rolo significant minutes and starting isn't going to be the difference between making or missing the playoffs.

[Stratmaster]

To add, Lavine is also going into his 5th year. Yes he's young in age, but he's been in the NBA long enough now that he needs to take some leadership role and exhibit maturity.

I don't agree that the starting lineup needs Rolo's presence.

I don't think you read my post closely. Lavine is one of the main reasons I want Rolo in the lineup.

Lavine has only played 3 full seasons. His play in the few games he did play last season did not show any understanding of playing within the offense. It did not look like a mature game, and the only leadership quality he showed was a willingness to take "the" shot. You expect hm to step in at 23 years of age after not playing for most of the last 2 seasons and lead the team on the court? Also, many are concerned he will be too ball dominant; so you want to put him in charge of leading a bunch of rooks and 2nd year players?

I am all for allowing Lavine to slowly gel into a leader role as he shows he is ready for it.

What I haven't seen after listing all of my reasons, are any reasons Carter should start, other than "he was a #7 draft pick". Lots of #7 and higher draft picks don't start immediately. What is the big need for him to be in the starting lineup? How is it more advantageous for him to play 25 minutes as a starter as compared to off the bench? Why s it a detriment to put him in the best possible position to succeed?

No I'm saying Lavine can't be treated like some newbie. Not after the commitment they made to him this offseason.

He needs to step up and be more mature. No excuses. I expect a guy who's being paid as the best player to show more leadership.

In the end, I want Carter to be playing more minutes than Rolo. Really, I want all our young bigs in Lauri, Portis, and Carter to be playing more than him. Playing Rolo significant minutes and starting isn't going to be the difference between making or missing the playoffs.

Many 6th men and high quality guys who started out 2nd in the rotation have played as many or more minutes than one or more of the starters on a team. How many minutes do you want to see Carter play? Wouldn't it be nice to let him get his feet wet mid-rotation instead of against the best Centers in the league? Isn't it better for him to succeed against mid-rotation lineups and slowly work him into the starting lineup than for him to struggle against starting lineups?

I still don't see any reason given for him to start. I'm not trying to be argumentative; I just don't see any reason listed in your post.

As far as playoffs, are we really worried about that? I don't expect the Bulls to make the playoffs this season regardless of who starts at Center day 1 or who is starting there game 82. Do you?

[RedBulls23]

I don't think you read my post closely. Lavine is one of the main reasons I want Rolo in the lineup.

Lavine has only played 3 full seasons. His play in the few games he did play last season did not show any understanding of playing within the offense. It did not look like a mature game, and the only leadership quality he showed was a willingness to take "the" shot. You expect hm to step in at 23 years of age after not playing for most of the last 2 seasons and lead the team on the court? Also, many are concerned he will be too ball dominant; so you want to put him in charge of leading a bunch of rooks and 2nd year players?

I am all for allowing Lavine to slowly gel into a leader role as he shows he is ready for it.

What I haven't seen after listing all of my reasons, are any reasons Carter should start, other than "he was a #7 draft pick". Lots of #7 and higher draft picks don't start immediately. What is the big need for him to be in the starting lineup? How is it more advantageous for him to play 25 minutes as a starter as compared to off the bench? Why s it a detriment to put him in the best possible position to succeed?

No I'm saying Lavine can't be treated like some newbie. Not after the commitment they made to him this offseason.

He needs to step up and be more mature. No excuses. I expect a guy who's being paid as the best player to show more leadership.

In the end, I want Carter to be playing more minutes than Rolo. Really, I want all our young bigs in Lauri, Portis, and Carter to be playing more than him. Playing Rolo significant minutes and starting isn't going to be the difference between making or missing the playoffs.

Many 6th men and high quality guys who started out 2nd in the rotation have played as many or more minutes than one or more of the starters on a team. How many minutes do you want to see Carter play? Wouldn't it be nice to let him get his feet wet mid-rotation instead of against the best Centers in the league? Isn't it better for him to succeed against mid-rotation lineups and slowly work him into the starting lineup than for him to struggle against starting lineups?

I still don't see any reason given for him to start. I'm not trying to be argumentative; I just don't see any reason listed in your post.

As far as playoffs, are we really worried about that? I don't expect the Bulls to make the playoffs this season regardless of who starts at Center day 1 or who is starting there game 82. Do you?

No, I don't expect playoffs which is why I'm an advocate of running the young players out there.

Ideally I want Rolo to play about 10-15 minutes a night at most unless there is foul trouble.

I don't think people need to be babied. I can understand if we are worried about a playoff push, so that's why you wouldn't want to start a rookie, but we are developing players.

Now I'll add, I don't think it should just be handed to him if he doesn't show competence in the preseason, but if he comes out and shows like he's a capable player from the get go, I'd say you give him the nod.

[League Circles]

I'd be inclined to agree if Carter were dumb and had poor fundamentals instead of very smart and having good fundamentals, and/or if Lopez were good instead of average at best. It's time for Kris Dunn to become more of a vocal leader and the coach needs to get the whole unit to be vocal.

To add, Lavine is also going into his 5th year. Yes he's young in age, but he's been in the NBA long enough now that he needs to take some leadership role and exhibit maturity.

I don't agree that the starting lineup needs Rolo's presence.

I don't think you read my post closely. Lavine is one of the main reasons I want Rolo in the lineup.

Lavine has only played 3 full seasons. His play in the few games he did play last season did not show any understanding of playing within the offense. It did not look like a mature game, and the only leadership quality he showed was a willingness to take "the" shot. You expect hm to step in at 23 years of age after not playing for most of the last 2 seasons and lead the team on the court? Also, many are concerned he will be too ball dominant; so you want to put him in charge of leading a bunch of rooks and 2nd year players?

I am all for allowing Lavine to slowly gel into a leader role as he shows he is ready for it.

What I haven't seen after listing all of my reasons, are any reasons Carter should start, other than "he was a #7 draft pick". Lots of #7 and higher draft picks don't start immediately. What is the big need for him to be in the starting lineup? How is it more advantageous for him to play 25 minutes as a starter as compared to off the bench? Why s it a detriment to put him in the best possible position to succeed?

A number of people such as myself have suggested that Carter should maybe start due to being better at basketball (which will play itself out over the preseason - could go either way).

[sco]

Semi OT, but just checked out Hakeem's rookie year 84-85.

Dude averaged: 20/12 with 2.7blks and 1.2 sls in 35MPG - just wow.

[kodo]

https://sports.yahoo.com/wendell-carter-jr-picked-higher-003500789.html

According to Bleacher Report, Wendell Carter Jr. would be taken fourth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies if the NBA were to redraft this year's class based off of Summer League performances.

It may sound like a crazy concept (and it is), but Carter Jr. averaged the second most points, 14.6, through five July games in Las Vegas. He also averaged 9.4 rebounds and shot 55 percent from the field while averaging 28.8 minutes in his glamorous first-stint with Chicago. Those numbers are even more striking if you consider Carter Jr.'s 42.9 percent shooting from behind the three-point line.

[Dan Z]

https://sports.yahoo.com/wendell-carter-jr-picked-higher-003500789.html

According to Bleacher Report, Wendell Carter Jr. would be taken fourth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies if the NBA were to redraft this year's class based off of Summer League performances.

It may sound like a crazy concept (and it is), but Carter Jr. averaged the second most points, 14.6, through five July games in Las Vegas. He also averaged 9.4 rebounds and shot 55 percent from the field while averaging 28.8 minutes in his glamorous first-stint with Chicago. Those numbers are even more striking if you consider Carter Jr.'s 42.9 percent shooting from behind the three-point line.

They had Bagley drop down to #12. Ouch.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2786402-re-drafting-the-2018-nba-lottery-if-summer-league-performance-really-mattered#slide7

[thedarkstark]

https://sports.yahoo.com/wendell-carter-jr-picked-higher-003500789.html

According to Bleacher Report, Wendell Carter Jr. would be taken fourth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies if the NBA were to redraft this year's class based off of Summer League performances.

It may sound like a crazy concept (and it is), but Carter Jr. averaged the second most points, 14.6, through five July games in Las Vegas. He also averaged 9.4 rebounds and shot 55 percent from the field while averaging 28.8 minutes in his glamorous first-stint with Chicago. Those numbers are even more striking if you consider Carter Jr.'s 42.9 percent shooting from behind the three-point line.

They had Bagley drop down to #12. Ouch.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2786402-re-drafting-the-2018-nba-lottery-if-summer-league-performance-really-mattered#slide7

I don't consider myself to be the most amazing talent evaluator ever, but if SL trends continue in the regular season I absolutely crushed this draft. I feel like I'm starting to get a really good handle on which things will translate to NBA success and which won't.

I was very high on Ayton/JJJ/Carter/Knox, lukewarm on Bamba/Luka/Young/Sexton, the one prospect I absolutely did not care for at all was Bagley.

Of course the regular season could roll around and I might look like an idiot, but it feels good to be right for the time being.

[RedBulls23]

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[lostikka_FIN]

So the Bulls sit on their hands and ultimately select a player that is projected not to have the lateral quickness to guard off switches, which ultimately makes him at best a defensive liability in crunch time and at worst a non starting role player, sound familiar (Portis, Valentine, McDermott). The Bulls really have a problem with selecting 2 ways players, it's pathetic that we lost Jimmy Butler and tanked a whole year for Wendell Carter Jr... I mean my God. At least select Bridges, he has the same floor and a much higher ceiling.

What?


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[pipfan]

I start RoLo for a few reasons

The best centers start. Rolo is used to guarding them, and he is very strong. Carter can break in against second teamers

Lauri-32/Portis-16
Rolo-20/Carter/20/Portis 8

something like that for now is fine

[sco]

I start RoLo for a few reasons

The best centers start. Rolo is used to guarding them, and he is very strong. Carter can break in against second teamers

Lauri-32/Portis-16
Rolo-20/Carter/20/Portis 8

something like that for now is fine

Things should evolve over season, by the end, I'd like to see:
WCJ 26/Rolo 18/Portis 4
Lauri 30/Portis 18

I worry a little about Lauri playing too many minutes, and Bobby can use a few more.

[Stratmaster]

To add, Lavine is also going into his 5th year. Yes he's young in age, but he's been in the NBA long enough now that he needs to take some leadership role and exhibit maturity.

I don't agree that the starting lineup needs Rolo's presence.

I don't think you read my post closely. Lavine is one of the main reasons I want Rolo in the lineup.

Lavine has only played 3 full seasons. His play in the few games he did play last season did not show any understanding of playing within the offense. It did not look like a mature game, and the only leadership quality he showed was a willingness to take "the" shot. You expect hm to step in at 23 years of age after not playing for most of the last 2 seasons and lead the team on the court? Also, many are concerned he will be too ball dominant; so you want to put him in charge of leading a bunch of rooks and 2nd year players?

I am all for allowing Lavine to slowly gel into a leader role as he shows he is ready for it.

What I haven't seen after listing all of my reasons, are any reasons Carter should start, other than "he was a #7 draft pick". Lots of #7 and higher draft picks don't start immediately. What is the big need for him to be in the starting lineup? How is it more advantageous for him to play 25 minutes as a starter as compared to off the bench? Why s it a detriment to put him in the best possible position to succeed?

A number of people such as myself have suggested that Carter should maybe start due to being better at basketball (which will play itself out over the preseason - could go either way).

The preseason will not tell you whether he is better at basketball. The likelihoodof him being better than Rolo day one is almost nil. Even if he does appear to be better at basketball, the effect it will have on the rest of the team on the court and all the omreasons I listed far outweigh the benefit.

If the starting lineup at the other positions was Rondo, butler, wade, Niko I would have a completely different opinion.

Its a team sport. A lot of six men through the years have been better than at least one of the players starting ahead of them.

"Being better at basketball" is pretty generic and lazy,, dont you think?

[Friend_Of_Haley]

Rolo should start on the Keith Bogans plan.