Rip32 wrote:VicVinegar wrote:Rip32 wrote:Ivey is a turnover machine. When he does attack his shot is block or he turns it over. His explosion isn't there. Hell, his fire isn't there. The guy looks sad. Something is off. Maybe he's thinking about the contract stuff.
Yeah Ivey is definitely missing a step when it comes to attacking the net, but I'm not sure what was to be expected when he could only put so much weight on his legs/feet the past 11 months. Let's hope conditioning will help.
And I agree his energy/emotion is lacking too. Even during the win streak, on the bench he didn't seem like much of a hype man. Compared to say Sasser or Cade or Tobias who could always been seen smiling and celebrating a win even if they didn't play. I'm sure he's down in the dumps. Missing basketball for nearly a year and dealing with injuries. Not getting the contract extension you were hoping for. You finally do come back and you play 15 minutes max every night (before tonight) and you're starting to wonder if you've been replaced by a G-League player in your contract year. So I don't blame him necessarily, but as a fan you want a guy that wants to see the team succeed, and not just themselves. Look at a guy like BBall Paul who never knows if he'll even play but is always ready and keeps his spirits up and is a great teammate.
Ivey had a solid game tonight. Hopefully he gains more confidence, can play better and focus more on having fun than being worried about minutes/contract/injury. It is what it is with him at this point. Either he figures it out or he doesn't. If you're convinced at the end of the season that he's your starter for the foreseeable future, you pay him whatever the cost. If he is Killian Hayes bad, you don't offer him anything and let him walk. If you're unconvinced and think he's more of a bench guy, you offer him $15M a year and if someone wants to beat that, then you don't match and you can pretty easily find another bench-caliber player.
If he isn't the guy as opposed to letting him walk, I hope we can get something in terms of a trade.
He is worth more than Duncan money, more in the low $20's. But, 30 and above is a no go for me unless he crushes it this season once acclimated.
