The Difference
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 2:34 am
Pre-Halloween party post while the wife tries to get her costume together...
The difference between this season and last is the depth of the squad. Last year, our bench consisted of the corpse of a once average PG, an inexperienced 3-D wing with a streaky shot, a REALLY inexperienced wing that couldn't do much right, a nominal PF that didn't do anything but shoot 3's, and a burly backup C that was the only above-average bench contributor in general.
This year, once Reggie returns, our bench will be a speedy pace PG with vision, a 3rd string PG clearly better than last year's 2nd string vet, a few 3-D wings with some potential, a hopefully more experienced young bull with potential, a very solid stretch 4/5, a rookie stretch 4/5 with a handle, our burly backup C, and an absolute giant for certain matchups.
This is not just better... it's exponentially better. If the starting unit produces at exactly the same level as last year, we'll win 6-10 more games. It's that big of a difference. There's reason (age) to hope the starting unit improves as well, particularly Tobias, Dre, and KCP, but even if they don't, we're a much better team.
I got League Pass this year. I hadn't bothered since I left Michigan again four years ago, but I'm confident enough that I'll see quality basketball that I spent the $120.
Enjoy it, everyone. Even if KCP craps the bed or Stanley doesn't develop, we're still going to be a good team for a number of years. The only question is ceiling, and given management's willingness to make moves, you can't judge our ceiling on the current roster. No bad contracts (except the remains of Smiff's stretch provision), a very young roster, a very good management team, and a very good coach. It's good to be back.
The difference between this season and last is the depth of the squad. Last year, our bench consisted of the corpse of a once average PG, an inexperienced 3-D wing with a streaky shot, a REALLY inexperienced wing that couldn't do much right, a nominal PF that didn't do anything but shoot 3's, and a burly backup C that was the only above-average bench contributor in general.
This year, once Reggie returns, our bench will be a speedy pace PG with vision, a 3rd string PG clearly better than last year's 2nd string vet, a few 3-D wings with some potential, a hopefully more experienced young bull with potential, a very solid stretch 4/5, a rookie stretch 4/5 with a handle, our burly backup C, and an absolute giant for certain matchups.
This is not just better... it's exponentially better. If the starting unit produces at exactly the same level as last year, we'll win 6-10 more games. It's that big of a difference. There's reason (age) to hope the starting unit improves as well, particularly Tobias, Dre, and KCP, but even if they don't, we're a much better team.
I got League Pass this year. I hadn't bothered since I left Michigan again four years ago, but I'm confident enough that I'll see quality basketball that I spent the $120.
Enjoy it, everyone. Even if KCP craps the bed or Stanley doesn't develop, we're still going to be a good team for a number of years. The only question is ceiling, and given management's willingness to make moves, you can't judge our ceiling on the current roster. No bad contracts (except the remains of Smiff's stretch provision), a very young roster, a very good management team, and a very good coach. It's good to be back.