Official D'Angelo Russell Thread

[TheBrooklynKidd]

Relax. If you watched the game you'd see that the line up that was in was bringing down the house on the Hornets on both ends. There was no reason for Kenny not to ride that group led by LeVert and RHJ to the end.

Russell was excellent the night before, last night he really couldn't get into a groove offensively and LeVert was really doing great things out there. Saying he offers the team nothing when he is just coming off of a fantastic performance against a top team is a bit much.

That trade was a great move.

Also, Russell was up off of the bench cheering the team on and was ecstatic. He has brought in 100%.

I know that lineup was killing it, but I think that’s more of a knock against Russell than anything else. Sure he had a decent game against the warriors but he doesn’t bring anything to this team that LeVert/Dinwiddie/Crabbe don’t. He can’t blow by anyone off the dribble, not even big men. He slows down the offense and takes contested midrange jumpers because he’s not athletic enough to create seperation or even do a proper step back jumper. He’s clumsy with the ball and truly horrible on defense. I really think we should be moving forward with LeVert as the starter.

I’m willing to ride this out since we have control over him for so long, but if Marks sees a specific player in the teens that he likes I’m all for trading D’angelo for the opportunity to select that player as long as we get something else back in return.

Did you want to move forward with LeVert over Russell the other night when he had a pedestrian 6 points versus the Kings?

LeVert has his ups and downs just like every other player on this team, should he be traded too? To be honest, the most consistent player on this team is Hollis Jefferson by a mile. Everyone else has yet to show some moderate consistency. So I think there needs to be some widespread patience across the board.

LeVert has ups and downs but even when his shot isn’t falling, he’s still more useful than Russell when his shot isn’t falling. LeVert’s ability to penetrate and guard 1-3 means he brings something every night, even if his shot is off.

The thing about Russell is that even when he does “play well” you look at his box score and a lot of the time he’s shooting <40% and even worse from 3.

My biggest issues with Russell on the offensive end are his inability to penetrate or break people down 1 on 1. It really hurts the team when the ball is swinging around and then Russell catches it and holds it or makes such a slow move that the defense is able to reset itself.

Russell needs to get his shooting percentages up much higher, 41% FG/30% 3pt/50% TS is just unacceptable for a player who does very little else on the court.

[MGrand15]

I know that lineup was killing it, but I think that’s more of a knock against Russell than anything else. Sure he had a decent game against the warriors but he doesn’t bring anything to this team that LeVert/Dinwiddie/Crabbe don’t. He can’t blow by anyone off the dribble, not even big men. He slows down the offense and takes contested midrange jumpers because he’s not athletic enough to create seperation or even do a proper step back jumper. He’s clumsy with the ball and truly horrible on defense. I really think we should be moving forward with LeVert as the starter.

I’m willing to ride this out since we have control over him for so long, but if Marks sees a specific player in the teens that he likes I’m all for trading D’angelo for the opportunity to select that player as long as we get something else back in return.

Did you want to move forward with LeVert over Russell the other night when he had a pedestrian 6 points versus the Kings?

LeVert has his ups and downs just like every other player on this team, should he be traded too? To be honest, the most consistent player on this team is Hollis Jefferson by a mile. Everyone else has yet to show some moderate consistency. So I think there needs to be some widespread patience across the board.

LeVert has ups and downs but even when his shot isn’t falling, he’s still more useful than Russell when his shot isn’t falling. LeVert’s ability to penetrate and guard 1-3 means he brings something every night, even if his shot is off.

The thing about Russell is that even when he does “play well” you look at his box score and a lot of the time he’s shooting <40% and even worse from 3.

My biggest issues with Russell on the offensive end are his inability to penetrate or break people down 1 on 1. It really hurts the team when the ball is swinging around and then Russell catches it and holds it or makes such a slow move that the defense is able to reset itself.

Russell needs to get his shooting percentages up much higher, 41% FG/30% 3pt/50% TS is just unacceptable for a player who does very little else on the court.

In the perfect world, his vision and passing would make up for his average 3pt shooting. Right now, his decision making isn't really good enough to off set that though.

I do agree with the gist of what you're saying though. Since he's not a plus defender and he has trouble getting all the way to the rim, I think he has to be a near 40% 3 shooter to actually become a good player in this league.

He doesn't bring enough to the table to just be an average outside shooter. Not yet anyway.

[MrDollarBills]

All of the critiques of Russell are valid. He has a lot he has to work on.

Do they warrant giving up on him after 32 games? No. And I'm not about to toss him away because LeVert had a good game. Both players are young and very inconsistent, why we can't develop both players at the same time I don't know. Should we have given up on LeVert when he started the season posting a single digit PER? Nope. So I'm willing to let Russell figure it out.

[MrDollarBills]

Also, for every negative thing we can list about Russell, other teams know this too. So if you think the Nets are going to trade him to get some kind of value back, I've got some bad news for you.

[MGrand15]

He was an elite shooter at Ohio State. I think he can get back to that sort of level.

[moonpie]

Based on watching him and stats at the time, Russell was finishing at the rim at a very high level prior to his knee injury as well.

[Sleepyazn]

Based on watching him and stats at the time, Russell was finishing at the rim at a very high level prior to his knee injury as well.

Yeah this was his first good year at finishing at the rim, the only problem is that he hasn't actually shot it at the rim enough for it to matter. For a guard in today's nba, his dribble, ball handling, and speed isn't at a high enough level to get to the rim.

[HoopsMalone]

I think that D’Angelo’s struggles this season are really troubling and at this point the trade looks like a disaster. If he can’t shoot at a high percentage or penetrate then he offers this team nothing, especially compared to LeVert/Crabbe/Dinwiddie. We might have to consider trading him on draft night if there’s a specific player that Marks is targeting. The Clippers picks and Pheonix’s Mil + Mia picks should be a target IMO.

I don't think you can call the trade a disaster, it was a calculated risk, a gamble. This team had zero assets and needed to take a chance on a young player with big potential. This team was not signing anyone of note. This team likely couldn't have gotten a high pick or different high potential young player for absorbing a contract like Mozgov because you need another willing partner. So even if Russell busts, with what Marks had to work with he was a risk worth taking.

I don't see them trading him either, for better or worse. From a marketing standpoint he is one of the main faces of this team, maybe thee face. It would take a deal where Marks was getting back way more than Russell's realistic value for him to windup in a different jersey. Some mid picks are probably not going to get it done from our side and top 10 lotto probably isn't realistic for him at this point with only one year of rookie scale remaining on his deal and all his injury concerns and limited current production.

He's here to stay in all likelihood.

We gave up a declining and expiring Brook Lopez and a pick that we got from Washington. the only downside is that cap space is tied into Mozgov for a bit, but he'll be off of the books in no time. I don't understand how the Nets lost anything in that deal.

If Russell works out, great. If he doesn't, we move on no harm no foul.

I mean it completely halted your rebuild by three years... that is pretty significant.

[shakendfries]

I don't think you can call the trade a disaster, it was a calculated risk, a gamble. This team had zero assets and needed to take a chance on a young player with big potential. This team was not signing anyone of note. This team likely couldn't have gotten a high pick or different high potential young player for absorbing a contract like Mozgov because you need another willing partner. So even if Russell busts, with what Marks had to work with he was a risk worth taking.

I don't see them trading him either, for better or worse. From a marketing standpoint he is one of the main faces of this team, maybe thee face. It would take a deal where Marks was getting back way more than Russell's realistic value for him to windup in a different jersey. Some mid picks are probably not going to get it done from our side and top 10 lotto probably isn't realistic for him at this point with only one year of rookie scale remaining on his deal and all his injury concerns and limited current production.

He's here to stay in all likelihood.

We gave up a declining and expiring Brook Lopez and a pick that we got from Washington. the only downside is that cap space is tied into Mozgov for a bit, but he'll be off of the books in no time. I don't understand how the Nets lost anything in that deal.

If Russell works out, great. If he doesn't, we move on no harm no foul.

I mean it completely halted your rebuild by three years... that is pretty significant.

well it isn't as bad as drafting the wrong player and halting a rebuild for six years...like Michael Kidd Gilchrist

Watch on YouTube

[TheBrooklynKidd]

We gave up a declining and expiring Brook Lopez and a pick that we got from Washington. the only downside is that cap space is tied into Mozgov for a bit, but he'll be off of the books in no time. I don't understand how the Nets lost anything in that deal.

If Russell works out, great. If he doesn't, we move on no harm no foul.

I mean it completely halted your rebuild by three years... that is pretty significant.

well it isn't as bad as drafting the wrong player and halting a rebuild for six years...like Michael Kidd Gilchrist

Watch on YouTube

That was a crippling **** up. Not to mention that they also pissed away top 10 picks on the likes of Cody Zeller, DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Frank Kaminsky, Adam Morrison etc. Guys we recently drafted in the 20s (Allen/LeVert/RHJ) are better than all of those guys right now. It goes to show that draft picks mean nothing if the team is incompetent and incapable of capitalizing on them. That’s almost a decade worth of wasted seasons and wasted draft picks.

[steady]

I don't think you can call the trade a disaster, it was a calculated risk, a gamble. This team had zero assets and needed to take a chance on a young player with big potential. This team was not signing anyone of note. This team likely couldn't have gotten a high pick or different high potential young player for absorbing a contract like Mozgov because you need another willing partner. So even if Russell busts, with what Marks had to work with he was a risk worth taking.

I don't see them trading him either, for better or worse. From a marketing standpoint he is one of the main faces of this team, maybe thee face. It would take a deal where Marks was getting back way more than Russell's realistic value for him to windup in a different jersey. Some mid picks are probably not going to get it done from our side and top 10 lotto probably isn't realistic for him at this point with only one year of rookie scale remaining on his deal and all his injury concerns and limited current production.

He's here to stay in all likelihood.

We gave up a declining and expiring Brook Lopez and a pick that we got from Washington. the only downside is that cap space is tied into Mozgov for a bit, but he'll be off of the books in no time. I don't understand how the Nets lost anything in that deal.

If Russell works out, great. If he doesn't, we move on no harm no foul.

I mean it completely halted your rebuild by three years... that is pretty significant.

Loss of a 27 pick and Mozgov’s $16.7 mill/year is not enough to halt a rebuild. . In addition, Nets have seen huge strides in development of young players like LeVert RHJ Crabbe Harris Dinwiddie Allen this year, so it’s odd to say the rebuild has been suspended

it’s not like any playing time has gone to waste or like Nets are in holding pattern while they’re waiting for Russell to get better. 1 and 2 positions have seen most development. And we’ve seen Atkinson is willing to play other players ahead of Russell when Russell is not playing well

Yep Nets will have less flexibility than they would otherwise have had in 2018 and 2019 offseasons. But for a guard with the talent DLo has - and when Nets have a coach who is known as a PG whisperer -/ the gamble was definitely worth taking.

And anyway (1) last summer Nets had no other significant options for promising young talent and (2) the jury is stil out on DLo - I still believe chances are he will figure it out

[bws94]

I mean it completely halted your rebuild by three years... that is pretty significant.

well it isn't as bad as drafting the wrong player and halting a rebuild for six years...like Michael Kidd Gilchrist

Watch on YouTube

That was a crippling **** up. Not to mention that they also pissed away top 10 picks on the likes of Cody Zeller, DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Frank Kaminsky, Adam Morrison etc. Guys we recently drafted in the 20s (Allen/LeVert/RHJ) are better than all of those guys right now. It goes to show that draft picks mean nothing if the team is incompetent and incapable of capitalizing on them. That’s almost a decade worth of wasted seasons and wasted draft picks.

Yeah, MKG is a bust. The Nets have a good young core but need more veterans to mentor that young talent. DMC is doing a great job of it, Lin will while he's with the team and I like what Cunningham is bringing although I don't know what he does behind the scenes much. Mozgov, not so much from what I can tell. Picks are a gamble, may work, may not. I'm for the mix, lots of young talent, but the veterans are crucial for moving a young team forward.

[HoopsMalone]

I mean it completely halted your rebuild by three years... that is pretty significant.

well it isn't as bad as drafting the wrong player and halting a rebuild for six years...like Michael Kidd Gilchrist

Watch on YouTube

That was a crippling **** up. Not to mention that they also pissed away top 10 picks on the likes of Cody Zeller, DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Frank Kaminsky, Adam Morrison etc. Guys we recently drafted in the 20s (Allen/LeVert/RHJ) are better than all of those guys right now. It goes to show that draft picks mean nothing if the team is incompetent and incapable of capitalizing on them. That’s almost a decade worth of wasted seasons and wasted draft picks.

I'm not going to get into a Bobcat/Hornet debate on your board because that sounds an awful lot like you're trolling me. Suffice to say Cody Zeller was a very good pick at #4 given how his game translated to the NBA. His injury problems have been quite problematic.

I haven't watched much of the Nets this year but they seem to have accumulated quite a few players who don't really help you win much and put you on that ~30-35 win. Finding Dinwiddie was an abolute dream and really helps salvage the Deangelo deal. I think you can safely let him go after next year.

Levert I was a big fan of coming out of college. His playmaking and scoring skills seemed to be a nice fit for the modern NBA and im willling to take a chance on prior injury history that late in the draft. Suffice to say his results this year have been extremely disappointing. Might as well give him another year or two since you're thin and relatively capped out but I'm not optimistic he develops into more than an end of the rotation player after what we've seen this year.

Allen came out of the gate strong and displays some real NBA athleticism. He ended up being pretty pad by year end but he's only ~20 and if he finds any semblance of an offensive game and becomes a plus defender i definitely think he can grow into a solid contributor. It's really too early to tell, we'll know a lot more after this offseason

Michael Kidd Gilchrist is a slightly better player than RHJ, but he's also a year older without the injury history. With a gun to my head I'd probably take RHJ's potential over MKG but clearly I feel nervous over such a tough decision.

The other moves like Crabbe have backfired badly. I dont mind the Okafor/Stauskas deal as you gained a 2nd round pick and took a cheap look at two guys. Now you know they won't work instead of having to sign them for like 3/$12 to find out

[TinmanZBoy]

well it isn't as bad as drafting the wrong player and halting a rebuild for six years...like Michael Kidd Gilchrist

Watch on YouTube

That was a crippling **** up. Not to mention that they also pissed away top 10 picks on the likes of Cody Zeller, DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Frank Kaminsky, Adam Morrison etc. Guys we recently drafted in the 20s (Allen/LeVert/RHJ) are better than all of those guys right now. It goes to show that draft picks mean nothing if the team is incompetent and incapable of capitalizing on them. That’s almost a decade worth of wasted seasons and wasted draft picks.

Yeah, MKG is a bust. The Nets have a good young core but need more veterans to mentor that young talent. DMC is doing a great job of it, Lin will while he's with the team and I like what Cunningham is bringing although I don't know what he does behind the scenes much. Mozgov, not so much from what I can tell. Picks are a gamble, may work, may not. I'm for the mix, lots of young talent, but the veterans are crucial for moving a young team forward.

MKG is a bust? he is underperforming, but he is not a bust... he impacts the game so many ways...

[Claud]

well it isn't as bad as drafting the wrong player and halting a rebuild for six years...like Michael Kidd Gilchrist

Watch on YouTube

That was a crippling **** up. Not to mention that they also pissed away top 10 picks on the likes of Cody Zeller, DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Frank Kaminsky, Adam Morrison etc. Guys we recently drafted in the 20s (Allen/LeVert/RHJ) are better than all of those guys right now. It goes to show that draft picks mean nothing if the team is incompetent and incapable of capitalizing on them. That’s almost a decade worth of wasted seasons and wasted draft picks.

I'm not going to get into a Bobcat/Hornet debate on your board because that sounds an awful lot like you're trolling me. Suffice to say Cody Zeller was a very good pick at #4 given how his game translated to the NBA. His injury problems have been quite problematic.

I haven't watched much of the Nets this year but they seem to have accumulated quite a few players who don't really help you win much and put you on that ~30-35 win. Finding Dinwiddie was an abolute dream and really helps salvage the Deangelo deal. I think you can safely let him go after next year.

Levert I was a big fan of coming out of college. His playmaking and scoring skills seemed to be a nice fit for the modern NBA and im willling to take a chance on prior injury history that late in the draft. Suffice to say his results this year have been extremely disappointing. Might as well give him another year or two since you're thin and relatively capped out but I'm not optimistic he develops into more than an end of the rotation player after what we've seen this year.

Allen came out of the gate strong and displays some real NBA athleticism. He ended up being pretty pad by year end but he's only ~20 and if he finds any semblance of an offensive game and becomes a plus defender i definitely think he can grow into a solid contributor. It's really too early to tell, we'll know a lot more after this offseason

Michael Kidd Gilchrist is a slightly better player than RHJ, but he's also a year older without the injury history. With a gun to my head I'd probably take RHJ's potential over MKG but clearly I feel nervous over such a tough decision.

The other moves like Crabbe have backfired badly. I dont mind the Okafor/Stauskas deal as you gained a 2nd round pick and took a cheap look at two guys. Now you know they won't work instead of having to sign them for like 3/$12 to find out

I don't think it set us back 3 years as you mention because even with Mozgov contract we'd still be terrible wins-wise and not attract top FAs. Russell has shown me enough to still feel solid about the Lakers/Nets trade. He's far from perfect and has had s*** games but the talent is there. It's undeniable for those who watched his games this season.

Russell and Okafor were our attempts at acquiring "quality grade" prospects.. aka top 10 picks. Okafor looks like a miss but very soon to give up on Dlo.

RHJ was 23rd pick in 2015, Levert 20th in 2016, Allen was 22nd pick. We have other 2nd rounders that were given up on by parent clubs but we scooped them up and built them into quality role players (Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie... next in line
I. Whitehead.)

The point is we are still in rebuild mode and will be for the foreseeable future unless one or more of the core(Russell, Levert, RHJ, Allen) takes a significant step forward. Taking a swing on a top level talent for Russell doesn't set us back but it's a calculated gamble at higher grade talent. The jury is still out there if Dlo will reach the level we need him to reach but it was definitely the correct move for a team in our circumstance(Boston trade catastrophe.)

Also Crabbe is looking better and better and the contract doesn't look as bad anymore. By my estimations it will look even better with an entire season under his belt plus an entire summer with the training people in BK. Carroll trade gave us a 1st and 2nd which are great for a team looking for talent.Plus DMC has had a very strong season.


Onto the Hornets.. don't know much but from the outside POV it looks puzzling that with that amount of talent the Hornets are out of the playoffs already... Kemba, D12, Batum plus other good role players are on the roster so for someone who doesn't know much about the internal situation it just looks very worrying. As good as Kemba is I'd trade him for a package including picks/ young players and hit the reset button. You, like us need to find higher grade talent in order to take a step forward as a franchise.

MJ doesn't look like great at drafting either which is concerning... maybe a change at the top is in order?

[TheBrooklynKidd]

well it isn't as bad as drafting the wrong player and halting a rebuild for six years...like Michael Kidd Gilchrist

Watch on YouTube

That was a crippling **** up. Not to mention that they also pissed away top 10 picks on the likes of Cody Zeller, DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Frank Kaminsky, Adam Morrison etc. Guys we recently drafted in the 20s (Allen/LeVert/RHJ) are better than all of those guys right now. It goes to show that draft picks mean nothing if the team is incompetent and incapable of capitalizing on them. That’s almost a decade worth of wasted seasons and wasted draft picks.

I'm not going to get into a Bobcat/Hornet debate on your board because that sounds an awful lot like you're trolling me. Suffice to say Cody Zeller was a very good pick at #4 given how his game translated to the NBA. His injury problems have been quite problematic.

I haven't watched much of the Nets this year but they seem to have accumulated quite a few players who don't really help you win much and put you on that ~30-35 win. Finding Dinwiddie was an abolute dream and really helps salvage the Deangelo deal. I think you can safely let him go after next year.

Levert I was a big fan of coming out of college. His playmaking and scoring skills seemed to be a nice fit for the modern NBA and im willling to take a chance on prior injury history that late in the draft. Suffice to say his results this year have been extremely disappointing. Might as well give him another year or two since you're thin and relatively capped out but I'm not optimistic he develops into more than an end of the rotation player after what we've seen this year.

Allen came out of the gate strong and displays some real NBA athleticism. He ended up being pretty pad by year end but he's only ~20 and if he finds any semblance of an offensive game and becomes a plus defender i definitely think he can grow into a solid contributor. It's really too early to tell, we'll know a lot more after this offseason

Michael Kidd Gilchrist is a slightly better player than RHJ, but he's also a year older without the injury history. With a gun to my head I'd probably take RHJ's potential over MKG but clearly I feel nervous over such a tough decision.

The other moves like Crabbe have backfired badly. I dont mind the Okafor/Stauskas deal as you gained a 2nd round pick and took a cheap look at two guys. Now you know they won't work instead of having to sign them for like 3/$12 to find out

Unfortunately every single evaluation you made is horribly off and you clearly haven’t been watching the team.

Your evaluation of LeVert as an end of the bench player is a joke. I can’t tell if you’re trolling or not. You should truly be embarrassed for even typing that. Clearly you have no ability to evaluate players, even after he destroyed your team in the 4th quarter a couple of days ago.

Allen already shows a great offensive touch on floaters, hooks, 3pt/midrange and is a plus defender. This is where your lack of knowledge shows the most. To say that he got worse when he actually got better and every statistic shows that is absurd. Again we can tell that you don’t watch the team and you’re completely bull****ing your evaluations.

Crabbe hasn’t backfired at all he had a slump early in the season but since the new year he’s been fantastic and recently he’s been amazing including when he s*** on your team just like LeVert.

MKG has never produced like RHJ has this season. His offense is a joke compared to RHJ. It’s insulting to even compare RHJ to the player with the worst shooting form in recent NBA history.

Cody Zeller is awful for a 4th overall pick. There’s no getting around it. I laughed when they took him. There’s no way to justify that pick. He’s barely better than his brother and no competent front office would pick him over our own Jarrett Allen.

TL;DR- We can tell you haven’t watched the team this season and you’re just here to troll. Or your ability to evaluate players is nonexistent just like your team’s front office. The Hornets wish that they had the prospects we have. Instead they’re faced with a looming rebuild centered around Malik Monk and his 5 ppg on 30% from the field.

[TheBrooklynKidd]

That was a crippling **** up. Not to mention that they also pissed away top 10 picks on the likes of Cody Zeller, DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Frank Kaminsky, Adam Morrison etc. Guys we recently drafted in the 20s (Allen/LeVert/RHJ) are better than all of those guys right now. It goes to show that draft picks mean nothing if the team is incompetent and incapable of capitalizing on them. That’s almost a decade worth of wasted seasons and wasted draft picks.

Yeah, MKG is a bust. The Nets have a good young core but need more veterans to mentor that young talent. DMC is doing a great job of it, Lin will while he's with the team and I like what Cunningham is bringing although I don't know what he does behind the scenes much. Mozgov, not so much from what I can tell. Picks are a gamble, may work, may not. I'm for the mix, lots of young talent, but the veterans are crucial for moving a young team forward.

MKG is a bust? he is underperforming, but he is not a bust... he impacts the game so many ways...

He’s 100% a bust compared to where he was taken and the players taken after him. Anyone who was taken before Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond and Damian lillard and averages less than 10 ppg is a bust. Even his defense has regressed.

[IceManBK1]

good game by dlo tonight...got hot but still stayed within the confines of this offense, mixed up his game. he deserved to play more and shoot more i this game. i wish the refs show more respect for dlo too. got robbed of an and 1 by the refs.

[Paradise]

Watch on YouTube

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[MrDollarBills]

This dude admits that he doesn't watch the team yet he comes on here with paragraphs worth of uninformed and completely wrong hot takes.

This board has attracted some really odd people as of late. They dont watch the team, but seem to know what the deal is. Hilarious.