BigRedDog wrote:Prokorov wrote:BigRedDog wrote:
Yeah that's the big concern is that the Nets have put together a roster withou really any defenders... i dont quite get the strategy honestly. i know they want to run and score and all but durant had already turned into a marginal defender before the achilles... kyrie and prince are two of the weakest defenders in the league at their position...who knows if dinwiddie will ever become a passable defender again (i think he still might)... Deande jordan did show some real signs of life on that end last year.
I just dont agree with building around all these one dimensional guys like RHJ is a good defender but his offense is so bad he's rendered virtually unplayable.... i like two way guys.... one way guys can get you in the playoffs but they get played off the floor when it matters....
But i get it... .they've built a team that will generate revenue.... i just thought they were doing a pretty good job rebuilding the franchise from an impossible position and then they shoved all their chips in on a team that doesnt seem to be really much better than what they had already assembled... and has a lot of injury downside...and an unbelievably combustible roster by adding threee of the moodiest players in the league via free agency..
with regard to prince though.... atlanta is as good as anyone at molding 3&D players.... prince flopped badly there. i dont think the nets have much to work with... i think the nets have a solid developmental program... but this signing reminds me of when they got okafor... even the best artist in the world needs paint to work with...a canvas...a brush.... Prince doesnt have any tools and he's not young... he does remind me a bit of Dion Waiters..... a guy everyone had given up on completely... who seemed like could become a passable rotation player if someone ever got in his ear.... maybe brooklyn will be his wake up call... he's an interesting project to be sure... i dont blame them for taking a cheap flyer... id prob rather have him than a rookie given BKN is trying to "win now"
It just has the feeling of a team that was ascending and now fervently made a move because they thought they had to "do something" and now they're locked into a 2nd round squad with an aging roster while two super heavyweights (PHIlly and Mil) are just entering their prime in theiwr own conference...
lol at "shoved all their chips in"
we gave up nxt to nothing and even added a first from GS
we return 4 starters and 7 rotation players while adding stars for just cap
we still have all our chips.
Well thats true. And i guess DAR's extension kinda put you on the clock to have to do something one way or the other. Thats what is so tough about rebuilding without a full stable of picks. Eventuallly you have to make tough decisions one way or another. I dont know im not a kyrie fan at all but looking at it objectively he did have a bounceback season last year and he's only going to turn 28 towards the end of next season. it will take some getting adjusted to playing out without all the shooting around him in boston this year though.
With durant i dont think any of us really know what's left in the tank... His FTA dropped precipitously a few years ago after the foot injuries and he really switched to being a pull up specialist... then last year his 3pt shot kinda abandoned him.. his defense has really slipped the last few years in GSW... this is all nitpicking as he was still a borderline top 10 player in the league last year...but with an achilles injury is he still top ~25? I tend to doubt it... we've never seen anyone return from an achilles injury and play well... granted most guys were older than him... but from Isaiah Thomas, Kobe bryant, demarcus cousins, chauncey billups, and wes matthews no one in the history of he league has ever played well... its a risky proposition for sure.. if i had to guess he remakes himself as a "Stretch 4" instead of a "Playmaking 4" and is more of a Harrison Barnes type stand in the corner and space the floor guy than a put the ball on the floor, central hub type... and honestly thats still beneficial with a guy like kyrie who can iso and run the offense. with durant id be really worried about his commitment on the defensive end post injury. He developed some really bad habits in GSW those last few years when they were winning easy.
what defensive metrics are you using to call out Durant's defense?
I don't know what will happen. All I know is that if you can get a talent like Durant on your team, even following an achilles, you do it and don't think twice about it. His doctor is also the Nets staff physician and they had all of his medicals well in advance. This is a calculated risk.
the fact that you're saying he was a "borderline" top 10 player last year is highly revisionist. Look at his numbers and tell me how many players were better than him last season. The list is small.
