matthews question

[schieberd]

Hey Utah fans, blazer fan here. Congrads on getting big Al, that was a great move. Also snatching bell away from kobe was good too. Hey I was wondering what type of player Wes is. Does he have good potential and can he drive to the lane. I think our plan b was Ronnie Brewer. Since you know both players, who is better and who would you rather have: Matthews or Brewer.

[hoops4life]

Mathews is better than Brewer but Brewer could have been had for probably less than a third of what you paid Mathews. I am not sure that Mathews is 3 times the player that Brewer is.

I am tired and lazy... I will let others break down their games.

[seejaydeja]

i'd rather have matthews over brewer. he's a better shooter, better defender, and he hustles like few other players in the NBA. i dunno if that will fade now that he's paid, but he was definitely a joy to watch.

[hoops4life]

I agree for the most part. I think Brewer was an average defender, good at getting deflections, running with the break, good finisher around the rim, and was a good hustler.

[ADWCTA]

Wes has no potential, what you see is what you get. He works hard, is an amazing defender in ways most casual viewers can't even tell. Utah kept a count of how many "positive" defensive plays each player got (whether it's a good swipe at the ball, being in position, in your face 1v1 defense w/o giving up the drive, hustle, etc), and Wes destroyed every other Utah player from Game 1 to Game 82, and probably through the playoffs as well.

He can hit the three wide-open. He will only take good shots. He will always be in the right place on offense. Doesn't shy away from contact. Hustles on every play.

He cannot drive into anything but an open lane, but is a decent cutter. His main problems are his lack of athleticism (you can see him physically struggle vs Kobe, even if he was making all the right moves) and length, lack of raw speed, and generally the lack of being really good at any one thing. He will be a great 5th starter or 6th man for any team, but he is unlikely to be more. Raja Bell is actually ironically a pretty good estimate of the type of player Mathews will become. If the CBA wasn't there, I'd say you're paying the right amount for the guy.... but with the CBA around the corner, who knows how bad that contract will actually hurt you for the 4 years after next season.

And you'd rather have Mathews over Brewer from a pure basketball perspective... hands down. Brewer's an SG who can't shoot (at all). The fact that he's still in the NBA tells you how good he is at all the other stuff, but still, he can't shoot (at all), not even from 15 feet.

[tdownwa]

I really liked Ronnie but there is no question that Wes has much more potential. I think the Blazers overpaid and likely Wes' number will go down, but Wes is a great kid that give 100%.

[ColdBlue]

Wes was a blue collar stud for us.

[LjJazzman]

Wes has no potential, what you see is what you get.

Thats a pretty ridiculous statement.

[dr0welf]

Wes is a system guy, he plays within the system. He plays every play, out works everyone. I would sum him up as Jack of all trades but master of none. He is good at everything but not great at anything. That being said, he was only a rookie and who knows how he reacts after getting 5 years to sit on a contract.

[ADWCTA]

Wes has no potential, what you see is what you get.

Thats a pretty ridiculous statement.

Potential = potential to become a significantly better player.

Wes is maxed out. Raja Bell wasn't any better of a player 6 years into his career than 2 years into it... even if he didn't get the minutes then. Wes won't get "better" because his physical limitations maxed him out. He's undrafted for a reason, this isn't the next Gilbert Arenas.

Remember, Wes is a year older than CJ Miles.

[LjJazzman]

Wes has no potential, what you see is what you get.

Thats a pretty ridiculous statement.

Potential = potential to become a significantly better player.

Wes is maxed out. Raja Bell wasn't any better of a player 6 years into his career than 2 years into it... even if he didn't get the minutes then. Wes won't get "better" because his physical limitations maxed him out. He's undrafted for a reason, this isn't the next Gilbert Arenas.

Remember, Wes is a year older than CJ Miles.

I'm aware of what potential means.

There is no way you can say that Wes has no potential. He was improving throughout the season and even into the playoffs and was only a rookie. Its absolutely absurd to say he has no more potential.

[HammerDunk]

I'll say that Wes HAD a ton of potential with the Jazz. Now I see him being relegated to a bench spot in Portland which, barring injury to Roy, will be pretty limited. I don't see him growing in Portland the way he would have with us. He won't have an elite PG or PF feeding him the ball in his corner spot anymore while playing 30+ minutes a game. He had it really really good here.

Brewer's only problem is that he can't shoot. And that is a massive problem on the wrong team.

[BiggMann]

Wes has no potential, what you see is what you get.

Thats a pretty ridiculous statement.

was about to post the same thing. Thanks.

Wes is a rookie. potential is there. He's a smart kid with great bball iq, plays aggressive d, and knows where to be on offense. I just hope they give him a shot up there, i mean with Roy Batum Fernandez (i know he's supposedly gonna be moved but as of now he's not) I just dont know where they fit him in.

[Bruteque]

I'm aware of what potential means.

There is no way you can say that Wes has no potential. He was improving throughout the season and even into the playoffs and was only a rookie. Its absolutely absurd to say he has no more potential.

Once you have logged 1,600 minutes of Utah Jazz playing time, you have no potential. That's the nature of Sloan's dark wizardry. If you are not balling after Sloan lets you play 1,600 minutes for the Jazz, then you are a scrub with no potential and you are done in the NBA. On the other hand, if you are still balling after Sloan lets you play 1,600 minutes for the Jazz, then you are balling as hard as you will ever ball in your life, so you are a baller with no potential.

Matthews is a baller...with no potential.

[carrottop12]

It's really hard to tell what the Blazers are going to get out of Matthews because he just fit so perfectly into our system that it's almost impossible to guess how he will translate somewhere else.

Basically I will give you a list of things I have seen him do, and thinks I have either not seen him do, or have seen him struggle to do.

Can do:
-Defend SG/SF position
-Hit the open 3 from left side of the floor, especially the corner
-Hustle every night
-Find a role, and stick to it
-Won't try to do too much
-Good teammate
-Fan Favorite
-Shoot free-throws
-Decent Athlete
-Good cutter
-Can get himself open

Can't do/Haven't seen:
-Create shot for himself
-Shoot off the dribble
-Pass of the dribble
-Set up the offense
-Handle the ball for extended periods of time
-Shoot from the right side
-Drive in traffic

Now he can definitely improve all of those things, and if he learns how to handle the rock better that could solve a lot of his problem. I think like a couple of guys said his ceiling is probably a more athletic Raja Bell and his basement is what he gave us last year. My guess is he ends up being a 12/3/2 guy in about 20-25 minutes a game.

[Luigi]

Brewer is significantly more athletic than Matthews, which is why consider his ceiling to be higher.

Matthews is tough and does great work keeping his man in front of him--he almost never gives up his position. But Brewer does a much better job stripping the ball and contesting shots.

Brewer gets most of his half-court points waiting in the seams around the rim. He'll catch the pass, turn, and then explode to the rim to finish. He can sky off of two feet standing still. Same skills help him on the break, the kid could straight out jump. After the injury I hope he can still get up like he used to. I don't think he'll ever have a good jumper since his elbow is all messed up.

Matthews plays offense much differently. He meets all his assignments and doesn't let up, which translates into opportunities. I don't consider him a dead-eye shooter, nor a great first-stepper. But he works and runs execution offense.

Personally, I prefer Brewer (pre-injury). I don't mind that a player gets his points in the paint instead of shooting jumpers. Plus, I like his athletic disruption defense, and I don't think he gives up much to Matthews in the position game. I wonder where Brewer will end up, and if he can come back from that injury.

[outerspacefella]

Too much digging into nowhere if you ask me...

- Matthews' just a good basketball player; he contributed BIG TIME to team success, and then bettered himself during playoffs. A little bit of work with his passing and dude becomes a stud.

- Matthews > Brewer.