TGW wrote:I also want to put on record that I don't dislike Dawkins. I do think he's smart, well-mannered and well-spoken, and he has a strategy in place unlike the predecessors. With that being said, I believe he bungled some aspects of this rebuild. I didn't agree with the Poole trade; I think the guy is a bozo and bad for developing good habits, despite what they claim his leadership qualities are behind the scenes. I didn't like the Deni trade...obviously. He gave away Gafford for pretty much nothing. I was on board with the Bilal draft, but overall I'm not seeing any one to get excited about. So far, I give him an average grade, and I don't think it's too early to judge his performance.
This is a reasonable take in my opinion. Even where I disagree. Points of disagreement:
I think Kyshawn may prove to have a more consequential career than Gafford, for instance. He already ranks among league leaders (not just rookies) in shots defended and 3pt defense. Plus he's a grinder. His two pastimes are working out and spending time with family. Seriously focused on improvement, in his game and physique. If you look at how doughy he looked in college vs pics of him at the end of the year, kid is putting on muscle and getting fit. A far leap from the draftee who said his favorite hobby was cooking fatty snacks. On court, George was a liability shooting 3's early on, but improved to be decent. His weakness coming out of college was that he was uninterested in defense, now he's a problem for the other team. Add to the fact that he's still growing, as a 6'9" guard, essentially.
Compare with Gaff's 1st couple years in the league, where he has admitted he failed to take it seriously or put in the work. I think the upside of a 3&D glue guy is more significant than an undersized energy Big.
I'm fine with your assessment of Poole's game, a bad example on defense. A placeholder in the salary cap that helps us reach the 90% threshold but still lose. Paid like a star but his +/- is no good. Still the rooks and all credit him for good attitude and work ethic on the offensive side of the ball, and no question he improved on offense at least. His 2nd best year in the league as far as shooting is concerned. Nice example of how to fight your way out of a slump. If we have to tank or else lose a pick to NYK, then might as well lose a bunch of games without griping and a toxic locker room. Happier to have Poole commanding the tank than Kuzma anyway. Can't believe they traded that one for value. Too: At some point if Poole continues to play well even on one side of the ball he is a positive trade asset. Teams pay for points more than any other stat. Even inefficient points.
As for the Deni trade. We can make every excuse we want for Deni and why he didn't play well his first few years in the league. But even Deni acknowledged that at times he was his own obstacle. That he would get flustered by refs calls and take himself out of the game, or complain to coaches, etc. We saw him passive on offense, weak left hand, weak finisher, afraid to shoot from 3, etc. That it wasn't until this front office came in that he started to go Turbo and swiftly develop. That the things he did well were fostered by the staff and he was given opportunities to build confidence.
As for the guy we selected with his draft pick. We picked a kid who is mentally strong with positives and optimism. Bub put up as many double doubles his first year as Deni did his first 2 years. Three in rebounds, two in assists. You can say he was given more opportunities but consider the pressure as well of being the lead guard on a team that was overmatched every night. Would rookie Deni have handled the situation any better? The rookie Deni who essentially complained that Westbrook expected too much of him, and made excuses for not being aggressive.
I think the Deni-only fans signficantly overlook and underrate Bub Carrington due to their hurt feelings. I think they have no idea how good this kid really is. Mentally strong, smart, and playing an advanced game at the hardest position to learn. All rookies tend to kinda suck. The younger they are the more their stats look bad early. With the teenage rookies you look for flashes to hint at what their upside is. In the case of Deni it was defense, speed with the ball in the open court, and smart reads in passing. In the case of Bub it is as a floor general, efficient shooter, no mistake passer.
You don't see a teenager put up a near 4:1 ast/to ratio. You don't see a rookie be the guy that teammates turn to for answers and guidance, as we saw this year with Bub. His own teammates credit him for understanding 1st the concepts that the coaches were inputting. You don't see a rookie hit 60% from midrange as Bub did for most of the season. You never see a rookie put up a 50/40/90 month shooting.
Now recognize that Bub put up those shot numbers the month his dad was dying of cancer. His first coach. His name sake. Put in an 82 game season with a positive attitude and hit the game winning final shot of the season. In the hardest year of his life.
I respectfully suggest we don't know where that sort of start tops out. That Bub is a half year younger than Deni was to start his career. If we were patient with Deni his first few years based on the potential we all saw, there's no reason to leap to judgement on the kid who came in after him. I can see it: Bub has a potential upside far higher than he is being given credit for. His three point shooting progression is the next likely thing we see advance, but where I expect him to take off is when Poole is traded. Because if you look at his splits, he plays significantly better as a starter. The Bub you saw this year was learning a role as an off ball guy, to a high usage gunner in Poole. That is not what got him to the league. He works really well with a savvy screener in the pick and roll game. Give him a few finishers on offense and I expect his detractors will be surprised at how good this kid is at influencing the outcome of the game with the ball in his hands. As the team around him improves I think fans will start to see his real value. Give him someone to pass to. Why I want Maluach and his 70% finishing on the inside. Give him a brick wall screener, why I want Sorber and his 260lbs of muscle and smart smart big man game. Hell I'll take a motivated Baltimore kid in Queen if they have chemistry together. A point guard needs options. Bub Carrington is a point guard born and raised. All I can say on that is: give it time. You will see.
