Dat2U wrote:Now lets throw a wrench into the argument.
How would Wall look as a 22 yr old coming to DC to play under Eddie Jordan?
Keep in mind he had Hughes, Stackhouse, Kwame, Haywood, Thomas, Blake, Hayes, Dixon & Jeffries as teammates.
And how would Arenas look as a 20 yr old drafted to DC to play under Flip Saunders, then Randy Wittman.
Arenas' teammates would be Hinrich, Lewis, Young, Blatche, McGee, Crawford, Yi, Thornton, Armstrong & Evans as teammates.
Personally, I don't think Arenas would have handled the situation Wall was put into very well. I also think he would have been stifled by the offensive system Flip & subsequently Witt has been running. But on the flip side, Arenas might have actually been a solid defender, or at least a more disciplined one.
I think Wall might of put up some eye popping numbers under the freedom of Eddie's Princeton offense with his assist totals taking a big hit. I also think his defense would be a bigger issue than it is now with the lack of accountability from Eddie on that end of the court.
Good questions. And I think that is partly what it comes down to. Gil didn't develop properly. He could have been a better complete PG and in doing so, he wouldn't have scored as much per game and he wouldn't have played so many minutes to do so. He could have easily assisted at a much higher rate. He was a great passer. He just didn't focus on doing it. But when he did for a game or two because his coach told him to pass more, then you got Gil dishing 20 assists and not shooting because he was reacting like a child. I also remember him doing the same thing when EJ tried to get them to feed the post more. Gil was about Gil scoring. It was entertaining a one level but it was also part of the problem.
I was thinking about this at the end of my last post.
It wasn't long ago I was really concerned if Wall would develop properly. For a while there, it just didn't look like you could clearly see he would make it in developing to his potential. I agree, if Wall had come to the team with EFJ as the HC, he could easily turn out to be much more one denominational like Gil. He would be driving for sure. Lot of FTAs like people want, but he wouldn't be as well rounded as he is becoming. Not unless Wall kept a really level head and wanted to be that kind of a PG. EJ tried to get Gil to do it but Gil wasn't having it and ultimately, EJ didn't have the influence to make him. EJ needed Gil more then Gil needed EJ. Randy has more influence then EJ did. And Randy is defensive minded so that helps as well.
EG has been inefficient as a GM but he did one thing right and its a big thing. He put a defensive minded coach in charge of the rebuild once he got a chance, he put a true SG next to Wall with a legit true PF and a center. All that is to say, he put the right pieces in place for Wall and Beal to develop properly. And that counts for a lot.
When Wall puts it all together, he is going to be the better PG in the Gil vs Wall debate. Actually, he already is the better PG but its going to be even more clear.
A lot of the problem with Gil was how he developed. By the time he was prime Gil, there was no sticking the Gennie back in the bottle. They would tell him to pass more and feed the post, but he wouldn't. Putting a Beal next to Gil couldn't work well. Gil sucked to much of the air out of the room. You could be wasting Beals talent. Gil wouldn't be passing up shots for Beal and if he did, there wouldn't be enough touches for Nene, Gortat and TA. So all you could do is put something like a defensive SG that would stand on the 3 line next to him, like a DS.
The Gil that develop was a high usage scoring machines. I would have rather he did a little less scoring and develop the PG side of his game more. That to me would have been a more dominate, team winning Gil that you could build a winner around.
