Eye of the Tiger: The Tidjane Salaun Thread

[JMAC3]

None of us can be “right” on Salaun at this point. I am of the camp that believes picking him at 6 was a huge screw up relative to his long term potential and the needs of this team verses the alternative options available at that point in the draft. Others here are perfectly happy with a very young pick with potential, who don’t care how he looks now, and believe he will blossom into a better player years from now than Clingan or similar options will be.

Weren't you touting we should have taken Kalel Ware a month ago? The guy playing 10 mins less per game then super raw Tidjane Salaun? Ware averaging 2.3 ppg and 1.1 rpg. but seems like you have abandoned that ship and full steam as the captain of the Clingan... I am sure once Ware starts playing more you will come back out of the woodwork, whatever narrative fits you that week.

or was it Knecht all along?

I really liked Knecht. In evaluation he had an amazing shot, good athleticism and passed the eye test for an NBA player IMO (but he was 22 years old ). When Clingan was still available I would have picked Donovan, OR traded back several spots to gain an asset and pick Knecht. Watching DK ring up huge scoring nights with the Lakers, I can picture him being such a perfect fit with this squad. Clingan would have helped us right now, but admittedly could be a lower ceiling player.

Tune in next week to find out who Bassman would have picked once another rookie has a big game.

[Bassman]

None of us can be “right” on Salaun at this point. I am of the camp that believes picking him at 6 was a huge screw up relative to his long term potential and the needs of this team verses the alternative options available at that point in the draft. Others here are perfectly happy with a very young pick with potential, who don’t care how he looks now, and believe he will blossom into a better player years from now than Clingan or similar options will be.

Weren't you touting we should have taken Kalel Ware a month ago? The guy playing 10 mins less per game then super raw Tidjane Salaun? Ware averaging 2.3 ppg and 1.1 rpg. but seems like you have abandoned that ship and full steam as the captain of the Clingan... I am sure once Ware starts playing more you will come back out of the woodwork, whatever narrative fits you that week.

or was it Knecht all along?

I really liked Knecht. In evaluation he had an amazing shot, good athleticism and passed the eye test for an NBA player IMO (but he was 22 years old ). When Clingan was still available I would have picked Donovan, OR traded back several spots to gain an asset and pick Knecht. Watching DK ring up huge scoring nights with the Lakers, I can picture him being such a perfect fit with this squad. Clingan would have helped us right now, but admittedly could be a lower ceiling player.

Tune in next week to find out who Bassman would have picked once another rookie has a big game.

Hey Pickle…I spoke highly of multiple players, and I stated that a trade back from 6 could have netted us Ware much further back than the proported opportunity to deal back to 9. If the Hornets didn’t want Clingan but wanted a big, Ware or Edey were back a bit. I liked Knecht as a prospect at 6 but said that I would have taken Clingan there as things played out, ASSUMING the trade back was not good enough. I even spoke up about Salaun as a surprise riser, but didn’t advocate taking him.

So tell me, were you LOCKED into Salaun for weeks ahead? I really don’t GAS so not going to search back for your prognostications.

I don’t claim to be a draft Swami expert. I see what we’ve got, what we could have had, and project my opinion on how that would be impacting this team now.

[yosemiteben]

Who had Fontecchio beef on their Salaun bingo card?

[EmpireFalls]

Tidjane Salaun, starter. Feet to the fire for the foreseeable future. I actually feel sorry for him.

[Walt Cronkite]

You feel sorry for a 6’9, 200 lb 19 year old making 7.5 million usd this season to play a professional sport he seems to enjoy? Why?

[yosemiteben]

Tidjane Salaun, starter. Feet to the fire for the foreseeable future. I actually feel sorry for him.

He has looked totally fine in PT to date, and started last year in a top tier professional league. I think we definitely should push him to see the absolute most that he can handle this season for a decent chunk of time and see how it goes.

[EmpireFalls]

You feel sorry for a 6’9, 200 lb 19 year old making 7.5 million usd this season to play a professional sport he seems to enjoy? Why?

He’s going to get absolutely embarrassed

[JMAC3]

You feel sorry for a 6’9, 200 lb 19 year old making 7.5 million usd this season to play a professional sport he seems to enjoy? Why?

He’s going to get absolutely embarrassed

Yeah maybe, but he is starting to piece a few good games together.

Averaging 15mpg, 8 ppg, 4 boards over his last three games on 66/66/88 shooting splits.

Should see his mins jump in the 25 mpg range.

[Walt Cronkite]

You feel sorry for a 6’9, 200 lb 19 year old making 7.5 million usd this season to play a professional sport he seems to enjoy? Why?

He’s going to get absolutely embarrassed

Must be hard experiencing such empathy that his embarrassment is going to cause you to feel sorrow. Hopefully he will surprise you so you won’t have to suffer so much over the holidays at least. Please keep us updated and it isn’t a sign of weakness to seek out professional help if it is just too much. Tiddy’s shame and discomfort isn’t worth your mental health.

[Walt Cronkite]

You feel sorry for a 6’9, 200 lb 19 year old making 7.5 million usd this season to play a professional sport he seems to enjoy? Why?

He’s going to get absolutely embarrassed

Yeah maybe, but he is starting to piece a few good games together.

Averaging 15mpg, 8 ppg, 4 boards over his last three games on 66/66/88 shooting splits.

Should see his mins jump in the 25 mpg range.

Numbers!? Show some sympathy at least, EmpireFalls is an empath that will suffer greatly for each Tiddy flop.

[EmpireFalls]

You feel sorry for a 6’9, 200 lb 19 year old making 7.5 million usd this season to play a professional sport he seems to enjoy? Why?

He’s going to get absolutely embarrassed

Must be hard experiencing such empathy that his embarrassment is going to cause you to feel sorrow. Hopefully he will surprise you so you won’t have to suffer so much over the holidays at least. Please keep us updated and it isn’t a sign of weakness to seek out professional help if it is just too much. Tiddy’s shame and discomfort isn’t worth your mental health.

How Salaun will feel internally pales in comparison to the sheer rage and despair I feel watching him and knowing that my franchise picked him #6 overal. He’s so raw, I honestly can barely believe we picked someone this bad at the fundamentals of basketball, much less at #6, but here we are.

[Walt Cronkite]

He’s going to get absolutely embarrassed

Must be hard experiencing such empathy that his embarrassment is going to cause you to feel sorrow. Hopefully he will surprise you so you won’t have to suffer so much over the holidays at least. Please keep us updated and it isn’t a sign of weakness to seek out professional help if it is just too much. Tiddy’s shame and discomfort isn’t worth your mental health.

How Salaun will feel internally pales in comparison to the sheer rage and despair I feel watching him and knowing that my franchise picked him #6 overal. He’s so raw, I honestly can barely believe we picked someone this bad at the fundamentals of basketball, much less at #6, but here we are.

Sheer rage and despair are very strong emotions to experience, I’m sorry you are suffering. Your passionate emotions are admirable, I stopped finding myself bothered by the things I couldn’t control from the entertainment I decided to consume ages ago, but I imagine it can be hard. I’m trying to make the heart handsign with my hands at the screen for you but it always looks wrong when I do it. Anyway, hang in there.

[KembaWalker]

we're definitely hitting the point where a few ppl are so overinvested in this Salaun hate that theyre actually rooting for the kid to fail so they dont come out of it looking bad. thats not a good place to be.

[Walt Cronkite]

we're definitely hitting the point where a few ppl are so overinvested in this Salaun hate that theyre actually rooting for the kid to fail so they dont come out of it looking bad. thats not a good place to be.

Yea, he’s a Hornet and has been for a while, so I’d rather he develops and is a success instead of a wasted pick. The youngest person in his class was probably going to take some time, which the franchise clearly has since there are many things keeping it from being a team that can make some noise in the playoffs. I don’t get it, but I suppose maybe rooting against him so you can seem superior to others on a message board when he and the team fails could be fun for some?

[JMAC3]

I would be more worried if Tidjane was living in a class of his own with how bad he is playing, but there are 4-5 other prospects that were lottery picks basically performing the same in Holland, Cody Williams, Matas, Dillingham... can make a case for Reed too

Even the #1 and #2 pick are putting up putrid efficiency stats.

Risacher 39% FG and 25% from 3.
Sarr 36% FG and 20% from 3.

Outside of McCain who is filling it up on a 3-13 team.
Castle is probably seen as the best pick right now and he is averaging 11/3/3 on 39/28/72 shooting splits.

.... again people box score watching and trying to post a 1 game sample size to try and disprove the Salaun pick is getting sad.

[GoBobs]

I would be more worried if Tidjane was living in a class of his own with how bad he is playing, but there are 4-5 other prospects that were lottery picks basically performing the same in Holland, Cody Williams, Matas, Dillingham... can make a case for Reed too

Even the #1 and #2 pick are putting up putrid efficiency stats.

Risacher 39% FG and 25% from 3.
Sarr 36% FG and 20% from 3.

Outside of McCain who is filling it up on a 3-13 team.
Castle is probably seen as the best pick right now and he is averaging 11/3/3 on 39/28/72 shooting splits.

.... again people box score watching and trying to post a 1 game sample size to try and disprove the Salaun pick is getting sad.

Knecht is averaging 11pts on 51/45/93, he also scored in double figures 2 out of his first 10 games, but 5 out of his last 6 games. He also has a game where he scored 37 already.

How far away is Salaun from having a game where he scores 37?

[fatlever]

Comparing him to Dalton who's like 32 years old and getting wide open looks every night seems a little disingenuous. Lakers lucked in to getting a guy who's perfect for what they needed. Good for them. Dalton trying to break three Defenders down at the top of the key on isolation plays would be a completely different story for his efficiency.

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[JMAC3]

I would be more worried if Tidjane was living in a class of his own with how bad he is playing, but there are 4-5 other prospects that were lottery picks basically performing the same in Holland, Cody Williams, Matas, Dillingham... can make a case for Reed too

Even the #1 and #2 pick are putting up putrid efficiency stats.

Risacher 39% FG and 25% from 3.
Sarr 36% FG and 20% from 3.

Outside of McCain who is filling it up on a 3-13 team.
Castle is probably seen as the best pick right now and he is averaging 11/3/3 on 39/28/72 shooting splits.

.... again people box score watching and trying to post a 1 game sample size to try and disprove the Salaun pick is getting sad.

Knecht is averaging 11pts on 51/45/93, he also scored in double figures 2 out of his first 10 games, but 5 out of his last 6 games. He also has a game where he scored 37 already.

How far away is Salaun from having a game where he scores 37?

Yes, I am sure the Hawks, Wiz, Rockets, Pistons, Hornets, Blazers, Minnesota, Utah, Chicago, OKC, Sacramento and Miami are all doing a 12 way conference call weekly talking about how their franchises will never get over it, time to pack it in for the next decade.

You are doing exactly what I just mentioned picking out their best game by swooning over Knecht scoring 37. Awesome, PJ Washington scored 27 pts his first game ever, 12 ppg his rookie year. 6 years in he is averaging 12.8ppg for his career.

If Knecht puts up 18 ppg his rookie year then yeah maybe we will regret it, but I am just not going to freak out about missing a guy putting up 11 ppg. Again, see Jaime Jacquez.

[KembaWalker]

Brandon Jennings was easily the best player in the 2009 class

[Liver_Pooty]

Well the last page or two has definitely been intriguing lol.