RealGM

Assuming a season of course.

Who do you see stepping up? Who might be stepping down? Anyone look to be ready to bust out?

Who do you see stepping up?
Hendo

Who might be stepping down?
Tyrus

Anyone look to be ready to bust out?
Kemba

hendo was the obvious choice to step up big time this year, but his offseason injuries prevented him from playing. assuming he doesnt miss a beat from last year, he should be the guy. we all hope and pray the guy who steps up is tyrus, but history suggests that he will once again disappoint. and for some reason i had a feeling that maggette would actually have one of his better years. he will be clear #1 on offense most nights, especially in crunchtime, silas would be perfect coach to get him mentally back to his best, he was already named starter and silas confirmed he wouldnt have to play power foward, on top of all that, he is back in NC where he went to college and he has a lot to prove. i could see kwame (if he resigns) taking a step back. funny how that always happens after a contract year.

I can see Maggette doing 25ppg. Really, who else is going to put in scoring numbers consistently? Perhaps Kemba but we haven't had the chance to watch him yet.

Stepping down, it has to be Tyrus if he can't stay healthy. If he does stay healthy, I can see DJ doing horribly this year if we don't trade him. If Flip Murray **** up his confidence a few years ago, what do you think Kemba is going to do to him?

I'd pick Bismack as my break out guy; if the NFL is any indication, guys are going to be clumsy when they come back. An athlete like Bismack should have no problem taking advantage of that. That should give him a confidence boost that will carry him through the season even after guys shake off the rust and step their game up.

I think the best result we can hope for is Tyrus, Hendo, DJ and/or Kemba (doesn't really matter which, they're in a similar situation) stepping up while Boris and Maggette step down.

I don't realistically expect Bismack to do anything to affect the outcome of the season, though I do hope he shows development in all facets of his game of course!

I don't know if Hendo will be what fatlever here is hoping, a #1 guy on offense. I don't know if that's even a good idea given his skillset. I like him driving, cutting, catching and shooting in the midrange, and on the break. While that is a varied skillset, I don't think he's the playmaking scorer you want as a #1 like Kobe or Durant. His passing makes him a less than perfect guy to dominate the ball. When he gets the ball, I'd like to see him either continue the set play or score, honestly.

Kemba, I think, will do his own thing on offense off the bench and hopefully rain buckets on our enemies. Not much else to expect, anything else will be a pleasant and welcome surprise.

But Tyrus, I think, has the most ability to surprise us. If Kemba does well, it'll be because he was supposed to. If Tyrus does, it's because he finally got his ish together. He's very productive, there's no denying that much. The question is whether or not he can direct his production more positively for the team and more consistently as himself.

Jaruff wrote:I'd pick Bismack as my break out guy; if the NFL is any indication, guys are going to be clumsy when they come back. An athlete like Bismack should have no problem taking advantage of that. That should give him a confidence boost that will carry him through the season even after guys shake off the rust and step their game up.

Interesting point here. I hadn't thought of it that way... While the big stars and younger guys might have the work ethic to stay sharp, I doubt the average player is getting the kind of practice they need.

BigSlam wrote:Who do you see stepping up?
Hendo

Who might be stepping down?
Tyrus

Anyone look to be ready to bust out?
Kemba

Agree with these, but I also think Mags will step up for us, too. And I think Biyombo will be a surprise in that he will have a bit more scoring than we think, along with his Defense and Rebounds being what we can hope for as a Rookie.

Who do you see stepping up?
Hendo- He is a notoriously hard worker. Expect this kid to improve every year.

Who might be stepping down?
DJ- Face it historically he struggles when he has to look over his shoulder.

Anyone look to be ready to bust out?
Kemba/ Bismack- I expect both of them to be much better than anyone expects.

Dante Cunningham will probably surprise a lot of people this year because I don't expect Maggette to stay healthy the whole season and Cunningham will get starter's minutes.

I hope I'm wrong... but Hendo's injury may turn into a nagging injury and he may not end up being the same player he was.

MrMorrow wrote:Dante Cunningham will probably surprise a lot of people this year because I don't expect Maggette to stay healthy the whole season and Cunningham will get starter's minutes.

I hope I'm wrong... but Hendo's injury may turn into a nagging injury and he may not end up being the same player he was.

I don't know they'd let Cunningham get that many minutes. They might sign someone else before they do that.

Kemba's stats will probably surprise everybody just because of the large amount of playing time he'll get for a rookie, sad that I have the same feeling about Tyrus as all of you.

fatlever wrote:i could see kwame (if he resigns) taking a step back. funny how that always happens after a contract year.

I'm pretty sure this will happen as well and I don't even find it funny anymore. Well, yes some big stepping up for a big season and then loafing for 5 years (while receiving 10 million a season) just because somebody (Isiah, Kahn etc.) was stupid enough to fall for it is kind of funny, yet it's disgusting how over-paid and lazy basketball players can be nowadays. Not to mention all the players who had the potential to be great, however played only on contract years. I just hope that Kwame isn't that kind of a guy and is somewhat grateful for finally settling in a place where he actually is liked.

captaincrunk wrote:

MrMorrow wrote:Dante Cunningham will probably surprise a lot of people this year because I don't expect Maggette to stay healthy the whole season and Cunningham will get starter's minutes.

I hope I'm wrong... but Hendo's injury may turn into a nagging injury and he may not end up being the same player he was.

I don't know they'd let Cunningham get that many minutes. They might sign someone else before they do that.

Cunningham may not even be back. I think we tendered his offer but someone could try to sign him. Doubt if that happens but you never know.

Jaruff wrote:

captaincrunk wrote:

MrMorrow wrote:Dante Cunningham will probably surprise a lot of people this year because I don't expect Maggette to stay healthy the whole season and Cunningham will get starter's minutes.

I hope I'm wrong... but Hendo's injury may turn into a nagging injury and he may not end up being the same player he was.

I don't know they'd let Cunningham get that many minutes. They might sign someone else before they do that.

Cunningham may not even be back. I think we tendered his offer but someone could try to sign him. Doubt if that happens but you never know.

I honestly hope someone does, because we're treating him like a rookie in minutes/"potential" ratio. We act like he's gonna learn to play basketball, but I don't think he will. Tyrus is in a similar way, except he's shown flashes and actually has demonstrable skill in some areas, he's just being held back by other deficiencies in his game. Dante doesn't seem to have anything to hold back...

Stepping up-Hendo, he should be our #2 behind Maggette this year

Stepping down- Diaw, he knows he's not getting a big pay day after this season & has already made bank.

Breaking out-Kemba/Biyombo- these guys will be studs & much better than where they were drafted.

BigSlam wrote:Who do you see stepping up?
Hendo

Who might be stepping down?
Tyrus: Could he really step down any more then he already has?

Anyone look to be ready to bust out?
Kemba

1. Stepping up: Hendo
2. Step down: Boris Diaw
3. Break out: Biyombo/Walker both are hard workers and leaders....

Kemba. Guy is a natural leader, and someone needs to fill the leadership void left by jack/ wallace.

DJQuick wrote:Who do you see stepping up?
Hendo- He is a notoriously hard worker. Expect this kid to improve every year.

Who might be stepping down?
DJ- Face it historically he struggles when he has to look over his shoulder.

Anyone look to be ready to bust out?
Kemba/ Bismack- I expect both of them to be much better than anyone expects.

This is my gut feeling as well. However, I'll dabble in specifics:

Stepping up - Tyrus Just got a feeling, he'll be healthy and people will rusty so he'll be able to take more advantage of his athleticism.

Stepping down - DJ. Same reason as DJQuick. Kemba's alpha male personality will set him back. Hope not though.

Busting out - Kemba. Players that MJ gets a man crush on always have scary potential to take the bull by the horns and dunk on it.

More of the same - Boris. Boris being Boris, getting 6 rebounds and 5 assists with either 4 pts or 16 and doing just enough glue guy stuff to keep you from calling for his head. I'm a Boris fan and think he was out of position a lot last year and I pray that his huskiness was a result of having to deal with bigs but if he's still Pillsbury doughboy and doesn't need to be, I'll be pretty disappointed. I'm afraid that with the lack of bigs on our roster right now he'll be stuck in the post some more.

During an nbatv interview yesterday David Aldrich predicted Kemba to be this season's ROY.

DJQuick wrote:During an nbatv interview yesterday David Aldrich predicted Kemba to be this season's ROY.

I just want him to learn how to be a good NBA point guard. Tyreke Evans won ROY and all the Kings fans already want to dump his lame shot chucking ass.

Battery wrote:

DJQuick wrote:During an nbatv interview yesterday David Aldrich predicted Kemba to be this season's ROY.

I just want him to learn how to be a good NBA point guard. Tyreke Evans won ROY and all the Kings fans already want to dump his lame shot chucking ass.

That's not exactly true.

Also people forget that Kemba has been a point guard his whole life, scoring was his role as a junior at UCONN....It doesn't mean he can't run a team very well in the traditional sense.