doclinkin wrote:wewillnevertank wrote:I hear what you guys are saying about Bilal re: G League and bringing him along slowly. From my perspective, there's a fine line between between bringing him along slowly and wasting his time. There's honestly zero precedent of a top 10 pick going to G League for any amount of time and living up to that billing. It's just not what competent orgs do. Wes suggesting that Bilal would go there feels like he's closer to Bruno Caboclo than circa-2013 Giannis, and that's concerning.
Whatever minutes we end up playing Bilal at the beginning of the year will not be what he sees by the end of the year. Whether because he is good enough to force the team to play him, or due to holes in the roster as they crop up. Nate cites injuries, sure, but I also think this front office won't be gunshy about trades. Clearing space in front of him or consolidating roster spots on a 2-f0r-1 deal or 1-for-none for picks and Trade Player Exceptions.
Bilal is on a rookie deal, locked in cheap for a few years. Deni is in a contract year. We have to see what Deni can show us to decide what to do with that contract. Put up or shut up. Re-up him cheap? Shop him to a team that sees value? Let's find out.
I can see a coach like Thibs appreciating his defensive game. (And you know, having lived there, I gotta say the NY media market would not hate having an Israeli national playing in either a Knicks or Nets Jersey. Though if he feels pressure in DC, he'd surely feel the weight there. Whereas Kuzma would love the attention win or lose.)
Not that i am shopping Deni myself (but Kuzma....) I'm just saying any player is available if the bids are high enough. If Deni starts looking good but Bilal is legit threatening his minutes, we might see some offers that would be tough to turn away. Likewise a rehabbed Gallinari. Or pick a guy ahead of him in the depth chart.
Still, look, the reason you rarely see top picks stick in the G League for long is because they are too good to stay there. No one will force Bilal to stick at the lower level if he is earning minutes. Wes is only setting up healthy competition when he says everyone will have an opportunity. If Bilal is as good as we all hope and expect then he will force the issue. That's a good thing. That's what happens on winning teams. This is not an 'orange slices for everybody' little league sort of deal. Just because you were drafted high does not mean you deserve a free pass. If he is good then he will play. If we legitimately have minutes battles between Deni, Kuzma, Kispert, Bilal, and Baldwin, then I see that as nothing but positive. That means a rookie and/or a cast-off 6'10" stretch big are showing enough success that they are pushing aside older more accomplished players. Nice. Maybe we will be good someday when they themselves have 4-7 years in the league.
I definitely understand that a G League assignment, on its face, is not a death sentence. And I'm not suggesting orange slices for everyone. Just simply noting precedent. Even someone as raw as the 2013 version of Giannis never saw time in the G, and he wasn't even a lottery pick. It took about 3-4 years for Giannis to really pop, and that's about what I expect for Bilal, regardless of where that PD comes from.
All that said, I think where the people opposed to the short-term assignment are coming from is a perspective of being sold one thing and getting another, which we're all too familiar with from the Ernie and Tommy eras. It's not just about Bilal, per se. It's more, is this the beginning of us being led to believe something that isn't actually happening? Of course, there's many ways to skin the rebuilding cat, but this feels awfully similar to Tommy's declaration that Johnny Davis could play PG, and then after a poor summer league, gets castigated. Bilal didn't struggle nearly as much in SL, and I think his floor is higher than it's been given credit for.
