WaltFrazier wrote:OAKLEY_2 wrote:Question: could Darko have actually helped DeAndre Bembry's career say vs. 8 man rotation Coach Nurse? Nurse flushed RHJ, Bembry, Matt Thomas, and countless others down the crapper. Bembry looked like a serviceable player perhaps end of bench rotation.
Of all the failed to mediocre signings/acquisitions since 2020 I thought Bembry had the most potential , as like an 8-9th man as you said. He was doing ok with Brooklyn the next year but got squeezed out by the Simmons trade (or was it Harden coming). Went to the Bucks, hurt his knee right away and never played again. because of the injury, we'll never know.
Bembry drove me crazy the way he would foul 50-60 feet from the basket when we were in the penalty. It was comical how often it happened. Just like I remember Psycho-T getting us into the penalty within a few minutes of appearing on the court. You can't win with those players, unless they can shoot consistently. Which obviously Bembry could not. He was like a second half Bruce Brown (last night) out there, all the time.
Matt Thomas was too short and slight to get open, once teams realized they had to cover him. JJ Redick had a bit more girth, and was willing to take a shot when guarded. Matt simply refused to shoot if a defender was within five feet of him.
RHJ had a likeable personality. But ultimately not a shooter, not big enough to be a big (except for that one game against the T-Wolves) or small enough to guard guards. When there's a ton of college and European and Aussie league talent coming into the league every year, guys like Rondae - or Bembry or Matt 100% Thomas - can't stick.
The guy I really liked and can't believe couldn't find a spot in the league was Stanley Johnson. Which brings up an interesting point. How many Jose Bautistas are there in basketball? How many guys are there who start their careers as replacement level drones, but then catch fire after three or so years and become huge stars? In a way Pascal was like that, but it was clear by his second year (the Bench Mob days) that he was something special. Jimmy Butler was drafted 30th, had a good reputation as a defender, then at some point took over. Kawhi won FMVP in his third season. Another guy taken in the middle of the first round, Giannis, was evidently something special earlier in his career. And I remember watching Gobert and Jokic in their first years and being amazed at how good they were. Sure they were drafted after #20, but it didn't take long to establish themselves.