Lance Stephenson PT

moximus · Post #1 » by **moximus** » Sat Dec 3, 2011 6:34 am

How many minutes would you like to see him getting this coming season?

Indy2thaWindy · Post #2 » by **Indy2thaWindy** » Sat Dec 3, 2011 6:40 am

Whatever George Hill doesn't get at point guard. Won't happen tho.

IMO, he should get all of Collison's minutes.

moximus · Post #3 » by **moximus** » Sat Dec 3, 2011 7:01 am

Indy2thaWindy wrote:Whatever George Hill doesn't get at point guard. Won't happen tho.

IMO, he should get all of Collison's minutes.

Does that mean that he probably won't be seeing much of any minutes at all? I don't get it, he has probably the most potential beside George, they should at least play him to find out what they got

Post #4 » by **Miller4ever** » Sat Dec 3, 2011 7:02 am

If he's improved in the areas he needs to improve in over the summer, he can get 12 minutes in the opener.

I see him playing spot minutes at first, and it can go up to 15-20 maximum.

Personally I'd like to see Darren Collison do well, but I feel like I'm in the minority.

Indy2thaWindy · Post #5 » by **Indy2thaWindy** » Sat Dec 3, 2011 7:35 am

Miller4ever wrote:Personally I'd like to see Darren Collison do well, but I feel like I'm in the minority.

I'd say that's the opinion of most on here.

I think I'm the only one who sees him as an undersized player who can't defend or pass and the only time he can penetrate is off of a screen.

Not to mention how clutch he is. /green

I'd say your in the majority around here. I'd like him to do well, I just don't see it tho.

Post #6 » by **Miller4ever** » Sat Dec 3, 2011 8:38 am

I think you focus too much on Collison's negatives and not enough on Stephenson's drawbacks. The attitude and defensive commitment and low basketball IQ of Stephenson are all fixable problems, but there are reasons he was sent back to the end of the bench, plus the team wasn't meshing with him.

I think they are both great players for the value we gave up for them. One, obviously a 2nd rounder, and the other was Troy Murphy. Collison's strength didn't get utilized during Obie's stay, and he shot it a lot better after the all-star break. He definitely falls short in the areas you mentioned, although I think it's unfair to say he can't pass.

Pacersike · Post #7 » by **Pacersike** » Sat Dec 3, 2011 8:47 am

Indy2thaWindy wrote:
Miller4ever wrote:Personally I'd like to see Darren Collison do well, but I feel like I'm in the minority.

I'd say that's the opinion of most on here.

I think I'm the only one who sees him as an undersized player who can't defend or pass and the only time he can penetrate is off of a screen.

Not to mention how clutch he is. /green

I'd say your in the majority around here. I'd like him to do well, I just don't see it tho.

Why would you be the only one?

It is all true, just a little exaggerated.
He doesn't suck, but his passing, penetration and ballhandling skills aren't anything special on NBA level.

Most folks hope he can improve on them, but I have my doubts.

Lance Stephenson should be given plenty of minutes in preseason game(s) against the Bulls, definitely in the final quarter(s).

basketballwacko2 · Post #8 » by **basketballwacko2** » Sat Dec 3, 2011 1:26 pm

I don't see Lance playing much but I think he has a lot of Potential with Collison and George Hill and all the guards we have he's gonna have to really stand out to get minutes.

8305 · Post #9 » by **8305** » Sat Dec 3, 2011 3:16 pm

No getting around Lance's unique talents. I remain intrigued with Lance as a point guard. Having a guy like George Hill who can defend the point and play off the ball creates a better potential for Lance to get on the floor without killing us at the defensive end. If we add a Jamal Crawford I don't see any minutes for Lance. Pacers would have too much invested in five others who would play at positions 1,2 and 3.

The other issue is the immaturity he has shown as a young player. More times than not guys like Lance don't figure it out and if they do it takes several years for them to realize how they have to change to be successful. Five years removed from when we drafted him Shawne Williams looks like he might be getting it. For this type player part of the process typically involves being cut by several NBA teams and the resulting time in the basketball hinterlands.

Despite Larry's high praise of Stephenson's talents I will be surprised if he ever make much of an impact on the Pacers.

Wizop · Post #10 » by **Wizop** » Tue Dec 6, 2011 3:50 pm

I saw Lance at the draft and he looked like a different person. Much trimmer. He'd obviously been working out hard. We can only hope he continued that through the lock out.

I'm told that last year he reacted with F-bombs whenever coaches or players suggested anything. there was even a locker room fight when another player laughed when Lance said he was the best player to ever come out of NYC. a short training camp isn't going to help him regain his credibility so if this is a fantasy question you might want to draft him in a keeper league but you wouldn't want to start him early in the year.

8points8seconds · Post #11 » by **8points8seconds** » Tue Dec 6, 2011 9:56 pm

If Lance behaves and is a good teammate he definitely needs playing time. Even if it means 5 to 10me mins a night to begin with. It makes no sense to have him rot at the end of the bench. I still believe in Lance.

Post #12 » by **Scoot McGroot** » Wed Dec 7, 2011 2:49 am

It's never been about talent with Lance, and it never will be about talent. However, he's going to ruin any chance he has if he can't clear his attitude and fit in a team concept.

moximus · Post #13 » by **moximus** » Wed Dec 7, 2011 3:09 am

I am a big believer in Lance. I know he made some mistakes but he really did make an effort to better himself this offseason by:
- staying in Indiana during the lockout instead of going back to NYC (avoiding bad influence),
- being the only Pacers showed up at the Fan United Night during lockout (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXqLqbNDUtY),
- and being the first to head to the Pacers gym when lockout is lifted.

I know these are small steps but they are nonetheless steps taken by a very young man who never really had strong accountability or proper coaching. Let's give him 15-20 min a night, I know he will be something special in this league, as you can see here

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya7TVofklMk[/youtube]

chube · Post #14 » by **chube** » Wed Dec 7, 2011 5:08 am

Lance is exactly why I wasn't all that thrilled about the Jamal Crawford rumors. Crawford is a nice scorer but a liability on defense, and 32 years old. Basically an older and, yes, more proven version of Lance. But with Lance's potential, plus the safety net we have with an abundance of players at the 1/2 (Collison, George, Hill, Rush, Dahntay) already, we don't need another wing player, especially considering that player would eat into the minutes for guys like Lance and Dahntay.

Post #15 » by **Grang33r** » Wed Dec 7, 2011 5:15 am

Scoot McGroot wrote:It's never been about talent with Lance, and it never will be about talent. However, he's going to ruin any chance he has if he can't clear his attitude and fit in a team concept.

Right. His true test hasn't even come yet. We'll see what he is truly made out of inside when he first gets a taste of success at the highest level and has the type of "star" feeling.... then we'll see if he remains on course and try to better his career or if he will go with the wrong crowd. From all i've heard so far, he's been in Indianapolis most of the summer working very hard. Waking up early to go play ball and hit the gym, which shows he's not going out at night at all. Maybe he changed? But like i said, once he gets that success, we'll see how he deals with it.

Post #16 » by **Scoot McGroot** » Wed Dec 7, 2011 5:22 pm

My hope is that he makes nice with his teammates, and works hard this season, earning up to 15 minutes a night, and looks like he's poised for a monster breakout season the next year. Then, we trade him for value.

I have a feeling that even if he "puts it all together", it will be the same way that Stephen Jackson did in San Antonio, knowing that an even worse blow up is coming once they get a taste of stardom. I want him to do that elsewhere.