OT: Daily Thoughts

[The Rebel]

It is well known that Asik is wanting out of Houston, and from what a friend just told me there are rumors that Motiejunas's European agent is saying they want a trade as well.

2 things about that, Houston has acquired a ton of young players with the goal to eventually acquire their 2 or 3 superstars, now these players are getting upset as they are being forced to the bench and not given minutes, creating what appears to be a developing problem in the lockerroom. Makes me wonder if it is only a matter of time before Nuggets players get pissed, they are losing minutes to journeymen, in Houston at least they are losing minutes to a star.

Also is Howard a cancer or are these guys just not liking to be buried on the bench? usually I would say it was the later, but with Howard's problems the last couple of years I am left wondering.

[cold_cowboy]

It is well known that Asik is wanting out of Houston, and from what a friend just told me there are rumors that Motiejunas's European agent is saying they want a trade as well.

2 things about that, Houston has acquired a ton of young players with the goal to eventually acquire their 2 or 3 superstars, now these players are getting upset as they are being forced to the bench and not given minutes, creating what appears to be a developing problem in the lockerroom. Makes me wonder if it is only a matter of time before Nuggets players get pissed, they are losing minutes to journeymen, in Houston at least they are losing minutes to a star.

Also is Howard a cancer or are these guys just not liking to be buried on the bench? usually I would say it was the later, but with Howard's problems the last couple of years I am left wondering.

being lithuanian and following the rockets these past few seasons i can give a little insight into this.

personally, i don't like howard's personality. from what the media covered in his recruitment to the rockets, all the interviews from him, from future teammates, from coaches and staff gave a general vision that him joining the rockets will automatically produce 10-game winning streaks, unstoppable offensive and defensive team prowess, etc. obviously it hasn't been a smooth transition as everybody expected, i pegged them to be top 3 in the west easily before the season start. whether that slow start contributes solely to howard's personality i think is reasonably fair to say.

watch any of the rockets games against a solid team and you'll see him waving his arms on nearly every play that doesn't go his way. he lacks focus, his ego and the superstar persona takes over which leads to disruptions on court. i didn't watch a lot of games of him as a laker and i'm not sure how much he hissed at pau or kobe, the two veterans who both are champions, but as the rockets have none of those, he doesn't hide his dissatisfaction on the court. let me make it clear that i crave players who show emotions, but for howard it's largely weighed on the negative side of the scale. and it's not like it's constructive criticism. anybody who watches this sport has probably developed some faint lip-reading skills and from what i've seen come from dwight's mouth have been the typical downer lines like, "come on man!" or "you gotta do (blank) man!" or "you gotta be kidding me!" regardless if it's his fault, rarely does he try to reflect on what just happened and instead tries to be smarter than everybody else.

taking a look at his behavior throughout his whole career and comparing it to the one "X" factor (if you wish to call it that) that all those previous champions have as the #1 options, lebron, kobe, dirk, paul pierce, billups, wade, duncan, parker, and seeing whether howard does share with those players that variable, in my opinion he doesn't have it.

here are a few blatant examples of howard's ego:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb3xgyauDWk[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYOOuyoPh9o[/youtube]

to shorten this up, i'll only say that asik was an extremely important part in last years rockets season success. he was really the only guy who played consistent defense throughout the year. he was truly the one player that i can say gave 100% every single practice (as far as i saw) and every single game. to be demoted like this is truly a slap in the face. i get all that 'it's a business' rhetoric, but that doesn't justify this particular situation in my book. i think he has every right to be angry.

motiejunas' case is a bit less dramatic. basically he's a 7' power-forward who's a bit more of a project than terrance jones (the current starting pf) is, who's playing really well this season. motiejunas doesn't fit well with the starting group as he is a natural scorer and with mchale's strong passion for small ball, he rarely is let out from the bench. he played on the lithuanian's team this summer winning the silver in the european championships, he's a very talented offensive player, subpar defender and rebounder, great passer for his size, still not very consistent, although i'd say his work-ethic and outlook will pay off once he either gets traded or leaves by himself.

[cold_cowboy]

just one more thing, i do think that it should be undisputed that howard is the best center in this league.

[pickaxe]

Well, he can be the best and still be a cancer. One of the greatest big man skills is boxing out and not letting the post get the ball. When this extends to bumping your own guys out of the way Howard comes across as very low class for someone touted as 'superman' ........

The superstars who are cancers basically the idea is this .......they are built up early on before even gaining any real success. Team USA.....awesome, but the team was loaded so it wasn't a real challenge. Then, he's superman, which is cute but probably not healthy for his ego. Then, he just gets to go to Houston when he can't take a good talking to from Kobe. Then you see this nonsense.

Kobe took Gasol, a gifted Center, and proved he could win a ring with the guy. Kobe never stole a rebound from Pau. Probably never acted in a demeaning manner toward him. With the right mental state Phil Jackson proved all it took was Kobe and a big man with skills.

Now Dwight wants to elbow, edge, and be territorial with the supporting cast of his own team. If he was a real man, he would just come out and say, "Look, I want to be the only Center. Those who play next to me must be subservient and never aggressively go after my rebounds. I need to stat-pad because I am superman and I am a legend. If my teams become disgruntled that is ok, so long as trading them was part of my legacy."

I really wish the NBA would have shrinks on hand and put all players, even superstars, through an ego-management class. A player conduct briefing is not good enough.

Ok so Chuck said these guys aren't role models. Well, owners need to say to the superstar: "Look, we'll pay you a competitive salary, but if you want premium dollars you must keep your ego in check. If you conduct yourself professionally, we'll pay you an extra 5 million."

I like my superstar to be dominant skill-wise, but also let the skills do the talking and nothing else. The professional thing to do in the first video is maybe say to your rebounding teammate, "Hey cmon man, be careful!" and head back down the floor. You're Dwight bleepin Howard, your words speak volumes if only you would act like a gentleman.

The second video Dwight's just acting like a schoolkid. He knows full well his guy is in position. What, he doesn't trust the guy enough to pull down a point blank rebound? Or is Dwight stat-padding.

I'll go with Dikembe Mutombo anyday. Forget Dwight. May Dwight fall in the great final battle.

[pickaxe]

Well, he can be the best and still be a cancer. One of the greatest big man skills is boxing out and not letting the post get the ball. When this extends to bumping your own guys out of the way Howard comes across as very low class for someone touted as 'superman' ........

The superstars who are cancers basically the idea is this .......they are built up early on before even gaining any real success. Team USA.....awesome, but the team was loaded so it wasn't a real challenge. Then, he's superman, which is cute but probably not healthy for his ego. Then, he just gets to go to Houston when he can't take a good talking to from Kobe. Then you see this nonsense.

Kobe took Gasol, a gifted Center, and proved he could win a ring with the guy. Kobe never stole a rebound from Pau. Probably never acted in a demeaning manner toward him. With the right mental state Phil Jackson proved all it took was Kobe and a big man with skills.

Now Dwight wants to elbow, edge, and be territorial with the supporting cast of his own team. If he was a real man, he would just come out and say, "Look, I want to be the only Center. Those who play next to me must be subservient and never aggressively go after my rebounds. I need to stat-pad because I am superman and I am a legend. If my teams become disgruntled that is ok, so long as trading them was part of my legacy."

I really wish the NBA would have shrinks on hand and put all players, even superstars, through an ego-management class. A player conduct briefing is not good enough.

Ok so Chuck said these guys aren't role models. Well, owners need to say to the superstar: "Look, we'll pay you a competitive salary, but if you want premium dollars you must keep your ego in check. If you conduct yourself professionally, we'll pay you an extra 5 million."

I like my superstar to be dominant skill-wise, but also let the skills do the talking and nothing else. The professional thing to do in the first video is maybe say to your rebounding teammate, "Hey cmon man, be careful!" and head back down the floor. You're Dwight bleepin Howard, your words speak volumes if only you would act like a gentleman.

The second video Dwight's just acting like a schoolkid. He knows full well his guy is in position. What, he doesn't trust the guy enough to pull down a point blank rebound? Or is Dwight stat-padding.

I'll go with Dikembe Mutombo anyday. Forget Dwight. May Dwight fall in the great final battle.

[eathb_au]

Right now, I think this team is kinda stuck and doesn't have much going for it to make significant changes to build a contender. There's lots of flaws and holes on the roster.

This team needs a starting SG in the worst possible way. Not just any starting SG, but one that can play defense (which is why I am on the Wiggins train rather than Parker for this team). I think our SF slot is fine at the moment, but it may change depending on if we re-sign Hamilton or not.

I think one of Faried/Hickson/Arthur need to go, Hickson is the worst defender of the 3 so it would be him if it were my choice. Any how, if the Knicks pick is not top 6, it's going to take a while more to rebuild.

[pickaxe]

Based on tonight's game it would be Hickson.

[RRFB]

Call me crazy, but if I had to pick between Faried and Hickson, I think I'd take Hickson. They're both pathetic defensively but Hickson has the more polished offensive game. At least Faried has a chance of getting something back in a trade.

I don't necessarily dislike Foye, but I don't understand why he's here. Fournier really needs those minutes right now.

[The Rebel]

The Nuggets need a starting SG and a starting Center, getting a rookie SG is not going to solve the problem, if anything it will just make the problem in the paint obvious.

Personally I would be looking to make a deal with the Bucks, somehow get Sanders or Henson, right now either one of them would be an upgrade on what we have in Denver. Then see if you can convince the Celtics to give you courtney Lee, he is the closest thing to a true D 3 guy as you are likely to get for the assets on hand.

I don't care if it cost the pick, or truth be told anybody on the roster outside of Lawson & possibly Gallo (as you are not going to get any value for him at this point anyways), you either have to fix the major holes you have now, or blow up the team. As we are quickly heading for a roster of journeymen with undeveloped young players who have no trade value and a slot working the treadmill.

[The Rebel]

Frei calling out Shaw, also a couple of quotes from Shaw that is really starting to make me wonder about him, I will post more thoughts on this later but have to head to a meeting in a few minutes.
http://www.denverpost.com/frei/ci_24778 ... what-brian

[Powder Blue]

Look at the pieces Shaw has to work with. I'm far from ready to give up on him. Clearly our style of play the last 7 years did not win come playoff time and a change was needed. Shaw deserves more than 30 games before judgement is passed on the changes he's trying to implement.

[The Rebel]

I will give you that the pieces are lacking especially with Gallinari out, but I will also say that it concerns me that he does not seem to be getting through to the players, I also do not like that he is getting mad about the guys throwing a football around a little after practice, add to that the comments sounding like he wants to turn Fournier into a spot up shooter, and I think Shaw may be a little over his head right now. Whether he can work through it or not is yet to be seen, but this team is not exactly exceeding expectations.

[Powder Blue]

I take some of those media reports with a grain of salt. Dempsey is better than Hochman but the post isn't always right, they kinda botched the Von Miller ACL story. I look at the way the Pacers are playing now and feel like Shaw contributed to that. I'm not sure that I'd consider a 14-12 record as Shaw not getting through to the players, be nice if the players knew how to hedge on screens and knock down shots.

[The Rebel]

Sanders may be available, but the more I watch this team the more I realize that Sanders is probably not the answer, he is too bad on offense, right now the Nuggets need another player or two that can create their own shots as well as defend.

http://msn.foxsports.com/ohio/story/nba ... ade-122313


Although I would still take him if the Nuggets could avoid giving up Lawson, Gallo, or faried.

[The Rebel]

According to the Chad Ford chat today the Suns have everybody outside of Bledsoe, they really want to tank, I wonder if it is posible to get Plumlee, dragic, and/or one of the Morris twins.

[GreenFor3]

According to the Chad Ford chat today the Suns have everybody outside of Bledsoe, they really want to tank, I wonder if it is posible to get Plumlee, dragic, and/or one of the Morris twins.

They don't want to tank. The GM said that he doesn't trust the ping pong balls and there have also been reports that they might trade for a star with their picks. Sanders is available and to the guy so said get Courtney Lee, you can have him, he just doesn't have a spot on the C's right now.

The article is on Yahoo.

Also as a C's fan, we need a center obviously, is JaValle worth his contract at all? Him and sanders are on similar contracts and I haven't seen enough of either to know who's better.

[The Rebel]

According to the Chad Ford chat today the Suns have everybody outside of Bledsoe, they really want to tank, I wonder if it is posible to get Plumlee, dragic, and/or one of the Morris twins.

They don't want to tank. The GM said that he doesn't trust the ping pong balls and there have also been reports that they might trade for a star with their picks. Sanders is available and to the guy so said get Courtney Lee, you can have him, he just doesn't have a spot on the C's right now.

The article is on Yahoo.

Also as a C's fan, we need a center obviously, is JaValle worth his contract at all? Him and sanders are on similar contracts and I haven't seen enough of either to know who's better.

The question is are any of these young bigs worth their 2nd contract? I do not think McGee or Sanders is really worth their contract, but for different reasons. McGee showed signs of finally developing last year, but he is still making dumb mistakes, and due to his asthma is limited in minutes he can play, especially at altitude. Sanders is a very limited offensive player, pretty much as bad as Asik, which puts his value at lower than $11 million per year, however it gets worse with sanders, the more I have looked into him the less I want the Nuggets to give up anything for him. He is currently out due to a bar fight, he has a couple of other minor off court issues, and reportedly a couple of fights with teammates in the lockerroom.

Personally I think Sanders is the better defensive presence but Javalle is not bad, Javalle is the better offensive player, but Javalle is dumb on and off the court, and Sanders seems to have anger issues.

As I said somewhere on this board, I would take Sanders but I do not think I would give up a whole lot to get him at this point.

[Powder Blue]

Good read on why the Nuggets have sucked this month....

http://www.denverstiffs.com/2013/12/26/ ... king-about


Sent from my iPad using RealGM Forums mobile app

[eathb_au]

This season will painful unless a game changing save is on the way.

I know some are banking on McGee and Gallinari returning, but truthfully, I don't expect much from McGee anymore and only consider his return an upgrade if he eats into Hickson's minutes (not Mozgov's). As for Gallo, most ACL guys suck for a year when they return from that injury and he will be on limited minutes, a wobbled 15-20 mpg Gallo can only do so much.

I guess the only thing to look forward to is the draft as the Knicks failure is more important than the Nuggets success this year. I really hope Faried is not extended with a $10M contract, I don't think TC can make anymore bad moves for this roster.

[The Rebel]

I agree the outside shooting is a problem, as I posted elsewhere it is hard to get on Lawson too much when the defense is allowed to pack the paint and dare the Nuggets to beat them from outside. When you have 1 guy shooting over 35% you have a problem, especially when your supposed designated floor spreading in the starting lineup is shooting a whopping 28%.

Although I would say that the interior defense is just as much of a cause of the problems, starting Mozgov will help that, but is he is starting with Hickson it is not going to be a dramatic difference.