Induveca wrote:stevemcqueen1 wrote:Induveca wrote:I am most certainly selling Porter short at this point. In not limited, but DECENT minutes he was complete garbage. He needs to prove his worth to the franchise and fans, and QUICKLY. I'd give him more slack, but he's not Andre Drummond he's an anorexic, not overly athletic wing player with a questionable shot.
I pray he lives up to whatever potential others have seen. I don't live in DC, so I get zero chance/desire to watch GU. From the highlights I've seen from him in college, I don't see his game translating to the NBA. Again, obviously as a fan I truly hope I'm wrong.
Otto Porter never played decent minutes. He played 319 minutes. 8.7 minutes per game in 37 games. That's absolutely nothing.
Steve, I respect and back your hope. But you've been hyping the guy since he was drafted. All of us need to see results prior to prediction. As I stated, let us see what he can do......until then he's a bust.
No doubt. All available evidence suggests he's a massive bust, and amongst us who hated the idea of drafting him, including me, I don't think anyone expected him to be quite this bad. Most of us who hated the idea of drafting him, hated it because he was a low ceiling guy, with a moderately high floor, as far as we could tell. Smart, outstanding work habits, and great mental make up suggested at worst, he should be a solid role player, rotational guy.
Instead he was horrific.
Now the only points on Steve's side, and I'm fully willing to give Porter these allowances are:
1. He missed the entire offseason other than perhaps a week or so, including all but what, one summer league game, all of training camp/preseason, all preseason games, and about the first six weeks of the regular season.
Generally speaking, when players miss their offseason as rookies, they never get back into a groove. It's a crucial time where players mentally and physically work themselves into what it means to be a professional. Porter got none of that.
2. With all the signings, there was very little playing time for a rookie at Porter's position, and the coach, management and ownership had historically prioritized veterans over rookies, were doing this to an even greater degree in a "make the playoffs or you're fired" scenario.
3. Porter had to work himself into fitness during the season, rather than stay fit during the offseason.
All of these things put him behind the 8 ball, and really were harmful to his development.
However, he isn't the only player to have struggled through problems going into and during their rookie season, and the examples of players that overcame them and became stars or very good, after having as many struggles as Porter are few and far between.
Lastly, Porter NEVER looked the part w/the exception of what, one game, when basically the league was starting to rest guys for the playoffs anyway.
He may turn it around, and I find it hard to believe that he could be this bad, period, but what he's been has underlined one of the many reasons why it was absolutely criminally stupid to draft a player with role player upside at best at #3. That is what incompetent, low expectation franchises do, when they aren't prioritizing the right things, and think their fans are idiots.
It's one thing, if you're like Steve, and fundamentally believed Porter was the best, or 2nd best prospect in the draft, then, even if I think you're evaluation skills in this instance, are basically taking a temporary hike and getting loaded in a Tijuana Bar, at least the foundation of the actions your taking is premised on sound reasoning.
If you're taking a guy at 3 simply because he's the most likely to be able to plug and play in your view, and that's all you care about? Then you are a criminally stupid, self-interested moron who should be fired immediately.
Unfortunately Leonsis is even stupider than EG, which allows EG to get away with this bollocks.
