Official D'Angelo Russell Thread

[Roy Tarpley]

Russell isn't without flaws, both in character and in skill. What we're hoping is that he gets to improve in both areas in this environment and I genuinely believe that he will.

I agree that we should give him a clean slate and give him a fair chance, afterall he's going to be here for awhile and is the future of this team.

He deserves more than a fair chance but we need to stop acting like he's some juvenile delinquent or ex-con. The only flaws I care for us to fix is on the court stuff like his efficiency and defense. He's a kid that will learn about life which will make him mature on his own time off the court. My experiences at 21 forced me to grow up faster.

It's a little annoying reading these posts all over about his character being poor when this is the same franchise that had a guy by the name of J-Kidd who used to beat his wife. He wasn't 21 either.

Lance Stephenson didn't even get nearly this much attention for pushing his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs before his rookie season. He apologized and suddenly all is forgotten. Stephenson was supposedly an awful locker room cancer after the Pacers traded for Evan Turner. Yet, he was brought back to Indiana.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Yeah. Dude recorded a known moron bragging about cheating on his girlfriend and stupidly uploaded it. Immature and foolish, but not a criminal act.

Guys put more stock into him being a snitch than the actions of a man who slapped his wife in the face in front of his child. That speaks volumes to me.

This kid gets a clean slate here...for every post I read about his "poor character" I cringe. He's not a criminal, nor should he be treated like one.

I agree. It's just that when Marks and Atkinson have based the entire Nets turnaround on culture and character, even the slightest blemish raises eyebrows. It's not that Russell is some bad seed, it's just that the bar has been set so high with the current cast.

All of this will be irrelevant once some people get it out of their system.

[Claud]

D-Lo and Caris will be wrecking the NBA very soon...very skilled young players.

[MrDollarBills]

He deserves more than a fair chance but we need to stop acting like he's some juvenile delinquent or ex-con. The only flaws I care for us to fix is on the court stuff like his efficiency and defense. He's a kid that will learn about life which will make him mature on his own time off the court. My experiences at 21 forced me to grow up faster.

It's a little annoying reading these posts all over about his character being poor when this is the same franchise that had a guy by the name of J-Kidd who used to beat his wife. He wasn't 21 either.

Lance Stephenson didn't even get nearly this much attention for pushing his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs before his rookie season. He apologized and suddenly all is forgotten. Stephenson was supposedly an awful locker room cancer after the Pacers traded for Evan Turner. Yet, he was brought back to Indiana.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Yeah. Dude recorded a known moron bragging about cheating on his girlfriend and stupidly uploaded it. Immature and foolish, but not a criminal act.

Guys put more stock into him being a snitch than the actions of a man who slapped his wife in the face in front of his child. That speaks volumes to me.

This kid gets a clean slate here...for every post I read about his "poor character" I cringe. He's not a criminal, nor should he be treated like one.

I agree. It's just that when Marks and Atkinson have based the entire Nets turnaround on culture and character, even the slightest blemish raises eyebrows. It's not that Russell is some bad seed, it's just that the bar has been set so high with the current cast.

All of this will be irrelevant once some people get it out of their system.

Agreed.

[NyCeEvO]

Go back and look at clips of him at OSU. He showed way more poise and discretion under Thad Matta. As a rookie, you'd hope to come in and learn how to play at the NBA level. Russell came into the league and the only thing Byron cared about what was making sure Kobe went out in style.

I don't want all of his quick trigger-ness to leave because it can be good when used with a bit more restraint and discipline. I think Kenny will push him to find the right balance.

After watched his highlights from college, I'd say after he was drafted into the NBA, his defender are bigger and quicker, he lost his reletive quickness. And his shot selection basically the same. Back then he already chose to shoot over a lot of guys. I guess the difference is the percentage he made it.

I'm not going to argue debate whether chucking shots is hardwired to Russell's DNA as if he can't improve upon it.

Yes, NBA defenders are bigger and quicker. But Russell wasn't throwing up shots because he couldn't get to the spaces that he wanted to get to. He was shooting because he was 1) confident in his shot and 2) played without much direction and instruction for 2 years.

I'm going to wait until he plays about 4 seasons in the league before permanently labeling what he can and can't do.

I disagree with this wholeheartedly.

There are countless drills and exercises specifically for increasing your speed, explosiveness, and agility. No one is saying that you'll become John Wall but you can definitely become faster, stronger, and more explosive.

Heck, there are guys who rehab from injuries who are actually more explosive post-operation than pre-op because they never focused on building up strength for their now injured muscle prior to the injury.

I've even done this stuff and have seen the improvements.

Anybody can become slightly quicker, slightly more explosive through training and practicing, the problem is by how much?

Let's comparing LeVert and Russell. LeVert was drafted into the league one year later than Russell, and his strength isn't in his advantages, but you can see his quickness is there, which can't be found on Russell. Their reaction time and muscle type aren't the same.
I don't think Russell could improve his quickness much through training, just like I don't think Kawhi Leonard could improve his quickness much.[/quote]
A Russell-Levert comparison does not address the specific issue that I'm talking about. The Levert-Russell comparison is only addressing your point about genetics, which I'm not contesting.

I'm talking about the fact that players and athletes can actually improve their natural athleticism marginally through exercise, drills, and training.

And I'm not talking about him turning into Michael Jordan or LBJ. I'm talking about him being just a tad quicker and jumping a tad higher.

Basketball is a game of milliseconds and inches. If you have a slow release, a defender has more time to impede your line of sight of the basket. If they have longer arms, a 1" difference between you and your defender can be all that it takes for you as a shooter to feel like your shot is being challenged and thus change the form and trajectory of your shot.

Improvement even to the smallest degrees matter. I don't need Russell to be jumping from the free throw line. I just want him to trying to improve and take care of his body in the best way possible because the smallest things can create a big difference in game.

[NyCeEvO]

Russell isn't without flaws, both in character and in skill. What we're hoping is that he gets to improve in both areas in this environment and I genuinely believe that he will.

I agree that we should give him a clean slate and give him a fair chance, afterall he's going to be here for awhile and is the future of this team.

He deserves more than a fair chance but we need to stop acting like he's some juvenile delinquent or ex-con. The only flaws I care for us to fix is on the court stuff like his efficiency and defense. He's a kid that will learn about life which will make him mature on his own time off the court. My experiences at 21 forced me to grow up faster.

It's a little annoying reading these posts all over about his character being poor when this is the same franchise that had a guy by the name of J-Kidd who used to beat his wife. He wasn't 21 either.

Lance Stephenson didn't even get nearly this much attention for pushing his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs before his rookie season. He apologized and suddenly all is forgotten. Stephenson was supposedly an awful locker room cancer after the Pacers traded for Evan Turner. Yet, he was brought back to Indiana.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Yeah. Dude recorded a known moron bragging about cheating on his girlfriend and stupidly uploaded it. Immature and foolish, but not a criminal act.

Guys put more stock into him being a snitch than the actions of a man who slapped his wife in the face in front of his child. That speaks volumes to me.

This kid gets a clean slate here...for every post I read about his "poor character" I cringe. He's not a criminal, nor should he be treated like one.

Correction: She was his fiancee at the time.

[steady]

I guess Metta World Peace believes in Russell....

Read on Twitter

Those kind of opinions should really help the Nets in free agency

[MrDollarBills]

He deserves more than a fair chance but we need to stop acting like he's some juvenile delinquent or ex-con. The only flaws I care for us to fix is on the court stuff like his efficiency and defense. He's a kid that will learn about life which will make him mature on his own time off the court. My experiences at 21 forced me to grow up faster.

It's a little annoying reading these posts all over about his character being poor when this is the same franchise that had a guy by the name of J-Kidd who used to beat his wife. He wasn't 21 either.

Lance Stephenson didn't even get nearly this much attention for pushing his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs before his rookie season. He apologized and suddenly all is forgotten. Stephenson was supposedly an awful locker room cancer after the Pacers traded for Evan Turner. Yet, he was brought back to Indiana.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Yeah. Dude recorded a known moron bragging about cheating on his girlfriend and stupidly uploaded it. Immature and foolish, but not a criminal act.

Guys put more stock into him being a snitch than the actions of a man who slapped his wife in the face in front of his child. That speaks volumes to me.

This kid gets a clean slate here...for every post I read about his "poor character" I cringe. He's not a criminal, nor should he be treated like one.

Correction: She was his fiancee at the time.

I stand corrected.

she also has a body that can stop traffic, but I don't judge people's relationship choices.

[MrDollarBills]

And I'm not talking about him turning into Michael Jordan or LBJ. I'm talking about him being just a tad quicker and jumping a tad higher.

Basketball is a game of milliseconds and inches. If you have a slow release, a defender has more time to impede your line of sight of the basket. If they have longer arms, a 1" difference between you and your defender can be all that it takes for you as a shooter to feel like your shot is being challenged and thus change the form and trajectory of your shot.

Improvement even to the smallest degrees matter. I don't need Russell to be jumping from the free throw line. I just want him to trying to improve and take care of his body in the best way possible because the smallest things can create a big difference in game.

Honestly, Russell being a better team defender is more important to me. Rotation, hustling to cover space, being aggressive versus a screen, knowing where to be on the floor on defense, having active hands in the passing lane helps the team more than anything else. These are things that require effort and preparation more than anything else.

[Paradise]

Russell isn't without flaws, both in character and in skill. What we're hoping is that he gets to improve in both areas in this environment and I genuinely believe that he will.

I agree that we should give him a clean slate and give him a fair chance, afterall he's going to be here for awhile and is the future of this team.

He deserves more than a fair chance but we need to stop acting like he's some juvenile delinquent or ex-con. The only flaws I care for us to fix is on the court stuff like his efficiency and defense. He's a kid that will learn about life which will make him mature on his own time off the court. My experiences at 21 forced me to grow up faster.

It's a little annoying reading these posts all over about his character being poor when this is the same franchise that had a guy by the name of J-Kidd who used to beat his wife. He wasn't 21 either.

Lance Stephenson didn't even get nearly this much attention for pushing his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs before his rookie season. He apologized and suddenly all is forgotten. Stephenson was supposedly an awful locker room cancer after the Pacers traded for Evan Turner. Yet, he was brought back to Indiana.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Yeah. Dude recorded a known moron bragging about cheating on his girlfriend and stupidly uploaded it. Immature and foolish, but not a criminal act.

Guys put more stock into him being a snitch than the actions of a man who slapped his wife in the face in front of his child. That speaks volumes to me.

This kid gets a clean slate here...for every post I read about his "poor character" I cringe. He's not a criminal, nor should he be treated like one.

That's the sad reality of this ass-backwards generation. I was shocked to see how many people still care about that like if it's a moral code and the cheating part wasn't one either. Once you cheat, everything is fair game. That's life. You can't be mad if I hit you with a baseball bat after you hit me with brace knuckles.

Dating back to that situation, I never understood why Nick Young got a pass. I think any grown ass man knows that they shouldn't be discussing that topic of conversation after being engaged unless it's past tense childhood flings. Russell was wrong for sneakily uploading it as a prank but Young was just as stupid in that situation.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

[steady]

I honestly thought about that too. But if that came, solid comparison?

There may be a better comparison out there, I'd have to think about it... I watched some highlights of both during the lunch break and one of the things that's noticeable when comparing the two players is that Gilbert, like most elite players, tended to attack the basket in a straight line fashion (and that's probably one of the reasons why he averaged more free throws).

Russell is a bit more methodical and isn't necessarily driving to basket thinking "I'm going to go all the way or get contact". That's both good and bad - as while the upside with this approach is that D'Angelo is probably less susceptible to the devastating knee injuries that guys like Steve Francis, Gilbert Arenas and Derrick Rose had the downside is that if he can't improve his trips to the line he'll have to become a 37%+ volume three-point shooter (which I think he's capable of) in order to be a true #1 option.

The other difference between the two - and I may be being preemptive here is that I think Russell has a much better feel for the game as a passer. Gilbert had legitimate passing skills but his mentality was always to shoot first, shoot second, and shoot third. Gilbert was one of those guys who "got a lot of assists" simply because he had the ball at all times when on the court.

Russell isn't Ricky Rubio but he seems to have a tremendous feel for the game and is already able to execute advanced passes in traffic.

(Now with all that being said in terms of swagger the comparison still stands )

This is a good post. The only thing I would add as far as Gil, he had one of the quickest first steps I've ever seen. It might be the quickest.

Right, and this is one of the reasons DAR is probably not as good diving to basket, finishing at rim or getting to FT line. But he can be better than he has been, and I think Kenny will work on this

[Claud]

Must find a way to get rid of Nicholson/Hamilton. Ibeh and Cliff Alexander are much better.

[vincecarter4pres]

There may be a better comparison out there, I'd have to think about it... I watched some highlights of both during the lunch break and one of the things that's noticeable when comparing the two players is that Gilbert, like most elite players, tended to attack the basket in a straight line fashion (and that's probably one of the reasons why he averaged more free throws).

Russell is a bit more methodical and isn't necessarily driving to basket thinking "I'm going to go all the way or get contact". That's both good and bad - as while the upside with this approach is that D'Angelo is probably less susceptible to the devastating knee injuries that guys like Steve Francis, Gilbert Arenas and Derrick Rose had the downside is that if he can't improve his trips to the line he'll have to become a 37%+ volume three-point shooter (which I think he's capable of) in order to be a true #1 option.

The other difference between the two - and I may be being preemptive here is that I think Russell has a much better feel for the game as a passer. Gilbert had legitimate passing skills but his mentality was always to shoot first, shoot second, and shoot third. Gilbert was one of those guys who "got a lot of assists" simply because he had the ball at all times when on the court.

Russell isn't Ricky Rubio but he seems to have a tremendous feel for the game and is already able to execute advanced passes in traffic.

(Now with all that being said in terms of swagger the comparison still stands )

This is a good post. The only thing I would add as far as Gil, he had one of the quickest first steps I've ever seen. It might be the quickest.

Right, and this is one of the reasons DAR is probably not as good diving to basket, finishing at rim or getting to FT line. But he can be better than he has been, and I think Kenny will work on this

I'd bank on Russell vastly improving in the next 3 seasons starting this year.

[NyCeEvO]

He deserves more than a fair chance but we need to stop acting like he's some juvenile delinquent or ex-con. The only flaws I care for us to fix is on the court stuff like his efficiency and defense. He's a kid that will learn about life which will make him mature on his own time off the court. My experiences at 21 forced me to grow up faster.

It's a little annoying reading these posts all over about his character being poor when this is the same franchise that had a guy by the name of J-Kidd who used to beat his wife. He wasn't 21 either.

Lance Stephenson didn't even get nearly this much attention for pushing his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs before his rookie season. He apologized and suddenly all is forgotten. Stephenson was supposedly an awful locker room cancer after the Pacers traded for Evan Turner. Yet, he was brought back to Indiana.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Yeah. Dude recorded a known moron bragging about cheating on his girlfriend and stupidly uploaded it. Immature and foolish, but not a criminal act.

Guys put more stock into him being a snitch than the actions of a man who slapped his wife in the face in front of his child. That speaks volumes to me.

This kid gets a clean slate here...for every post I read about his "poor character" I cringe. He's not a criminal, nor should he be treated like one.

That's the sad reality of this ass-backwards generation. I was shocked to see how many people still care about that like if it's a moral code and the cheating part wasn't one either. Once you cheat, everything is fair game. That's life. You can't be mad if I hit you with a baseball bat after you hit me with brace knuckles.

Dating back to that situation, I never understood why Nick Young got a pass. I think any grown ass man knows that they shouldn't be discussing that topic of conversation after being engaged unless it's past tense childhood flings. Russell was wrong for sneakily uploading it as a prank but Young was just as stupid in that situation.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Because a lot of guys want to (or wish they could) have relations with multiple women concurrently. In a sense, Young was looked at as a cool guy for doing what he was doing. Sadly, we're still living in a world where women are often thought of as accessory pieces and second class citizens than equal partners during equal rights and treatment.

[NyCeEvO]

Yeah. Dude recorded a known moron bragging about cheating on his girlfriend and stupidly uploaded it. Immature and foolish, but not a criminal act.

Guys put more stock into him being a snitch than the actions of a man who slapped his wife in the face in front of his child. That speaks volumes to me.

This kid gets a clean slate here...for every post I read about his "poor character" I cringe. He's not a criminal, nor should he be treated like one.

Correction: She was his fiancee at the time.

I stand corrected.

she also has a body that can stop traffic, but I don't judge people's relationship choices.

I just meant that it's worse because he was supposedly committing himself to her while knowing that he wasn't going to do it.

If you're not trying to commit, don't; or else you're opening yourself up to a ton of trouble.

[Karate Diop]

This is a good post. The only thing I would add as far as Gil, he had one of the quickest first steps I've ever seen. It might be the quickest.

Right, and this is one of the reasons DAR is probably not as good diving to basket, finishing at rim or getting to FT line. But he can be better than he has been, and I think Kenny will work on this

I'd bank on Russell vastly improving in the next 3 seasons starting this year.

I hope so, but like I said before the most telling thing with Russell will be what shape he reports to camp in this year.

Russell wasn't Chris Childs out there but he could stand to get a bit leaner (based on where he was last year at least)...

[Paradise]

Yeah. Dude recorded a known moron bragging about cheating on his girlfriend and stupidly uploaded it. Immature and foolish, but not a criminal act.

Guys put more stock into him being a snitch than the actions of a man who slapped his wife in the face in front of his child. That speaks volumes to me.

This kid gets a clean slate here...for every post I read about his "poor character" I cringe. He's not a criminal, nor should he be treated like one.

That's the sad reality of this ass-backwards generation. I was shocked to see how many people still care about that like if it's a moral code and the cheating part wasn't one either. Once you cheat, everything is fair game. That's life. You can't be mad if I hit you with a baseball bat after you hit me with brace knuckles.

Dating back to that situation, I never understood why Nick Young got a pass. I think any grown ass man knows that they shouldn't be discussing that topic of conversation after being engaged unless it's past tense childhood flings. Russell was wrong for sneakily uploading it as a prank but Young was just as stupid in that situation.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Because a lot of guys want to (or wish they could) have relations with multiple women concurrently. In a sense, Young was looked at as a cool guy for doing what he was doing. Sadly, we're still living in a world where women are often thought of as accessory pieces and second class citizens than equal partners during equal rights and treatment.

It's garbage like this that helps push that agenda and narrative of accepting and glorifying clowns like Nick Young.

Watch on YouTube

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

[antique0o0]

Yes, NBA defenders are bigger and quicker. But Russell wasn't throwing up shots because he couldn't get to the spaces that he wanted to get to. He was shooting because he was 1) confident in his shot and 2) played without much direction and instruction for 2 years.

I'm going to wait until he plays about 4 seasons in the league before permanently labeling what he can and can't do.

He can shoot. There's no doubt about that. His shot percentage can be better with better choice. What I said was his shot selection is releated to his playing style.
His first season was chaos.
However, the lakers' playing style in his second year suits him well, IMO. Maybe after the new season started, Atkinson may arrange similar plays for him.

Basketball is a game of milliseconds and inches.

Improvement even to the smallest degrees matter. I don't need Russell to be jumping from the free throw line. I just want him to trying to improve and take care of his body in the best way possible because the smallest things can create a big difference in game.

I'm talking training could only help little on quickness, not enough to change his game.
I don't expect him improving his quickness, just like I didn't expect Bojan improving his defense and RHJ improving his long range shot.
Over last two years, maybe RHJ's shooting improved. After all, he never stopped practicing, but was that improvement big enough to change his game? No.
LeVert building up his body is way more possible than the things I said above. And to me, LeVert gaining muscle isn't easy.

I don't know what kind of player he will become.
Nets give him a chance to find that out.

[MrDollarBills]

He deserves more than a fair chance but we need to stop acting like he's some juvenile delinquent or ex-con. The only flaws I care for us to fix is on the court stuff like his efficiency and defense. He's a kid that will learn about life which will make him mature on his own time off the court. My experiences at 21 forced me to grow up faster.

It's a little annoying reading these posts all over about his character being poor when this is the same franchise that had a guy by the name of J-Kidd who used to beat his wife. He wasn't 21 either.

Lance Stephenson didn't even get nearly this much attention for pushing his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs before his rookie season. He apologized and suddenly all is forgotten. Stephenson was supposedly an awful locker room cancer after the Pacers traded for Evan Turner. Yet, he was brought back to Indiana.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Yeah. Dude recorded a known moron bragging about cheating on his girlfriend and stupidly uploaded it. Immature and foolish, but not a criminal act.

Guys put more stock into him being a snitch than the actions of a man who slapped his wife in the face in front of his child. That speaks volumes to me.

This kid gets a clean slate here...for every post I read about his "poor character" I cringe. He's not a criminal, nor should he be treated like one.

That's the sad reality of this ass-backwards generation. I was shocked to see how many people still care about that like if it's a moral code and the cheating part wasn't one either. Once you cheat, everything is fair game. That's life. You can't be mad if I hit you with a baseball bat after you hit me with brace knuckles.

Dating back to that situation, I never understood why Nick Young got a pass. I think any grown ass man knows that they shouldn't be discussing that topic of conversation after being engaged unless it's past tense childhood flings. Russell was wrong for sneakily uploading it as a prank but Young was just as stupid in that situation.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Both of them were wrong, don't get me wrong. I'm not going to hold it over the dude's head forever for doing something young and dumb

[MrDollarBills]

Correction: She was his fiancee at the time.

I stand corrected.

she also has a body that can stop traffic, but I don't judge people's relationship choices.

I just meant that it's worse because he was supposedly committing himself to her while knowing that he wasn't going to do it.

If you're not trying to commit, don't; or else you're opening yourself up to a ton of trouble.

The guy was 30 years old at the time bragging about banging a 19 year old. He's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer.

That's another reason why I don't care really...Nick Young is a dirt bag. So a 19 year old kid snitched on him....boo hoo. When D'Angelo gets arrested for knocking out his girlfriend or gets pulled over and blows a BAC that would make Vin Baker blush, then we can talk about "character".

[MrDollarBills]

That's the sad reality of this ass-backwards generation. I was shocked to see how many people still care about that like if it's a moral code and the cheating part wasn't one either. Once you cheat, everything is fair game. That's life. You can't be mad if I hit you with a baseball bat after you hit me with brace knuckles.

Dating back to that situation, I never understood why Nick Young got a pass. I think any grown ass man knows that they shouldn't be discussing that topic of conversation after being engaged unless it's past tense childhood flings. Russell was wrong for sneakily uploading it as a prank but Young was just as stupid in that situation.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Because a lot of guys want to (or wish they could) have relations with multiple women concurrently. In a sense, Young was looked at as a cool guy for doing what he was doing. Sadly, we're still living in a world where women are often thought of as accessory pieces and second class citizens than equal partners during equal rights and treatment.

It's garbage like this that helps push that agenda and narrative of accepting and glorifying clowns like Nick Young.

Watch on YouTube

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Oh look, ESPN found another professional **** stirrer to replace skip bayless. Yes, lets make a mountain out of a molehill.

Cassidy Hubbarth is being wasted on that garbage show.