vincecarter4pres wrote:So in a lot of threads I keep reading how D'Angelo is the Nets most talented player, has the most potential, has near franchise level potential, has the most skills, can leap tall buildings in a single bound, etc.
And I have to ask... after 3 seasons in this league of nearly the exact same stuff, why is that perception accurate?
I still feel the need to start with the disclaimers of, I get why the trade was done, I would do it again myself and I do not flatout dislike D-Lo... but I just don't see it. LeVert, Allen and RHJ have massively more potential in my eyes, 2 of the 3 are just as if not more talented, pretty much no one on this roster has true near franchise level potential and only 2 of these guys can leap medium buildings off one foot or a jump stop.
I really want him to turn the corner, I really want to like him as a player, but I really need someone to convince me here. I even see the flashes of fantastic passes and court vision, the times his shot is falling where you say if he even became a consistent 38 from 3 and 44 from the field he'd light it up and he has the ball on a string. But his burst and first step are meh as hell, he's not even excessively quick in the open court, his bbiq overall is low, his decision making poor, his foot speed and defense is abysmal, his attitude is all **** up and real $hitty and he can barely dunk.
Someone make me see the light.
As someone who has rated Russell with the highest potential in our team, its for one simple-reason....the NBA is all about scoring. How good you are as a scorer is ultimately what caps your ability in the NBA. And from that perspective, there's no one from our team who can put up points in as many ways as Russell can....granted he doesn't do it consistently or efficiently, but that's what dictates his "potential". He's not the quickest, his decision making can be questionable and risky far too often, but his trigger is so quick that he can pretty much get his shot off against anyone. That last statement is pretty much the definition of a superstar...the ability to get your shot against their best defender, whenever you want. Again, consistency is an issue, but you see it there.
I mentioned it when we acquired him, but you take away a bit of the explosiveness of Deron (before he got fat)...and you have a game that isn't far too dissimilar from Russell's...and Deron in his peak was a top 1-2 PG in the game.
I had JA 4th at the beginning of the season, mainly because I didn't see a guy with an offense. But he's shown improved footwork, soft touch, extended range, pretty decent hands as the year went on. Doubt he'll ever be a guy you build your offense around or ask him to create for others, but when you add that offense from the 5 spot along with his already effective help side shot blocking, there's potential there for a pretty legit top 10 center in the game (if not higher).
Caris and Rondae...I feel flip-flopping myself sometimes. I think both exceeded expectations heading into the year. I didn't think Rondae would ever develop a mid-range, much less the confidence to take and make turnaround jumpers (contested one at that). But his form from downtown still is far from textbook, so I'm not sure he'll make a full-time switch to SF, which makes him a very effective 4 for our team...except against the 5-6 teams that goes big against us and then we get pummeled on the glass (not always just his fault, but that's for another conversation).
Caris on the other hand, really emerged as an attack dog both offensively and defensively. Even had a few games where he took over some games offensively (heck, even defensively). But he still looks like, at best a good #2 if not a really great #3.
So there you have it, the NBA is all about points. And from the ability to handle the ball, release, creativity and actually hitting them some (when he gets hot especially), that combination makes me put Russell's potential higher than the other three.
That doesn't mean he'll reach it. I think Caris is probably closest to hitting his potential, and IMO, RHJ has already exceeded his initial potential cap. I think you can squeeze a bit more out of his game, but I don't think you can squeeze much more out of it.
Bless the man if his heart and his land are one ~ FrancisM, R.I.P. 3/6/09
