Wendell Carter Jr - The Block Panther Edition

[RememberLu]

Ok i'm just gonna say it... the Block Panther stuff is super cringey.

I think we should call him Twinkle Toes because hes so agile and mobile on his feet. Nothing cringey about Twinkle Toes.

[Stratmaster]

Rolo should start for many reasons.

Rolo is almost surely the better player at this point.

There is no reason to force Carter into a situation where his performance is going to get picked apart in the context of a starting Center.

Starting the season on the bench allows hm to get his bearings, see the speed of the game, and learn from a quality veteran's play on the court.

Trying to develop 5 young players, all on the court at the same time, is difficult. Anarchy on the court is not a good thing. Rolo can help identify and communicate issues on the court and help direct traffic, assignments, etc.

Seems some are afraid Zach will ball-hog. If he really is inclined to do that, put him on the court with 4 players with less years of service than he has. Lopez can at least be a stabilizing and guiding voice on the court who Zach will have to listen to.

Bringing Rolo off the bench will not help his trade value.

[johnnyvann840]

Ok i'm just gonna say it... the Block Panther stuff is super cringey.

I think we should call him Twinkle Toes because hes so agile and mobile on his feet. Nothing cringey about Twinkle Toes.

With a name like Wendell you don't really need a nickname anyway. He's just a first name guy... like Kobe, Lebron, Hakeem, Wilt, etc. Just "Wendell". Works for Donovan. If we are going with the Black Panther theme, I think it was Duck who said it... just "T'Challa" is better than "Block Panther". He has more superpowers than just blocking shots anyway. Why have a nickname that confines him to anything?

[JimmyJammer]

With Portis trying to get a new contract, I can easily see a situation where he becomes a malcontent on the team if he is not getting the minutes or the touches that he needs to be productive. He could be ok with playing backup minutes behind Lopez and Lauri, but behind a new rookie could be a problem, especially if he thinks he is better. This is a situation that should be monitored closely. Since there are 96 minutes to split among four guys, I'd give 28 minutes to Lauri, 20 to Carter, 26 to Portis and 22 to Lopez. Fourth quarter minutes will be the challenge because this is when the game gets really interesting.

[madvillian]

Ok i'm just gonna say it... the Block Panther stuff is super cringey.

it makes me feel old, among other things.

[sco]

Rolo should start for many reasons.

Rolo is almost surely the better player at this point.

There is no reason to force Carter into a situation where his performance is going to get picked apart in the context of a starting Center.

Starting the season on the bench allows hm to get his bearings, see the speed of the game, and learn from a quality veteran's play on the court.

Trying to develop 5 young players, all on the court at the same time, is difficult. Anarchy on the court is not a good thing. Rolo can help identify and communicate issues on the court and help direct traffic, assignments, etc.

Seems some are afraid Zach will ball-hog. If he really is inclined to do that, put him on the court with 4 players with less years of service than he has. Lopez can at least be a stabilizing and guiding voice on the court who Zach will have to listen to.

Bringing Rolo off the bench will not help his trade value.

I get the WCJ-hype. That said, I think RoLo will be beneficial to the team as a starter. He does great things for our guards in terms of providing monstrous picks and a really good dump-off target at the rim. He knows the system well now and can provide on-floor leadership better than anyone else on the team. Also, RoLo is really only good for about 24 mpg, after that he starts to disappear and his shots stop falling.

Optimistically, WCJ continues to shine and learn. I think he should be getting 20 MPG to start season and be up to 26 by the end of the season.

Over the course of the season, I'd like to see a minute distribution of:

Rolo 23 / WCJ 25
Lauri 28/ Portis 20

[TheSuzerain]

Rolo should start for many reasons.

Rolo is almost surely the better player at this point.

There is no reason to force Carter into a situation where his performance is going to get picked apart in the context of a starting Center.

Starting the season on the bench allows hm to get his bearings, see the speed of the game, and learn from a quality veteran's play on the court.

Trying to develop 5 young players, all on the court at the same time, is difficult. Anarchy on the court is not a good thing. Rolo can help identify and communicate issues on the court and help direct traffic, assignments, etc.

Seems some are afraid Zach will ball-hog. If he really is inclined to do that, put him on the court with 4 players with less years of service than he has. Lopez can at least be a stabilizing and guiding voice on the court who Zach will have to listen to.

Bringing Rolo off the bench will not help his trade value.

RoLo has no trade value. He's overpaid. He also is not a good player.

He should probably be bought out. Same with Holiday, although we should really be able to trade Holiday.

[nitetrain8603]

I rather have gone with Mitchell Robinson.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on WCJ now that we've seen him play like the best big in SL.

You want me to sign praises of a guy after summer league?

Denzel Valentine, Josh Selby. I won't say anything more than that. Just remember that name next time you ask me to re-asses someone after summer league.

[johnnyvann840]

WCJ seems extremely adept at setting picks and doing the little things. Plus, he can actually stretch the floor out to range. Lopez is great from 15 ft in, but he doesn't give us that option of both bigs being able to open the floor up all the way out to range.

I really have to wonder what would have been the outcome last season for Lauri if Bobby never throws that punch. What if Lauri had to come off the bench and only played 20 MPG? Would we even be talking about him as a future star right now? Would Lauri have learned half as much about the NBA game?

If I honestly think about it, I think things would be vastly different right now in regards to Lauri and the way we see his future. Go read the post draft threads, the preseason prior to the punch stuff that posters here were saying. Most people HATED the pick and had no confidence in Lauri. It was only after he got to start and play big minutes that people realized just how good he is.

You can make up any narrative you want in "retrospective speculation" (if there is such a thing). But, things FOR SURE would have been a lot different.

Just food for thought.

[R3AL1TY]

I see 5 things in WCJ's game that will prevent him from being a bum or some run in the mill big:

1. He is ambidextrous on offense
2. He has good footwork
3. He has a jumpshot
4. He knows how to move without the ball especially with slipping screens
5. He plays good defense

[DASMACKDOWN]

Ok I have this question for people that think its political or correct to start Robin Lopez.

Do you think PHX should continue to start Tyson Chandler and play Ayton off the bench? It the exact same scenario.

[Habs72]

Rolo should start for many reasons.

Rolo is almost surely the better player at this point.

There is no reason to force Carter into a situation where his performance is going to get picked apart in the context of a starting Center.

Starting the season on the bench allows hm to get his bearings, see the speed of the game, and learn from a quality veteran's play on the court.

Trying to develop 5 young players, all on the court at the same time, is difficult. Anarchy on the court is not a good thing. Rolo can help identify and communicate issues on the court and help direct traffic, assignments, etc.

Seems some are afraid Zach will ball-hog. If he really is inclined to do that, put him on the court with 4 players with less years of service than he has. Lopez can at least be a stabilizing and guiding voice on the court who Zach will have to listen to.

Bringing Rolo off the bench will not help his trade value.

I get the WCJ-hype. That said, I think RoLo will be beneficial to the team as a starter. He does great things for our guards in terms of providing monstrous picks and a really good dump-off target at the rim. He knows the system well now and can provide on-floor leadership better than anyone else on the team. Also, RoLo is really only good for about 24 mpg, after that he starts to disappear and his shots stop falling.

Optimistically, WCJ continues to shine and learn. I think he should be getting 20 MPG to start season and be up to 26 by the end of the season.

Over the course of the season, I'd like to see a minute distribution of:

Rolo 23 / WCJ 25
Lauri 28/ Portis 20

Lauri played nearly 30mins a game as a rookie, no way he is gonna play less minutes in his second year. Fact is that Rolo AND Portis needs to go during next season unless Portis is willing to come off the bench and signs a team friendly contract. When offloading has done give Felicio some minutes to see what becomes of him and then act accordingly.
If you can get a decent big coming off the bench who has not illusions for a starting role, you get one. Lauri and Wendell are the future and they should be playin the starter minutes too.

[R3AL1TY]

I wouldn't mind Lopez starting a portion of the season, but definitely not all season. I'm sure Lopez will be a good mentor to both Lauri and Wendell.

[BullsFTW]

I see 5 things in WCJ's game that will prevent him from being a bum or some run in the mill big:

1. He is ambidextrous on offense
2. He has good footwork
3. He has a jumpshot
4. He knows how to move without the ball especially with slipping screens
5. He plays good defense

6. His Basketball IQ
7. Feel for the game
8. Intangibles

[Habs72]

WCJ seems extremely adept at setting picks and doing the little things. Plus, he can actually stretch the floor out to range. Lopez is great from 15 ft in, but he doesn't give us that option of both bigs being able to open the floor up all the way out to range.

I really have to wonder what would have been the outcome last season for Lauri if Bobby never throws that punch. What if Lauri had to come off the bench and only played 20 MPG? Would we even be talking about him as a future star right now? Would Lauri have learned half as much about the NBA game?

If I honestly think about it, I think things would be vastly different right now in regards to Lauri and the way we see his future. Go read the post draft threads, the preseason prior to the punch stuff that posters here were saying. Most people HATED the pick and had no confidence in Lauri. It was only after he got to start and play big minutes that people realized just how good he is.

You can make up any narrative you want in "retrospective speculation" (if there is such a thing). But, things FOR SURE would have been a lot different.

Just food for thought.

Hype started at EC tournament but yea i believe the outcome would have been less impactful if he had only played ~20mins instead of almost 30mins.

[johnnyvann840]

Ok I have this question for people that think its political or correct to start Robin Lopez.

Do you think PHX should continue to start Tyson Chandler and play Ayton off the bench? It the exact same scenario.

Exactly.

[R3AL1TY]

Preferably, I would like WCJ to start from day 1, but I expect the traditional politics of a vet being chosen over a rook.

[League Circles]

I like Lopez, he's solid and all, but I've always thought he was overrated by Bulls fans. In my opinion it should be an open competition between him and Carter and a tie should go to Carter for the starting spot. Holiday should probably start at small forward for the moment unless Hutchison is ready because I don't like Denzel and LaVine playing together because I would like to occasionally stop the opponent wings from scoring.

[johnnyvann840]

Rolo should start for many reasons.

Rolo is almost surely the better player at this point.

There is no reason to force Carter into a situation where his performance is going to get picked apart in the context of a starting Center.

Starting the season on the bench allows hm to get his bearings, see the speed of the game, and learn from a quality veteran's play on the court.

Trying to develop 5 young players, all on the court at the same time, is difficult. Anarchy on the court is not a good thing. Rolo can help identify and communicate issues on the court and help direct traffic, assignments, etc.

Seems some are afraid Zach will ball-hog. If he really is inclined to do that, put him on the court with 4 players with less years of service than he has. Lopez can at least be a stabilizing and guiding voice on the court who Zach will have to listen to.

Bringing Rolo off the bench will not help his trade value.

RoLo has no trade value. He's overpaid. He also is not a good player.

He should probably be bought out. Same with Holiday, although we should really be able to trade Holiday.

I like Rolo, but I agree. He is a good player, though. Just not a starter on a good team. He is a bench player in the NBA on any team hoping to go anywhere. Same with Holiday. For these reasons, neither one should still be here on this roster.

Agree that Holiday has some trade value. But, yeah, there were reports last year that the Bulls shopped Rolo HARD and there was no interest in him or his contract.

[nomorezorro]

a team that won 27 games last year should not start a 30-year-old on an expiring contract ahead of the guy they just drafted with the #7 overall pick