Fo-Real wrote:I really dont think Chandler brings vet leadership. I was hoping he would but I have not seen an example of his leadership yet. We hoped he would have a positive influence on Len and that didnt happen. Hoped he could be a good vet leader for young bigs Queese and Dragan, and there seems to be no trace of it. Hell, he was here when we had the Morri bros, Dragic bros, Isiah, Archie and all of the locker room turmoil that was later reported wasnt stopped by some solid vet. When Kief choked Archie on the bench he was standing there watching the argument the whole time watching and saying nothing, only to help others pull Kief off Archie after he had already started to be physical. Vet leadership didnt help Bled from acting like an ass before being told not to come back and that he would be traded. Dragics rant to be traded went on when Chandler was our starting center. Queese getting into it with the assistant coach last year, I didnt hear about a heart to heart with Leader Chandler. WTF has he actually done to help this team leadership wise that is documented other than that fluff special about how Booker talks to him witch seemed so spun up to take our minds off how terrible we were as a basketball team? Cant cut him, but staunch vet leader isnt working out for him so far.
In general I agree, but I think Len's lack of development was all on him. Alex has improved in a number of respects, but the reason we selected him where we did is because we believed in his potential as a lob catcher and to an even greater degree as a shooter. He improved his body, became a better finisher, improved as a passer. But the shooting simply never materialized, and he lacks the physical tools to be an effective rim runner despite his tremendous size and athleticism - including but not limited to his bad hands.
The biggest thing is his touch around the rim. He has none. Little hook shots, tough layups, short jumpers - they're not there. Combine that with the fact that he also can't stretch the floor with his J and all you have is a rebounder/shot blocker. He's an elite rebounder and a solid rim protector but he'll always be limited offensively. Even if he does discover a shot, he'll never be an elite shooter (obviously). What kills you is the interior scoring - that's a talent, not something you can learn. Warren and Ayton are on the other end of that spectrum, having a completely intuitive ability to just put that ball in the bucket. When all your big can do is dunk, they gotta be elite rim runners AND game changing defenders a la Jordan and vintage Tyson. Alex is neither and so is limited to being a role player.
All that said, I still prefer Alex to Jusuf f'ing Nurkic and will never understanding why that useless lump of ego got the extension he did while Alex is still on the free agent sidelines. The biggest difference between the two is that defenses respect the offense that Nurk never shows, while nobody's afraid of goofy Alex Len. Maybe Alex is still waiting for the Steven Adams contract offer he wanted from the Suns. He doth believeth in himself too much, I suspect. Highlights of him shooting in an empty gym won't move the needle much when the ball so rarely touches the net in games.
.... As a comparison, my biggest concern about Bender when he came out was that the defense would translate, but the shooting wouldn't, and that would severely limit his NBA potential. Thank God, the shooting is there. The defense isn't what we'd hoped, frankly (though I do suspect he may end up a better rebounder than expected). He's great positionally and still getting better, but he doesn't actually make a lot of plays (steals, blocks) on that end. I regard him as a plus defender, not a great one. Dragan's value has to come from his ability to beat you on OFFENSE with his quick, high release and consistency from 3, while not giving you a target to exploit on defense. That and his passing. Love his passing, just wish he'd do it less. The biggest thing for him is remaining active on both ends and not disappearing. Be aggressive, GIVE AND TAKE CONTACT for f's sake, get loose balls, make plays. He does those things and he'll be a +/- darling who gets more wins than stats.
