NotACat wrote:Skybox wrote:I support and admire Isaac as well as those who kneel. I didn’t get to see the game as I had a meeting in S FL yesterday. I’m very politically and socially conscious and spend a lot of my time and energy on those things. I really hope I can get back to enjoying Bball opinions, debates, game info, etc here again soon...it’s kind of an escape for me. Just my “vote” but maybe the political, social, religious stances of the players warrants a unique (optional) thread. It’s a huge deal worthy of much discussion and I salute them all, particularly Kap, but sometimes I just want to see how Bamba was moving and if people thought Fultz was aggressive enough, etc
Peace.
Btw, thank you for the police sketch artist rendition of Jesus.
Bamba did not show the kind of effort and energy we're looking for, but he also wasn't getting the ball on any of his roles or when he had a mismatch in the paint. Its an odd situation that could create a negative feedback loop.
Fultz was getting to the paint, but still not great at drawing contact. He should have hunted for his shot more since he was playing with the second unit instead of Vuc and Fournier, but that's just my opinion. There's no spacing on that second unit without Bamba and shots that Vuc and Fournier would take (and make) were simply passed up.
That potential Bamba narrative is definitely concerning. I don't know what kind of support system/Agent/family he has, but it could quickly go from "he hasn't earned anything" to "he doesn't feel like he's getting an opportunity, don't know why this organization drafted me..." to "he has requested a trade". If a guy in the NBA has ANY touch of the mentality it takes to be great, he grows impatient pretty quickly and doesn't calmly accept "keep working, you'll catch on" for years (even if it's the truth)...feel free to chime in with "Screw him, he sucks, etc" but that doesn't help maximize the asset value...if he's not getting it, trade him while he has (potential?) value. A pre-draft fear I had is that while his measurables are nuts, he may be too nice and too reasonable for his own good. If you can calmly explain that he just needs to keep working hard in practice and give him 8 minutes per game and he agrees-he may not have even a shred of Mamba Mentality. Even Vuc got pissy when he got benched for Biz-he doesn't say much but he basically said he's been the best guy on the team for years and this is BS, and he was right, then he was an All-Star. That's the intangible we're missing (on our whole team)...try and bench a killer like Booker and watch him go nuts. Hopefully, that kind of unreasonable competitive spirit drives "uncoachable" Lavine into our arms.
I want to see him get meaningful minutes with unselfish players. Garbage time=Garbage lessons.
Also, why is it so understood that 21 year old Fultz has to work himself back into shape with the bench lineup? I know everything is kid gloves with him, but is a fitness demotion OK with him...and with FO? Coach? "Hey guys, anybody care to start?, hate to bother you but you make 10m a year, even when you're sitting on the couch playing Fortnite"
