Official Anthony Edwards Thread

[MarxyLebronist]

Edwards ran into the Lakers buzz saw last night and you could see the surprise on his face! I thought he did a great job of trying to pay better attention to his man as the game went on, though the shooting issues (taking and missing at high volumes) look like a potentially longterm problem. Perhaps the simplest issue here is that you've got three guys for, really, one role in DLo, Rubio, and Edwards. Each has their strengths and they've played some nice ball together, too. Lakers are what they are, Towns was out, super tough road B2B (already in this weird impossible season?! No respect from the league at all- that office needs to be censured asap after its recent favoritism since about 2015). Edwards still a beast and should have this team as his own by Valentine's Day.

[KGdaBom]

Edwards ran into the Lakers buzz saw last night and you could see the surprise on his face! I thought he did a great job of trying to pay better attention to his man as the game went on, though the shooting issues (taking and missing at high volumes) look like a potentially longterm problem. Perhaps the simplest issue here is that you've got three guys for, really, one role in DLo, Rubio, and Edwards. Each has their strengths and they've played some nice ball together, too. Lakers are what they are, Towns was out, super tough road B2B (already in this weird impossible season?! No respect from the league at all- that office needs to be censured asap after its recent favoritism since about 2015). Edwards still a beast and should have this team as his own by Valentine's Day.

I appreciate this post, but I sure hope that this team isn't Ant's by Valentine's day because that will mean that KAT is out. Edwards doesn't share a role with D Lo or Rubio. It's Culver and Beasley.

[MarxyLebronist]

These "true role" debates can really hinder a player's growth if they're locked in with management/coaching as well. I'm hoping for good things on that front. You've only got one pure point guard on the team and Edwards is going to be better than all of your 2s, Gs, combo guards, and "lead guard" hybrid 2020 types if he learns as quickly as it looked like last night, on D. Totally agree that Culver, Okogie, and Beasley- who I like on court actually when well employed- should all be in the backseat to Edwards and Rubio, DLo.

I like the story of KAT and DLo, and always believed the story about them and Booker having plans. No knock on KAT at all, but you can't let the team give car keys to DLo just because of friendship. Help KAT get through- he deserves all good things of course. Get DLo's best stuff. But Edwards has the upside and will want out real soon without careful work here.

[Jedzz]

Edwards ran into the Lakers buzz saw last night and you could see the surprise on his face! I thought he did a great job of trying to pay better attention to his man as the game went on, though the shooting issues (taking and missing at high volumes) look like a potentially longterm problem. Perhaps the simplest issue here is that you've got three guys for, really, one role in DLo, Rubio, and Edwards. Each has their strengths and they've played some nice ball together, too. Lakers are what they are, Towns was out, super tough road B2B (already in this weird impossible season?! No respect from the league at all- that office needs to be censured asap after its recent favoritism since about 2015). Edwards still a beast and should have this team as his own by Valentine's Day.

I appreciate this post, but I sure hope that this team isn't Ant's by Valentine's day because that will mean that KAT is out. Edwards doesn't share a role with D Lo or Rubio. It's Culver and Beasley.

This talk from Marxy wasn't that bad until that last statement. That's Wiggins like talk we all heard too much of back then. I do see Edwards thinking at some point he's going to be a team's Harden. I don't see as much positives in his recent interviews as others that like his confidence, it's obviously more acting positive arrogance. The team itself has allowed Edwards and Culver to lead possessions since preseason so they are playing into this. Said it a hundred times already, likely due to trying to sell them. Dlo/Rubio haven't really been the true ponits of this team in any game yet.

[Jedzz]

But Edwards has the upside and will want out real soon without careful work here.

Nobody really cares what Edwards wants right now.

[MarxyLebronist]

Totally get it- Wiggins has been an absolutely a terrible outcome that could indeed be Edwards' story without some careful development. Wiggins was sort of the best you could hope for in moving Love. The contract really amplifies the shortcomings to date.

Defensively, Edwards has potential. But some are trying to say that about Wiggins now, too. Isn't there's one key difference you note? Edwards has way more confidence and personality than Wiggins. Am I misremembering? Was Wiggins a showboating chucker early on? I just remember him never seeing a shot he didn't like. But he never had any charisma. Edwards is going to take that shot because he believes in himself with supreme confidence. In that way, he's like DLo. But he's got personality and he's so so young but wants to win and be good. That seems like a real possibility for great work. Hope the Wolves have what it takes "culturally" to get his best.

[MarxyLebronist]

But Edwards has the upside and will want out real soon without careful work here.

Nobody really cares what Edwards wants right now.

Yeah this is how you stay losing then. He's got the shoe deal already. He's a star. Trying to contain that in negative control fashion is the worst thing to do. Not that you let a 20 year old just do whatever. But I'm glad this is just one discipline/control-focused fan's perspective and not management's. I hope.

[KGdaBom]

But Edwards has the upside and will want out real soon without careful work here.

Nobody really cares what Edwards wants right now.

Yeah this is how you stay losing then. He's got the shoe deal already. He's a star. Trying to contain that in negative control fashion is the worst thing to do. Not that you let a 20 year old just do whatever. But I'm glad this is just one discipline/control-focused fan's perspective and not management's. I hope.

I have no clue what you mean. Should management be catering to him? He's a player and should be treated with respect as a player. No more and no less.

[MarxyLebronist]

The poster said nobody really cares what Edwards wants right now. You disagree with that poster, as well. I will explicitly clarify my "not that you let a 20 (19!) year old just do whatever" as, indeed, not simply "catering" to a young star.

A bit more on the team's direction:

I don't disrespect Minny like league media is preparing to. In fact, it seems imperative to current league competition committee, scheduling office, and nerd media hypesters (like the pay-to-play Athletic disaster) that the Warriors somehow be protected. For example, they got CHI on a B2B and then get DET on an away-home B2B, and MIN already had a road B2B?! More fuel for the conspiracy theorists' fire:

Read on Twitter

And next up is promoting the story that they somehow "win" their MIN trades/collaborating moves and get more draft "luck" this coming year. One simple answer is that there's simply way more side cash off the contemporary Pay Area business world, for anyone linked in via digital media (internet, video games, more), than there could possibly be in so many other cities. Even players like Iggy played the "I'm a businessman" Silicon Valley love angle when he so curiously arrived right on time, against seemingly impossible financial odds, to work with his former agent (as I recall). In today's homogenized media professional landscape, you're sort of always beholden to "big markets" even if you live in a "small" one, and so some aspect of livelihood always has to give in to that overarching business ontology, as its known. To say nothing of the way the gambling industry requires a hollowed out money-logic-first perspective.

But let me put the tin foil galaxy brain hat to the side and just say that I really like KAT and see how DLo in proper use can be a good piece. Love Rubio obviously. Ultimately, I bet we agree that Edwards should start alongside DLo and Towns right now and should be permitted to play through most all of his mistakes. I see Minny making efforts on D they didn't last year, so far. Am I wrong? As long as Edwards is playing D, shot selection can be learned on the fly in my book for a Minny season that could escape the lottery if things fall right. Not from DLo obviously, but it can be learned.

[KGdaBom]

The poster said nobody really cares what Edwards wants right now. You disagree with that poster, as well. I will explicitly clarify my "not that you let a 20 (19!) year old just do whatever" as, indeed, not simply "catering" to a young star.

A bit more on the team's direction:

I don't disrespect Minny like league media is preparing to. In fact, it seems imperative to current league competition committee, scheduling office, and nerd media hypesters (like the pay-to-play Athletic disaster) that the Warriors somehow be protected (they got CHI on a B2B and then get DET on an away-home B2B, and MIN already had a road B2B?!) and somehow "win" their MIN trades/collaborating moves and get more draft "luck" this coming year. There's simply way more side cash off the contemporary Pay Area business world, for anyone linked in via digital media (internet, video games, more), than there could possibly be in so many other cities. I today's homogenized media professional landscape, you're sort of always beholden to "big markets" even if you live in a "small" one, and so some aspect of livelihood always has to give in to that overarching business ontology, as its known. To say nothing of the way the gambling industry requires a hollowed out money-logic-first perspective.

But let me put the tin foil galaxy brain hat to the side and just say that I really like KAT and see how DLo in proper use can be a good piece. Love Rubio obviously. Ultimately, I bet we agree that Edwards should start alongside DLo and Towns right now and should be permitted to play through most all of his mistakes. I see Minny making efforts on D they didn't last year, so far. Am I wrong? As long as Edwards is playing D, shot selection can be learned on the fly in my book for a Minny season that could escape the lottery if things fall right. Not from DLo obviously, but it can be learned.

Edwards does not need to be starting. He just needs to play well when he gets in the games and minutes and a starting spot will take care of itself.
By the way LeBron is clearly the GOAT to any non biased individual who is not clinging to the past.

[Jedzz]

But Edwards has the upside and will want out real soon without careful work here.

Nobody really cares what Edwards wants right now.

Yeah this is how you stay losing then. He's got the shoe deal already. He's a star. Trying to contain that in negative control fashion is the worst thing to do. Not that you let a 20 year old just do whatever. But I'm glad this is just one discipline/control-focused fan's perspective and not management's. I hope.

Guy he was just drafted. He's got many things to learn to do yet, and many things to prove before anyone is going to be concerned about him wanting out. Frankly I wanted him moved on draft day and I think the GM might have been trying best he could. He might get traded yet this season and he can love or hate his next destination. His Charisma doesn't win games for you. What will is if he can learn when it's time to shoot and when it's time to pass or dribble out of trouble. You can add my specific requirement that he stops shying away from skying over defenders and going strong above the rim. Right now he's hiding from it. Wiggins-like. He's not ruling any franchise shooting at the percentage he did in college or like he did last night. He's got some improving to do and the shot selection work and just plain listening to Pros for a while may just do it. But it's going to have to be his choice to learn and the biggest mistake this team could do is roll out a red carpet and proclaim him king of anything right now. That's the Wiggins comparison I'm trying to avoid. He needs to remain aware that he's not there yet. Go ahead and be confident, smile. Great! Awesome! But until you perform like an allstar consistently you aren't one.

I'll give you an example. Harden was drafed #2 overall and didn't start a game for three seasons. He had more skills already locked down coming into the league, better shot selection, better consistency, etc. He still had things to learn. Not saying Edwards will need three years of bench, but it sure wouldn't hurt from what I see for him to take a year and take it all in and improve himself as much as possible before claiming it's easy. I didn't see him stuffing Lebron or putting up 30 last night. Wiggins was putting up 30 and 20 pt games as a rookie. That's not enough. I saw someone that shot 11% on 9X 3pt attempts and 28% FG and only drew two FT attempts for himself in 29 minutes yesterday. He can now put his head down and get to work and show that's not exactly who he is going to be every other game in this league going further. That he can become more. Because those numbers, those numbers don't have a roster spot in this league. He can survive on his shoe deal for a few years if that's enough. Somehow I don't think it is. They weren't kidding when they told him on draft day he's got to get to work yet. They took a chance on him. He can ruin that chance yet and the Wolves have survived to this day beyond many a dissapointment. No one wants that again. So I'll ask you kindly to not come telling us what should or shouldn't be done for a hyped athlete high pick. The team could trade him for Kevin Love for all i care.

[Baseline81]

By the way LeBron is clearly the GOAT to any non biased individual who is not clinging to the past.

What?

[MarxyLebronist]

I love Jordan, too. One thing I'll say at the risk of putting debate juice on the line: Today's league is wholly defined by both of them- Jordan as the origin of pretty much all contemporary star system and marketing mechanics (and profit expectations) and Lebron as the first wholly unique "GOAT" force of nature on and off court since Jordan. And I say this as a major student and admirer of Kobe and Iverson for excellence and league culture stuff, fascinated by Duncan and the classic bigman, Bird and Magic fan, all of it in the super televised era. The current scoring uptick as rules are softened on some D, the explosion of 3 point reliance, for better or worse- history is history and I love it. It's an incredible time where the logic to market stories about numbers, about "historical," about "GOAT" runs almost all other aspects now, from high school to draft to league to contracts to legacy. Edwards has some of this star quality, no doubt about it, and you want to nurture that wholeheartedly from the player's perspective as equally and respectfully as any other, like you said.

This is all to say nothing of the eras before and heading into the 80s. But I simply didn't get to watch NBA on TV before the 80s. Love the league, period, and an endlessly fascinated by its full cultural analysis, frustrated by its current media/narratives structure. Root up all I can of the greats before.

So anyway, I'm uniquely interested this year by the COVID stuff, which brought me to the league's conversation circles last month (didn't know you had to wait a month for the main board lol, just killing time in multiple forums so far). And I'm especially intrigued by how the league is managing some of its big stories right now, including the Harden saga, the COVID permissions and player discipline, and this sort of unprecedented stranglehold on narratives and results the Warriors seem to feel entitled to, certainly privileged with. Trying to piece it together and see if anyone else will be permitted to succeed again within such a controlling, greedy culture is a time-consuming but alluring task for me. The Wolves getting shut out again on this, or the Kings just never getting it together, or Giannis not staying in MIL and somehow ending up in GSW like so many tea leaves had started to suggest- that's all bad for history just like NOP not actually getting to a next level would be. The Lakers' dominance makes me happy in one way, as a sincere and high quality disruption that looks purely competitive on the court. But they also had to strong-arm a player out of another completely hapless, league-run organization that still may never get to the next level and probably shouldn't even have to prop up a team at all any more.

Sorry for the philosophy rant- it's about how the league manages so much yet permits so much uneven distribution at the same time. Arena development seems like one of its biggest plays on littler cities, and even when a less-marquee big one like TOR gets a win, it somehow has to take the L still? No good. Tired of having to feel like the league is built for Billionaire Trading Cards or something. Who cares count your money and let greta players be great when and where they want to. That's why you decided to get in on the "business" in the first place, because you saw an asset to extract and exploit. That's what "it's a business" means, after all. We make ourselves a product-identity to earn off of.

I actually have high hopes for Beasley, I'll admit lol. Think DEN made huge mistakes not prioritizing Grant, Craig, and Beasley only to suddenly make Porter Jr. untouchable franchise piece or something. But Edwards over him all day.

[KGdaBom]

By the way LeBron is clearly the GOAT to any non biased individual who is not clinging to the past.

What?

You heard me. He's done so much more than any of those blasts from the past and athletes continuously get better. It's obvious for those who aren't biased and hanging on to the past.

[mplsfonz23]

Nobody really cares what Edwards wants right now.

Yeah this is how you stay losing then. He's got the shoe deal already. He's a star. Trying to contain that in negative control fashion is the worst thing to do. Not that you let a 20 year old just do whatever. But I'm glad this is just one discipline/control-focused fan's perspective and not management's. I hope.

I have no clue what you mean. Should management be catering to him? He's a player and should be treated with respect as a player. No more and no less.

How's that working for KAT? He wanted DLo, and Mngt went out and got him. They tried with Booker too until he went off in the bubble. I agree they shouldn't "cater" to him, but if he becomes a star, what can you do?
That's how stars are treated in todays NBA. Sad, but true.

[KGdaBom]

Yeah this is how you stay losing then. He's got the shoe deal already. He's a star. Trying to contain that in negative control fashion is the worst thing to do. Not that you let a 20 year old just do whatever. But I'm glad this is just one discipline/control-focused fan's perspective and not management's. I hope.

I have no clue what you mean. Should management be catering to him? He's a player and should be treated with respect as a player. No more and no less.

How's that working for KAT? He wanted DLo, and Mngt went out and got him. They tried with Booker too until he went off in the bubble. I agree they shouldn't "cater" to him, but if he becomes a star, what can you do?
That's how stars are treated in todays NBA. Sad, but true.

Do you believe every star player expects to be coddled and catered to? Some might be cool hard working people that don't even want that.
As for KAT's idea of getting Russell IMO it wasn't bad. We might get Booker someday as well.

[mplsfonz23]

By the way LeBron is clearly the GOAT to any non biased individual who is not clinging to the past.

What?

You heard me. He's done so much more than any of those blasts from the past and athletes continuously get better. It's obvious for those who aren't biased and hanging on to the past.

That's bogus.
And you think that opinion is "non-biased?"

The league is SOOOOOOO much softer these days than the 80's 90's. Physically and mentally. Todays stars need to team up with other all stars to have a chance at a ring instead of putting in the hard work. All the players are friends, and go on dates together all the time. Older players took loses to teams personally, and would NEVER want to play with them.
But whatever, your opinion is just that. Doesn't make LBJ the GOAT because you think old-heads are "biased."

[KGdaBom]

What?

You heard me. He's done so much more than any of those blasts from the past and athletes continuously get better. It's obvious for those who aren't biased and hanging on to the past.

That's bogus.
And you think that opinion is "non-biased?"

The league is SOOOOOOO much softer these days than the 80's 90's. Physically and mentally. Todays stars need to team up with other all stars to have a chance at a ring instead of putting in the hard work. All the players are friends, and go on dates together all the time. Older players took loses to teams personally, and would NEVER want to play with them.
But whatever, your opinion is just that. Doesn't make LBJ the GOAT because you think old-heads are "biased."

Not biased at all. I'm 62 and a huge fan of Magic and Wilt, but I'm just facing the facts. They can't contend with a force of nature like LeBron.

[mplsfonz23]

I have no clue what you mean. Should management be catering to him? He's a player and should be treated with respect as a player. No more and no less.

How's that working for KAT? He wanted DLo, and Mngt went out and got him. They tried with Booker too until he went off in the bubble. I agree they shouldn't "cater" to him, but if he becomes a star, what can you do?
That's how stars are treated in todays NBA. Sad, but true.

Do you believe every star player expects to be coddled and catered to? Some might be cool hard working people that don't even want that.
As for KAT's idea of getting Russell IMO it wasn't bad. We might get Booker someday as well.

Like who?

Name ONE star that doesn't in todays NBA.
And by Star I mean star. Even Giannis wanted to be traded unless they catered to bring in more talent, or he was going to walk.
So tell me, did your so called GOAT want to be catered to, or did he have to leave Cleveland and rely on 2/3 other all-stars to show him how to win. MJ didn't.
But I am not going to argue with your opinion.

[MarxyLebronist]

Could try for Booker now in a 3-way putting Harden in PHX, Edwards and pieces in HOU. I know PHX media-management connections certainly aren't giving up their found money in the Booker story from the bubble, and they went for Paul and Crowder which are quality additions for potential success. And then there's the story on Harden and Paul that hit the media hard. But boy were they excellent together, and Harden's AZ-CA love is well known of course. Winners just want to win.