Game 38: Magic (7-32) @ Pistons (7-30) - Jan. 8 7:00 PM EST

[mattao313]

Diallo literally looked like Wade there

He thinks he's Wade, too. If he were a 19 year old rookie I'd get it, but he shouldn't be so out of control at this stage.

He plays with energy hearts something we don't get from the others. I'll let some of his mistakes slide

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[Kalamazoo317]

Based on the minutes they played and Cade's rough play the last few games, I wonder if some of the younger guys were more affected by COVID protocol than we realized.

[Sort]

Based on the minutes they played and Cade's rough play the last few games, I wonder if some of the younger guys were more affected by COVID protocol than we realized.

It's also that time of year for rookie wall to hit. The conditioning and non-stop physicality you need for the NBA is ridiculous by normal human standards. I do think Cade will look a lot better his second year, assuming Weaver constructs an actual NBA team based on Cade's skills.

[whitehops]

just want to say i love the chemistry between cade and diallo, diallo is super active with his cuts and i think part of it is because he knows cade will hit him every time if he's open. diallo is also a beast at finishing everything with a dunk if he has an inch of space.

It's also that time of year for rookie wall to hit. The conditioning and non-stop physicality you need for the NBA is ridiculous by normal human standards. I do think Cade will look a lot better his second year, assuming Weaver constructs an actual NBA team based on Cade's skills.

this.

for context, he's played 29 games which is more than his college season was (27 games). that 27-game college season spanned 116 days while he's played his 29 games so far this season in 70 days.

i think all the rookies will be hitting their rookie wall around now and probably won't be able to rest up until the all star break.

[Kalamazoo317]

I'm really hoping Cade can continue building chemistry with Diallo, Bey, and Beef Stew. Figuring out how to get Diallo and Bey to play at as high of a level as they did when they were primary options will be key to this team developing around Cade. That and whatever assets we accumulate with our draft pick, a likely Grant trade, etc.

[Piston Pete]

I'm really hoping Cade can continue building chemistry with Diallo, Bey, and Beef Stew. Figuring out how to get Diallo and Bey to play at as high of a level as they did when they were primary options will be key to this team developing around Cade. That and whatever assets we accumulate with our draft pick, a likely Grant trade, etc.

That…or Diallo showing out recently acts as a showcase for other teams and we trade him while his value is at a peak.

[Kalamazoo317]

Sure, I guess, but Diallo is young and the most athletic player on the team. Eventually we need to get some of these young players to gel rather than trading them away for other prospects. Anyone is tradeable, though, depending on the return.

[Manocad]

Sure, I guess, but Diallo is young and the most athletic player on the team. Eventually we need to get some of these young players to gel rather than trading them away for other prospects. Anyone is tradeable, though, depending on the return.

That's what I've continually said. Stop with the "trade for picks" stuff every time a young player starts showing some promise/value, or a player who has already demonstrated some promise/value starts hitting a wall (Stew, Hayes), under the assumption that a new, unknown draft pick is automatically a better option. Grant should be traded for sure; his value is high and it's been clearly demonstrated that the offense is fine without him when the guys are playing well and no worse when they're not. Let a starting unit of Cade, Diallo, Bey, hopefully a legit big via a Grant trade ASAP and whomever else log some solid time together, and let a primary bench unit do the same. See what you've got after the season is over, make the draft pick, and then start addressing the gaps. As I've always said, there's not a single NBA champion team made up of mostly 19-22 year olds that I'm aware of. At some point you've got to put something together and give it time to grow.

I'll use Trey Lyles as an example, and please note--this is NOT an endorsement of Trey Lyles, just the principle. Playing with Cojo at the helm Lyles was constantly put it a position where he was forcing the play and often looked horrible doing it. Grant goes out, Cojo goes out, the offense starts to run like you'd expect an NBA offense to run, and suddenly Lyles looks like a different player. Give the guys time to settle in together in order to start creating that "the whole is better than the sum of the parts" thing.

[Kalamazoo317]

I hate to say it, but I really think the offense is better without Grant. Grant was too much of a ball stopper.