Vampirate wrote:DatHomieYouHaTe wrote:
In a smart world Orlando fans should have been devastated we picked Barnes and Raptors fans should have been celebrating like we won the chip. We live in opposite land lol
There's absolutely no way any of us knew Barnes would be this good in his rookie season and Suggs would have struggled this much scoring.
We all were drinking the US media cool aid at the time.
I think the lesson is the context of their teams:
Suggs was on a perfect team for him; A smart PG in Nembhard so he didn't have to run the show in the halfcourt, a good 3 and D guard in Ayayi, an elite shooter in Kispert and an elite college scorer in Timme. They've replaced Suggs, Kispert and Ayayi with a great player in Holmgren, a decent college guard in Bolton who won't sniff the NBA (unlike Ayayi, who is getting 6 assists and 5 boards in the G League and should be an NBA backup guard if his shot improves a bit) and a solid college 3 and D wing in Strawther who isn't elite at tit like Kispert, who went in the lottery. And they're almost as good.
Meanwhile, Florida State missed the tourney without Barnes and he was playing with a good team but one with below average spacing (though not horrific since Walker and Polite gave them 2 reliable shooters, but my guess is Barnes often played with only one of them) and playing PG and off the bench. How good would Barnes have looked as the Gonzaga 4 surrounded by Timme, Kispert, Ayayi and Nembhard? Pretty damn good!
Though I will admit he couldn't score on Franz Wagner in the tourney game and while that's no crime (he was probably the best defender in the Big 10 along with Morsell) he doesn't look like he'd have that problem this year.



























