Jeremy Lamb Getting Buckets in D League

Scout Taron · Post #21 » by **Scout Taron** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:54 pm

Literally nothing in the D-league is impressive. Vernon Macklin averaged almost 20-10

DanTown8587 · Post #22 » by **DanTown8587** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:57 pm

Just as an aside, I don't ever use D-League success to say that a guy is ready to play. I think that you can succeed in the D-League and not be ready at all to contribute in the league. It's if you go down there and struggle that I would be concerned.

Regarding Lamb and the D-League, it makes sense to send him there to keep him in game shape. When OKC sent him there, they were about to start a stretch of three weeks of road games with one home game and likely only two days of practice with the amount of travel they were going to do. I wouldn't be shocked to see Lamb back sometime today in OKC rather than on the road with Tulsa.

JellosJigglin · Post #23 » by **JellosJigglin** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:57 pm

Smush Parker was the MVP of the D-League.

MaxRider · Post #24 » by **MaxRider** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:15 pm

seriously
his defense can't be worse than kevin martin

ManualRam · Post #25 » by **ManualRam** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:19 pm

Jmonty580 wrote:I understand why they arent playing him, but at the same time I think they need to trade him for a more experienced player that can help them right now. They have zero need for him. ANd i think its unreasonable to keep this kid in the D-league and on the bench all season and then expect him to come in and be skilled 1 or 2 seasons later. Alot of mistakes have to be made by rookies IN the NBA game, not in the d-league. He needs to get some pt, put up a few points to get his swagger gonig, but also make some mistakes to learn his limits and what flies and what doesnt. If OKC keeps him on the bench for the next year or 2 his confidence is going to be shot and his career will be close to over. I hate seeing good rookies go to good teams that dont need him.

I wonder how OKC fans feel about trading lamb for a peice that would be more valuable to them now.

they have the pieces to compete for a championship now. they can afford to wait on his development.
he is a luxury to have and is a part of their future. there's no need to rush him into action.
now if for whatever reason they re-sign kevin martin after this season, then they should look to trade lamb.

reapaman · Post #26 » by **reapaman** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:26 pm

Wait ... why is deandre liggins getting minutes over lamb?

ManualRam · Post #27 » by **ManualRam** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:27 pm

reapaman wrote:Wait ... why is deandre liggins getting minutes over lamb?

probably because he's more physically ready to contribute and can defend.

Thundestruck · Post #28 » by **Thundestruck** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:36 pm

reapaman wrote:Wait ... why is deandre liggins getting minutes over lamb?

Because he is better right now. Lamb just is not as good as Thabo, Martin or Liggins at the moment.

inquisitive · Post #29 » by **inquisitive** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:39 pm

i'm really high on him...gonna be a stud.

Post #30 » by **suckfish** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 5:02 pm

theokie wrote:Thunder don't use their D-League affiliate like most teams. Pretty sure they send guys up and down almost twice as often than any other team in the league. Reggie Jackson spent quite a number of games in Tulsa earlier this year, absolutely tore it up, and now he's the backup PG.

Lambs been on a tear lately, and the only reason he hasn't been called back up to the Thunder yet is likely because they are on a 6 game west coast road trip. 66ers have a game tonight, OKC doesn't play again until Thursday. Its extremely likely he'll be on the bench for OKC when they play again this week. Heck, maybe since his confidence is up a bit he might get some meaningful minutes in the first half.

At this point however, he's just in bad a spot behind Martin and Thabo. He has no realistic shot this year to take away their minutes unless someone gets hurt.

The D-League is there to be used. I honestly don't understand why more teams don't use it.

As for Lamb, just reminds me of T-Mac. Not just his game, but his lazy chilled out smooth vibe. As a fan, I hope he gets an opportunity soon, although I can see why he hasn't so far.

franktony · Post #31 » by **franktony** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 5:12 pm

He is smooth and you can't teach it.

Still, I am more impressed with Toko Shengalia. Seriously I watched a D-League game with him and he looked like prime AK out there.

Left Side Drive · Post #32 » by **Left Side Drive** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 5:18 pm

LOL he plays so much like Durant in the D-league. Efficient as hell and gets to the line.

Jmonty580 · Post #33 » by **Jmonty580** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:11 pm

sipclip wrote:
Jmonty580 wrote:I understand why they arent playing him, but at the same time I think they need to trade him for a more experienced player that can help them right now. They have zero need for him. ANd i think its unreasonable to keep this kid in the D-league and on the bench all season and then expect him to come in and be skilled 1 or 2 seasons later. Alot of mistakes have to be made by rookies IN the NBA game, not in the d-league. He needs to get some pt, put up a few points to get his swagger gonig, but also make some mistakes to learn his limits and what flies and what doesnt. If OKC keeps him on the bench for the next year or 2 his confidence is going to be shot and his career will be close to over. I hate seeing good rookies go to good teams that dont need him.

I wonder how OKC fans feel about trading lamb for a peice that would be more valuable to them now.

This is horrible thinking. The thunder are looking to sustain this high level of play for a long time and the best way to do that under the new luxury tax rules is to take advantage of rookie contracts and develop your young players. It would be stupid to trade the player that is their future go to scoring option off the bench for someone that won't crack their current rotation. Also to say it is unreasonable to keep him in the dleague and then expect him to contribute within the next couple seasons makes zero sense. The kid is gaining valuable experience refining his skills as a go to guy in the dleague and it will translate quickly to the nba.

So you think its a good idea to have him in the dleague this year and next, and then in the third year when you need him, you want him to step up and be a productive pro? 1 you've shot his confidence. He's looking at himself and looking at Beal and Lillard and saying man Im not that good. Then next year while those guys are getting better and guys like Archie Goodwin and other good incoming shooting gaurds are tearing up the league he'll still be out of the rotation and playing dleague ball. THen the following year you want him to start to get regular rotation play and have the confidence and experience to be a top prospect still? Thats an unreasonable expectation imo. EVen if your a contender, if you think the kid has that much talent and promise, you find a way to get him 5 minutes a game here and there. The thunder blows out scrub teams and they have games even against top level teams where they can give him a few minutes here and there. Thats how he is going to learn and get to the level of play that the thunder need and want him at in the future. You cant just bury him and sit on him and then expect him to perform later on like he has been getting better since his rookie season.

In other words they are stunting his growth, and that cant be recovered later. Rookie year is very important for growth.

spearsy23 · Post #34 » by **spearsy23** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:14 pm

That's why they're getting him minutes....

Post #35 » by **og15** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:20 pm

Jimmy Recard wrote:Nick Young 2.0

If Nick Young could pass and rebound and could play team defense, I think teams will like him more. Seems like Lamb can pass and rebound, not sure about the team defense though.

Kobe Bean · Post #36 » by **Kobe Bean** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:28 pm

he's reminding me of McGrady

The commentators put it best "Moves like a gazelle"! "So smooth!"

Benedict_Boozer · Post #37 » by **Benedict_Boozer** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:35 pm

OKC is setup REAL nicely for the future.

ManualRam · Post #38 » by **ManualRam** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:41 pm

Jmonty580 wrote:
sipclip wrote:
Jmonty580 wrote:I understand why they arent playing him, but at the same time I think they need to trade him for a more experienced player that can help them right now. They have zero need for him. ANd i think its unreasonable to keep this kid in the D-league and on the bench all season and then expect him to come in and be skilled 1 or 2 seasons later. Alot of mistakes have to be made by rookies IN the NBA game, not in the d-league. He needs to get some pt, put up a few points to get his swagger gonig, but also make some mistakes to learn his limits and what flies and what doesnt. If OKC keeps him on the bench for the next year or 2 his confidence is going to be shot and his career will be close to over. I hate seeing good rookies go to good teams that dont need him.

I wonder how OKC fans feel about trading lamb for a peice that would be more valuable to them now.

This is horrible thinking. The thunder are looking to sustain this high level of play for a long time and the best way to do that under the new luxury tax rules is to take advantage of rookie contracts and develop your young players. It would be stupid to trade the player that is their future go to scoring option off the bench for someone that won't crack their current rotation. Also to say it is unreasonable to keep him in the dleague and then expect him to contribute within the next couple seasons makes zero sense. The kid is gaining valuable experience refining his skills as a go to guy in the dleague and it will translate quickly to the nba.

So you think its a good idea to have him in the dleague this year and next, and then in the third year when you need him, you want him to step up and be a productive pro? 1 you've shot his confidence. He's looking at himself and looking at Beal and Lillard and saying man Im not that good. Then next year while those guys are getting better and guys like Archie Goodwin and other good incoming shooting gaurds are tearing up the league he'll still be out of the rotation and playing dleague ball. THen the following year you want him to start to get regular rotation play and have the confidence and experience to be a top prospect still? Thats an unreasonable expectation imo. EVen if your a contender, if you think the kid has that much talent and promise, you find a way to get him 5 minutes a game here and there. The thunder blows out scrub teams and they have games even against top level teams where they can give him a few minutes here and there. Thats how he is going to learn and get to the level of play that the thunder need and want him at in the future. You cant just bury him and sit on him and then expect him to perform later on like he has been getting better since his rookie season.

In other words they are stunting his growth, and that cant be recovered later. Rookie year is very important for growth.

why do you expect him to be in the d-league next yr as well?

again, if they commit to k-mart long term after this yr then i can see where you're coming from. otherwise, you just come off as a uconn fan who lacks patience and wants to see a husky hit the ground running. it doesn't always work out that way.

scant minutes of garbage time in the nba isn't any more of a learning experience than practice or extended d-league minutes. every practice, extended run, film session, 1 on 1 training session, etc is an opportunity for growth and development.

Rockice_24 · Post #39 » by **Rockice_24** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:43 pm

franktony wrote:He is smooth and you can't teach it.

Still, I am more impressed with Toko Shengalia. Seriously I watched a D-League game with him and he looked like prime AK out there.

Yeah he really does. He's very athletic and active but still needs more consistency on his 3 ball and a better understanding of his defensive rotations but Toko is going to be a good player. He just needs to adjust a little more to the NBA game as did Teletovic but you can see they are both catching on quick. Lots of Nets fans want to see what he can do. Toko dropped 39 and 18 in his first D-league game so I'm not impressed at all with what Lamb is doing. You supposed to dominate the D-League if you're good.

Jmonty580 · Post #40 » by **Jmonty580** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:54 pm

ManualRam wrote:why do you expect him to be in the d-league next yr as well?

again, if they commit to k-mart long term after this yr then i can see where you're coming from. otherwise, you just come off as a uconn fan who lacks patience and wants to see a husky hit the ground running. it doesn't always work out that way.

scant minutes of garbage time in the nba isn't any more of a learning experience than practice or extended d-league minutes. every practice, extended run, film session, 1 on 1 training session, etc is an opportunity for growth and development.

If they plan on getting rid of Kevin Martin and phasing in Lamb next year, i have no problem with that. If that were the case though, I'd expect lamb to at least to be getting back up minutes right now behind Martin, that doesnt seem to be happening. I just hate seeing talented rookies being mismanged. Its like Darko, everyone is so quick to call the guy a bust. Had he gone to a team that was going to play him and build his confidence, I think today we'd still be looking at a very solid NBA big man. I think building that confidence in the rookie year is very important. I dont blame the Thunder at all for not playing him if they dont think he can help them win now, they are a championship contender. I just think its a bit of a waste if they dont view him as someone worthy of solid minutes and other teams do. He could be growing and becoming better instead of rotting on the bench in OKC. And fair point on the garbage minutes, I agree, just goes to show they dont really value him or hold him in high regards. Even if they do and you want to use the championship contender excuse, you cant just keep him back for years and then expect him to step in and replace Kevin Martin when your ready imo.