|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Feb 14, 2022 11:03:25 GMT -5
Under Danny Ainge's rein, chemistry and "right fit" took a back seat to talent. With Brad and Udoka, the right fit is just as important, maybe even more important, than talent. Like, I don't think you'll see Brad bring in DeMarcus Cousins, even if he's available for free.
If we look at Derrick White as an example, he may not be the perfect player, but he checks a lot of boxes -- excellent teammate and person, versatile, a defender, etc.
Going forward, we're going to see Brad bring in more players who are his and Udoka's type, as they mold the team after their vision (which is really exciting to see unfold before our eyes).
And we'll also see Brad trim off the players who are not their type.
Is Smart their type? Jaylen? RWill?
|
|
|
Post by jrmzt on Feb 14, 2022 22:41:20 GMT -5
Is that always the right move though? The Bulls brought in Rodman even though he wasn't their typical sorta player and still won. The Lakers brought in guys like Artest. I don't think a contrasting personality should be avoided unless the player actually hurts the team more than he helps it.
That being said, there isnt anyone in the league I can think of right now who fits that mold. Well maybe Kyrie and Ben Simmons, but we want neither of them.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Feb 15, 2022 2:34:49 GMT -5
Is that always the right move though? The Bulls brought in Rodman even though he wasn't their typical sorta player and still won. The Lakers brought in guys like Artest. I don't think a contrasting personality should be avoided unless the player actually hurts the team more than he helps it. That being said, there isnt anyone in the league I can think of right now who fits that mold. Well maybe Kyrie and Ben Simmons, but we want neither of them. I think if the foundation is set, you can bring in other types and the culture will take care of itself. We are forging our identity right now, but it's still fragile. Bringing in a bad seed could stumble us. But with that said, I think Brad and Udoka will be very careful about the players they target and pursue.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Feb 23, 2022 16:31:50 GMT -5
In signing Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin, we learn that Brad and Udoka have specific skill sets and body types that they look for. I bet they wouldn't have drafted Jared Sullinger.
Knowing this, it'll help narrowing down guessing our potential free agent acquisition, trade targets and draft prospects.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Apr 15, 2022 13:05:06 GMT -5
I'm thinking there are specific criteria Brad highly targets, maybe even in this order:
-basketball skills (dribble, pass, shoot) -smarts/IQ (quick decision making) -team mentality (community player) -defense (guard multiple positions) -athleticism (run, jump)
Of course, not many players will check every box and do all of these at a high level. But more checked boxes the better.
If you compare Josh Richardson and Derrick White, you have to wonder why Brad was willing trade Richardson, Romeo and the 24th pick in this draft for White, when Josh was performing quite well for us (and on a decent contract).
Richardson did some things well. But you'll notice that DW checks more boxes. Josh might have been a better individual scorer and he defended, but DW impacts winning moreso than Josh -- he passes better, makes quicker decisions, cuts harder, dribbles crisper, pushes the pace more.
Likewise with Theis over Kanter and Tristan Thompson.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Apr 15, 2022 13:09:28 GMT -5
Also, if you compare Jabari Parker and Sam Hauser, you can see why Brad favors an undrafted player over a former [HASH]2 pick.
And that's because Hauser checks more boxes.
|
|
|
Post by jrmzt on Apr 18, 2022 21:45:44 GMT -5
I think Bill Simmons on his recent podcast raised a great point... guys like Poole, Maxey, Siakam...all drafted quite late but many have since outplayed their draft ranking by miles.
It comes down to a guy's personality and drive to succeed. Some kids never outgrow their high school rankings or their college hype. I think our pre-draft interview process really needs to dive into the personalities of these prospects and find ones who have the hunger to succeed. To look past the ones that are simply giving the response you want to hear. I'm betting there are telltale signs when someone is lying versus someone who has a burning desire to dominate the league.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Apr 20, 2022 1:33:38 GMT -5
I think Bill Simmons on his recent podcast raised a great point... guys like Poole, Maxey, Siakam...all drafted quite late but many have since outplayed their draft ranking by miles. It comes down to a guy's personality and drive to succeed. Some kids never outgrow their high school rankings or their college hype. I think our pre-draft interview process really needs to dive into the personalities of these prospects and find ones who have the hunger to succeed. To look past the ones that are simply giving the response you want to hear. I'm betting there are telltale signs when someone is lying versus someone who has a burning desire to dominate the league. Great point. You have to find that player who hungers to get better (maybe that's why Romeo failed to take big steps forward).
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Apr 20, 2022 8:55:03 GMT -5
I saw a good piece yesterday about how the Heat have turned not just late-drafted, but UN-drafted players into useful pieces - even starters - by finding guys who are willing to put in the work to get better and showing belief in them early. No reason we can't do the same.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Apr 20, 2022 9:36:22 GMT -5
I saw a good piece yesterday about how the Heat have turned not just late-drafted, but UN-drafted players into useful pieces - even starters - by finding guys who are willing to put in the work to get better and showing belief in them early. No reason we can't do the same. We beat them to it when we took in Max Strus -- but for some odd reason we let him go and they picked him up and made him into a useful piece. We sort of did it with Javontae Green. We had a bit of success on the international front -- Theis turned out well, Larkin had his cup if coffee.
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Apr 20, 2022 10:17:15 GMT -5
Do you think Duncan Robinson is more athletic than Hauser? Any reason you can see why Sam can't develop into the same kind of player?
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Apr 20, 2022 12:26:50 GMT -5
Do you think Duncan Robinson is more athletic than Hauser? Any reason you can see why Sam can't develop into the same kind of player? Duncan is more of a 2, while Hauser is caught between a 3/4. I'm hoping Stauskas can turn out to be Duncan-lite.
|
|
|
Post by jrmzt on Apr 20, 2022 15:10:52 GMT -5
I saw a good piece yesterday about how the Heat have turned not just late-drafted, but UN-drafted players into useful pieces - even starters - by finding guys who are willing to put in the work to get better and showing belief in them early. No reason we can't do the same. Isn't there also the whole piece around the Heat mentality? The guys there are basically gym warriors and they put in a huge amount of time in practise because that is Pat Riley's enforced culture. It helps to have guys like Jimmy Butler yelling to hold you accountable. It's no surprise undrafted guys become gems because they're putting in the effort in a culture that embodies it. Watching Udoka call out guys early on...admittedly I was skeptical about him holding our stars accountable, but I can see his style working and we'll eventually be getting these types of undrafted gems too.
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Apr 20, 2022 15:28:44 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Apr 20, 2022 16:56:00 GMT -5
Just as they refer to the culture in MIA, they'll soon be talking about BOS's culture too. Defensive minded, ball sharing and winning basketball.
|
|