Post by DERRENMATTS on Aug 31, 2006 12:12:26 GMT -5
Even if we don't make a blockbuster trade to acquire Iverson, Jermaine O'Neal, or any other big name star, I have little doubt that we will have a winning season this year, possibly even a playoff berth. Yes, we are still going to be a young team that goes through growing pains because of our youth (shouldn't be used as an excuse, but it is). This shouldn't be mistaken as thinking that we will be contenders because we won't be. But at the very least, we should be a handful of games over .500.
First of all, we have a lot of young players who are starting to come into their own. This is important, since over 75% of our team has 3 years or less of NBA experience. We are a young team whose future balances on how well our young players develop. Starting with Perkins, this kid has literally morphed into a different player. I may not be as big of a fan as a lot of you, but I do see the major improvements in his game that he lacked as a rookie coming out of high school. He's gotten a lot quicker since then, and that was the biggest knock in my book. I knew that he could already use his body mass to bang with NBA big men, but his lack of quickness hampered my optimisim. Now, he's improved it to the point where its not a liability. Its not on the same level as Chris Bosh, but he's certainly no Big Z. With his lunch pail mentality and his rugged body, Perkins can be a big factor on the boards and on defense. This is an area we have been sorely lacking for over a decade (ever since Parish left Boston).
Other young players will also be coming into their own this season as well. Delonte really gave us a lot of optimism with his play last year, and that was a year spent learning how to play the PG position in the NBA. No easy task for anyone, not even natural PG's who've been playing that position for most of their lives. But Delonte made the transition, and though he wasn't looking like Steve Nash, he certainly did an admirable job filling in for us until we got ourselves a true PG. Now that Delonte has some PG experience under his belt, it will allow him to be a more complete backcourt player, whether it be as a starter or a bench player.
If Sebastian can come in right away and start making his presence felt, he will be a tremendous lift. He takes pride in passing and its his desire to make plays. That hasn't been in our repetoire in a long time. It'll be fun to watch a real PG run the show and it really makes a difference.
Tony Allen and Ryan Gomes will add production as key role players. Gomes actually has a chance to start if Jefferson cannot hit the road blazing. But in the best case scenario, Gomes is our reliable backup PF/SF who fills in perfectly when Jefferson or Pierce go to the bench.
Jefferson is going to play a key role in how well we do. He's our only legitimate inside scoring presence and we sorely need that integral production in order to function as a well rounded offense. If he's healthy and confident, we have our man in the low blocks. If his ankle is still bothering him, or if he's not playing aggressively, we will not be running on all cylinders on offense.
Pierce is going to be Pierce, getting his 20+ ppg and giving us critical scoring when need be.
Wally is going to benefit from playing with pass first PG's like Telfair and Rondo. Far too often, he's been trying to create his own offense by driving to the hole. Its not that he's horrible at it, but its not using his greatest strength, which is shooting the ball. Wally's outside shooting ability will be key in terms of making us an efficient offensive team. He's going to be the primary focus from the perimeter.
First of all, we have a lot of young players who are starting to come into their own. This is important, since over 75% of our team has 3 years or less of NBA experience. We are a young team whose future balances on how well our young players develop. Starting with Perkins, this kid has literally morphed into a different player. I may not be as big of a fan as a lot of you, but I do see the major improvements in his game that he lacked as a rookie coming out of high school. He's gotten a lot quicker since then, and that was the biggest knock in my book. I knew that he could already use his body mass to bang with NBA big men, but his lack of quickness hampered my optimisim. Now, he's improved it to the point where its not a liability. Its not on the same level as Chris Bosh, but he's certainly no Big Z. With his lunch pail mentality and his rugged body, Perkins can be a big factor on the boards and on defense. This is an area we have been sorely lacking for over a decade (ever since Parish left Boston).
Other young players will also be coming into their own this season as well. Delonte really gave us a lot of optimism with his play last year, and that was a year spent learning how to play the PG position in the NBA. No easy task for anyone, not even natural PG's who've been playing that position for most of their lives. But Delonte made the transition, and though he wasn't looking like Steve Nash, he certainly did an admirable job filling in for us until we got ourselves a true PG. Now that Delonte has some PG experience under his belt, it will allow him to be a more complete backcourt player, whether it be as a starter or a bench player.
If Sebastian can come in right away and start making his presence felt, he will be a tremendous lift. He takes pride in passing and its his desire to make plays. That hasn't been in our repetoire in a long time. It'll be fun to watch a real PG run the show and it really makes a difference.
Tony Allen and Ryan Gomes will add production as key role players. Gomes actually has a chance to start if Jefferson cannot hit the road blazing. But in the best case scenario, Gomes is our reliable backup PF/SF who fills in perfectly when Jefferson or Pierce go to the bench.
Jefferson is going to play a key role in how well we do. He's our only legitimate inside scoring presence and we sorely need that integral production in order to function as a well rounded offense. If he's healthy and confident, we have our man in the low blocks. If his ankle is still bothering him, or if he's not playing aggressively, we will not be running on all cylinders on offense.
Pierce is going to be Pierce, getting his 20+ ppg and giving us critical scoring when need be.
Wally is going to benefit from playing with pass first PG's like Telfair and Rondo. Far too often, he's been trying to create his own offense by driving to the hole. Its not that he's horrible at it, but its not using his greatest strength, which is shooting the ball. Wally's outside shooting ability will be key in terms of making us an efficient offensive team. He's going to be the primary focus from the perimeter.