RedDawg#8

I think Dennis only replaces Rondo's assists. Rondo had 5 apg last year, Dennis hasnt topped 4 apg since he left Atlanta, and even then he only ever topped out at 6 apg. The ball is going to be in Bron's hands so the best Dennis can do is match the 5 assist Rondo put up in my humble opinion.

Part of me says yes, he has the supporting cast to add on another assist or two per game which should put him at #1. But then the other part of me thinks if we use those pieces the right way, Trae's usage should not be high enough to warrant a jump in counting stats. Im torn. I see him leveling out to 24 & 8 on the year with team success skyrocketing. But I also believe he has a 30 & 10 season in him too.

Shhhhh, don't speak facts on here, only eye ball tests allowed.

It will be good to see a little bit of this kid. He looked really good in his highlights.

If they believed that he would already be on the roster. Damn what we think about it.

Dunn's MRI was on the 24th which means this was a part of his physical and something we knew of before officially signing him on Fri/Saturday. The delay was probably to determine the treatment and timeline and if it would be worth our while to bring him on this season. I hate that he misses training camp and possibly pre season. His defensive intensity was going to be a tone setter in practice and help establish a competitive mindset, even if he wasnt 1st or 2nd string. We knew of Okungwu possibly missing time. The Snell injury only makes the Hill signing make even more sense now. Expect more minor injury rest days after a long layoff. These guys are going to be eased back in to full throttle basketball. The "17" might become the "11" healthy bodies real fast.

Some people miss the forest for the trees. Nobody could have precisely predicted the exact moves we would make this offseason, but it was pretty obvious when Schlenk took over 3 years ago what the plan was. Even with what's largely considered as a setback last year, we were right on schedule. A 3 year rebuild was extremely optimistic on the fans end, but our front office excelled at drafting, placed a premium on on-court development, and were financially savvy to the point that everything lined up perfect to strike in FA when other teams were not prepared to compete against us. That took major foresight and patience. That took putting ego and anxiety aside to play things out. And now here we are, not even a game in to the season and as positive as ever that our time has arrived to make a huge leap. In Schlenk we Trust.

I think thats the whole strategy of surrounding him with defenders. Plus Trae is going to make some strides. He showed a little improvement down the stretch last season, he just has to keep it up.

It was more a statement that it wasnt lack of specialized roles or asking players to do too much that caused us (and the Falcons) problems. It was running vanilla schemes that every opposing coach can scheme against because they know where each player will be, and they pick on who they want. I dont mind conceeding this because LP himself admitted he hadnt even started to install real defensive schemes yet because he was still teaching guys how to play NBA basketball. The one time we saw him implement a defensive strategy, the 1-3-1 zone, it worked to perfection.

You sure it had nothing to do with opposing coaches knowing how to attack and find mismatches? For instance if they know how we will run a certain look, they then counter that look with simple actions to make sure they get a mismatch like Trae on a center. Being rigid and lining up guys who cant adjust on the fly is what leaves you vulnerable to being exploited by good offensive coaching. Thats why guy with switchable skillsets are valuable in today's NBA. If our 2-4 can all defend the same players then its hard to isolate a mismatch

I think we are splitting hairs getting too fixated on traditional positions. The only time Hunter will play the "4" it wont be because we need him to play like or defend AD, KG, Tim Duncan, or any traditional big man. It will only be because we are looking for more shooting and potentially more switching on defense. That's it. He wont be a standard 4 the way we all agree he should not be used. He will be a big wing, and we will be playing small. And we will only be doing it because the situation calls for it. Deandre Hunter is not a big man. Nobody wants to see that. Nobody wants him outmatched. But the game HAS evolved. And small lineups are a tool in every teams arsenal. Having a guy that can be versatile gives you the ability not just to match up, but to attack your opponent. In the last 10 years, the NBA champs have been a "big" team only once. Every other time, they have been versatile rosters that play varied styles. Players and skillsets used like chess pieces. Fixating on whether a guy should be this OR that instead of this AND that is an obsolete way of looking at things.

I was just remarking how small Boston is. They start a 6-8 Tatum at PF and 6-8 Theis at center and get away with it. If that was us people lose their minds.

Or Dunn/Cam/Hill/Okungwu/Capela or Dunn/Cam/Hunter/Hill/Capela Got to have Capela out there if we are talking defense.

Ahhh that's a good one. I can dig it.

Who does Hunter remind y'all of now that we have had a season to see him play? He still isnt quick but he is a lot more explosive than I initially thought. His straight line speed once he gathers is pretty fast. He can usually blow by defenders with no dribble. Still methodical and robotic with the ball. I still get Kawhi vibes offensively, just a very raw version. Defensively he still has a ways to go. Kind of looks like skinny Melo on defense right now haha .

I took it as him believing Dunn has the ability to guard 1-3 very well and he would be used as such, as a stopper used to slow down the opponents best perimeter scorer regardless of position.

They have very tradeable contracts, but if we are doing well I see no reason why Schlenk would break it up so early. It would have to be a part of a major deal, not just to help someone else get better, but to bring us back a big piece.

So basically, 2020 in a nutshell lol

If rust is the biggest hurdle we have guys in Gallinari, Rondo, Snell, and Bogi who were all in the bubble and got those reps. If the quick turnaround is the biggest obstacle then we have a squad full of youth with fresh legs ready to play ball. The only hurdle I see slowing us down is finding chemistry and role. This is where having a dynamic point guard comes in handy. Trae needs to put his floor general hat on and get guys involved early and often.

I think thats pretty reasonable to be honest. At least until February we may hover around .500, this is without knowing the schedule and any challenges that may come with that.

If Dunn can teach Cam and Dre some tricks and nuances man, watch out.

Something about a small guard wearing #32 I just love and respect. Kind of a retro vibe to it. Defensive mentality.

Boom there it is. Okay. We are all set!

Yeah, when you think about it, it's Sacramento's own fault for creating a logjam at Guard. They didn't have to draft Haliburton. They had to be planning to SnT Bogi, move Hield, or both. They just got greedy and lost Bogi for nothing.

Playoffs