Post by greeme on Sept 20, 2015 15:38:17 GMT
This isn't an article about the best or the most valuable players but rather about the most intriguing players on each team. What makes a player intriguing? Usually a player that hasn't played enough minutes to know what he can do or a guy at a career crossroads or a guy with a fatal flaw. They don't even necessarily have to be very good, maybe they are young with bad ratings and high pot or just very good at one thing. They could also just be laughingly bad.
Los Angeles Clippers
Calvin Hammond
He has great ratings. He is one of the rare good shooting bigs. The question – and it is a big one – is if he has the volume to take the next step. It has been said that volume is one of the hardest things to improve in fbb. On the other hand with players like Jones, Kidd and C-Webb around can you blame the soph for not shooting more? His other problem is that he is a great looking sf but he plays pf. His stat d and rebounding would be good for a sf but are just average for a pf. He might be best off backing up a few positions.
Memphis Grizzlies
Fred Jones
Nobody really intrigues me on this team tbh. Wade and artest will be studs and davi is old. Can Fred jones really win the dunk contest year after year? Maybe. But who really cares?
Phoenix Suns
Omar Cook
Another team lacking intrigue. I guess that I will go with cook. Decent ratings and a total mystery because he has never played. He was a 2nd round so I'm guessing he was in the euroleague and the d-lg. Tc will go a long way to telling if this guy will be 3 and out player or will be able to stick around for awhile.
Golden State Warriors
Harvey Litt
Not sure why his name is Havey on the roster. Should be Harvey. Anyway his ratings are nice but his ball control and shot selection aren't. This is the year that he has to take a big step forward and increase his %s and decrease his tos. At least if he gets his act together we know what his catchphrase will be.
Los Angeles Lakers
Clay Elliott
Doesn't really fit my definition of an intriguing players but he is one of my favorite players in this league and it is my article so he gets on the list. Stud sber and a great ft shooter. His ratings don't scream stud but he clearly is one. His ability to start at sf is a +.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Garnett
Only 5 guys on the team and, unless he keeps nachbar, nobody is on a rookie contract. Only question about KG is how many dpoty awards he will win.
Portland Trailblazers
Baron Davis
He is on the verge of stardom but he has to get his tos down and his volume up. His tos aren't as bad as they seem bc he plays almost 40 minutes a game. His 3pt shot could stand to improve but given his high stls and rebounds that is something that you can live with.
Denver Nuggets
Mike Dunleavy
Love Ak47 but he is a known quantity. Maor and springs should have a bet who ends up with more dpotys, kg or ak. But I digress. Mike shows A pot and solid shooting ratings. He can't play d currently but that could change. First couple of tcs will tell his story. Obviously camps will help also but he could very easily wash out of the league in 4 yrs.
Dallas Mavericks
Roger Mason
Had a great tc last year and his ratings stack up with any 2nd year player. He can even still be sent to dlg. What will stop him from being a stud? Typical guard question marks – tos and volume. Showing a C inside is always a red light. His extremely limited minutes – 12 – did nothing to assuage the concerns as he had the same amount of tos as points. Still that could be a fluke and if he has high pot and goes to dlg we could see an emerging star by the end of tc next year.
Houston Rockets
Tracy McGrady
Another team that has rookie phobia. Rasual Butler doesn't count. The intriguing thing about Tmac is that he is only 23. Already on the short list of best players in the game the question is can he get even better? Can he bump his scoring to 30? Can he get his tos under 2? Will he be in the mvp race year after year?
San Antonio Spurs
Tayshaun Prince
Best defender in the draft. Shows high pot. His draft notes make him look like a stud. I don't know how much it means, if at all, but his pot dropped from A in the draft file to B. Really interested to see how he turns out. I wouldn't be shocked if he ends up the 2nd best player in the draft.
Seattle Supersonics
Kobe Bryant
Why are there so many teams without rooks? Once you are over the softcap you might as well take a shot on a high pot rook. No real downside. Kobe is interesting in a tmac sort of way. He is actually underperforming with his A-/A- ratings. 22 ppg in 39 mpg is nothing special tbh. % aren't either, especially 3 pt %. And those tos are high. Rumor has it that if he doesn't get his act together this year he will be banished to Brooklyn.
Sacramento Kings
Morris Peterson
Solid ratings. Stats were solid in 9 mpg last year. Interested to see what he can do over a full year. He hasn't gone through his third tc yet so improvement there wouldn't be surprising at all.
Utah Jazz
Salomon Grundy
The Jazz actually have 2 interesting rookies but you gotta love Grundy. It looks like he might be the worst ft shooter ever, hitting a pathetic 39.5% from the line last year. But his fg shooting is even worse; he shoot at a 36% clip. Grundy might be the worst offensive player ever. Just playing him should count as tanking.
Los Angeles Clippers
Calvin Hammond
He has great ratings. He is one of the rare good shooting bigs. The question – and it is a big one – is if he has the volume to take the next step. It has been said that volume is one of the hardest things to improve in fbb. On the other hand with players like Jones, Kidd and C-Webb around can you blame the soph for not shooting more? His other problem is that he is a great looking sf but he plays pf. His stat d and rebounding would be good for a sf but are just average for a pf. He might be best off backing up a few positions.
Memphis Grizzlies
Fred Jones
Nobody really intrigues me on this team tbh. Wade and artest will be studs and davi is old. Can Fred jones really win the dunk contest year after year? Maybe. But who really cares?
Phoenix Suns
Omar Cook
Another team lacking intrigue. I guess that I will go with cook. Decent ratings and a total mystery because he has never played. He was a 2nd round so I'm guessing he was in the euroleague and the d-lg. Tc will go a long way to telling if this guy will be 3 and out player or will be able to stick around for awhile.
Golden State Warriors
Harvey Litt
Not sure why his name is Havey on the roster. Should be Harvey. Anyway his ratings are nice but his ball control and shot selection aren't. This is the year that he has to take a big step forward and increase his %s and decrease his tos. At least if he gets his act together we know what his catchphrase will be.
Los Angeles Lakers
Clay Elliott
Doesn't really fit my definition of an intriguing players but he is one of my favorite players in this league and it is my article so he gets on the list. Stud sber and a great ft shooter. His ratings don't scream stud but he clearly is one. His ability to start at sf is a +.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Garnett
Only 5 guys on the team and, unless he keeps nachbar, nobody is on a rookie contract. Only question about KG is how many dpoty awards he will win.
Portland Trailblazers
Baron Davis
He is on the verge of stardom but he has to get his tos down and his volume up. His tos aren't as bad as they seem bc he plays almost 40 minutes a game. His 3pt shot could stand to improve but given his high stls and rebounds that is something that you can live with.
Denver Nuggets
Mike Dunleavy
Love Ak47 but he is a known quantity. Maor and springs should have a bet who ends up with more dpotys, kg or ak. But I digress. Mike shows A pot and solid shooting ratings. He can't play d currently but that could change. First couple of tcs will tell his story. Obviously camps will help also but he could very easily wash out of the league in 4 yrs.
Dallas Mavericks
Roger Mason
Had a great tc last year and his ratings stack up with any 2nd year player. He can even still be sent to dlg. What will stop him from being a stud? Typical guard question marks – tos and volume. Showing a C inside is always a red light. His extremely limited minutes – 12 – did nothing to assuage the concerns as he had the same amount of tos as points. Still that could be a fluke and if he has high pot and goes to dlg we could see an emerging star by the end of tc next year.
Houston Rockets
Tracy McGrady
Another team that has rookie phobia. Rasual Butler doesn't count. The intriguing thing about Tmac is that he is only 23. Already on the short list of best players in the game the question is can he get even better? Can he bump his scoring to 30? Can he get his tos under 2? Will he be in the mvp race year after year?
San Antonio Spurs
Tayshaun Prince
Best defender in the draft. Shows high pot. His draft notes make him look like a stud. I don't know how much it means, if at all, but his pot dropped from A in the draft file to B. Really interested to see how he turns out. I wouldn't be shocked if he ends up the 2nd best player in the draft.
Seattle Supersonics
Kobe Bryant
Why are there so many teams without rooks? Once you are over the softcap you might as well take a shot on a high pot rook. No real downside. Kobe is interesting in a tmac sort of way. He is actually underperforming with his A-/A- ratings. 22 ppg in 39 mpg is nothing special tbh. % aren't either, especially 3 pt %. And those tos are high. Rumor has it that if he doesn't get his act together this year he will be banished to Brooklyn.
Sacramento Kings
Morris Peterson
Solid ratings. Stats were solid in 9 mpg last year. Interested to see what he can do over a full year. He hasn't gone through his third tc yet so improvement there wouldn't be surprising at all.
Utah Jazz
Salomon Grundy
The Jazz actually have 2 interesting rookies but you gotta love Grundy. It looks like he might be the worst ft shooter ever, hitting a pathetic 39.5% from the line last year. But his fg shooting is even worse; he shoot at a 36% clip. Grundy might be the worst offensive player ever. Just playing him should count as tanking.
