I'd take Vlade over Sengun in a heartbeat, people don't remember how good he was. Decent outside shooter, very solid passer and a shot blocker too.
One of the most frustrating problems with him lately is that he refuses to make the easy, open pass. He looked off multiple wide-open shooters and cutters to work the post-up last night. It was so bad that Candace Parker called it out on the broadcast last night. I think she said something like "you gotta trust your teammates more".
I haven't given up on Alpi yet, but he went from one of my favs to being very hard to watch. I won't rehash all of the excuses, but he's not right mentally or physically and that's throwing a kink in our ability to compete on the court. What needs to happen? Before selling out on any one player, I think TF/PF need to bring in a smart basketball consultant to review the organization from top to bottom and provide them recommendations. Two names off the top of my head would be--Bob Myers (former GS GM) and Masai Ujiri (former TOR GM). Both these guys built championship teams and know what it takes. Hell, he should probably then hire them to oversee basketball operations. Sometimes I feel like our team is on the Island of Misfit Toys. We need a master bball craftsman who understands how to build a champion. That can look at our players and see who fits that championship mold and use pieces that don't fit to acquire pieces that do. Review the GM and Coaching staffs as well and make adjustments as required. A first-round bounce will be the time to do this. The only thing making this season fun is seeing Reed blossom and KD climb the record ladder. Oh, and Okogie's hustle. Tari has also dropped off a cliff and Bari has one great game, but then retreats to the mean. I love Amen and believe he's got exciting athletic potential (if we can unleash it) instead of forcing a square peg into a round hole. Time for the fans to signal, we need some help...
It is all in his head, he just isn't engaged or trying, I think what KD said bothered him and maybe he is out on iME? DD
y’all gotta be trolling with the “tired from Eurobasket” excuse and KD sh*tting on him with his burner account isn’t making him smoke layup after layup at the rim and get blocked in transition by 40 y/o Al Horford then start his patented whining to the ref for a foul that never happened
He’s trying to be the franchise player instead of fitting in. The casuals think development is just linear but that’s usually not the case
Sengun is playing worse than at anytime in his career in my opinion. When he has an obvious mis-match like the Wizards, he will put up superstar numbers, but when he is being challenged physically he is playing miserably. There may be a number of things at play here: 1. He is playing injured 2. He has become a Diva after all the public admiration and has lost sight of what made him special as a center with great court vision and relentlessness on the court. Too many times last night he decided to go one on one with wide-open teammates staring him in the face. 3. He is out of shape or living too large in his time-off. 4. Ime has lost his and the team’s respect. 5. Durant, Amen, and Sengun all like to operate from the same place on the floor. It could also be all of the above. I hope he plays through it, but I would trade him in the off-season if we can get a lottery pick in this draft and/or a better fit for this team in a position of need. If we as fans, can see how Ime is screwing up this team’s young guys so can GM’s and I think his trade value is still pretty high. I would go hard at Atlanta for that NOP pick.
Even with his mental softness that shows up at the worst times, if Alpi could just shoot the ball! He's played professionally since his early teens and still does not have a consistent, repeatable form. I'm starting to believe he never will and it's just a part of who he is. There's been no improvement in his 5 years with the Rockets. His yips on shots near the rim are just as frustrating.
I think he needs a rest. All of the Euro 25 stars (Giannis, Wagner, Osman, Makkanen even Jokic) were out for an extended period of time. moreover he simply needs to play too many minutes bc Udoka runs them into the ground. Give a week off an he will look differently.
