I think Anthony Bennett makes lots of sense. Or perhaps Chris Singleton This guy is MKG without the big salary. I didn't like him out of college because his jumper was soooooo bad. He still corkscrews his release but it's going down. And he's a very good defender. I'd love to add him on a cheap multi-year deal. May even get him to sign a 4-year deal.
NotesNfrom 9/30/2019 game against the DMO Sharks: McElmore looked awesome, Clemmons is my hero and Hartenstein is worth a flyer. I love the guy, but I am starting to bet against Gary Clark making the roster.
You can’t judge players just by how many threes they made/make. For example McLemore didn’t look awesome. He just shot 14 threes. He made 5 so not horrible, but he seems to just be a Gerald Green replica. You’re looking at Clemons and Clark the same way. Clemons was slightly better at 5-13 from three. Clark sucked at 1-6 from three. Obviously if you’re going to shoot them might as well at least try to hit 35%+ so in that sense those two guys did outperform Clark. But on the whole given the competition I didn’t really see much but guys who were willing to put up a lot of threes quickly. Someone from the bench is going to have to rebound and defend. I guess that’s House... but Clark would be well suited to really focus on those aspects of his game. Hartenstein is a big what-if. I’m not sure I saw any noticeable jump with him yet... but at least against this level of competition he did look more comfortable just doing what he does.
Exactly! These threes mean squat and aside from shooting, McLemore didn't really do much else. Clark at least got in for some rebounds, but on the whole I just don't see him ever getting in the rotation. I was surprised that the main thing Clark worked on was shooting threes over the summer, which was supposed to be his forte anyway. He's far from automatic. Clemons impressed me the most, though that's not saying much as well as Hartenstein. The latter indeed looked more comfortable and hope he can show the same against NBA competition. For now, Clark and McLemore are both bottom of the barrel and so is Ryno. The latter has the edge though with his history with the Rockets.
Ya, I agree about Ryno - I know it's one game, but I feel like he looked much worse last night than he ever did last year (his shot was flatter than Chandler Parson's; no confidence at all on the court). I just kind of assume he will make the team because of the history and the partial guarantee, but I don't know how he could actually contribute meaningfully in his current shape.
Anderson is a vet, others are rookies playing for a contract - even it maybe just a 2 way contract. He yielded most of the shots last night and doing more screen and other things. Anderson missed a few 3s, but the decisions won't be based on those 3s, its rather in the day to day training and how does he coaches view his value will be.
My thoughts on last night were that McLemore didn't do as well as everyone seems to be thinking. He was just chucking. He was 5 of 14 from 3 and 6 of 16 from the field. Couldn't really tell much about his defense considering they were playing against the Sharks and players could make mistakes and not get burned. Guys who can chuck from 3 and shoot an average percentage and not play much defense are a dime a dozen. Gary Clark didn't shoot great from 3, but it's one game. Guys have off shooting nights. But he had 10 rebounds in 24 minutes. If he can be a 6'8" wing who can rebound and defend and shoot the 3 at an average rate, that's much more valuable than a shot-chucking non-defense playing SG. As for Anderson, he only put up 2 shots. As a veteran, he was deferring to the younger guys in his 15 minutes on the court. He had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block. We know what he can do. If he's catching passes from Harden and Westbrook, he can nail 3's. Clemons did well, but he is probably gonna be on a 2-way so his contract won't count towards the 15 man roster. Hartenstein did well too I thought. Ran the floor well and looked good screening and rolling. He's definitely going to make the team as he's the only other back-up center besides Chandler. (Nene's not gonna play). And given Chandler's age, he's probably gonna get a lot of rest, so Hartenstein will get minutes. Remember, Hartenstein is only 21 years old. He is at the same age right now as Capela was when Capela went into his second season. Capela averaged 7 points per game in his second season. This kid is 100% gonna make the roster. Any talk of him not making it is certifiably crazy.
Westbrook, Gordon, Harden, Tucker, Capela Rivers, Green, House, Shefolosha, Chandler / Hartenstine Clements, Clark, OPEN, OPEN (2way) Ponds, Bennett Cut the rest and save the cap space. (McLemore, Nene, Blessomgame, Anderson, and Frazier) Keep an eye on Grizzlies, NYK, Pelicans and Magic. —> 4/5 needed.
We can roll with what we have for now if we land the right player(s) they will be an infusion to something that is already working well. Tucker / Shefolosha / House / Clark / Bennett / Hartenstine fill in till the time is right.
