I'm going to be honest with you guys, I stepped away from all of this late this afternoon.
When I left my office around 5 p.m. the trade was a done deal & there was only a matter of NBA approval.
I went to supper & got home around 7:30. I had the game tivo'ing so that the Diamond one & myself could watch it when he got home from College.
I'm watching an old re-run of Hogans hero, in hi-def btw, when I get this call from a co-worker who said to me "so what happened with Ron Artest now"
I then went on this long spiel about how Ron was traded to the Kings & the proceded to bore him with my thoughts on the entire thing. Knowing he is not a big NBA fan I even filled him in on all of Peja's strengths & weaknesses as I knew them. I had just said the words "well, while I really don't like the trade I am just happy to get rid of Artest" when he pipes in "but I thought the trade fell through". To which I assumed he meant the Maggette trade so I then went on & explained what happened there. Then he say's but they just said on Q95 that ESPN is reporting that the deal with Sac. fell through.
Needless to say I said "What the are you talking about" he then said "no, really they just said it".
I then said "Well " & I hung up on him.
I then ran to the computer to check if the story was true, my first instinct was to check the digest because I knew you guys would be all over this like stink on **** but then I remembered that the game was going on & I never check here when I am not watching a game live.
I went to ESPN & I'll be d@mned if it wasn't the top story. Needless to say I had to call back my co-worker & apologize.
I then hit up the Diamond one & told him the news. Basically he laughed, what the he!! else can you do at that point.
We watched the game (I'll get to that in a min) & then afterwards I came on here & tried to read the threads but by that time it was litterally two pages long so I just had to quit if I was going to do a report card.
I'll try & sum my feelings up on the entire debacle in a #'d system.
1. I wasn't suprised. Well, hold on I was suprised when I was told because I thought it was done when I left. But I wasn't suprised that Ron tried to dictate where he would go. I suspect that trend will continue.
2. The Pacers nor the NBA will be able to do dick to Ron because of the way he has done it. He hasn't refused anything, he said he'll show up but has already indicated that he would prefer not to be there so that puts the seed of doubt in the Maaloof's minds. Even at the meeting tommorrow Ron will just say he wanted to talk but even before he gets there he is causing problems. I'd be suprised if the deal went through as it was. But then again it could very easily happen as well so who knows.
3. The fans of Sacramento just got a reprieve. I know some of you guys read this so let me tell you now. Pray to God that Ron does not end up on your team. He litterally is a monster. The man will wreck your team, there can be no mistake to that. I don't care what system he is in, who he is playing for or how you think you are going to treat him. He will only care about himself at the end of the day & if you have any luck at all you will be able to ship Peja off for something better than this.
4. I wanted him gone, but I'll be honest I never really wanted Peja here. He just doesn't seem to fit into any kind of system we have. But then again, right now we don't have a system so maybe I'm wrong about that.
5. As a fan of the Pacers I hate this. I hate what he has done to our team, what he has made the public outside of our fanbase think abour our team & now what more internal damage he is doing to our team. If it wasn't for the fact that this is killing our franchise this season I could only laugh at this for what it is making Bird look like & ultimately what it is doing to Walsh. But I am a fan so I can only take so much pleasure in their misery. Make no mistake in the real world one of the two of them would take the long walk down corperate row for what has become of this franchise & the way they hung on to this douche bag. But since the Simons have always allowed Walsh as much room as he needs & since Bird is a legand neither will get what anyone else would have gotten.
For the record something deep inside of me blames Bird more for this than Donnie & you all know how I feel about Walsh.
Which bring me to my new point.
I can't be a fan if Ron Artest is allowed back on this team.
Wait, wait before I get the usual lineup of people saying "you don't have to worry about that". Let me make something clear. In his latest Q & A Wells is already talking about how they should let him play & actually need him to play even though they won't let him play.
I am very much afraid that if this deal & all other deals fall through & if this team spirals into a losing season that someone will buckle. Either Walsh or Bird will decide that they need to do something with him & letting him play may be the way to go.
Look at the way that has sprung up on here over the last few weeks. When Ron first made the statement very few uttered the thought about just letting him play.
But then the losing started & some of the few who said this were then being joined by others. Of course now Ron has p!ssed people off again but in about a month & a half if the team is struggling & he is still on the roster the voices will grow.
I can't do it guys.
Ron Artest has now just made Derrick McKey palatable to me. I would call Ron, Satan, but that would confuse people.
So I hereby bequeeth the name Lucifer to Ron Artest.
Anyway back to my point.
If he is brought back on this team for any reason I am done purchasing anything from them until he is gone. I know that is not much of a threat but it is the only one I have.
I will not buy playoff tickets (I may not have to worry about that) I will not buy next seasons tickets.
This isn't the Brad Miller thing for me guys this is worse. This is one person who has so soiled the franchise that I just cannot stand to see him in our uniform ever again.
Now here is my one shining hope.
Donnie Walsh.
I do NOT beleive that Donnie will allow him back. The one thing that has always burned me in the past about Donnie may be the one thing this time that actually saves me.
In other words Donnie has never given a **** about what you or I want so he has never been under any fan pressure to do anything.
So if Donnie is truely done with Lucifer, I think he is done with him & no matter if the entire fieldhouse in unison stood up & shouted "Free Artest" it wouldn't matter to him.
So my fear of not having to buy tickets will be only in the way way way backburner of my mind.
Let's move on.
The Cavs. game.
Danny Granger was great. David Harrison sucked. Jermaine O'Neal was a punk & Fred Jones was useless.
Other than that things were fine.
When Jeff gave the hard foul to Gooden, Drew reacted as I expected him to do. No big deal, Jeff made a good hard foul, Drew let him know that he wouldn't tolerate it & that would have been the end of it.
But no, Jermaine O'Neal decides that he must make sure that Aleksander Pavlovic understand that J.O. is a big tough man.
Again I would like to point out the following. Jermaine O'Neal 6'11" 260lbs of muscle. Aleksander Pavlovic 6'7" 210lbs skinny guy.
For that matter why did he have to be involved at all? How about let Jeff handle this, which he was doing very well I might add.
I kept watching Jamaal Tinsley to see if he would break out a dust buster or something from under his jersey.
In that one little skirmish I was reminded of the J.O. I knew & laughed at so many years ago in that embarrassment of a supposed fight with Corliss Williamson of the Kings.
Then to hear him in the post game interview & then to go back & rewatch the opening inspirational huddle. Let's just say that today J.O. is not living up to that leadership role he had stepped up to.
He is down right now, maybe rightfully so, but to be the leader means he has to elevate the players to another level or at least try to.
Right now this is a rudderless team.
There isn't much to say about the Cavs. game other than it's another in the ever expanding line of games where I just say there is nothing to take away from this other than get over it & move on.
I'm going to do the report cards now.
Rick Carlisle. I think it was apperant early on that he really had problems with this team. Remember guys one of Lucifers complaints about being here was not that the fans booed him or whatever other excuse some of you will want to come up with. It was that he did not like playing for Carlisle. Guess what he hasn't been the only one who has made comments about that this season. A.J., Saras, J.O. & Jax have all at some point in time made the comment they don't like the way things have gone from a coaching standpoint. But he still has the team above .500% at the mid-season even if it is ever so slightly.
Coaching grade: C
Larry Bird. I thought that this was it, I thought this was the year he took over & truely started to remold this team in the way he wanted. Well, here we are. The Indiana Pacers held hostage day (whatever) & who is the person making the calls on this? You know it, Walsh. He stays in Europe to scout while the team burns. This is the tool who said that Ron should be allowed to blow some plays & make some mistakes & that "Ronnie" is just misunderstood.
Donnie Walsh. To his credit he took the Bull by the horns after Lucifer forced the issue & has made it clear he won't let him back. The bad thing is that it took Lucifer issuing this ultimatum on TV & in multiple radio & newspaper interviews to get this done. I can only hope that he let Larry keep him over the summer against his better judgement, but it doesn't matter. He knew what Lucifer was all about after the second season he was here. He sold his soul, so to speak, for talent & laid the sacrifice of character on the alter.
Also let's not overlook some of the other wonderfull ideas these two have had. Bringing in a player who in the press conferance to announce him had to say they had a coach (Mike Brown) who could deal with him. Brought in a p.g. who was going to create a controversy over style of play. Did not bring in any form of vet. big man to help take the pressure off of our middle. I could go on & on but I won't.
Managements grade F-
Austin Croshere. Um, am I the only person who has noticed a real slip in Austins play this week? Is it just a coincidence that we learned he was offered with Lucifer for Odom at about the same time his play became irregular? Other than that he has been the one solid all season long. You never had to question his work ethic, his professionalism or his leadership. You will always be able to question his contract but what is the point anymore. This is a guy who could b!tch a fit & be right to do so about not starting. When he starts the teams record is much higher & he produces at a higher level. But he hasn't said a word & for the first time in years is actually being productive off of the bench.
Crosheres grade A-
Jeff Foster. Not in shape yet but fights every min. he is on the floor. Has seemed to have moved passed the wretched field goal shooting he had when he first came back. He is playing more physical & IMO smarter than he has in the past on defesne. I think he is dominate as the backup center & I hope we can keep him in that role. I hate O'neal & Foster together but I like Cro & Foster & even Harrison & Foster.
Foster grade B+
Ed Gill. He shows up, he does his job & he does not create problems for the team. Yes I know that this should be the min. expectations of every player but on our team someone like this needs praise. He does not cause problems & he cheers whenever I see him. No, his skill aren't great. But I've seen a lot worse 4th string p.g.'s on a team.
Gill's grade B
A.J. Well he has shown his attitude here over the past couple of games but I've always thought that you reap what you sow. So IMO since Carlisle let's Jackson throw a hissy fit everytime he is taken out when he doesn't want to then it makes it ok for anybody to do it. But beyond that A.J. has given us everything that you would ever want from somebody of his talent level & place on the team. What's sad is that right now he is the most complete point guard on the team.
Johnson's grade B- (would have been higher but I took off some for recent attitudes)
Jermaine O'Neal. Stepped up early on in the leadership game. Has fallen off of it lately. Is always coming up lame for some reason or the other, but I never question his willingness to play through pain or injury. Other than the Cavs. game he hasn't rebounded as well as I would like for him to & as far as I know he doesn't demand the offense go through him so I don't blame him for all of the iso ball. However for a max player you probably like to see a little more production out of the guy. But I will say this, this franchise has put him through a lot. From firing his mentor to keeping Lucifer for far longer than they should have. So in some respects he gets a break here. But that break will last only so long. Unfortunately it's a tough world out there & at some point in time you have to produce.
O'Neals grade B-
Danny Granger. Struggled very early on & didn't deserve any more min. than what he was getting. But once he settled down & got some consistant time on the floor he showed that whatever hype he was getting was probably not enough. He is a fierce rebounder & he is already a good defender for a rookie. If he had a solid 15' jump shot he would be a phenom & there is nothing to say he can't develop one. The future looks much brighter when I look at it with him in the picture.
Grangers grade B-
Stephen Jackson. Horrid attitude at times on the floor. Argues way to much with refs. makes an @ss of himself everytime he gets pulled from the game & has become somewhat of a ballhog. However he has certainly stepped up his game on occasion to help us win some without Lucifer being here. When he plays the two guard we become a more competative team because of his length & ability to guard some of the better two's in the NBA. I know a lot of people can't stand him & I'm not a big fan & truth be told I'd rather have Al. But I can't fault him for everything that has happened.
Jacksons grade C
Sarunas Jasikevicius. Not as great as hyped, not as bad as I expected. He talks to much for a rookie & I don't think he blends that well with his team mates. Some of it is their fault some of it is his. But he is a good/great passer & on occasion can shoot lights out. I would have no problem if they traded A.J. & kept Saras as the backup p.g. I've actually come to like it on occasion when he is in there with the right guys. Needs to still improve defensivley & I would like to see him dribble a little better but overall I am more happy that I ever thought I would be with him.
Jasikevicius grade C
Fred Jones. I really should have reviewed Fred after a differant game than the Cavs. one. He was litterally useless & unfortunately with Fred this season we have rotating great games followed by really bad games. This is his time to shine & he's not always getting it done. Don't get me wrong he is not sucking or anything like that but he is not been consistantly good enough IMO to think of him as anything more that a novelty who can come in & make some big plays but at other times be useless on the floor. I still like him but he needs to defend every game not every other & he has to be more aggesive going to the hole.
Jones grade C
David Harrison. He is being given a chance. He is not really proving on a consistant basis that he deserves this chance. For those that make the statements that he has mental issue all I can say is this. I think your right. He is litterally a big kid & truth be told he needs a mentor in the worst of ways. However he has shown that he eats space better than anybody on the team & has had some games where he has shown he can own the defensive glass. He was hitting from the field but that has gone by the way of the doo doo here lately. I say this will all respect. David Harrison is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.
Harrisons grade C-
Scot Pollard. Are you kidding me, a sore back? Is being funny that much of a strain? I'm only halfway joking. This guy doesn't play but yet he isn't available much to do so even when they want him to. The flu, then back pain? When I first heard this I wondered if maybe Scot hadn't gotten a little tired of the DNP-CD's. When he has played he's had some good & some less than good but never bad. I am really wondering about this back thing. But no matter what he just isn't available enough to get be of any real use.
Pollards grade D
Jamaal Tinsley. Causes more harm to this team right now than good. If he is not injured he is sick if he is not sick he is Mel Mel the abuser if he is not Mel Mel the abuser he is Allen Iverson. Since he has returned from his muscle tear I have been trying to think of a way to get him to go back out. This is coming from a guy who was once a full fledged supporter of Jamaal. No more.
His shooting is crap, for some reason now he is a shoot first point guard for more than 3/4 time he is on the floor. His defense litterally makes Pooh Richardson look like Sidney Moncrief & his passing is suspect. Point guard is our deepest position yet is it also the weakest on the team. No disrespect to my friends Ragnar & Magicrat but I am now fully in the camp of getting this clown out of town.
Tinsleys grade F
Lucifer & Bender get lumped into the F catagory as well but I'm not wasting any more time on either of them.
Overall I give the team a grade of C- & that is probably generous.
Feel free to flame away at me.
When I left my office around 5 p.m. the trade was a done deal & there was only a matter of NBA approval.
I went to supper & got home around 7:30. I had the game tivo'ing so that the Diamond one & myself could watch it when he got home from College.
I'm watching an old re-run of Hogans hero, in hi-def btw, when I get this call from a co-worker who said to me "so what happened with Ron Artest now"
I then went on this long spiel about how Ron was traded to the Kings & the proceded to bore him with my thoughts on the entire thing. Knowing he is not a big NBA fan I even filled him in on all of Peja's strengths & weaknesses as I knew them. I had just said the words "well, while I really don't like the trade I am just happy to get rid of Artest" when he pipes in "but I thought the trade fell through". To which I assumed he meant the Maggette trade so I then went on & explained what happened there. Then he say's but they just said on Q95 that ESPN is reporting that the deal with Sac. fell through.
Needless to say I said "What the are you talking about" he then said "no, really they just said it".
I then said "Well " & I hung up on him.
I then ran to the computer to check if the story was true, my first instinct was to check the digest because I knew you guys would be all over this like stink on **** but then I remembered that the game was going on & I never check here when I am not watching a game live.
I went to ESPN & I'll be d@mned if it wasn't the top story. Needless to say I had to call back my co-worker & apologize.
I then hit up the Diamond one & told him the news. Basically he laughed, what the he!! else can you do at that point.
We watched the game (I'll get to that in a min) & then afterwards I came on here & tried to read the threads but by that time it was litterally two pages long so I just had to quit if I was going to do a report card.
I'll try & sum my feelings up on the entire debacle in a #'d system.
1. I wasn't suprised. Well, hold on I was suprised when I was told because I thought it was done when I left. But I wasn't suprised that Ron tried to dictate where he would go. I suspect that trend will continue.
2. The Pacers nor the NBA will be able to do dick to Ron because of the way he has done it. He hasn't refused anything, he said he'll show up but has already indicated that he would prefer not to be there so that puts the seed of doubt in the Maaloof's minds. Even at the meeting tommorrow Ron will just say he wanted to talk but even before he gets there he is causing problems. I'd be suprised if the deal went through as it was. But then again it could very easily happen as well so who knows.
3. The fans of Sacramento just got a reprieve. I know some of you guys read this so let me tell you now. Pray to God that Ron does not end up on your team. He litterally is a monster. The man will wreck your team, there can be no mistake to that. I don't care what system he is in, who he is playing for or how you think you are going to treat him. He will only care about himself at the end of the day & if you have any luck at all you will be able to ship Peja off for something better than this.
4. I wanted him gone, but I'll be honest I never really wanted Peja here. He just doesn't seem to fit into any kind of system we have. But then again, right now we don't have a system so maybe I'm wrong about that.
5. As a fan of the Pacers I hate this. I hate what he has done to our team, what he has made the public outside of our fanbase think abour our team & now what more internal damage he is doing to our team. If it wasn't for the fact that this is killing our franchise this season I could only laugh at this for what it is making Bird look like & ultimately what it is doing to Walsh. But I am a fan so I can only take so much pleasure in their misery. Make no mistake in the real world one of the two of them would take the long walk down corperate row for what has become of this franchise & the way they hung on to this douche bag. But since the Simons have always allowed Walsh as much room as he needs & since Bird is a legand neither will get what anyone else would have gotten.
For the record something deep inside of me blames Bird more for this than Donnie & you all know how I feel about Walsh.
Which bring me to my new point.
I can't be a fan if Ron Artest is allowed back on this team.
Wait, wait before I get the usual lineup of people saying "you don't have to worry about that". Let me make something clear. In his latest Q & A Wells is already talking about how they should let him play & actually need him to play even though they won't let him play.
I am very much afraid that if this deal & all other deals fall through & if this team spirals into a losing season that someone will buckle. Either Walsh or Bird will decide that they need to do something with him & letting him play may be the way to go.
Look at the way that has sprung up on here over the last few weeks. When Ron first made the statement very few uttered the thought about just letting him play.
But then the losing started & some of the few who said this were then being joined by others. Of course now Ron has p!ssed people off again but in about a month & a half if the team is struggling & he is still on the roster the voices will grow.
I can't do it guys.
Ron Artest has now just made Derrick McKey palatable to me. I would call Ron, Satan, but that would confuse people.
So I hereby bequeeth the name Lucifer to Ron Artest.
Anyway back to my point.
If he is brought back on this team for any reason I am done purchasing anything from them until he is gone. I know that is not much of a threat but it is the only one I have.
I will not buy playoff tickets (I may not have to worry about that) I will not buy next seasons tickets.
This isn't the Brad Miller thing for me guys this is worse. This is one person who has so soiled the franchise that I just cannot stand to see him in our uniform ever again.
Now here is my one shining hope.
Donnie Walsh.
I do NOT beleive that Donnie will allow him back. The one thing that has always burned me in the past about Donnie may be the one thing this time that actually saves me.
In other words Donnie has never given a **** about what you or I want so he has never been under any fan pressure to do anything.
So if Donnie is truely done with Lucifer, I think he is done with him & no matter if the entire fieldhouse in unison stood up & shouted "Free Artest" it wouldn't matter to him.
So my fear of not having to buy tickets will be only in the way way way backburner of my mind.
Let's move on.
The Cavs. game.
Danny Granger was great. David Harrison sucked. Jermaine O'Neal was a punk & Fred Jones was useless.
Other than that things were fine.
When Jeff gave the hard foul to Gooden, Drew reacted as I expected him to do. No big deal, Jeff made a good hard foul, Drew let him know that he wouldn't tolerate it & that would have been the end of it.
But no, Jermaine O'Neal decides that he must make sure that Aleksander Pavlovic understand that J.O. is a big tough man.
Again I would like to point out the following. Jermaine O'Neal 6'11" 260lbs of muscle. Aleksander Pavlovic 6'7" 210lbs skinny guy.
For that matter why did he have to be involved at all? How about let Jeff handle this, which he was doing very well I might add.
I kept watching Jamaal Tinsley to see if he would break out a dust buster or something from under his jersey.
In that one little skirmish I was reminded of the J.O. I knew & laughed at so many years ago in that embarrassment of a supposed fight with Corliss Williamson of the Kings.
Then to hear him in the post game interview & then to go back & rewatch the opening inspirational huddle. Let's just say that today J.O. is not living up to that leadership role he had stepped up to.
He is down right now, maybe rightfully so, but to be the leader means he has to elevate the players to another level or at least try to.
Right now this is a rudderless team.
There isn't much to say about the Cavs. game other than it's another in the ever expanding line of games where I just say there is nothing to take away from this other than get over it & move on.
I'm going to do the report cards now.
Rick Carlisle. I think it was apperant early on that he really had problems with this team. Remember guys one of Lucifers complaints about being here was not that the fans booed him or whatever other excuse some of you will want to come up with. It was that he did not like playing for Carlisle. Guess what he hasn't been the only one who has made comments about that this season. A.J., Saras, J.O. & Jax have all at some point in time made the comment they don't like the way things have gone from a coaching standpoint. But he still has the team above .500% at the mid-season even if it is ever so slightly.
Coaching grade: C
Larry Bird. I thought that this was it, I thought this was the year he took over & truely started to remold this team in the way he wanted. Well, here we are. The Indiana Pacers held hostage day (whatever) & who is the person making the calls on this? You know it, Walsh. He stays in Europe to scout while the team burns. This is the tool who said that Ron should be allowed to blow some plays & make some mistakes & that "Ronnie" is just misunderstood.
Donnie Walsh. To his credit he took the Bull by the horns after Lucifer forced the issue & has made it clear he won't let him back. The bad thing is that it took Lucifer issuing this ultimatum on TV & in multiple radio & newspaper interviews to get this done. I can only hope that he let Larry keep him over the summer against his better judgement, but it doesn't matter. He knew what Lucifer was all about after the second season he was here. He sold his soul, so to speak, for talent & laid the sacrifice of character on the alter.
Also let's not overlook some of the other wonderfull ideas these two have had. Bringing in a player who in the press conferance to announce him had to say they had a coach (Mike Brown) who could deal with him. Brought in a p.g. who was going to create a controversy over style of play. Did not bring in any form of vet. big man to help take the pressure off of our middle. I could go on & on but I won't.
Managements grade F-
Austin Croshere. Um, am I the only person who has noticed a real slip in Austins play this week? Is it just a coincidence that we learned he was offered with Lucifer for Odom at about the same time his play became irregular? Other than that he has been the one solid all season long. You never had to question his work ethic, his professionalism or his leadership. You will always be able to question his contract but what is the point anymore. This is a guy who could b!tch a fit & be right to do so about not starting. When he starts the teams record is much higher & he produces at a higher level. But he hasn't said a word & for the first time in years is actually being productive off of the bench.
Crosheres grade A-
Jeff Foster. Not in shape yet but fights every min. he is on the floor. Has seemed to have moved passed the wretched field goal shooting he had when he first came back. He is playing more physical & IMO smarter than he has in the past on defesne. I think he is dominate as the backup center & I hope we can keep him in that role. I hate O'neal & Foster together but I like Cro & Foster & even Harrison & Foster.
Foster grade B+
Ed Gill. He shows up, he does his job & he does not create problems for the team. Yes I know that this should be the min. expectations of every player but on our team someone like this needs praise. He does not cause problems & he cheers whenever I see him. No, his skill aren't great. But I've seen a lot worse 4th string p.g.'s on a team.
Gill's grade B
A.J. Well he has shown his attitude here over the past couple of games but I've always thought that you reap what you sow. So IMO since Carlisle let's Jackson throw a hissy fit everytime he is taken out when he doesn't want to then it makes it ok for anybody to do it. But beyond that A.J. has given us everything that you would ever want from somebody of his talent level & place on the team. What's sad is that right now he is the most complete point guard on the team.
Johnson's grade B- (would have been higher but I took off some for recent attitudes)
Jermaine O'Neal. Stepped up early on in the leadership game. Has fallen off of it lately. Is always coming up lame for some reason or the other, but I never question his willingness to play through pain or injury. Other than the Cavs. game he hasn't rebounded as well as I would like for him to & as far as I know he doesn't demand the offense go through him so I don't blame him for all of the iso ball. However for a max player you probably like to see a little more production out of the guy. But I will say this, this franchise has put him through a lot. From firing his mentor to keeping Lucifer for far longer than they should have. So in some respects he gets a break here. But that break will last only so long. Unfortunately it's a tough world out there & at some point in time you have to produce.
O'Neals grade B-
Danny Granger. Struggled very early on & didn't deserve any more min. than what he was getting. But once he settled down & got some consistant time on the floor he showed that whatever hype he was getting was probably not enough. He is a fierce rebounder & he is already a good defender for a rookie. If he had a solid 15' jump shot he would be a phenom & there is nothing to say he can't develop one. The future looks much brighter when I look at it with him in the picture.
Grangers grade B-
Stephen Jackson. Horrid attitude at times on the floor. Argues way to much with refs. makes an @ss of himself everytime he gets pulled from the game & has become somewhat of a ballhog. However he has certainly stepped up his game on occasion to help us win some without Lucifer being here. When he plays the two guard we become a more competative team because of his length & ability to guard some of the better two's in the NBA. I know a lot of people can't stand him & I'm not a big fan & truth be told I'd rather have Al. But I can't fault him for everything that has happened.
Jacksons grade C
Sarunas Jasikevicius. Not as great as hyped, not as bad as I expected. He talks to much for a rookie & I don't think he blends that well with his team mates. Some of it is their fault some of it is his. But he is a good/great passer & on occasion can shoot lights out. I would have no problem if they traded A.J. & kept Saras as the backup p.g. I've actually come to like it on occasion when he is in there with the right guys. Needs to still improve defensivley & I would like to see him dribble a little better but overall I am more happy that I ever thought I would be with him.
Jasikevicius grade C
Fred Jones. I really should have reviewed Fred after a differant game than the Cavs. one. He was litterally useless & unfortunately with Fred this season we have rotating great games followed by really bad games. This is his time to shine & he's not always getting it done. Don't get me wrong he is not sucking or anything like that but he is not been consistantly good enough IMO to think of him as anything more that a novelty who can come in & make some big plays but at other times be useless on the floor. I still like him but he needs to defend every game not every other & he has to be more aggesive going to the hole.
Jones grade C
David Harrison. He is being given a chance. He is not really proving on a consistant basis that he deserves this chance. For those that make the statements that he has mental issue all I can say is this. I think your right. He is litterally a big kid & truth be told he needs a mentor in the worst of ways. However he has shown that he eats space better than anybody on the team & has had some games where he has shown he can own the defensive glass. He was hitting from the field but that has gone by the way of the doo doo here lately. I say this will all respect. David Harrison is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.
Harrisons grade C-
Scot Pollard. Are you kidding me, a sore back? Is being funny that much of a strain? I'm only halfway joking. This guy doesn't play but yet he isn't available much to do so even when they want him to. The flu, then back pain? When I first heard this I wondered if maybe Scot hadn't gotten a little tired of the DNP-CD's. When he has played he's had some good & some less than good but never bad. I am really wondering about this back thing. But no matter what he just isn't available enough to get be of any real use.
Pollards grade D
Jamaal Tinsley. Causes more harm to this team right now than good. If he is not injured he is sick if he is not sick he is Mel Mel the abuser if he is not Mel Mel the abuser he is Allen Iverson. Since he has returned from his muscle tear I have been trying to think of a way to get him to go back out. This is coming from a guy who was once a full fledged supporter of Jamaal. No more.
His shooting is crap, for some reason now he is a shoot first point guard for more than 3/4 time he is on the floor. His defense litterally makes Pooh Richardson look like Sidney Moncrief & his passing is suspect. Point guard is our deepest position yet is it also the weakest on the team. No disrespect to my friends Ragnar & Magicrat but I am now fully in the camp of getting this clown out of town.
Tinsleys grade F
Lucifer & Bender get lumped into the F catagory as well but I'm not wasting any more time on either of them.
Overall I give the team a grade of C- & that is probably generous.
Feel free to flame away at me.
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