Game Thread:Bucks v. Nuggets--9:30pmCST tonight

[paulpressey25]

Ty has a good blog up on JA (IMHO):

http://bucksdiary.blogspot.com/2008/07/ ... ander.html

[Ayt]

Man am I pumped for the game tonight!!!

[europa]

Ty has a good blog up on JA (IMHO):

http://bucksdiary.blogspot.com/2008/07/ ... ander.html

I take issue with your description of this being "good." To call Alexander a bust after two meaningless Summer League games (one of which saw him play well) is pretty ridiculous if not downright idiotic. It would be just as idiotic to proclaim Alexander a great player if he'd gone out and dropped a pair of 20-10 games. It's nothing short of ridiculous hyperbole. I'll say again that I have no clue if Alexander will prove to be a good pick or not - I still need to see more of him - but I sure as hell know that two Summer League games ultimately won't prove d**k about how good he is or isn't.

While I agree with the blogger's point about the need for a legitimate PF and how the glaring absence of one has been a major issue (the past two seasons especially), I wonder why he blasts away at Alexander playing the position when he's yet to play it in a single NBA game. Summer League is about adjustments and experimentation. The Bucks are playing Alexander at PF and it's possible they will decide he shouldn't play the position at all when the season begins. Or maybe he'll show that when placed in an actual NBA game situation he'll be able to handle the position and fare well as Hammond has expressed confidence he can.

The bottom line is we simply don't know. If he goes out and drops 20-10 tonight, does that mean the Bucks can breath a sigh of relief knowing they have a player who will now match up with the Garnetts and Bosh's of the world? Of course not.

This blog smacked to me of a ridiculous rush to judgment that was attempting to draw definitive conclusions despite the fact we don't have a single shred of legitimate evidence to go by. Jack McCoy would laugh this case out of court if somebody brought it to him.

[bango_the_buck]

Amen.

[Debit One]

To call Alexander a bust after two meaningless Summer League games (one of which saw him play well) is pretty ridiculous if not downright idiotic.

Agreed.

It is interesting that we place such weight on two summer league games, yet I think that we would all think it foolish to pass judgment on a player after his first two regular season games.

Think back to last season. After 5 games we were ready to anoint Yi as the next Nowitzki. Funny how things work out, isn't it?

[europa]

To call Alexander a bust after two meaningless Summer League games (one of which saw him play well) is pretty ridiculous if not downright idiotic.

Agreed.

It is interesting that we place such weight on two summer league games, yet I think that we would all think it foolish to pass judgment on a player after his first two regular season games.

Think back to last season. After 5 games we were ready to anoint Yi as the next Nowitzki. Funny how things work out, isn't it?

It gives us all something to talk about which is great but I think the hyperbole is on overdrive with regard to the negativity about Alexander. My expectations for him aren't all that high because I didn't think the Bucks were going to get a big-time player at 8 no matter who they chose (unless they went with Rush who I think was the best player on the board when they picked) so it's not like I'm all gung ho about Alexander and think he's going to be a superstar. I don't. I just think that Summer League isn't going to tell us anything definitive about him. It can provide us with some hints - for example Yi rebounded like crap in SL last year and that was obviously a weakness to his game as a rookie - but I've never believed SL play was an accurate gauge of how good or how bad an NBA player will be.

[skones]

We need to quell the hyperbole a bit. I don't recall anyone saying Alexander was dominant. What I said was that he played composed, made smart basketball plays, shot the ball well and passed extremely well. I thought he played very well. I also believe many of us who praised his play also made note of the fact he isn't rebounding well and that's an area of his game that must improve - especially if he's going to see minutes at PF next season.

That's all well and good if it's in an actual NBA game. He's playing against guys that he's supposed to be better than. It's the reason he was drafted so high. The fact that he looks relatively average is rather worrisome. Half of it is the willingness to take the ball and dominate the inferior competition. He did that late in the season in college. Sessions is doing it now. It's time for Alexander to do the same.

[bango_the_buck]

What it all boils down to is that those who vehemently did not want us to draft JA (or desperately wanted us to pick someone else) will use any opportunity to trash him - that's just how the system works...

[europa]

We need to quell the hyperbole a bit. I don't recall anyone saying Alexander was dominant. What I said was that he played composed, made smart basketball plays, shot the ball well and passed extremely well. I thought he played very well. I also believe many of us who praised his play also made note of the fact he isn't rebounding well and that's an area of his game that must improve - especially if he's going to see minutes at PF next season.

That's all well and good if it's in an actual NBA game. He's playing against guys that he's supposed to be better than.

I'd counter by saying that in the second game he did play better than the inferior competition. The only player I thought who was clearly better than him in that game was Sessions. We'll see what happens tonight but if you're looking for some good news after two games I'd point to the fact he's progressed in a positive direction. I didn't see the first game but by all accounts he was garbage. He played pretty well in the second game so he wasn't garbage. That's progress and it's something positive. Again, we'll see what happens in a few minutes tonight.

[europa]

What it all boils down to is that those who vehemently did not want us to draft JA (or desperately wanted us to pick someone else) will use any opportunity to trash him - that's just how the system works...

It seems that way. I really really really really really wanted Brandon Rush but I'm fine with Alexander given how I didn't think there was anybody other than Rush who was clearly better on the board at 8 who came with any less risk. So we'll see how things play out.

[worthlessBucks]

Almost game time. Put up or shut up time for Joe

[steger_3434]

What it all boils down to is that those who vehemently did not want us to draft JA (or desperately wanted us to pick someone else) will use any opportunity to trash him - that's just how the system works...

It seems that way. I really really really really really wanted Brandon Rush but I'm fine with Alexander given how I didn't think there was anybody other than Rush who was clearly better on the board at 8 who came with any less risk. So we'll see how things play out.

Bayless and Lopez had no more risk than JA and have a much higher ceiling. It's a no brainer to take one of those guys given the situation. If you had to make a bet and if the risks were the same wouldn't you 100 times out of 100 make the bet that would yield the highest return?

There is no more risk with Bayless or Lopez than with JA, yet the potential is greater with the former two.

[europa]

The risks with Bayless were that he may not be able to play the PG position effectively or defend. He could be a tweener guard and I think it's safe to assume that's the main reason why he fell after being regarded as a Top 4 pick for so long.

Lopez has questions about how tough he is, his weak FG% for his position and how well he'll be able to defend and rebound. There are reasons why he also fell after being ranked as a Top 5 pick for so long.

If there weren't questions about those two, they wouldn't have fallen. But both did. That could prove to be a mistake or we could see that neither one of them should have been ranked as high as they were for so long. Of the two, I was tempted by Bayless and I wouldn't have been upset if the Bucks drafted him. I wanted no part of Lopez. But I see just as many questions with those two as I do with Alexander. I don't think any one of them is a sure thing.

[cam2win]

Preach on Europa! I applaud the writing, but what was written was beyond wrong.

[REDDzone]

Europa, I understand your concerns about Bayless, but going back to one point that you yourself have continuously stressed...

Its good to have players that can just play the game. I think Bayless can play the game, and play it well, and has the potential to play it VERY well. Whether he is a 1 or a 2 man, who knows, who cares, he is a player.

Not sure how you feel about JA at all, hell I'm not even sure how I feel about him, I just know that when I was evaluating Bayless, I was much more interested in how talented he was than where exactly he would play in the pros.

[europa]

Anybody watching this game? I'm getting zip on NBA.com.

[MikeIsGood]

Does anyone else just keep getting the Hyper Dunk Recovery Center commercial over, and over, and over again?

[fam3381]

F*** this lack of video.

[skones]

Yeah, I'm gettin nothin.

[Bernman]

I'm just getting a blacked out screen on NBA.com. Channel Surfing is no different.