Is it wrong for me to already want Derrick Favors?

[Crossova21]

I know we got a lot of new people. I know Hansbrough and Dunleavy are out. I know we have players who are playing with injuries. But I'm sorry I don't think we can win anything IF we get to the playoffs playing the way we're playing.

I know I bash Murphy a lot but, to me, a starting PF should actually play like a starting PF. I know a lot of ya'll are gonna throw out how many rebounds he has or how many threes he hit. But if you pay attention to the little things you'll see he screws up a lot. In the Atlanta game some of those bad outlet passes came from Murphy. Tonight when Beasley got that easy dunk it was the result of Granger and Murphy fighting for the rebound. I like that he gets double doubles but I've noticed a lot of his rebounds come when he steals it from his own teammate. It's not just Murphy either. We got owned by J.O. tonight so it lies on all the big men. Most of the problem comes from our big men being too slow. Hopefully we won't get that from Hansbrough.

0-2 doesn't really mean much and I'm not saying we should tank the season. We have a good team it's just right now something isn't clicking and I'm not sure what it is. Defense is better. Kept the TO down tonight. Still something wrong.

I think I would like to see us go small one night with Granger at the 4...BTW Rush needs to step up or else Dahntay's gonna push him to the bench. Clearly the best pick-up of the off-season.

[Scoot McGroot]

Be careful when you tell guys who are very passionate and very knowledgeable about their team that "If you actually paid attention...".


That usually just ends in someone coming off a bit stuck-up or superior.


I know you didn't mean it like that, but it's just a little thing that comes off pretty strong if you just see it in writing, and can't actually hear the person saying it.



As for Murphy, I don't think anyone here is going to argue that he's a superstar, or the long term answer, but he is very effective, and he's the best we have. Yeah, he's a complementary player and we don't have the right guy down low for him to complement him right now, but he's the best we can do, and we don't have many options. Murphy does a lot of little things right, and he does a lot of things overall right, but he's just not going to be a speedy, bulky, big man who plays as a prototypical PF. He's always going to be a little slow, underweight, not strong enough, etc, but he works hard enough and he's scrappy enough to at least help us.

[cdash]

I have made the, "How is John Wall doing at UK?" joke numerous times. Needless to say, I'm not the person to ask.

[chatard5]

Getting John Wall next year is a win-win-lose situation. The losing is obviously we most likely stink, the wins being (assuming he is good) like the parentheses said, he is good, and that he is off UK's team! A good, young PG is what we need, I think.

[Kuq_e_Zi91]

If only we didn't beat the Bucks in that meaningless game to finish the season we could be looking at Brandon Jennings right now.

What could have been...

[Gremz]

Bit of a deterrent to think about Favors when Hansbrough hasn't even had the chance to contribute. I'd much rather focus on getting the best out of our current guys this year, and addressing our needs accordingly.

Who's to say that Favors is even such a sure thing? Davis, Montejuanas, Monroe, Henson, Aldrich. There's a pretty hefty list of bigs in next year's draft. I'd rather wait until college season is well undder way before focusing on specific targets.

But I will probably agree with a few of the other guys and say that a PG looks far more likely to be our main priority.

[Crossova21]

Yea I realize now I came down a bit hard on Murph. But I guess part of it came from seeing J.O. dominate and thinking about where we'd be if we still had him when he was playing at that level.

[Scoot McGroot]

If only we didn't beat the Bucks in that meaningless game to finish the season we could be looking at Brandon Jennings right now.

What could have been...

You seriously think Bird and Morway would've taken Brandon Jennings? After dealing with the crap we took on Shawne Williams?


I can't see any way we would've not still taken Hansbrough. If we had taken Jrue Holiday instead, I'd understand. However, there's no way we wouldn't have just taken Hansbrough a couple spots earlier.

[IrishLuck31]

Murphy isn't the problem - in fact, he is a key part of our offense, being able to step back and hit a jumper of the pick and roll, and spread the floor. His defense is usually awful, but I think PG is much more important to address. also, Rush and Hibbert havent looked ready to step up in their starting spots yet

[Kuq_e_Zi91]

No you're probably right, Scoot. I thought I remembered some Wells articles saying Jennings was on our draft board but when I think about it, I don't think Bird would've pulled the trigger. He's way too enamored with Hansbrough.

I guess it's for the best that Jennings was already taken then, because I would never forgive Bird for passing on him for Hansbrough.

And I don't think Jennings and Shawne are as comparable as may seem. They were both raw and full of potential draftees but I don't think you have to worry about Jennings like you do Shawne. His head is definitely screwed on straight, which is something you still can't say about Shawne. I mean, he lived with his mother while in Italy and just hearing him do interviews you can tell the difference. Plus, I don't think Jennings is hiding any murderers in his house. Well, you can never be too certain.

[Miller4ever]

Did you see the stuff he was saying after draft night when he was hanging out with his friend (a certain Joe Budden)? I realize Jennings didn't know he was being recorded but his attitude was apparently...bad, because that's how he really feels and as a rookie, you can't be thinking that. That points to some ego issues.

[Scoot McGroot]

And I don't think Jennings and Shawne are as comparable as may seem. They were both raw and full of potential draftees but I don't think you have to worry about Jennings like you do Shawne. His head is definitely screwed on straight, which is something you still can't say about Shawne. I mean, he lived with his mother while in Italy and just hearing him do interviews you can tell the difference. Plus, I don't think Jennings is hiding any murderers in his house. Well, you can never be too certain.

I don't see why Jennings should get any credit to the living with his mother thing. It certainly wasn't his idea. He couldn't qualify for a basketball scholarship as a superstar basketball player at the University of Arizona, a major basketball factory. A place where they certainly bend the rules to get guys in that are good enough. Apparently, Jennings was NO WHERE close to qualifying.

Then, when he had no other choice, he took money in Italy and his mom wouldn't let him sign the contract as a minor without letting her tag along (either for his benefit, or for hers, is still up for interpretation).


I remember arguing a few times on this board pre-draft that Brandon Jennings certainly did not sound anything NEAR mature. In anything he did. He constantly spoke about how teams were dodging him, or how he was the best player ever while specifically calling other guys out by name.

Not mature things. I don't see anything that tells me that he has a brain, yet.

[Kuq_e_Zi91]

Yeah I saw it, I'm actually a pretty big Budden fan when it comes to his music but recording the conversation without, presumably, telling Jennings was definitely not cool.

I can understand why you think what he said points to some attitude issues, but I don't see it as a red flag or anything. I basically saw it as a conversation between two friends that was supposed to be just that. Unfortunately, it got leaked and there was inappropriate language, like in many other private conversations people have with their friends.

Honestly I don't think what he said was that bad. Budden baited him by bringing up Skiles and saying he's an a**hole, Jennings just responded by saying he's tough. I think that's actually a sign of maturity. Any young punk could have went along with the older influence (Budden) and bad mouthed his coach, as I'm sure many players would like to do in this league, but instead Jennings praised him for his toughness. Then he said F the Knicks, which honestly I have no problem with either. I like that he has a chip on his shoulder and feels like he has something to prove because they passed up on him. And I like that he said he thinks he's the best point guard in the draft. It might come off as immature and arrogant, but I like the confidence. It puts the onus on him to back up his claims and so far he's doing a pretty good job.

[Kuq_e_Zi91]

I don't see why Jennings should get any credit to the living with his mother thing. It certainly wasn't his idea. He couldn't qualify for a basketball scholarship as a superstar basketball player at the University of Arizona, a major basketball factory. A place where they certainly bend the rules to get guys in that are good enough. Apparently, Jennings was NO WHERE close to qualifying.

Then, when he had no other choice, he took money in Italy and his mom wouldn't let him sign the contract as a minor without letting her tag along (either for his benefit, or for hers, is still up for interpretation).


I remember arguing a few times on this board pre-draft that Brandon Jennings certainly did not sound anything NEAR mature. In anything he did. He constantly spoke about how teams were dodging him, or how he was the best player ever while specifically calling other guys out by name.

Not mature things. I don't see anything that tells me that he has a brain, yet.

I remember him saying that without his mother there, he wouldn't have made it the entire year in Italy. It was all too much for him to endure by himself at his age. The inconsistent playing time, the culture shock, etc. He said his mother was his rock whenever it got tough and he wanted to quit and come back to the US. Tagged along or not, he's glad she came along for the ride.

It's all perception really. You see an immature kid who makes ignorant remarks. I see an ambitious, outspoken young man who wants to prove how much he's grown by spending that year in a foreign country. Different views, but I understand why you see it that way and I respect your opinion.

I agree that he might not be the brightest mind in the classroom, but on the court is a completely different story. You don't have to be at the top of your class to have basketball talent, and if there's one thing Jennings has a brain for, it's playmaking.

Anyways, I hope he shows to you, and others, that he does indeed have a brain. And it works wonderfully in pick & rolls and in transition.

[Scoot McGroot]

It's all perception really. You see an immature kid who makes ignorant remarks. I see an ambitious, outspoken young man who wants to prove how much he's grown by spending that year in a foreign country. Different views, but I understand why you see it that way and I respect your opinion.

I agree that he might not be the brightest mind in the classroom, but on the court is a completely different story. You don't have to be at the top of your class to have basketball talent, and if there's one thing Jennings has a brain for, it's playmaking.

I agree. You don't have to be at the top of your class to have basketball talent, but at least having some intelligence usually contributes to helping to bring production out of your natural talent.


Some of the most talented players in the world have never made the NBA. There's many reasons, but for the most part, they don't know how to capitalize on their talent. I'm going to have to see Jennings do something first. I won't call him mature simply because he said he wanted to quit and his mother made him stay. That doesn't tell me he's mature. That tells me that when everything gets tough, he's going to want to quit. Is his mother going to be with him his entire career in every city to tell him not to? She certainly isn't going to be on the court with him when he'll need it most.