Talking about minutes
Greetings-
Hope you are doing well. It looks like Mike Bibby will play, at least from what Jeff Teague said. For what it’s worth, Bibby looked fine walking around the practice court and locker room. (For the time media were allowed into practice, he was sitting on a trainer’s table)
Mike Woodson said he’d like to know by Wednesday if Bibby can go.
To address some of the debate you all are having about Teague and his minutes, I’ll share something with you that Woodson said last week about playing time that I think might shed some light into his thinking. I’d asked him about Randolph Morris playing well at the end of one of the games – at home against New Orleans – and here is what Woodson said.
“He was excellent. He had a little pop to him and came in and played four great minutes, I thought. Guys have got to be like that. I can’t promise minutes. I’ve gotten away from that the last two years. I tell guys, ‘I’m not promising you anything. You’ve got to earn your minutes, you’ve got to make the most of them or I’ve got to go somewhere else and find it.’”
I think in a lot of ways, particularly considering that the team has a lot more to play for (and lose), this makes sense. It’s presumably easier to hand out minutes to players on a team playing .400 basketball than it is to one that is in an early fight for the division. However, the tricky part, obviously, particularly as it relates to Teague, is that it’s almost a given he’s going to make mistakes given his experience level, but the only way he’ll get experience, of course, is by playing.
That said, Woodson has said repeatedly how much he likes Teague as a player and wants to find minutes for him. For those of you who want to see him get regular minutes, would you be willing to do that if it meant putting more games at risk? I hope we can at least agree that Woodson’s rationale for playing Teague the way he plays him is that he’s trying to win each game.
That said, let’s say Teague got a steady 10 minutes, but instead of 11-3, the Hawks were 9-5, or instead of going 52-30 this season, they go 47-35. (Purely hypothetical) Would you make that trade? (Of course, you’re banking on the team and Teague being better for it, this year and in years to come.) Or maybe you can say what’s your cutoff for wins at the expense of minutes.
On a much different note, I’m working on a story for Thursday about fan attendance. If any of you have thoughts about how the Hawks are drawing – they’re actually 5 percent ahead of last year, but crowds still seem sparse, given the team’s upward trend – and would be willing to be quoted in a story, e-mail me at ksugiura@ajc.com.
I almost forgot – a fan e-mailed me and asked about the possibility of a “Red-out” at the Hawks-Magic game, when the Hawks will debut their red alternate road jerseys. I told him I’d share his e-mail in the blog. Here’s an excerpt:
While watching Al Horford on TNT last night, I saw the Hawks “new” red jersey that the team plans to reveal on Thanksgiving night in our nationally televised game against Orlando.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could have ALL of the fans wear “RED” to the game on that night. It would be an amazing display from our fans and send a “RED WAVE” across the country.
What are your thoughts? Let’s get the WORD OUT to our fan base!!!”
As far as white-out/black-out/your color here-out goes, I think red would be pretty cool. It would fall on the Hawks to publicize it, but just passing along the e-mail.
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248 comments Add your comment
GeeMack
November 24th, 2009
1:34 pm
Najeh Davenpoop & Ramon
Gr8 points.
I really think it would be good if we played him 10 minutes in the fist half. 5 in the 1st 5 in the 2nd quarter. This dosent take away from JJ, JC, & Bibby
Lacsho
November 24th, 2009
1:35 pm
New Cars, that was a great post.
Lacsho
November 24th, 2009
1:43 pm
Whatz good Najeh, nice post. I miss the fantasy days.
26 years of ATL Hawks
November 24th, 2009
1:46 pm
IF JTO knew in advance he was going to get 5-6 minutes of solid play per half he could go in a bit more relaxed. To me he’s trying too hard to impress Woody to get minutes. If he was allowed to just run the offense and play solid D he’d develop into an assett. Right now he’s fighting for every second and forcing stats.
I’m almost hopeful that Bibby will take the night off Thursday to fully recover. Let JTO come in and run things initially. Bring Crawford in as the spark. Allow him the confidence to know that he’s got the reigns and let the vets support him. If he’s dishing to folks who are doing their job and running the offense effectively he’ll succeed. We’ve got enough veteran leadership around him to make it happen. Just instill the confidence. If we don’t, we’ll have another good kid leaving the NBA after 3 years.
Big Ray
November 24th, 2009
1:48 pm
Mychel,
There is going to be some complaining regardless. And in case you haven’t heard, complaining ABOUT the complaining…is still complaining …LOL..
Seriously, do you really believe that Woody will give Teague that many minutes if it’s clear that we’re losing because of him? Yeah, right. The Woody I know will play Joe and whoever else for a full 48 minutes if he believes that this is what it will take to win the game. Not a complaint, just an observation.
I will say this, however. I do NOT want to see a good, healthy playoff performance sacrificed for a number of regular season wins. For example, wearing guys out to win 55+ games does you no good if you have to LIMP through another first round series (like we did last year), only to get flattened in the second round (like we did last year).
Take that for what you will…
26 years of ATL Hawks
November 24th, 2009
1:49 pm
Weren’t we limping in with 5 of our 8 rotation players dragging from injuries last year?
Big Ray
November 24th, 2009
1:51 pm
Yeah, have to co-sign Najeh as well.
What makes me laugh is when guys talk about Teague missing shots or missing defensive assignments, etc. You can chalk that up to experience. However, last I looked, there were guys who play 30+ minutes with a hell of a lot more experience who are also missing shots…and totally blowing some defensive assignments.
Now just what are you going to chalk that up to, exactly?
cp
November 24th, 2009
1:56 pm
Its to the point on this blog that if you say anything negative about Woodson the Woodson lovers throw fits. As ray said, Woodson is still making the same mistakes he was as a rookie coach. The same questions people had about his coaching style when he first got here are still being asked today. I just don’t see how playing Teague a few more minutes a game is going to cost us wins. If that’s the case then what are the other guys on the court doing? like Najeh pointed out, if teams that are constantly in the championship hunt can find time to give their youngsters consistent minutes then how come this team cant. Every year its a player Woodson says he has to find minutes for and every year he seems to not be able to do it.
Big Ray
November 24th, 2009
1:57 pm
Here’s a preemptive strike for the Orlando game:
If we lose, we’re still 11-4. Heh!
My only thing will really be how we compete. I don’t care if it’s psychological, physical, or what. We better not get blown out like we did last year during the regular season, or this year during the preseason. We are too good for that. We really are. Even with a sample size as small as 14 games. We showed that by beating Boston IN Boston. We hadn’t beaten them since game six of the 07-08 first round playoff series.
Ramon
November 24th, 2009
1:58 pm
Big Ray, for veterans they call that not being in ‘mid season form yet’. Lol. Or they call it volume shooting. Or keep shooting until your shot falls.
cp
November 24th, 2009
2:02 pm
Exactly ray as far as winning all those games but being tired for the playoffs. But I know someone will come on here and post minutes of other players and say how those guys are not tired and etc.
Eric
November 24th, 2009
2:05 pm
Teague dropped 12 pts, 3 assists, 2 steals and went 5-7 from the field with a facial dunk on Lamar Odom vs the Lakers in 17 minutes, and the next game Woody congratulates him by giving him 5 minutes against the Kings. Yes the team is winning, but this is what got Woody in trouble in the past. You got to get Joe and Josh some rest!!!
KevinA
November 24th, 2009
2:07 pm
JT will get his minutes against weaker teams that like to run. His game is best during an up tempo free for all. This is also the best type of game for Josh. In the future we will all ooooohhh and aaawwweeee when JT is playing in the right situation.
The season is long and we have been playing against tough teams. The second 15 games of the schedule fits JT much more than the first 15. I have no crystal ball but I would guess JT will be playing more.
Ramon
November 24th, 2009
2:08 pm
Seriously though, Woodson is doing good in win/loss column. But when was the last time any of you guys saw Woody try to teach a guy during the game? When was the last time you saw a rookie come out of the game, and Woody take 2-3 minutes and tell them a couple things? Some reason it feels like every time I see a rookie or 2nd year player come out the game, Woody is giving his look, and the player goes straight to the end of the bench. Do you guys remember how Pop used to coach Parker on the sidelines DURING the games? And truthfully Teague is a better player now than what Parker was when he came in the league! Do you guys remember seeing Byron Scott coach up Chris Paul, Sloan coach up Deron Williams, or Paul Silas whisper some things to Lebron? When do you recall seeing that with Woody? That’s what he is lacking that hurts the most. Its like he is constantly glaring at young players as if he is thinking ‘You little knucklehead, you’re going to get me fired’.
Eric
November 24th, 2009
2:11 pm
Jeff Teague is no Acie Law, If Woody plays him he’ll secure his job!!!
Ramone
November 24th, 2009
2:15 pm
I think Woody is doing the right thing in making ALL of his players EARN their minutes. When you start doling out the minutes just to make sure that the guys are getting enough, then you do run the risk of adversely affecting the team. Teague will get his minutes as Woody sees fit, but I would not expect to see him playing very long in really close games (e.g. Hornets, Rockets, etc…). We need to understand that the Hawks have a chance to really make some noise this post season and Woody is trying to best position our team for the playoffs (anyone other than me thinking #1 seed in the East?). He has held true to his goal of reducing the minutes for the starters (Joe in particular) thus far and we can only hope that he can continue to reduce minutes as the season progresses.
BTW – I like the idea of a “Red Out”
Lacsho
November 24th, 2009
2:22 pm
Ray, I think you are on fire today!!!!
concerned voice
November 24th, 2009
2:26 pm
hey mama’s boy, by time you get to the pro’s you should need some one to hold your hand. What the hell are we paying you for? Git yo sorry ase to the bench
concerned voice
November 24th, 2009
2:27 pm
some one help my little bitcch play.
Willie Coyote
November 24th, 2009
2:31 pm
Attendance would be greatly helped if there was some kind of public rail transit into Atlanta from the rest of the metro area extended. In a lot of these other areas (Chicago, NY, etc) people can hop on a train (bypassing traffic) and get to their respective sports venues even if they live 50-75 miles away.
Truth-Serum
November 24th, 2009
2:32 pm
Bi Ump
November 24th, 2009
12:11 pm
Samuel, Truth Serum, Gee Mack, Daniel
It don’t matter to some of these Wannabe Terrence Moore if the Hawks went all the way to the finals or won it. They would still be complaining
about something. It’s their nature. It’s hard to break old habits.
Thanks for the shout Big Ump, I must agree, it would be nice to enjoy the season than spend the time arguing about how bad a coach a person is who has two consecutive playoff runs, named number 9 on last year’s voting for coach of the year, and currently has a team with the best record in the NBA. Talk about an idiotic conversation. I’ve decided it’s pretty much a waste to have dialogue exchange on the subject. I’m not going to entertain it as a serious, respectable conversation.
I must agree with Woodson, lets compete for the minutes. Lets earn the stripes. I’m not one who believes that every mothers son should receive a ribbon for participation. Last I checked this is the NBA and We are trying to Win a championship.
Eric
November 24th, 2009
2:34 pm
Ty Lawson averages 21 mpg for Denver opposed to Jeff Teague average of 9 mpg, and I don’t think he’s hurting Denver. Lawson is playing behind a better point guard also (Chauncey Billups), you can’t tell me that Woody can’t give JT more minutes.
mike
November 24th, 2009
2:35 pm
if you get tickets to hawks.. show up on time.. also, if you dont plan on attending.. give your tickets away! Sick of the empty seats and people that show up in 2nd qtr
welikebaseball2
November 24th, 2009
2:38 pm
How refreshing, a ATL team blog that actually sticks to the sport! LOL. Anywho, good points about Teague’s minutes (or lack of). I submit this: What if upping Teague’s minutes costs a few wins early on but, as he grows from game experience, he becomes the catalyst that turns would-be-losses into wins? Would that not balance it all out…and we’re that much deeper for the playoffs? You’ve got to believe that he would grow as the season progresses (if Woodson actually gave him some crunchtime burn) & become more of a point of strength than liability. Again, this is assuming that Woodson actually allows him to develop. I’m just not convinced that rookie development is anything less than Woodson’s biggest failure as a coach.
Crashing the Glass
November 24th, 2009
2:44 pm
Woodson doesn’t hate Teague, he’s just been saving him-
http://crashingtheglass.com/
Grandad
November 24th, 2009
2:47 pm
sybil – does Mr. Woodeverymothersonson go home at night and chant: ” I’m # 9…I’m # 9…I’m # 9 !
Truth-Serum
November 24th, 2009
2:48 pm
I cant tell that Teague is better than Acie. They may both be scrubbs. I hope teague is better but what Ive observed of him so far is befitting a pick that is equivalent to the 7th best point guard in the college draft. Hes not the number 1 or number 2 pick at the position. On many teams he would have to sit his first year just to learn the game. He is competing against the best and most experience NBA players for the last 10 years. He may be a poot instead of a fart! Give me a break, earn those stripes. Lets see you break down a defense…post a triple double, run an offense to precision, do something to make the coach take time from a trio of what may be the best back court in the NBA!
JJ is better than Billups and Crawford is too, Bibby is the quarterback so if Lawson was here hed pick splinters too! And for good reason. We have a first class back court and even marvin gets minutes at the 2.
It doesnt hurt my feeling one bit for Teague to ride the pine this year, let him learn from observation and then show something to merit some time. He seems clueless at times…
OK lets blame it one….All together now….Woodson!
Big Ray
November 24th, 2009
2:59 pm
Ken ,
That would be your cue….
Big Ray
November 24th, 2009
3:05 pm
Actually, I haven’t seen Woody give Teague “that look.” Not unless he blew a defensive assignment particularly badly, in which case, anybody is liable to get that look.
I’ve actually seen Woody have Teague sit next to him on the bench when he comes out at times. Never really saw that with Acie Law.
Woody doesn’t hate Teague at all. And yes, experience is the only way to prove yourself. It will come.
KevinA
November 24th, 2009
3:07 pm
Crashing the Glass
The rash of early home games and the initially lenient workload could make for rough going down the stretch this season.
10 out of the first 14 games have been against last years play off teams. 7 games at home and 7 on the road.
KevinA
November 24th, 2009
3:08 pm
I’ve actually seen Woody have Teague sit next to him on the bench when he comes out at times. Never really saw that with Acie Law.
cosign that.
KevinA
November 24th, 2009
3:11 pm
Grandad,
Take that garbage elsewhere.
Hawk Str8Talk
November 24th, 2009
3:15 pm
I’ll answer Ken’s question first. Yes, I would accept fewer wins this season (at the expense of seeding and win/loss record) in exchange for gaining experience at the backup point guard position. I would prefer to have a more playoff ready team (i.e. 4 guards capable of playing meaningful minutes and/or having 3 fresh vets to play in the postseason) than a team who has a higher ceiling, but susceptible to what happened to our team down the stretch last season with no back up plan.
Now, we’ve been debating this on my blog (www.hawkstr8talk.com) for a few days as well. Listen, I think for those who say they are ok with putting Teague on the bench should be saying in tandem with that – we need to have a real backup point guard. The team made a decision to go with 4 guards. So, that said – Teague was going to be the backup point guard. We can’t count on Crawford to be the point guard – he is a shooting guard (as was Flip), so that’s the thing that we’re really trying to determine here. If he’s your backup, play him. Yes, there may be some growing pains, but you guys are acting as if Teague can’t win you a game either. Collison and Thornton just won the game for the Hornets, so you can’t just buy the negative side to win this argument without accepting that Teague very possibly provides production that contributes to wins as well, which SHOULD be the reason we drafted him. So, you should also be saying – we need to sign someone to be the backup. Now, I personally would like to see 5-10 minutes for Teague in the first half of every game and then, if he sucks – he sits. If he contributes well, he plays more as necessary. It would establish a role for him and build his confidence and undersatnding of the NBA game. More than any other position – point guards need minutes to understand how to manage the game. It doesn’t happen for the bench. The words from Woodson regarding ‘earn the minutes’ rings hollow b/c he’s not going to earn more minutes than the top 3 guards on this team. Woodson is going to have to give him opportunities to show his skills set. Only one PG has ever come into the league displaying championship level effort and talent and that’s Magic Johnson. All others needed minutes…
Hawks Fan
November 24th, 2009
3:15 pm
I’m TOTALLY WITH THE RED-OUT!!!!!!!
I can’t wait!!!!
Go Hawks!!!!!
Corey
November 24th, 2009
3:19 pm
Thanks Ken!
You are indeed a man of your word.
I sent a message over to sports talk radio personalities to see if we can really get the word out.
You did your part…. Atlanta, let’s do OUR part!!!!
See you on Thursday in my RED!!!!!!!!!
Let’s Go Hawks!!!!
Grandad
November 24th, 2009
3:20 pm
KevinA:
What garbage? You should know the vulgar one was not me.
Eric
November 24th, 2009
3:20 pm
What everybody is missing is the fact that basketball is a rhythm sport, when Woody plays JT 17 mpg one night and the next game he gets a dnp you can’t get in a rhythm. Woody’s killing JT’s confidence, consist minutes is the key Woody. You got a rookie who can shot,has a first step out of this world, and can get up.
Ricky
November 24th, 2009
3:20 pm
I don’t know if it will help us win the game, but I’m there with the REDOUT. See you in the sea of red on Thursday
Corey
November 24th, 2009
3:21 pm
If you come to the game, HAVE ON YOUR RED!!!!!!!!!!
Let’s GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
Bill "Native Alantan"
November 24th, 2009
3:23 pm
I think that the REDOUT is a great idea, but can we get everyone to participate?
Even if they don’t, I will surely have on my red.
Ken Strickland
November 24th, 2009
3:23 pm
I know BS when I hear it, and what Woodson said qualifies. He’s still making excuses for not developing and/or playing his players.
Case in point. He said, “I TELL GUYS, I’M NOT PROMISING YOU ANYTHING. YOU’VE GOT TO EARN YOUR MINUTES, YOU’VE GOT TO MAKE THE MOST OF THEM OR I’VE GO TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND FIND IT. His accessment of RMorris’ performance against New Orleans was as follows: “HE WAS EXCELLENT. HE CAME IN AND HAD A LITTLE POP TO HIM AND CAME IN AND PLAYED 4 GREAT MINUTES, I THOUGHT.”
If any of what he said was true, then explain why 4gms later, RMorris hasn’t sniffed as much as another second of PT since his excellent performance? We certainly could have used his inside scoring potential against both Houston and New Orleans down the stretch. Exactly when and how does he expect a player to prove himself if he’s forced to keep his butt anchored to the bench? And if he doesn’t consider what RMorris did as proof of what he can do, then what in the hell is he looking for, and where else did he go to find it?
How many times did we seen SStaudemire, ALaw, BDiaw, SJones and SWilliams have an excellent gm only to have it followed up with the same string of DNP CD next to their names that Morris has suffered, instead of an expanded opportunity? ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS, AND WOODSON’S ACTIONS PROVE HIS WORDS ARE NOTHING BUT LIES.
KEN-your analogy was well taken, but obviously slanted. It assumes we will lose if Teague is given more consistent mins. Are you telling me you wouldn’t be willing to risk nothing more than the possibility of losing 2-3 regular season gms to develop Teague’s skills and confidence for a serious playoff run? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a backup PG that’s capable of taking over for Bibby just in case he suffers through another shooting drought like he’s done before in the playoffs? DEF, not OFF, has been our biggest problem so far this season, and Teague has definitely demonstrated his overall DEF, especially his on the ball DEF, is far superior to Bibby’s. Add his superior penetrating ability, and the experience he’d gain, what would we actually lose in the long run by playing him a consistent 10-12MPG?
If he’s unable to figure out how he can find an additional 3-5MPG to develop Teague, then he’s demonstrating a definite level of incompetence. If he reduce the mins of Marvin, Bibby, Horford, Crawford, Smoove and JJ by 30 seconds each, he’d have 3 additional MPG to give Teague. If he reduced their mins by 45 seconds each, he’d have 4.5 additional MPG to give him. HOW DIFFICULT IS THAT FOR A COMPETENT HC, OR ONE THAT ACTUALLY GIVES A DAM? I GUESS IT’S EASIER FOR HIM TO MAKE UP EXCUSES. There’s certainly no shortage of fools out there willing to accept them.
Phillip
November 24th, 2009
3:25 pm
RED OUT! RED OUT! RED OUT!
I think Woodson is fighting for his job and that is the reason that he isn’t playing Teague as much as he should.
RED OUT!
RED OUT!
Big Ray
November 24th, 2009
3:25 pm
Truth Serum ,
I think that Teague is undoubtedly better than Acie was. In fact, so does Mike Woodson. He was quoted as saying so when they drafted him, and after they traded Acie to Golden State. If I can find the link, I’ll post it. Basically, what Woody said was “no offense to Law, but THIS kid has the skills to get it done.”
Right from the horse’s mouth.
Your comments are obviously heartfelt, but take a look at what you’re saying. If you think this may be one of the best backcourts in the NBA, then how reasonable is it to expect a rookie to do something that would break him into such a rotation?
“Lets see you break down a defense”
Seen that already. Kid can penetrate almost at will. Remember that game we lost to the LA Lakers? Teague played 16 minutes off the bench. He came in, dunked on Lamar Odom and proceeded to score 12 points on 5 for 7 shooting, dished out 3 assists (which accounts for 6 points at least), and picked up 2 steals. The Lakers ended up having to put a starter or two back out on the floor to keep the game under control. Were it not for Teague, the final score would have read 118-92, not 118-110.
The very next game, Teague got 5 minutes of playing time. I’m just sayin’…
“On many teams he would have to sit his first year just to learn the game.”
I hear you, but is that a fair assessment? Didn’t you just say that Ty Lawson would be sitting the pine as well if he played here? And yet Teague DESTROYED Lawson in college. Put Johnny Flynn here. Does he get more PT than Teague? How about Tyreke Evans? Brandon Jennings? We can’t be sure, all are hypothetical situations. Yeah, we look at Brandon and how much of a bad ass he is out there in Milwaukee, but can we say without hesitation that any of the top picked pgs would be taking serious minutes away from our starting rotation of guards?
At the same time, I agree that Teague has looked a bit clueless at times. But I’ve watched our starters make some of the same mistakes. Ever watched Jamal Crawford on defense? It’s ugly, dude. It’s ugly. LOVE him on offense though!
Mike Woodson
November 24th, 2009
3:31 pm
Teague is going to get his minutes. What more inportant is that when he gets the opportunity, he comes in and take advantage of them.
He’ll be fine.
I want to see all of our fans come out on Thursday in your red and show the league what type of place this is to come and play.
Big Ray
November 24th, 2009
3:32 pm
KevinA ,
That wasn’t the real Grandad posting that. It’s a short explanation, but I’m not in the mood for it right now.
Cain
November 24th, 2009
3:32 pm
Go Hawks!
Go RED!!!
Corey
November 24th, 2009
3:33 pm
Right Cain.
Why go green when you can GO RED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s our RED OUT slogan
Big Ray
November 24th, 2009
3:35 pm
Against Orlando, the last thing I’m worried about is Teague’s minutes. I want to win that game. And I want our guys to want it more than we do. Boston has to respect us now because we whopped that ass.
Portland has to respect us because we beat them. TWICE. Already.
But I want Orlando’s respect. Right now, we don’t have it. That makes me hungry and angry. A dangerous combo, and it should be one that the Hawks adopt.
I want that win. If not, it better be the hardest, bloodiest win Orlando gets all year long, making them sick to their stomachs at the idea of having to play us again. Put the women and children to bed. Time to go looking for supper.
Big Ray
November 24th, 2009
3:42 pm
Truth Serum ,
Here’s that link.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/hawks/stories/2009/06/26/hawks_jeff_teague.html
Big Ray
November 24th, 2009
3:46 pm
This stuck out to me the most in that article:
The Hawks traded Acie Law IV and Speedy Claxton to get Crawford and watched seven other point guards go off the board before grabbing Teague.
“I’m not knocking Acie Law in any way shape or form,” Woodson said. “But this kid [Teague] is what I’d call a true point guard. I gave Acie some opportunities, and it just didn’t work. That’s no knock on him as a player or me as a coach. Injuries probably hurt Acie the two years he was here, and honestly we just didn’t have the luxury of waiting on him when he first got here. We had to win.
“Jeff Teague has a different situation, and in some ways I think a better situation, in that we have a solid foundation of veterans here that he’ll be able to learn from and lean on. Make no mistake about it, he has the tools, and we need to provide him with the opportunity to become the player we think he can become.”
Teague said he’s not operating on a specific timeline, but he’s not coming just to watch.
“I think it’s a great situation, where I don’t have to come in and carry the weight of the world on my shoulders because we already have some great point guards here,” Teague said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to come in and lay down or anything. This is a dream come true to finally be in the NBA, and I’d be a fool to waste a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this.
“I’m here to be the best and I’m going to work hard and do whatever it takes to be the best.”
I don’t see a coach who doesn’t like his rookie.
I don’t see a rookie who will be a failure.
But that’s just what I see…