What player @ 3 will be better than JS and/or J

[Guest Walter]

I've demonstrated that per Roland Ratings last year, JS and JJ's stats were less than all the top 10 team's top 2 players and half the middle 10 team's top 2 players. In order for us to contend we must AT LEAST find ourselves in the top 10 IMO, if not top 5. Note: Realize that some teams have such a dynamic superstar (Cleveland) that they may contend without being in the top 5 regarding top 2 player Roland Ratings.

Given that we need a player better JJ and/or JS, what player or players @ 3 can or will be better than JS and/or JJ? I will allow two votes. One represents all the players one thinks can or will be better than JJ and/or JS. The other represents the player one thinks most likely to be better than JJ andor JS.

[Guest Walter]

...than JJ and/or JS (see no vote for Conley) but is MOST LIKELY to be better than JJ and/or JS.

Oh well.

W

[pimp]

If Josh Smith had played at the same level BEFORE his surgery as he did AFTER his surgery, i'm sure the roland rating would have been different.

Before Surgery

12.9 ppg 8.3 rpg 3.4 apg 2.3 bpg

After Surgery

18.3 ppg 8.9 rpg 3.3 apg 3.0 bpg

[coachx]

Quote:

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I've demonstrated that per Roland Ratings last year, JS and JJ's stats were less than all the top 10 team's top 2 players and half the middle 10 team's top 2 players. In order for us to contend we must AT LEAST find ourselves in the top 10 IMO, if not top 5.

Note: Realize that some teams have such a dynamic superstar (Cleveland) that they may contend without being in the top 5 regarding top 2 player Roland Ratings.

Given that we need a player better JJ and/or JS, what player or players @ 3 can or will be better than JS and/or JJ? I will allow two votes. One represents all the players one thinks can or will be better than JJ and/or JS. The other represents the player one thinks most likely to be better than JJ andor JS.

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You make a good point. We don't have the consistent one two punch of a playoff team YET.

Yi, Conley & Brewer are the only guys I see with that star potential. Brewer does not fit so for get him as a Hawk. there will be good PG at #11 through the draft ortrade but no big men their so today I'm off the Conley bandwagon. I guessthat mean I'm a Yi / Hoford guy today with Conley a close 3rd.

Walter:

With JJ being 25 and Smith being 21 how much do you think they will improve this year?

Marvin is 20 and ZaZa is 23, how much do you expect them to improve ?

JJ and Smith could easily break the top 15 of your rankings this year with just some marginal improvement. Smith being 21 could really BLOW UP this year. Especially with a little push from Yi.

[leftwich]

I think a PG will do wonders for JS and JJ.

[BusBoyIsBack]

You're missing the point that Joe Johnson and ESPECIALLY Josh Smith can still improve.

Josh Smith has potential to be a top 5 player in the entire league.

But as far as adding talent, the guy with the most upside is Yi Jianlian by far.

With JJ, Smoove, and Yi we could have three all-stars.

And who knows how good Crittenton/Law could turn out.

And let's not forget Marvin Williams who could start living up to that billing this year.

Yes siree there could be a whole lot of talent on this team.

[TheDude]

i'm the weirdo who put Thornton as POSSIBLY being better than those two just because I feel has a great all around game and is very smooth and athletic. is a reach i know but i could happen.

[leftwich]

Quote:

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You're missing the point that Joe Johnson and ESPECIALLY Josh Smith can still improve.

Josh Smith has potential to be a top 5 player in the entire league.

But as far as adding talent, the guy with the most upside is Yi Jianlian by far.

With JJ, Smoove, and Yi we could have three all-stars.

And who knows how good Crittenton/Law could turn out.

And let's not forget Marvin Williams who could start living up to that billing this year.

Yes siree there could be a whole lot of talent on this team.

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This seems like an optimistic way of saying, "in a few years, we won't be able to afford all of these guys."

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

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Walter:

With JJ being 25 and Smith being 21 how much do you think they will improve this year?

Marvin is 20 and ZaZa is 23, how much do you expect them to improve ?

JJ and Smith could easily break the top 15 of your rankings this year with just some marginal improvement. Smith being 21 could really BLOW UP this year. Especially with a little push from Yi.

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I believe that JJ's production is one of diminishing returns. I mean that when he is asked to do as much as he was, the team suffers. Yes he is efficient, but look at JJ's years as the focal point. In Pheonix without Nash JJ was fine but the team was HORRIBLE. Here, with JJ as the focal, the team is horrible. Does that mean JJ is horrible? No. He's just not THE guy you want to lean your team's chances on.

JS can certainly improve some, but the distance between our two top players and the league's top 10 teams top 2 players (AND our 5th starter vs the top 10 team's 5th starter...but that's another point) was HUGE. It would take greater improvement from JS than I think is reasonable to expect and given my opinion of JJ I simply do not want to rely upon JJ so much as it seems to me he has a little bit of the SAR in him when he's a team's focal point.

Even if all the stars aligned and I was wrong about everything, we still could use more talent and the value of talent stays higher than the value of a position.

W

[BusBoyIsBack]

Quote:

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This seems like an optimistic way of saying, "in a few years, we won't be able to afford all of these guys."

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Yeah don't remind me

[DavidSomerset]

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