So long, Patty.
Despite the team's impressive record, this year's summer league came down to a point guard duel between two (as of right now) marginal NBA talents. Sure, it was fun to watch this team march to a 4-1 record (with that only blemish due to three last-second misses). Even better, it was great to see Caleb Kanales pick up the record in only his first year coaching. Still, the league's there for player evaluation, so let's get to the evaluatin'.
Jeff Pendergraph was a little lost out there. His last game of the tournament was his best, as he was everywhere, and completely owning the glass. In his second year, his shot still has not come around yet. That's going to make it difficult to get any playing time. If he can't play past Dante Cunningham, good luck trying to get past Marcus Camby. As he showed last year, though, he's a decent spot replacement for the big man position, a great practice player, and the best hype man in the league.
Dante Cunningham seems like the same player he was a few months ago. He's the guy that can knock down the open shot and hustle for the ball. He was the team's most veteran influence.
Luke Babbitt has work to do. He led the team in scoring a couple of times, but his field goal percentage, save for the last game, was in the crapper. Due to the last game, his free throw percentage bounced back to a respectable 85%. I feel like I didn't see enough of Luke during this to peg down a real judgment on him. He needs to be against real NBA talent to be judged.
Patty Mills is done. He is not the right player for this team. He's far too selfish, which will not mesh with the team at any time. No matter who he's with on the floor with the Blazers, he won't even be one of the top three options. He's a good player, and a fun player, but not one for the Blazers. He's a Nate Robinson All-Star, a guy that's fun to watch, but you would never want on your team. I heard a story about how he wanted to lead the league in assists coming in. That idea went out the window after his first game, when he tallied 9. He never topped 4 the rest of the way. The Blazers need someone who can defend, create for others, and stay out of the way. Patty doesn't do that.
Armon Johnson does do that. He hit his shots at a better clip than Patty, racked up more assists, and played much better defense. If there's one way Johnson could make an impact, it's through his D, which is already comparable, if not better than that of Bayless. And this is his first go-around in the league. Patty has played in the NBA for a season, and has years of international play under his belt, yet was totally outperformed by a rookie. I wish the best to Patty in his NBA future, and hope he catches on with a decent team, but he needs to be jettisoned, and Armon needs to be signed soon.
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3 comments:
What a junk article, can't believe I even read it to the end, oh and the stuff on Patty Mills what a lot of rubbish - that kid is a team player and you've already tried to end his career on the basis of only 5 summer league games, perhaps you should widen your research idiot!
That's some constructive criticism. Patty's an alright player, but he's not good for the Blazers and the Blazers aren't good for him. If you were a real fan of Patty, you wouldn't want him on the Blazers either. Under Nate, he'll never be able to prove what he can do.
Patty's a better player than Johnson, in my opinion, but you're right that he is a bad fit with the Blazers. But, to be honest, that was always true. He was never going to fit in with the boring Blazers structure, so one has to wonder why Portland drafted him in the first place. He has been given no opportunity to prove himself, except for junk time, which is indicative of nothing. And he led all averages against Johnson in the Summer League, and yet he will still almost certainly be shown the door. So why bother with him in the first place? Why pick someone you never intend to give any court time to, and that you have no interest in? I really hope he gets on a new team next season, because I can't take another season like that last one.
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