The Indy Talks To Himself (NBA) Thread.

Yes 2 AAU, as a player in '87 and player dev coach after college. Memphis YMCA Black U19. 1993-98. Well over D1 signees during that period. Hoops is my passion and always has been.
Ball doesnt change outside of rules changes, size of the players and the level of coddle

 

indy acting like draft picks always make it and GMs dont make errors is amusing.
Caruso is a ball player and helps teams win. Period. Not my problem if you are amazed he gets minutes.
I could give a shit about your list of people who didnt take or play him. All your point shows is how often people in decision making roles, are wrong.

 

that's cool. I didn't realize there was a segregated U19 so recently. or am I misunderstanding the YMCA black U19?

 

Ha. No teams were red and black. Black was better team and red was B team.

 

Caruso looks like a great fit for what they are doing, so either way the Lakers got the long of the stick on that trade. look where they are.

 

I'm not amazed he gets minutes. I understand exactly why he gets minutes.

You seem to think it's solely because of his play, and you're just wrong. If Avery Bradley was in the bubble, Caruso's minutes likely go from the 24 he's seeing now, on average, to about 15, maybe even less, had Rondo not been injured through the first round. But when your starting point guard stays home, your back up point guard is injured, and your only other primary ball handler is LeBron, you've gotta give more minutes to basically any guard who can handle the ball. That's why Caruso's minutes in the playoffs during the Lakers title run have gone up substantially, not because he's a great player.

 

but he is playing so well on a huge stage... I think he would get significant time on a lot of teams after this run.

 

James and Jordan fighting for second behind Bernard King, imo jmo.

 

the disrespect to Derek Stribling will not be tolerated

 

1. Bernard King
2. Steve Hamer
3. Dan Majerle
4. Marcus Haislip
5. Dino Radja

Pretty big gap after those 5, iyam.

 

the shine lost since last season on Leonard is immense. And mostly due to the Raptors doing well.

 

He's a solid player, but I think ssmiff is drastically overstating his value.

I wouldn't agree that he's playing "so well," and I think a number of teams would take issue with his 26% from 3 point range in the postseason. He's shooting 12.5% from 3 in the series with the Nuggets. Like I said, he's a solid player, but I don't think he sees the floor anywhere near this much on very many other teams.

 

Everyone knows what happened last year. He doesn't win that title without multiple Warriors going down with injuries. A title is a title, but the idea that last year bumped him up with some of the all-timers, like a lot of people were saying, was always ridiculous.

 

How can i be "drastically overstating" when i say hes a good player who does a lot on the court to help his team win, and stays in the + category when on the court.
Really. How tf is that overstating anything. You are the one complaining the Lakers "have" to play him. I was simply explaining to you why and how he plays as evidently you see stat lines and literally nothing else.

 

I don't think the Lakers had to keep him and play him. looks like deliberate choices and strategy, and it has paid off. His current shooting slump doesn't bother me because they don't use him as a shooter. he's a pressure valve for James and a defender/hustle guy. And it isn't like he hasn't made some shots in this run.

 

I walked you through the history of Alex Caruso's career, showing very clearly that literally every single team in the league had the chance to pick him up, and only one team did... and yet you sit here and accuse me of only looking at stats.

Alex Caruso is nowhere close to good enough to demand 29 minutes in a close Western Conference finals games. And yet here he is, playing 29 minutes in a close Conference Finals game for the title favorites.... Because they don't have anyone good enough to take those minutes away from him.... because the roster sort of falls off a cliff after Bron and AD.

 

Who do they have the option of playing instead of Caruso, especially in a series like the one against Houston, where Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee are too big of liabilities to see more than 10 minutes total?

 

what about howard?

I am not confident that Caruso would not get considerations elsewhere. he may have been passed over before, but his value is now proven.

 

that was a matchup strategy that worked, and thus kind of undermines your argument. they deliberately played small to match Houston, and it worked. Caruso was very effective in that series. had he been a liability, I'd see your argument.

 

So because hes passed up, means he cant play? How many 6'5 tweener white dudes who cant shoot 3s are drafted Indy? How many 6'5 tweener white dudes who cant shoot are playing 20 minutes on a champ team Indy. I dont care who passed him up or time he spent in G league. Hes been a good player and made winning plays since HS.
Lebron, his teammates and opponents know, as well as coaches. Basketball isnt always about the biggest stat line and you will evidently always fail to grasp the simple point.
And i repeat, guys on draft room make mistakes, so outside of the top few, the rest fight for a place and to try to find a fit or role. I assume you prefer 5 scorers on the floor so your stat sheet may look good, as you watch them battle for touches in the long run.
Give me my ballhandlers, leaders, smart players, spot up shooters, hustlers, defenders and rebounders to go around 2 or 3 guys who can consistently score and im winning a lot more than i lose.