At the very least will will have a GREAT defensive team

[DashGlobal]

Hendo + MKG + Taylor + Biz makes for some nice defense.

[notdeadyet]

Eventually, yes. Got TWO very good pieces in the draft. That pressure D should give us the turnovers needed to fuel an effective running offense. It won't be boring...

[Twan's Kin]

Will we be one of the top defensive teams in the league this upcoming season?

[SJackson1]

Biyombo will average well over 2 BPG and we have some aggresive defenders like Hendo, Walker and MKG

[Dcarnys]

Will we be one of the top defensive teams in the league this upcoming season?

Maybe not this upcoming season but I can definetly see this upcoming season. With Dunlap running an up-tempo offense and having Kemba running that it should be pretty exiting. I have a good feeling.

[dnbman]

I think you have to have a ball-hawk point guard in order to have a top defense. We should be pretty tenacious this year, but I think we've got a ways to go before we're a top defense, which is different than just getting a lot of blocks and steals.

[SWedd523]

not necessarily a PG, but at least one wing who can lock down the opponent's best wing. More importantly, you need the frontcourt to be solid with rim protection, rotation, and defensive rebounding. You can hide one bad 1on1 perimeter defender, but a turnstile like Mully can have a huge negative effect on team defense.

Realistically though, you want all guys on the floor to have sound fundamentals, good athleticism, intelligence, and a high work rate (effort/dedication). That alone should equate to an at least average defense.

[Potato]

Maybe not this upcoming season but I can definetly see this upcoming season. With Dunlap running an up-tempo offense and having Kemba running that it should be pretty exiting. I have a good feeling.So this upcoming season or not this upcoming season?

[Plowright]

Kemba and DJ are below average. Mullens is still poor, reggie, matty C, Diop (isn't he a defensive specialist?) still suck, Gordon I doubt will be great. This team still has loads of players, especially on the bench who struggle with defense. I dont think we are going to be GREAT this year but we have a good defensive core

[Scrapper1]

"Eric Gordon will visit Indiana Sunday, Houston Monday & Phoenix Tuesday. He will also meet with Portland & perhaps Charlotte & Dallas"- @Chris_Broussard via twitter

If they get Eric Gordon, Henderson gone..but, this team would no longer be anyones laughing stock.

[DashGlobal]

Taylor is a BEAST of a defender.

Him and MKG can lock up most wing players. Then Biz in the paint.

I see us being very good defensively within the nxt few years if not next year. Wont mean much though with our terrible offense.....

[SJackson1]

thats why we need to get someone like Jamison

[spectre]

We still need another PF who can block out and knows how to help defend in the paint (Jamison ain't it). We'll be a lot better on the wings but until we get the interior fixed we're still not going to be very good.

Of course on the other hand it shouldn't be too hard to beat "worst"...so at least we'll be better.

[DashGlobal]

We need to seriously trade Hendo.

We cant afford to have our starting SG and SF shoot 20% from 3.

Then next year draft a stud SG or C/PF in the draft.

[dnbman]

We need to seriously trade Hendo.

We cant afford to have our starting SG and SF shoot 20% from 3.

Then next year draft a stud SG or C/PF in the draft.

Hendo can improve his shooting. It will also help that we have some semblance of an offense and not just guys taking whatever they have to.

[DashGlobal]

Hendo can improve his shooting. It will also help that we have some semblance of an offense and not just guys taking whatever they have to.

I wouldnt get your hopes up.

[dnbman]

I wouldnt get your hopes up.

I know you wouldn't, but I'm going to anyway, because I'm

http://www.hairtransplantmentor.com/wp-content/upLoads/2012/05/crazy1.jpg

CRA-ZAY!

[SJackson1]

Hendo has got great jump shot and i think he will be working on his 3 point shot this off season especially with Mike Dunlap as our new coach.

[DashGlobal]

Hendo has got great jump shot and i think he will be working on his 3 point shot this off season especially with Mike Dunlap as our new coach.

How old is Hendo? He has had tons of time to improve his jumpshot and range. He has already improved his mid range jumper tremendously. 3 point range is another beast.

[SJackson1]

How old is Hendo? He has had tons of time to improve his jumpshot and range. He has already improved his mid range jumper tremendously. 3 point range is another beast.

Hendo is 24 and has improved every year since he's been in the NBA, he has a great jump shot and i think we will see him hit 3 pointers next season

[Ghost Kat]

No love for Kemba as a defender, I mean he did average just a hair under a steal a game. He isn't Gary Payton but he's a very good on ball defender.

[dnbman]

No love for Kemba as a defender, I mean he did average just a hair under a steal a game. He isn't Gary Payton but he's a very good on ball defender.

He's quick, but I'm not sold yet. I think he can be, though.

[Chef]

i still think we are going to be at or near the bottom both defensively and offensively this season.
kemba is not a very good defender
dj is terrible
hendo is above average
mkg could be great but he is a rookie
biz needs a ton of work out side of weak side shot blocking
mullens is beyond terrible

[spectre]

Steals don't really show a good defender tho I don't want to totally brush it off. What's most important is impeding dribble drive penetration and of course the P&R. With the hand check rules it's pretty hard to stop it totally...but there's no doubt Kemba has a lot of room to improve.

Smack showed great instincts covering for him...but no one would cover for Smack.

[Plowright]

Hendo is 24 and has improved every year since he's been in the NBA, he has a great jump shot and i think we will see him hit 3 pointers next season

I wouldnt say he has a great jumper, its okay to good in the mid range. We also thought he would start hitting 3 pointers this year and never did. I am beginning to think Hendo will never really be a reliable outside shooter.

[notdeadyet]

Hopefully the intensity of MKG will rub off on his teammates. Taylor is defensive-minded and could well be our new SG; he's not strictly a SF. If MKG and coach Dunlap can "rub off" on Thomas as a PF, we could evolve into a very good D. It generally takes a few years for a defense to come together.
LOVED the old Chuck Daly Detroit Pistons teams, especially when they kicked the Lakers' arses with their D...

[Mustachio]

Taylor is defensive-minded and could well be our new SG; he's not strictly a SF.
LOVED the old Chuck Daly Detroit Pistons teams, especially when they kicked the Lakers' arses with their D...

our new SG? Henderson, Gordon, Williams.... I think we're all set at SG. He's a back up SF.

not that it matters but I hated the Pistons teams. Defensive basketball that was ugly, we aren't good enough to beat people, so lets just beat them up.

[notdeadyet]

I have to wonder if they see Ben Gordon as the combo guard they said they were lookin' for. He's known in the NBA as a shooter, but said in an Observer article he's been a PG too and thinks of himself as a combo. Ben has never been known to play much defense though... Regardless, it'll be fun watching these guys develop and seeing how Dunlap uses them, as they are all still young... In Cho we trust...

[dnbman]

I have to wonder if they see Ben Gordon as the combo guard they said they were lookin' for. He's known in the NBA as a shooter, but said in an Observer article he's been a PG too and thinks of himself as a combo. Ben has never been known to play much defense though... Regardless, it'll be fun watching these guys develop and seeing how Dunlap uses them, as they are all still young... In Cho we trust...

After the draft was finished, Cho said they were still in the market for bigs and a combo guard. I think they want at least one other guy who can run the show.

[TheBeagle]

Steals don't really show a good defender tho I don't want to totally brush it off. What's most important is impeding dribble drive penetration and of course the P&R. With the hand check rules it's pretty hard to stop it totally...but there's no doubt Kemba has a lot of room to improve.

Smack showed great instincts covering for him...but no one would cover for Smack. Absolutely. Kemba was a disaster guarding dribble drive and pick n roll. His quick hands maybe for some good man play at times, but there is nowhere for him to go but up on defense.

And yeah, Biz was amazing helping his 1s with the pick n roll and doing his damndest to recover because he so rarely got help (plus as we know, he's just that kind of bust ass player we love!).

And to Chef, Biz got plenty of man-up blocks on those who challenged him: blocking a Dwight Howard hook, the gamer-winner on Ariza, the multitude of blocks he had on Bosh this year. Of course he got his share of weak side blocks (what defender doesn't?) but kid guards the rim like territorial pissing.

[BlockParty]

^^^^^
Been using the game winning block as my avatar ever since



Biz got plenty of man-up blocks on those who challenged him: blocking a Dwight Howard hook, the gamer-winner on Ariza, the multitude of blocks he had on Bosh this year. Of course he got his share of weak side blocks (what defender doesn't?) but kid guards the rim like territorial pissing.

[captaincrunk]

I think you have to have a ball-hawk point guard in order to have a top defense. We should be pretty tenacious this year, but I think we've got a ways to go before we're a top defense, which is different than just getting a lot of blocks and steals.

we lead the league one year with felton at the helm, and while he was good at pressuring the PG bringing the ball up (eating shot clock while he did it) he wasn't really a top flight ball-hawk.

[dnbman]

we lead the league one year with felton at the helm, and while he was good at pressuring the PG bringing the ball up (eating shot clock while he did it) he wasn't really a top flight ball-hawk.

He may not have been top-flight, but he was a lot better than what we have now. Granted Kemba is still young, so he could possibly become a pretty good defender, he's just not there now. That's one reason why I'd like to see us get a backup pg who is a bit better defensively, even if he's not nearly as good at Kemba on the offensive side.

[captaincrunk]

He may not have been top-flight, but he was a lot better than what we have now. Granted Kemba is still young, so he could possibly become a pretty good defender, he's just not there now. That's one reason why I'd like to see us get a backup pg who is a bit better defensively, even if he's not nearly as good at Kemba on the offensive side.

I'm just saying that the "you need a ball-hawk point guard" thing isn't really all that true. Felton was better than Augustin, obviously, but in 33 MPG he was only getting 1.5 steals in that season. Kemba's doing .9 in 27 MPG as a rookie. When Felton was 23, he only had 1.2 steals in over 37 minutes per game. I'm not worried.

[dnbman]

I'm just saying that the "you need a ball-hawk point guard" thing isn't really all that true. Felton was better than Augustin, obviously, but in 33 MPG he was only getting 1.5 steals in that season. Kemba's doing .9 in 27 MPG as a rookie. When Felton was 23, he only had 1.2 steals in over 37 minutes per game. I'm not worried.

It's a lot more than steals. Felton would stay in front of his man and pester him a lot better than DJ and Kemba. Just look at the difference between the season we had Felton and the season after, where the only major loss was Felton. (We lost Chandler, but he only played 51 games and wasn't that great when he played.) If you look at Defensive Win Share and Defensive Rating, Felton was a LOT better than everybody else we've had at the point.

[captaincrunk]

It's a lot more than steals. Felton would stay in front of his man and pester him a lot better than DJ and Kemba. Just look at the difference between the season we had Felton and the season after, where the only major loss was Felton. (We lost Chandler, but he only played 51 games and wasn't that great when he played.) If you look at Defensive Win Share and Defensive Rating, Felton was a LOT better than everybody else we've had at the point.

If you look at this season's defensive ratings, Gerald Henderson is one of the worst 20 players in the NBA (which we know to be false). It's pretty clear that defensive rating needs to be taken in the context of what's going on with the team. You can see what I mean if you look at Felton's DRTG for the years before and after that year. 103 that year is really good, but he's also logged a 111 and a 112 (the 112 being just two years before that year, and the 11 being after). Kemba had a DRTG of 111 this year.

I understand what you're getting at, but I don't think you're right. If you are right, you'll have to explain how Felton went from defensive sieve to bulldog and back in a year.

[dnbman]

If you look at this season's defensive ratings, Gerald Henderson is one of the worst 20 players in the NBA (which we know to be false). It's pretty clear that defensive rating needs to be taken in the context of what's going on with the team. You can see what I mean if you look at Felton's DRTG for the years before and after that year. 103 that year is really good, but he's also logged a 111 and a 112 (the 112 being just two years before that year, and the 11 being after). Kemba had a DRTG of 111 this year.

I understand what you're getting at, but I don't think you're right. If you are right, you'll have to explain how Felton went from defensive sieve to bulldog and back in a year.

Yeah, there's no question that how good the team does has a lot to do with it. Comparing guys to last year probably isn't fair. But part of my point is that we were a LOT worse after we lost Felton. We had the same coach and most of the same players, aside from Chandler, who, again, wasn't remotely a DPOY candidate while he was here. (Of some significance, Felton did get a vote for the all defensive team that year. Though, so did about ten other pgs.)

Bottom line: he may not have been an elite defensive player, but was a solid defender who made a difference, save for the playoffs when Jameer Nelson made him look foolish.

We don't have to have Payton, you're right. But we do need a point guard that can keep the opposing team's pg from just getting to the lane all day long.

[spectre]

It was our team defense mostly, but yeah...that year Felton was a good defender man/man. He was very good at busting thru perimeter screens and the other defender kept the guy setting the pick from doing much because of it. Felton really spoiled me because I have a hard time liking any defensive sieve PG sans Steven Nash.

Like Crunk's pointing out with his stats Felton could only do it solid for that one year (except playoffs).

That team TALKED to each other on D. They switched well too, reminding me a little of that champion Detroit team.

Great times.

[gm in training]

We need to seriously trade Hendo.

We cant afford to have our starting SG and SF shoot 20% from 3.

Then next year draft a stud SG or C/PF in the draft.

wow i guess d-wade,kobe,rose,rondo,westbrook and thats just to name a few ,should be traded because they all are below average/bad 3-point shooters . an great mid range game can get you further than an 3 point shot will ,just like most superior scorers.most great scorers have a diverse game and what separates then from the average is freethrow attempts. gerald is one of the few sg's who shoot at a great percentage ,its only because he's not a high volume shooter,so he doesnt show in the scorers column.

[DashGlobal]

wow i guess d-wade,kobe,rose,rondo,westbrook and thats just to name a few ,should be traded because they all are below average/bad 3-point shooters . an great mid range game can get you further than an 3 point shot will ,just like most superior scorers.most great scorers have a diverse game and what separates then from the average is freethrow attempts. gerald is one of the few sg's who shoot at a great percentage ,its only because he's not a high volume shooter,so he doesnt show in the scorers column.

You trying to compare all star franchise players to Hendo?!?

You missed the context of my post, which was its not a good idea to have both your starting SG and SF to be god awful 3 point shooters. Defenders can pack the lane and make scoring much more difficult for everyone.

[SWedd523]

Imagine if Hendo actually could shoot threes though. Instead of being top 20, he'd easily be top 10

[gm in training]

You trying to compare all star franchise players to Hendo?!?

You missed the context of my post, which was its not a good idea to have both your starting SG and SF to be god awful 3 point shooters. Defenders can pack the lane and make scoring much more difficult for everyone.


westbrook and sefelosha, kobe and ron artest, ivan shumpart and landry fields, basically i dnt understand why having 3 point shooters equal success, how far did that formula get the magic .

[gm in training]

Imagine if Hendo actually could shoot threes though. Instead of being top 20, he'd easily be top 10

also i dnt see how hendo being an elite player is so far fetch when tracey mcgrady went from avg 15 before leaving for orlando to scoring 26 the next season, jermaine o'neal year 01'02 12pts to 02'03 19pts, steve nash went from a quality point and left the mavericks to becoming an elite pg,joe johnson was an avg starter with phoenix before becoming the all-star player he is,dwade avg 16 his first year and 24 his 2nd year . i can go all day with this basically like i said ya truly haven't watched gerald henderson's game based off the comments im seeing , plus some of ya act like there isn't such a thing called progression . this is basically gerald henderson soph yr because he rode the bench during the larry brown era.

[dnbman]

also i dnt see how hendo being an elite player is so far fetch when tracey mcgrady went from avg 15 before leaving for orlando to scoring 26 the next season, jermaine o'neal year 01'02 12pts to 02'03 19pts, steve nash went from a quality point and left the mavericks to becoming an elite pg,joe johnson was an avg starter with phoenix before becoming the all-star player he is,dwade avg 16 his first year and 24 his 2nd year . i can go all day with this basically like i said ya truly haven't watched gerald henderson's game based off the comments im seeing , plus some of ya act like there isn't such a thing called progression . this is basically gerald henderson soph yr because he rode the bench during the larry brown era.

As I've said before, I like Hendo a lot. I think he'll be a great player. However, him becoming elite isn't very likely. While it does happen, your examples aren't the best:
JON: Drafted out of high school and stuck behind Rasheed Wallace and Brian Grant. Didn't blossom until going to Indiana.
TMAC: Again, drafted out of high school and played second fiddle to other guys. Was 21 when he went to Orlando.
Both JON and TMAC were recognized as elite players when they were teenagers.
JJohnson: He actually was playing some elite ball at the end of his run in Phoenix. (Sidenote: everyone thought I got taken to the cleaners when I traded Antone Walker for JJ in my fantasy league that year. I ended up killing everybody.)
Nash: OK. A serious rise in talent, though he was playing second fiddle to Dirk.

Typically by their mid 20s, players have shown that they have elite talent. I saw a lot of special qualities in Gerald last year, but I'm not sure he'll ever put it all together to be a top 20 player. But as they say, anything is possible.

[notdeadyet]

It's impossible to accurately rate defense on stats alone. Bad offense, i.e., forcing up bad shots, often create real easy baskets for the opponent, near impossible to defend. Coaches often would rather never get a shot off than throw up a really bad one with the clock expiring...

[notdeadyet]

Curious if we've talked to Felton 'bout returning. He IS an UFA, isn't he?

[BrotherDave]

Biz needs help in the post (not Jamison).

[captaincrunk]

also i dnt see how hendo being an elite player is so far fetch when tracey mcgrady went from avg 15 before leaving for orlando to scoring 26 the next season, jermaine o'neal year 01'02 12pts to 02'03 19pts, steve nash went from a quality point and left the mavericks to becoming an elite pg,joe johnson was an avg starter with phoenix before becoming the all-star player he is,dwade avg 16 his first year and 24 his 2nd year . i can go all day with this basically like i said ya truly haven't watched gerald henderson's game based off the comments im seeing , plus some of ya act like there isn't such a thing called progression . this is basically gerald henderson soph yr because he rode the bench during the larry brown era.

So every player averaging a given number of points will double their production every year?

[spectre]

Curious if we've talked to Felton 'bout returning. He IS an UFA, isn't he?

I'd prefer not...esp. after his last year.

Y'know what? Dav is right...I fully support gmintraining's posts. After the terrible year we've had it's hard to be excited about anyone. Hendo did pretty darn well in about the worst circumstance ever. With his work ethic it's not impossible to make the kind of jump gm's advocating.

I hope like everything he's dead on.

[kitch0202]

I really like Hendo. If we had at least one player in the starting 5 who was a real threat from 3 point range (which I sadly just don't see Hendo becoming) then his mid-range and driving to the basket game would be much more effective. So do we look to start Mullins as a stretch 4, or even (dare I say this) Jeff Taylor at the 3 to try and achieve a bit more balance in our starting 5? Personally I'd look to give Mullins the chance and hope that his defence/footwork has improved enough for this to work. Incidentally doing this would also mean TT could provide some shot blocking from the bench.

To me one of the biggest questions for this season is how to get one of Gordon, Mullins or Taylor into our starting 5 (or at least playing 30+ mins) to help spread the floor.

[MadBOBCATfanUK]

I don't think Hendo is ever going to be an elite all NBA player, I like to look at him along the lines of a Rip Hamilton kind of player. He doesn't have the 3 point shooting of Rip but I think he can become a star along those lines. If we give Hendo a highly defined role he can excel in it. He has the ability to be a good defender, i'm tentative to say lockdown atm. Let's also not forget that Hendo averaged 2.3 assists this year which is a massive growth from the last 2 years and to me show's if he really excels in his game he can become a multi-faceted player.

[captaincrunk]

I don't think Hendo is ever going to be an elite all NBA player, I like to look at him along the lines of a Rip Hamilton kind of player. He doesn't have the 3 point shooting of Rip but I think he can become a star along those lines. If we give Hendo a highly defined role he can excel in it. He has the ability to be a good defender, i'm tentative to say lockdown atm. Let's also not forget that Hendo averaged 2.3 assists this year which is a massive growth from the last 2 years and to me show's if he really excels in his game he can become a multi-faceted player.

and let's not forget that 2.3 assists on our team last year was quite a lot. not too many guys were making shots, and between maggette and Kemba we had our fair share of ballhogs. I bet he could have broken 3 almost anywhere else

[gm in training]

As I've said before, I like Hendo a lot. I think he'll be a great player. However, him becoming elite isn't very likely. While it does happen, your examples aren't the best:
JON: Drafted out of high school and stuck behind Rasheed Wallace and Brian Grant. Didn't blossom until going to Indiana.
TMAC: Again, drafted out of high school and played second fiddle to other guys. Was 21 when he went to Orlando.
Both JON and TMAC were recognized as elite players when they were teenagers.
JJohnson: He actually was playing some elite ball at the end of his run in Phoenix. (Sidenote: everyone thought I got taken to the cleaners when I traded Antone Walker for JJ in my fantasy league that year. I ended up killing everybody.)
Nash: OK. A serious rise in talent, though he was playing second fiddle to Dirk.

Typically by their mid 20s, players have shown that they have elite talent. I saw a lot of special qualities in Gerald last year, but I'm not sure he'll ever put it all together to be a top 20 player. But as they say, anything is possible.

to say that my examples were bad because you felt that jon and tmac were elite players coming out of h.s. doesn't make sense. darius miles , kwame brown ,jonathan bender, and any player coming out of his respective program(college,oversees) were elite players at some time... my examples were to show that nobody knew that these players were capable of becoming elite nba players, till they either changed teams ,coaches,or work ethic . . joe johnson avg 17 pts before leaving phoenix isn't elite ball. the dallas mavericks and suns were both stacked when nash switched teams ,its just that nash became the teams catalyst . what i was comparing hendo was for his first starting year he shown multiple was to score , he plays d,a willing passer,and rebounder to me, he is highly capable of making that jump based off his skill set ,what gets me is that ppl are making it seem like im way off. i may have have exaggerated the top 20 but he's not to far .

[captaincrunk]

westbrook and sefelosha, kobe and ron artest, ivan shumpart and landry fields, basically i dnt understand why having 3 point shooters equal success, how far did that formula get the magic .

to the finals.

[captaincrunk]

to say that my examples were bad because you felt that jon and tmac were elite players coming out of h.s. doesn't make sense. darius miles , kwame brown ,jonathan bender, and any player coming out of his respective program(college,oversees) were elite players at some time... my examples were to show that nobody knew that these players were capable of becoming elite nba players, till they either changed teams ,coaches,or work ethic . . joe johnson avg 17 pts before leaving phoenix isn't elite ball. the dallas mavericks and suns were both stacked when nash switched teams ,its just that nash became the teams catalyst . what i was comparing hendo was for his first starting year he shown multiple was to score , he plays d,a willing passer,and rebounder to me, he is highly capable of making that jump based off his skill set ,what gets me is that ppl are making it seem like im way off. i may have have exaggerated the top 20 but he's not to far .

I'll be nice and ask what everyone else is ignoring: What makes you think Hendo is more like those guys and less like what the others are saying (guy who doesn't have too much more room to improve)?

[BrotherDave]

I'll be nice and ask what everyone else is ignoring: What makes you think Hendo is more like those guys and less like what the others are saying (guy who doesn't have too much more room to improve)?

Probably his life experiences and personal world view.

[QC Thundercats]

I think there is still something to Hendo breaking out (maybe not quite to an all-star level just yet, but a good step above where he's at now). I know ESPN Insider isn't the end all, be all of sports analysis, but a writer did do some in depth statistical analysis of player breakouts since the 1970's. The most notable parts:


Looking at the stats for players who began their careers after 1977, about 60 percent of breakout seasons take place at ages 22-25. Of those, more than half happen when a player is either 23 or 24. Also, 77 percent of breakout years happen in the first four years of a player's career, with 50 percent coming in either his second or third year...

...It can be difficult to sign free agents before they have breakout seasons, but history says teams should target players going into their early-to-mid 20s, preferably after they've already established a decent baseline of statistical production in their first handful of years in the NBA. So Hendo has established a decent baseline of production in his career, especially since Silas allowed him to finally play. He's only 24 and going into his 4th year, which is within the prime years for a player to break out, if he's ever going to.

I know a lot of people think he peaked last year, but I think he still has tons of room to grow. First, remember that he was coming off a major hip issue that required surgery. So this effected him 3 ways - 1) physically in trying to come back from a major injury and still regaining his strength and timing; 2) mentally in trying to overcome any hesitation or trust in his body; and 3) preparation, where he was forced to lay out during the entire summer and was not able to attack his weaknesses.

Despite this, he had a very good year, and showed great growth from his first two years.

The next part, which I believe is the cause for optimism amongst the pro Hendo backers in this discussion, was how he finished the year. My biggest complaint of his game was his lack of aggressiveness in attacking the basket, and then obviously his ballhandling and deep shooting. But in several of the games to close out the year, he proved he had these capabilities.

He had a 30 point game and a couple 20 pointers where he relentlessly attacked the rim like I'd never seen, and nobody could stay in front of him. He also developed an automatic turnaround shot off the baseline, where one game I think he schooled somebody like 4 straight times to close out the game. The mental side of his game was starting to develop too, where he actually looked and acted like a leader, and wanted to and was able to take over a couple games. Now the qualities of being a star are to consistently have such high performances, but at the least, he showed the capabilities to play at such a level.

Also, in looking at his advanced stats on basketball-reference.com, when he played over 40 minutes (7 games) he averaged 20.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.4 APG, while shooting a 48% on FG, 33% on 3s, and 84% from the line. For games he played over 30 minutes (40 games) he averaged 16.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, while shooting a 48% on FG, 24% on 3s, and 77% from the line.

So this year will be very telling in whether he's satisfied and feel he's arrived as a pro, or continues his climb into one of the better young wings in the league. A top 20 player is way too optimistic to me, lets just take it one step at a time until he gains some consistency. But I like the progression he's shown his first 3 years, and have no reason to think that he can't keep improving.

[dav7z]

I'd prefer not...esp. after his last year.

Y'know what? Dav is right...I fully support gmintraining's posts. After the terrible year we've had it's hard to be excited about anyone. Hendo did pretty darn well in about the worst circumstance ever. With his work ethic it's not impossible to make the kind of jump gm's advocating.

I hope like everything he's dead on.

I hate under estamating what thease guys might turn into .
NO, no one is saying Hendo is a star . But his inprovment and up side after what he went through last year is big.
Smacks hussle and up side really excates me , hes still just a 19 year old kid whos had very little real basketball training.
MKG i know he cant shoot it , but he has that extra desire to be gteat , My boys work ethic reminds me of MKG and with all of what my boy lacked in talent he had in desire. This allowed him to pitch in two little league world series . Was being considered a first round pick til he tore his roator cuff. Even wit that he pitched four years of college ball.
MKG is not going to be heald back . No matter what the knock on him is .
See i even think B Gordon still thinks hes got something to prove. I would be willing to bet he will have a better year this year than he did the last two years . If he stays injery free.

Mully in one year went from crap to a solid role player . I still see up side in this guy . Im sure hes going to give all he has to continue to prove himself. At least he has some value now .
Kemba has speed if he uses his feet and perssures more . His whole defence will get better .
Guys i know we are bad but we are getting a lot of pieces thet could turn out real good .
just give thease guys a little time . Hendo might turn into a five time allstar we never know .
I don't have any facts or figures to back any thing up . Its just my openion...

[dnbman]

to say that my examples were bad because you felt that jon and tmac were elite players coming out of h.s. doesn't make sense. darius miles , kwame brown ,jonathan bender, and any player coming out of his respective program(college,oversees) were elite players at some time...
My point wasn't that elite guys can't fail. It was that those guys were thought to be elite talents early on. They weren't considered "pretty good" and then came out of nowhere to become elite. Henderson has been considered a good player most of his career, but hasn't done a lot to show that that can be elite. I'm with you (and Spectre!) in hoping he one day becomes that. But history is not on his side.


my examples were to show that nobody knew that these players were capable of becoming elite nba players, till they either changed teams ,coaches,or work ethic . .
In the case of TMac and JO'neil, they definitely thought they'd be elite players one day.


joe johnson avg 17 pts before leaving phoenix isn't elite ball.

The last couple of months of the season, he had a significant increase in production and proved to be deadly from 3 range. He was also still in his early 20s.


the dallas mavericks and suns were both stacked when nash switched teams ,its just that nash became the teams catalyst . what i was comparing hendo was for his first starting year he shown multiple was to score , he plays d,a willing passer,and rebounder to me, he is highly capable of making that jump based off his skill set ,what gets me is that ppl are making it seem like im way off. i may have have exaggerated the top 20 but he's not to far .

Maybe, but he has a ways to go.

When you're talking about the top 20, you're talking about guys that are borderline Olympic team members. I think that's why people are having a hard time sharing your optimism. I think top 50 would be amazing for him. That would put him as likely one of the top 2 players on an NBA team. He would be in great shape if that is what he becomes. To many people, he still has to prove he's a starting SG in the league.

I want to believe, and I'll be right there with you cheering him on if he succeeds. But as I've said about most of our young guys, it's not fair to them to put unreasonable expectations on them.

[dnbman]

So this year will be very telling in whether he's satisfied and feel he's arrived as a pro, or continues his climb into one of the better young wings in the league. A top 20 player is way too optimistic to me, lets just take it one step at a time until he gains some consistency. But I like the progression he's shown his first 3 years, and have no reason to think that he can't keep improving.

Completely agree with this whole post.

[dav7z]

Ill just say this we have a whole lot more to be excited about this season . And i agree Hendo is not a top twenty player in the league . I doubt any one on our team is a top 75 player right now . I think what a lot of people are saying is we can see the upside to become that good. In some of our young talent . Though a true star is a big time achivement . dnbman thanks for the pm.