How will May's injury impact the team?

[Mustachio]

not to mention... its a dream if Hollins reaches potential.

If Ryan becomes the 14/10 guy we dream he can be it would be a sick ass nasty team to watch. 5 guys that can run, and 5 guys that fit the prototypical size of the player he matches up with.

Ive said this before a long time ago. At full realized potential... this team would be hard as hell to stop.

Felton / Richardson / Wallace / Okafor / Hollins. not to mention the boys you can bring in off the bench. im telling you, its the way we need to push anyway. Hollins fits the new system we think were running to a T. That lineup on all cylinders is really good. NOW WE JUST HAVE TO SEE HOW MANY CYLINDERS RYAN HOLLINS CAN RUN AT!. you listenin ryan?

[spectre]

Heh, in NO way should "defensive stud" and Fabio be used in the same sentence unless you're trying to show what it isn't!

He did become VERY good at getting in his guy's grill and kept the pass from getting to him; I remember some his opponents getting downright pissed at him a couple of times. The downside is of course Fabio's lateral foot speed (or lack of)...if his opponent gets the ball and drives then Fabio's lost.

And I think you misunderstood me (or was referring to someone else) so far as Hollins and his perimeter defense. I'm QUESTIONING it.

Until we actually see him play it's damn hard trying to debate this whole scenario. All I have is last year, which should by itself worry all of us. But like I've been saying all along with all the fringe players like Hollins and Touche'...Coach V has been with them all summer, so he should have latitude in his decisions.

[Slam]

i still dont see what everyone sees in Hermanns ability to deny the pass. Defensively he looked as lost as anyone to me. he had his moments, but hes far from defensive stud status. IMO.

He's no stud, but he's a GREAT defender in the post. Some guy's have really got stats which shows them to be great defenders - like Crash. 2 and 2 after all!! And the way he does it is jaw dropping.

But Fabio is like Jake. Jake might not average 3 blocks a game but he sure does change a lot of things on the defensive end by using his smarts and getting under players skills. Watch the times we played the Bucks last year and what Fabio did to Ruben Patterson. Look at the way Fabio never gives up on a play. Look at the way he hassles and hassles and hassles.

His stats might not show it and once his man gets past him it might be all over, but he's a heck of a good play at not allowing the ball to come in clean in the 1st place.

[rallydurham]

Not to play the "I told you so" card but it's pretty obvious given our situation that we would have been better off signing Darko than Matt Carroll.

Darko fills a position of need, has more upside, and is mildly statistically better than Caroll already.

Backup wings are a dime a dozen and we have a logjam at that position particularly if Dudley develops into a solid player.

This injury puts us well below 50/50 odds of making the playoffs.

Really our only shot is that Okafor, Wallace, Richardson stay remarkably healthy (a longshot) and that Felton improves immensely.

Otherwise we've maxed out our cap space just to compete with the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks for the late lottery positions.

[dav7z]

agreed we in a damn mess til next year. Unless we can make some trade or Hollins and Davidson come through . We really need both to step up at this point. Jackson is even gone now we won't have that big body that can bang down low this year with jake gone Harington washed up and May done for. If ok50 goes down we have no body in side at all. But two rookies.....

[davcbow]

We will find out tomorrow night if Hollins has improved. I think he has, he is stronger and from the scrimage game they played the other night he did well in it......

[Keetch]

OUTSTANDING game analysis folks, just outstanding... and for a preseason game no less! If Coach V isn't reading your stuff then he's working too hard.

If you all keep this up into the season...man, what a forum. Reading your stuff has me at very high expectations for a silly preseason game. Cool!

I'm still hopeful the Celtics waive Batista and we can sign him. Dude was a DNP in their first preseason game. Don't know, maybe he sucks.

[Keetch]

As for a potential Hollins/Howard matchup; I'd send Ryan out there after yelling in his ear: "balance - lateral quickness - no lunging, no poking"

See ya on the bench in 5 minutes.

[Slam]

Not to play the "I told you so" card but it's pretty obvious given our situation that we would have been better off signing Darko than Matt Carroll.

Darko fills a position of need, has more upside, and is mildly statistically better than Caroll already.

Backup wings are a dime a dozen and we have a logjam at that position particularly if Dudley develops into a solid player.

This injury puts us well below 50/50 odds of making the playoffs.

Really our only shot is that Okafor, Wallace, Richardson stay remarkably healthy (a longshot) and that Felton improves immensely.

Otherwise we've maxed out our cap space just to compete with the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks for the late lottery positions.

Except Dude isn't a SG and is in fact a SF/PF so it isn't the same position and Darko cost three times the amount of the Hammer.

I dont see your point here?

[spectre]

I'd take Hammer's blue collar work ethic over the never ending potential of Darko any day...much more so when it's 3 million per cheaper. From what I understand we even got him with a descending contract structure...so we'll only have him on the books for a little over 3 per in the last couple years.

We had 33 wins last year, lost Jake Voskuhl and added 2 PFs in the draft...one being a 22nd pick and is almost guaranteed to be better than Jake by himself.

Would I like another big? Sure, but I'd also like JRich upgraded to Flash. Doesn't mean we didn't get better.

That "I told you so" card doesn't work here.