Post#28 » by Shaazzam » Wed Feb 13, 2008 3:18 pm
As anxious as I am for this team to upgrade the wings now, in contrast to the fact I've been one of the few preaching patience for the last year and a half, I still don't think you can move AB yet.
The only way I think we should make a major move right now is if we can steal someone. Yes, I know you have almost always have to give to get, but I would rather run the risk of being wrong about AB than dump him after a year and a half of play in the L. He has holes in his game, but there is no way I let this kid go until I see if and how he is going to develop physically. People question his instincts and motor, and I sometimes do as well, but this is his first season of starting. So even though his minutes are down, he is being placed in different situations with different responsibilities.
Yes, yes, silver linings and all that jazz, but he is really finding out where he is going to need to get to in order to compete. And the kid wants to compete, he's not a baby, but he is weak. He really needs more strength, and I have been adamant since we drafted him that he needs to be on an NBA training program for at least 2 years to get his body ready for the type of pounding he is going to take and needs to dish out.
I am not one of those people that always expects immediate results from players, because not very often are you going to see drastic improvements to a players skill set during a season. They will gain experience, which is a critical component, but the real hard work developing oneself is done in the offseason. And AB has only had one offseason, which was basically a write off, because of his commitment to the Italian team.
The core of this team is still quite young, and we will have more more assets come summertime and next season with our expiring deals. I'm don't think it's a good idea to remove an important asset whose worth is, in my mind, far from being determined yet. There are other avenues now and in the future that can be explored before something as drastic as moving a number 1 needs to be done.
The landscape has changed. It's become more and more apparent that raw talent is not always required to make a deal. Finances are equally important, and are our best asset in the next season or so. Additionally, like dagger said, we also have the draft this season, which could add another young piece to our team while we still have the vets like AP and Rasho to mentor them.
Many players in sports have had struggles in their second seasons. Once others get a handle on you, they respond and force you to show them something different. Well AB is getting that response to his game now.
The onus is now on him to put the work in this off season to counter.
props to Turbo_Zone
).
