Post by Lakers GM on Nov 11, 2005 22:47:20 GMT -5
Every team has something to be excited for each season--possible contention, performance of rookies, individual performance, etc. But some players BBS performance thus far leave their GM's flustered; they see the ratings of a stud, but the performance of a role player. There is a class of promising youths who are past the "potential to be..." stage and are entering the primes of their careers. Essentially, it's time for these guys to put up or shut up...
1. OJ Mayo, New Orleans Hornets
B inside, A outside, B handles, A+ defense
Mayo's been a very good player for a couple of years now, but GM Mark Kelley knows Mayo is capable of more. He's a brilliantly well-rounded player; offensively he can do it down low or from outside, and can handle the rock, while he might be the best defensive shooting guard, according to his A+ rating. But he came into this league expected to be much more than a 15 pts, 6 rebs guy, and he's in his contract year. He's going to get the max, but he's going to have start earning it soon. If he does, this Hornets team goes from 45 wins to, well, who knows how many wins they'll get if he plays to his ratings...
2. Michael Beasley, Orlando Magic
B+ inside, B outside, A defense
See above. Beasley's not the same talent as Mayo, but he's still capable of playing at star level. His situation is a bit different though. He could be a franchise player if not for the logjam in front of him, and he put up excellent per-48 numbers last year. He's due for a new contract, and it'd be hard for the Magic to offer the money he deserves to a role player. He's got to prove himself better in his minutes, because he's the kind of talent who could force the Magic to change the lineup to give him more time. There's no other time than now; in his contract year, can he prove to be a franchise player/worth franchise player money?
3. LeBron James
A inside, A- outside, B+ handles, A- defense
OK, do the double-take and then get it out of your system. Granted, LeBron may very well be the best player in BBS. He's dominant in almost every aspect of the game. Huge numbers all across the board. But all to no avail as of late. He was supposed to step in as the franchise player for Seattle, but the team, widely considered a title contender, saw an early exit. Before that, LeBron was on a massively underachieving Chicago team. He has to prove that the formula for winning can include an uberstar, for as of late, there's been a different formula of great play inside, and well-rounded defense. The numbers are overwhelming, now the results must be.
4. Rudy Gay
B+ inside, B outside, A- defense
The Pacers are the talk of BBS. On paper, this is a stacked team with potential superstars abound. Their best player's Rudy Gay. So their underperformance is linked to him. He needs to put up bigger numbers and bring the wins. Otherwise, he'll look like an overpaid second-tier player. He can't become second-fiddle to McHale; he has to co-anchor this roster as one of its vets and its star player. 17 and 6 have to become 20+ and 8+ in order for 25-30 wins to become 40+.
5. Andrew Bynum, Chicago Bulls
B- inside, A defense, A rebounder
I've said it before: he oughta be at the same level as the guys like Oden and Caracter, at least one on end of the court. He had a very good training camp. With his defense and rebounding ratings, he looks like a premiere player. Granted, his b- inside game is proficient at best. However, with the offensive firepower around him, that's not too big of a deal. Somehow, though, even with his ratings comparable to studs like Ben Wallace and Brandan Wright, he hasn't contributed very much. He's been given ample opportunity, but hasn't blocked many shots for a seven-footer. He could be a 12+ pts and rebs guy for 15 years, but he needs to prove he can be apart of a winning team in Chicago.
Next edition of Put Up or Shut Up will be vets considered superstars whose teams never do much.
1. OJ Mayo, New Orleans Hornets
B inside, A outside, B handles, A+ defense
Mayo's been a very good player for a couple of years now, but GM Mark Kelley knows Mayo is capable of more. He's a brilliantly well-rounded player; offensively he can do it down low or from outside, and can handle the rock, while he might be the best defensive shooting guard, according to his A+ rating. But he came into this league expected to be much more than a 15 pts, 6 rebs guy, and he's in his contract year. He's going to get the max, but he's going to have start earning it soon. If he does, this Hornets team goes from 45 wins to, well, who knows how many wins they'll get if he plays to his ratings...
2. Michael Beasley, Orlando Magic
B+ inside, B outside, A defense
See above. Beasley's not the same talent as Mayo, but he's still capable of playing at star level. His situation is a bit different though. He could be a franchise player if not for the logjam in front of him, and he put up excellent per-48 numbers last year. He's due for a new contract, and it'd be hard for the Magic to offer the money he deserves to a role player. He's got to prove himself better in his minutes, because he's the kind of talent who could force the Magic to change the lineup to give him more time. There's no other time than now; in his contract year, can he prove to be a franchise player/worth franchise player money?
3. LeBron James
A inside, A- outside, B+ handles, A- defense
OK, do the double-take and then get it out of your system. Granted, LeBron may very well be the best player in BBS. He's dominant in almost every aspect of the game. Huge numbers all across the board. But all to no avail as of late. He was supposed to step in as the franchise player for Seattle, but the team, widely considered a title contender, saw an early exit. Before that, LeBron was on a massively underachieving Chicago team. He has to prove that the formula for winning can include an uberstar, for as of late, there's been a different formula of great play inside, and well-rounded defense. The numbers are overwhelming, now the results must be.
4. Rudy Gay
B+ inside, B outside, A- defense
The Pacers are the talk of BBS. On paper, this is a stacked team with potential superstars abound. Their best player's Rudy Gay. So their underperformance is linked to him. He needs to put up bigger numbers and bring the wins. Otherwise, he'll look like an overpaid second-tier player. He can't become second-fiddle to McHale; he has to co-anchor this roster as one of its vets and its star player. 17 and 6 have to become 20+ and 8+ in order for 25-30 wins to become 40+.
5. Andrew Bynum, Chicago Bulls
B- inside, A defense, A rebounder
I've said it before: he oughta be at the same level as the guys like Oden and Caracter, at least one on end of the court. He had a very good training camp. With his defense and rebounding ratings, he looks like a premiere player. Granted, his b- inside game is proficient at best. However, with the offensive firepower around him, that's not too big of a deal. Somehow, though, even with his ratings comparable to studs like Ben Wallace and Brandan Wright, he hasn't contributed very much. He's been given ample opportunity, but hasn't blocked many shots for a seven-footer. He could be a 12+ pts and rebs guy for 15 years, but he needs to prove he can be apart of a winning team in Chicago.
Next edition of Put Up or Shut Up will be vets considered superstars whose teams never do much.
