It’s preseason, the whole roster will play.
1 Like
Chaundee Brown hit double figures for the Lakers yesterday
7 Likes
1 Like
Teske with the NBA 3! Bow and arrow must have looked nice after that one
7 Likes
Poole with 30 in 22 minutes–so far.
8 Likes
What about the other Mo… Bamba!!! 13 and 10 in 22 mins
1 Like
2 Likes
14 Likes
5 Likes
B-but nooo, he’s not ready for the NBA 
6 Likes
Given that he had one of the worst rookie years in history, he may not have been? But he’s obviously done well starting in the second half of last year and is going to get plenty of time to grab a larger role as Klay slowly rounds into shape.
3 Likes
The most important thing when going to the NBA for 95% of players is what team drafts/signs them. So many good players don’t make it cuz the organization they go to either aren’t patient with development or aren’t using them right.
6 Likes
I’m guessing it was more beneficial for him to get serious and learn how to be a pro than to spend one more year in college. In that sense, he was ready and he found the perfect landing spot. Not many players actually look good in their rookie season.
9 Likes
Can we finally put to bed the whole “_______________ is not ready, he needs another year in college to mature” narrative. The bottom line is the NBA has put together a system (G-League, two way contracts, exhibit 10s, etc) that allows players time to develop with NBA support, facilities, and coaching all while focusing solely on basketball.
There are no more bad choices. You can get paid in college, get paid in the pros, get paid in the overtime league.
It’s now up to the individual players to determine if they want an education with their basketball or if they are cool going right to play semi-pro ball. Something these kids should have a right to choose (with, hopefully, some good voices in their ear).
20 Likes
This is a great point. The support/development structure in the NBA is way better than it was 10-15 years ago.
5 Likes
Yeah, and the portion of the fan base that inexplicably hates him and constantly puts him down will probably continue to do so regardless. Can’t do much with those types 
I’m just happy as hell for him.
3 Likes
It is, and I’m happy to say that I was probably wrong about Poole being one of the people who said he wasn’t ready. However…let’s be careful using small samples to prove our point. There are other examples of guys who didn’t get drafted, didn’t mature in the G-League, didn’t get land on a team that gave them the time/attention to mature, etc. The reality is that the NBA is in a much better place for developing and nurturing talent than it used to be…but each player is still unique.
It is entirely possible that Poole could have grown with another year at Michigan, got picked a little higher, and ended up with a bigger first and second contract. It is also possible that he could have ended up on a bad team and washed out by now. A lot of things have to align for everyone. Thankfully Poole has put in the effort and had an organization support him - similar to Duncan but perhaps not like others. Happy for him - I hope his role continues to expand when the regular season starts and the starters are playing a lot of minutes.
2 Likes
I agree with you. I’d just say he wasn’t “ready” for the NBA when he got there. I don’t think being in college another year would have necessarily helped or improved his fate. When he was being historically bad as a rookie, and repeated that over the first 20 or so games of last year, I was ready to cash it in…it seems I was wrong. Just because I checked in on him every 2 weeks for those posts I wrote about Michigan NBA guys, I recall his season being made up of 3 extended brutally cold streaks and 2 absolutely molten ones. Hopefully he can find more consistency.
2 Likes
My worry with Poole was that he seemed a little flighty (both on court and in one interaction off court.) He just seemed like a kid. Was worried he wouldn’t be ready for the professional grind. But he’s clearly worked hard on his game and body.
1 Like
The thing about being “NBA-ready” is that it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with being ready to actually get on the floor and contribute. Poor word choice. What it really means, as far as I can tell, is having demonstrated the skills required to one day be a productive player. They don’t care if you haven’t yet really matured, or if you’ve demonstrated that your lateral quickness actually translates to being a smart and effective defender. If you have the physical tools and are draft-eligible, the NBA is ready for you regardless of whether you are ready to make a difference in actual NBA games.
2 Likes