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1bigfan13

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One thing that's haunted me throughout this season is that we were 1 draft pick away from landing Devin Booker. If PHX hadn't grabbed him right in front of OKC I'm 99.99% sure that OKC grabs him and we'd be set at SG for the foreseeable future. Honestly, if Sam Presti (OKC's GM) were made to drink truth serum he'd probably admit that they should have explored options to jump in front of PHX.

You can get by with guys like Roberson & Sefolosha during the regular season and early rounds of the playoffs, but those guys are too much of a liability against elite teams.

I don't mean for it to come off as if I'm placing the blame on a role player like Roberson, but it's the honest truth. Having an offensively inept shooting guard who plays heavy minutes becomes a huge liability as you move deeper into the playoffs.
 
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Simpleton

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One thing that's haunted me throughout this season is that we were 1 draft pick away from landing Devin Booker. If PHX hadn't grabbed him right in front of OKC I'm 99.99% sure that OKC grabs him and we'd be set at SG for the foreseeable future. Honestly, if Sam Presti (OKC's GM) were made to drink truth serum he'd probably admit that they should have explored options to jump in front of PHX.

You can get by with guys like Roberson & Sefolosha during the regular season and early rounds of the playoffs, but those guys are too much of a liability against elite teams.

I don't mean for it to come off as if I'm placing the blame on a role player like Roberson, but it's the honest truth. Having an offensively inept shooting guard who plays heavy minutes becomes a huge liability as you move deeper into the playoffs.
While this is true, the team should be in the Finals right now and it took an epic choke job/epic comeback by a 73 win team to keep them out. Can't really put any of that on needing an upgrade at SG.
 

1bigfan13

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While this is true, the team should be in the Finals right now and it took an epic choke job/epic comeback by a 73 win team to keep them out. Can't really put any of that on needing an upgrade at SG.
Actually you can point to that as one of the reasons they came up short. Not the main reason but certainly a significant reason.

Aside from the occasional put back layup or alley-oop dunk Roberson is a complete non-factor offensively. It completely changes the way teams guard you. There's much less space for KD & Westbrook to operate when he's on the floor.

And this isn't just me trying to assign blame after a loss. I've been railing against having Roberson as our starting SG for 2 years now. On other basketball forums throughout the regular season we constantly talked about how much better this team would be if they could have landed Booker.
 

Jiggyfly

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Actually you can point to that as one of the reasons they came up short. Not the main reason but certainly a significant reason.

Aside from the occasional put back layup or alley-oop dunk Roberson is a complete non-factor offensively. It completely changes the way teams guard you. There's much less space for KD & Westbrook to operate when he's on the floor.

And this isn't just me trying to assign blame after a loss. I've been railing against having Roberson as our starting SG for 2 years now. On other basketball forums throughout the regular season we constantly talked about how much better this team would be if they could have landed Booker.
I don't know about Booker being the difference in this series, he would have been a huge liability defensively.
 

1bigfan13

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I don't know about Booker being the difference in this series, he would have been a huge liability defensively.
I'm not focused solely on his impact in this series but going forward he was someone that most Thunder fans really wanted.

Maybe he doesn't put us over the hump in this series but I'd damn sure take him over Roberson going forward.
 

Texas Ace

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With he and Kawhi playing the same position I just don't see that happening.

But I guess you could get away with sliding Durant over to PF and Aldridge over to center.

Most PFs today are slightly built and play on the perimeter so I don't think he'd get banged around too much at PF.
Meh, the Thunder were starting Westbrook/Roberson/Durant/Ibaka/Adams and did just fine. The main things you'd worry about with that lineup is 3 point shooting and ball handling as far as playing a jumbo SG/SF alongside Durant but Leonard is a better ball-handler and 3 point shooter than Roberson.

Durant basically functions as your second ball handler after Westbrook, Parker in the Spurs case, and Leonard can obviously handle as well. If the Thunder can get away with that lineup I'm pretty sure the Spurs could get away with Parker/Leonard/Durant at the 1-3, or he could play PF as you said.
Kobe and MJ were 6'6 and they were SG's. Only recently did Kobe transition into a SF, so I don't see why Durant couldn't play at the 2. I know KD is 6'9, but still.

His game is that of a SG anyway, so I don't see why he couldn't function there.
 

Genghis Khan

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Kobe and MJ were 6'6 and they were SG's. Only recently did Kobe transition into a SF, so I don't see why Durant couldn't play at the 2. I know KD is 6'9, but still.

His game is that of a SG anyway, so I don't see why he couldn't function there.
It's a similar conversation with Ben Simmons. His game is a 1, but he's 6'10. Where do you play him?

Nowadays it probably doesn't matter as much as long as you can find players who can reasonably defend the 1 or 2 or whatever on the other end.
 

1bigfan13

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Kobe and MJ were 6'6 and they were SG's. Only recently did Kobe transition into a SF, so I don't see why Durant couldn't play at the 2. I know KD is 6'9, but still.

His game is that of a SG anyway, so I don't see why he couldn't function there.
The only thing that would make me hesitant to play Durant at the 2 is that his ball handling/security has regressed significantly. He was a turnover machine this year and for a player of his caliber I thought he made way too many dumb decisions with the ball. But he's such a gifted player that he can usually make up for those gaffs.

I think he'd be better suited in a system like the Spurs or Warriors that stresses player & ball movement. That way you minimize his turnover opportunities.
 

1bigfan13

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It's a similar conversation with Ben Simmons. His game is a 1, but he's 6'10. Where do you play him?

Nowadays it probably doesn't matter as much as long as you can find players who can reasonably defend the 1 or 2 or whatever on the other end.
If he truly has the skills of a 1 I say you play him there. After all, we've seen tall PGs before. He's not a unique case. Magic, Penny, & Steve Smith were all 6'7 or above PGs who carved out very successful NBA careers.
 

Genghis Khan

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If he truly has the skills of a 1 I say you play him there. After all, we've seen tall PGs before. He's not a unique case. Magic, Penny, & Steve Smith were all 6'7 or above PGs who carved out very successful NBA careers.

I agree. I think the big question is his shooting but you're not a finished product as a freshman so I think that'll come.
 

Jiggyfly

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I don't think Simmons has the true handles to play the one.

He is not on Magic, Hardaway level as a ballhandler or even Lebron IMO.
 

Genghis Khan

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I don't think Simmons has the true handles to play the one.

He is not on Magic, Hardaway level as a ballhandler or even Lebron IMO.

If I recall correctly Brett Brown recently called him a 4 so apparently the Sixers agree with you.

I don't think he's a true anything in that sense. He's more of a point forward I guess (sort of like a pippen?), which is what I'm trying to get at. He doesn't fit a traditional label that well.
 
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What a wasted opportunity for Cleveland. Thompson and Curry have been non-factors, but they get dominated by Iggy and bench players.
 

Texas Ace

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What a wasted opportunity for Cleveland. Thompson and Curry have been non-factors, but they get dominated by Iggy and bench players.
It's only one game, but you can't help but feel like the Cavs blew a great opportunity last night.

There won't be many games left, if any, where both Curry and Thompson struggle like that.
 

Genghis Khan

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If the Sixers do the rumored Noel, Covington, Stauskas for Teague trade they are dumber than I thought.
 

Carp

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I don't hate them, but they do annoy me now. I'd like to see the Cavs steal home court here and wrap it up in 6.
I respect Thompson and Barnes...the rest can suck dicks. They even made me dislike Iggy.
 
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