An aside about Donte Greene's measurements and thoughts about his future role.

[Livinthedream]

Examples from highlight reels are the reason that Greene is still around. He teases you just enough, to keep you on the hook. I know, there's that part of me, that on an emotional level, is very attached to Donte. The problem is, I could make more lowlight reels than highlight reels from Donte's career. I acknowledge that Donte hasn't been dealt a fair hand. Neither has Thompson. Perhaps its not ironic that the two are best friends. They have a lot in common. Both have had multiple head coaches and both have been asked to play multiple positions, while the system, and cast around them constantly changes, and in some cases competes for their spot in the rotation.

I try to stay detached from players emotionally, but in some cases its just impossible. Donte is a very likable guy. And I seriously doubt that he has much, if any, negative impact on the team. At least from a lockerroom inspirational point of view. But with results on the floor? Yes! And thats the major problem. Inconsistentcy! Great in one game, and not visable in the next. No, he's not a great ballhandler or passer of the basketball. No, he's not a good rebounder. Matter of fact, for his size, his rebounding should be embarrasing. But here's the killer. The Kings are asking him to do just two things. Play defense, and hit the occasional spot up shot. And do it every night.

It seems that they're so impressed with his defensive potential, that they're willing to overlook some major flaws in his game. Particularly his rebounding. Now to my mind, thats a huge, "Go directly to GO" card. So I say to Donte, find a couple of spots on the floor you like. And shoot about 1000 shots a day from those spots untill you can hit that shot in your sleep. Don't try to be a playmaker, and don't have visions of being an offensive star. Just get damm good at doing a couple of things, and your career will have a jumpstart. So I'm pulling for Donte. But at the same time, he needs to know in the deep dark recesses of his mind, that his career is at the brink, and he can't kick the can down the road anymore.

I always got the impression that Donte was inconsistent because the coaching staff has been inconsistent with him. He's doing a lot of thinking on the court when he needs to be able to just play and make mistakes or miss shots without the fear of being pulled and replaced. Or maybe not getting any minutes the next game. He lacks some of the mental toughness to fight through that. He's one of those players that needs positive reinforcement.

He also suffers from not having a true point guard on the team who will help him by giving him the ball in a position to score easily. Donte is excellent in transition and on fast breaks. He has problems in the half court offense because when he gets the ball he has to create his own shot from a stand still. So there is a lot of things going on right not that is not to his benefit. Most of us can see the talent level there, which is why it's so frustrating to watch. But he needs the right environment to shine and our team and coaching staff do not provide that at this time.

 

[hrdboild]

Greene is overrated as hell in these parts...And has been since we got him.

The guy still has all the potential in the world, is still young, and really does have the right attitude RE: how he fits in on this team. But on the court he doesnt do much. His defense really isnt that great, it just looks good next to everyone else on our D-less squad.

I'm still rooting for him to succeed. Just not very optimistic of that happening.

I wouldnt be surprised to see Honeycutt leapfrog him in the rotation next season (whenever next season is)...

...Then again with coach Westphal, I'm not surprised by anything rotation wise.

I think you touched on the big reasons right there. He might be a bit overrated around here, but it's mostly because he's got the potential to be a big part of this team -- probably not a starter, certainly not an All-Star-- but still a big part. At the same time, I don't think that a lot of people are deluded about how good he currently is. I've been a big Donte supporter all year and I just wanted to see him get a consistent 20 minutes per game, which he was getting by the end of the year. Bad teams need to find minutes for young players with potential. Looking forward to next season, like baja said he needs to get that jumpshot locked in to where it's automatic and then he'll be able to settle into a nice Bruce Bowen type role-player niche.

And I wouldn't be surprised if Honeycutt leapfrogs him either, at the start of the season though (whenever that is). And then gets benched for two months, and then gets promoted to starting SG at some point, and then benched again and so on. It's all fair game!