I think it's going to be tough to watch for me.
The personnel is softer overall because of the loss of LaRavia, Val, and Lyles and it wasn't all that tough to begin with. Then there's the addition of LaVine, another softie. Overall, I don't see a lot of charges taken or floor burns from going after loose balls from this bunch, despite Christie imploring them to do otherwise. I don't like soft teams and this one looks embarrassingly so.
Then there is the clunkiness of the team with mismatched parts and no common theme for any sort of identity. DDR and LaVine like their iso possessions while Sabonis is great for passing to players moving without the ball. It's like they have their own separate games on the floor. Christie himself likes the motion offense but some of his key players like to dribble, dribble, dribble. I don't like iso ball. Nor do I like schizo-ball.
Raynaud, Clifford and Murray are watchable because we still don't know what they can become. It's always interesting watching the growth of younger players. But the two rookies could get minimal or even no playing time with the big club because of the veterans on the roster and Murray could be standing in the corner a lot looking at dribble, dribble, dribble. I don't like sabotaging the growth of younger players for a short-term box office fix with older vets.
Last but not least, the announcing crew. There's laugh-track Drapes, the babbling Katy, and Fish Grease. At least when Fish Grease calls the games Katy seems to dial back her non-stop babbling. I assume Fish Grease has given her instructions on when to talk. However, Drapes seems to have given Katy no such instructions. The more she talks, the better, I guess, and Drapes can intersperse it with HAHAHAHA when DDR takes a 3 point shot or LaVine takes a charge or some other uncommon event. It is probably going to be tough to watch this team, but it is going to be even more painful to listen.
