Well for anyone that cares.
Good signs from the front line. Gooden was much better than I expected and Marshall was a beast. Z was very smooth. AV was rusty but still energetic and Pollard was exactly as advertised. I am beginning to believe the hype about us having one of the best front lines in basketball.
This game really didn't say a lot about James. He is fantastic, but we did not get new from him..
In the back court, the news was mixed. Rookies did well and probably outplayed the veterans. Hughes was rusty, but still productive, looking a little like a point with the 3 assists. Give him a month and lets see what happens. Wesley wasn't terrible, but was not magic either. No read on Jones really.
The Three Stooges, Ira, Luke and Pavs are just terrifying.
Some concerns:
As a team we went 1 for 12 from downtown, with Ira Newble leading the way. Neither Gibby nor Brown showed any promise there. It is still early, but if the this game is any indicator, both Brown and Gibson will be playing real minutes this year. Its not that they are Rondo good, but that our other guards (except Larry) are that bad. If Damon and Wesley aren't able to hit threes and make passes, why would we not play the two rookies (with Speed and Athleticism) instead.
Again opposing speedy guards absolutely torched us. While our young guns had a lot of steals, I don't think we are seeing real defense from them at this point. I wonder if the weakness is not in the defensive scheme there.
