* Hughes did poorly last game because he got challenged mentally by the crowd. It's up to him to rebound and come up with a big game today to show a glimpse of why we paid him 60 million.
I was wrong on this point last game, I didn't watch nor hear it. So it seems, Hughes continues to play solid defense, making good contributions to the team without the need to score.
* Ekezie got the minutes last game for the big man spot. Will this trend continue? Or will we see Mengke Bateer or Zendon Hamilton?
Check. I saw Hamilton on the box score. Did Bateer play? Hamilton was about par. I'm guessing the 3rd center will see Scott Williams-type minutes. A little now, none later when AV returns.
* Last roster spot: Will it be Kelenna, Wilks, or Rivera? Each got their share of minutes last night, but none really stood out. Kelenna nulled his shots by getting blocked a couple times, while Wilks/Rivera had uneventful minutes in general.
Similar game by Kelenna. At least he's consistent. He could be a project, but if Wilks/Rivera show up well, then they should get the nod as we're more needy at the PG.
* Will Mike Brown experiment with the starting lineup? I can see him shuffling Snow and Jones throughout the pre-season to see who fits better with the unit.
Check. I believe D.Jones got the nod. Chucked it wayyy to much though. But I like the 5 assists to make up for it.
Snow was solid. It's good to see similar production both from the bench and from the starter's spot.
* Gooden needs to prove himself consistent. Let's see if he can do it. And let's see Marshall rain down more trey's.
3 boards by Gooden - not good. 11 points - good, but not what we need
3 treys by Marshall - just what the doctor ordered
* Luke and Sasha battle will intensify. With Luke coming off a great "first" game, can Sasha rebound and match that intensity? We might see 2-3 treys from Sasha this time around.
Luke continues to impress, stepping right into the King's shoes and heavily contributing to the rebound and win in this game. I like this: 2 Blocks, 2 Steals, 1 Assist, 2 Rebounds, 6/6 FT's, 2 treys. So everything. Awesome.
It's unfortunate that Sasha got cut short due to injury. But I saw that he tried to go up to the rim strong but got denied. I saw this happen too much last season. I love the effort, but if you want to be aggressive but can't, focus your energies elsewhere. He'll get better? We can't afford the benefit of the doubt anymore, not when Luke is clearly showing why he was the #10 pick of the draft last season.
Z & Henderson: solid as usual. I hope to say that a lot this year.