NETS -at- LAKERS – 7-15-17 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

 
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 9:18 pm    Post subject: NETS -at- LAKERS – 7-15-17 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

Final Four… The Nets were a tough challenge, but the Laker summer league team proved once again to be up to the task.

“That was a big win for us,” said coach Buechler. “That is a very, very good team with a NBA head coach over there with some starters.”

The Nets were scoring at a high clip in the first half and extended their lead to double digits to open the third quarter. The Lakers buckled down on D and pulled back even again before taking a 2-point lead into the fourth.

It was a team effort on both ends for the Lakers. They started to edge out a lead as the fourth quarter went along with their scrappy defense as both teams went uber-small. Big plays by everyone down the stretch put the Lakers over the top to take the 115-106 win.

“We’re playing the way basketball is supposed to be played,” Buechler said. When do you hear that in summer league?

The 115 points -- that’s a lot of points on the board, which makes you think about how many points UCLA put up last year behind Ball. In fact, going through all the scores in all the games this summer, that’s the highest score I’ve seen. This was a legit challenge for the Lakers as the Nets have some NBA talent (7 players on this roster will be playing at the next level). These weren’t some fringe ballers.

That’s the Lonzo effect. It’s carrying over to this level.

The Lakers other first rounder in this game, also made an impact. Kyle Kuzma had no problem with that NBA talent on his way to dropping 26 points, including 3 three’s to go with 4 assists. He’s balling, and if you are unsure what he might be able to do at the next level, this game was as good a test as any.


Ball -- -- “Just got to play through it,” Ball said of the Lakers 4 games in 6 nights. His assist numbers, of course, don’t reflect how he sets guys up who get hacked at the rim, but a lot of these FTs Zubac has been earning over the past several games were off setups from Lonzo. There were a ton of those types of plays tonight (four of those plays just to Zubac alone that turned into points at the line or on a second chance that didn’t result in an assist). So the 7 assists hardly did justice to the impact he had on this one. Ball struggled a bit to score in this game. He had a couple of airballs that took some of the wind out of his sails shooting-wise. We also saw him forced into that midrange area to try to score or make a tough pass. He did sink another floater and also drew fouls on a pull-up in the midrange. His highlight pass of the night was another one of those 70-foot chest passes to Kuzma through/over four defenders for a layup. Good chemistry with those tow. Ball played PF along with Thomas at times across Kuzma at C late in the game in the crazy small lineups. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 4-12 shooting (1-3 from three, 5-7 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 7 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 steal and 1 foul in 34 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He set up Zubac for FTs on a throwdown attempt off the two-man game. He tapped out a board to Kuzma for a three. He pushed out a board and scooped in a layup as the D was occupied with guys filling the lanes. He spotted Kuzma on a 70-foot pass off a made FT for a layup. He curled into the paint and hit Zubac with an interior feed for more FTs at the rim. More FTs for Zubac off a faked floater by Ball to draw the D. He setup Zubac for a layup, which he missed but scored on the follow up. He hit Wear for a wing three. He hit Wear for another three straight away. He missed a tough left-handed runner at the buzzer. He airballed a pull-up three in transition. He hit Thomas with an advance pass for a three in transition. He stopped on a dime and airballed a turnaround, should have tried to power in a layup. He swished a three on a kickout from Kuzma. Second Half: He was stripped on a pull-up. He was blocked on a drive left. He missed a pull-up three in transition. He got caught in the air in the midrange and threw it away. He iso’d and drew FTs on a three, he made two. He sank a pull-up standing on the three line. He was blocked on a drive. He was fouled on a pull-up 15-footer, he made one FT. He swished a floater from the elbow. He attacked and couldn’t finish a layup. He missed a follow-tip. He missed a three straight away. He kicked out to Blue for a wing three. Wow, crazy save on an inbounds at midcourt, he found a teammate before falling in the backcourt with 36 seconds left. He was fouled with 23 seconds left, he made both FTs.

Kuzma -- -- “How could this kid still be on the board in the draft?” Mark Jackson asked. “He’s a flat-out player.” A lot of people in Vegas are talking about Kuzma as one of those standout, surprise players. The three ball is certainly looking great. He hit a clutch dagger three late in this one. When he can just catch and shoot without having to turn or dribble, he’s very strong. I get a little nervous on the few occasions where he iso’s. If the ball stops and he’s iso’ing, it’s generally not a good possession. The up-tempo ball, the half-court flow we get into, the quick read-and-react situations all favor him. If the ball stops and you want him to iso like Tatum or someone, that’s not where’s he’s making his mark. Lonzo is definitely helping him look like a steal because their games mesh well. Kuzma, however, is playing aggressive and with energy. Even without Lonzo on court, that’s what’s allowing him to stand out. But those two certainly have it going on. “I know his head’s up, so I’m going to run,” Kuzma said of the chemistry with Ball. The Stats: He scored 26 points on 10-19 shooting (3-7 from three, 3-5 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 5 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He missed a layup on a slip screen. He drained a three on a tap out from Ball. Not close on a step-back wing jumper on iso. He dunked off the pocket pass from Thomas. He scored a layup off the 70-foot feed from Ball. He took a pass at the elbow, attacked and scored with his left. He pushed out the break, then missed a wild turnaround jumper trying to back his man down (airballed by a couple feet). He missed a three straight away. He pushed out a board and powered in an And-1 layup over the defender, he made the FT. He sank a three on a kickout. He missed a drive on a push out. He kicked out to Ball for the three. Second Half: He stripped a man in the post. He missed a three off the pick and pop, but hustled back to deflect a shot, then dunked while trailing the break changing ends again. He up-faked at the three line and attacked past his man for the dunk. He spun in the paint and hit the short one. Swing pass to Thomas for the corner three. He attacked, pulled up and hit Caruso for the layup. His handoff was swiped for a breakaway layup. He up-faked, attacked from the three line and drew FTs at the rim, he made both. He posted up, drop-stepped and missed the layup. He got a switch, sealed his man in the paint, took the post entry and attacked for FTs, he missed both. He was called for a charge as he changed directions (kind of bogus call). Clutch three from the sideline on a kickout with a minute left.

Zubac -- -- Limited minutes, but he was pretty active in this one. He struggled some at the line and finishing over people, but he hit the boards well and was doing an excellent job making the extra pass. He was tied behind Ball for most assists with Kuzma with 4. That extra pass turned an okay look at the basket into an excellent one. He said he’s trying to be more aggressive going to the rim and finishing strong. We saw some of that tonight. He couldn’t finish well, but he was drawing the fouls as a result. Zubac said everything is going much faster this year than last, so he’s got to work on his speed and footwork. “I’m not playing a lot of minutes so I’m not getting tired a lot,” Zubac said of all the games lately and the speed. The Nets went to super small ball tonight and the Lakers had to match to help on D. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-9 shooting (3-6 from the line) to go with 8 boards (3 offensive), 4 assists, 1 turnover, 1 block and 3 fouls in 15 minutes. The Action: He drew FTs on a throwdown attempt off the two-man game with Ball to start the game, he made one. He couldn’t finish a dunk next time down. Ball set him up for FTs on an interior feed, he made one. Ball set him up again off the two-man game for more FTs, he made one again. Ball set him up, he missed, got it back, missed again and finally scored. He missed a corner three on a kickout. He sank a 16-footer off the high post catch. He grabbed a missed drive and scored. Way short on a 16-footer trailing the break. Second Half: Quick kickout/extra pass to Blue for a three. He kicked out to Thomas for a three. He attacked from the FT line and missed the runner. He missed a lefty hook in the post. He erased a layup with a shotblock.

Blue -- -- After getting lit up in the first half, the Lakers clamped down in that third quarter. “I think we’re playing great team defense. It’s not just me. It’s not just one player. We’re out there helping each other, playing with each other,” Blue said. Really loving his play in this summer league. He and Ball have some decent chemistry in that Blue is really letting Ball dictate everything, then he steps in as a steadying force at the SG spot for scoring. Vander thinks they complement each other because they can both play off the ball or both push the ball, if needed. Excellent game tonight. He did a great job getting to the rim as well as knocking down big shots from distance. Like Caruso’s big game a while back, this one had the feel of the Lakers maybe hooking him up with a contract. It’s a tough roster situation for him. We’ve got SGs, but you never know what the Lakers are going to end up doing with JC’s contract, so having Blue in their back pocket would be a cheap solution if you aren’t sure about Hart’s readiness. The Stats: He scored 27 points on 10-16 shooting (3-5 from three, 4-7 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 foul in 35 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He took a pass in transition, cut middle and scored a layup. He scored a layup attacking in early offense. He scooped up a loose ball in the paint and drew FTs, he missed both. He attacked right and scored a layup. He missed a wing jumper. Nice challenge on a layup to force a miss. He attacked right, shielded the defenders and scored a layup with excellent footwork. He attacked and missed a forced shot in iso. Second Half: He drained a wing three on a kickout. He iso’d in transition and drew FTs on the drive, he made both. He attacked the paint and couldn’t finish with his left. He scored an And-1 layup on the breakaway, he made the FT. He attacked a seam from the wing and hit the runner off glass (should have been an And-1). He missed a transition three. He iso’d and missed the layup, but Caruso slammed it back in. He got his legs into a deep three and swished. He attacked off the three line next time down for an uncontested layup. He whipped a pass under the hoop to Thomas for a score. He nailed his man to the floor on a hesitation move and drew FTs, he made one but got it back to reset the offense. He sank a wing three on a kickout from Ball.

Thomas -- -- He led the team with the crazy +20. Definitely his best game of the summer league with the 17 points, done in efficient fashion. He’s looking more and more comfortable as the games go along. He sank 3-4 from three tonight. The passing, however, had some excellent moments. He had a great pocket pass to Kuzma for a dunk and then another drive and kickout to Wear for the three. “Every guy is getting more and more comfortable with one another,” Buechler said. It really felt like that with Thomas tonight. Fit in perfectly and played a quiet, but big role. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 6-9 shooting (3-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 2 assists, 1 block and 3 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +20. The Action: He hit Kuzma with a pocket pass for the dunk. Quick first step baseline attacking the close out and he scored a layup. On the other end he gave up three FTs on a reach. He swished a wing three in transition. He missed a floater in transition. Second Half: He was blocked on a drive right. He drained a three off the Zubac kickout. He attacked the paint and hit what looked like a pull-up floater. He whipped a pass back out to Wear for the open three. He swished a corner three on the swing pass. He had a reverse layup goaltended. He missed an open corner three. He was fouled with 36 seconds left at midcourt, he made both FTs.

Bryant -- -- Lakers went small to matchup with the Nets. That kept Bryant’s minute low. He was set up for an open jumper and a layup. Not a lot to report in this one as a result of all the small ball. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist and no fouls in 7 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: Not close on a wing three. He was blocked on the break from behind (looked like a foul). He scored a layup off an interior feed. He dropped a pass but sank a wing jumper. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Caruso -- -- Kind of a strange game from him. Some real up and down moments, but again what sticks out is his general scrappiness on the court and that manifests itself on both ends. Defensively, he drew a huge charge call in transition defense in crunch time, then he came up big with a driving layup and kickout on a drive to Kuzma for a three. His other big highlight of the night was a follow slam on a missed Blue drive. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-8 shooting to go with 6 boards, 3 assists and 5 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He probed the paint in transition without much purpose and was blocked. He missed a drive. Not close on a runner off the glass. Wild drive against pressure, not close. He kicked out to Wear for an And-1 three. Second Half: He couldn’t finish a layup around his man on iso. He follow slammed a Blue missed drive between a couple of defenders. He smothered his man on a baseline drive and forced a bad pass for a turnover. Wow, looked like he drew a charge on iso, but didn’t get the call. Nice off-ball cut and Kuzma found him for the layup. He erased a breakaway by taking a charge on iso D. He attacked and hit a running hook/layup off glass with under 2 minutes left. With a minute left, he attacked and kicked to Kuzma for a big three.

Wear -- -- If he was open and not rushing anything, that three ball was going down. Excellent shooting and he had some moments on D with some good challenges. A lot of small ball in this one, so we had him at center briefly. The Lakers shot 14-26 from three tonight. We four guys with 3 or more threes. Wear led with four of them. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 4-8 shooting (4-6 from three, 0-1 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 4 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He sank a wing catch-and-shoot three. He sank a three straight away. He missed a wing three, fading back a little. He missed a corner three. He sank an And-1 three on a kickout straight away, he missed the FT. Second Half: He missed a three in transition. He hit an open three on a kickout straight away. He missed a short jumphook on the roll. A couple great challenges on back-to-back plays to gets stops (running at the C spot).


Last edited by DancingBarry on Sat Jul 15, 2017 9:27 pm; edited 1 time in total
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smitty5x
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 9:24 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 9:28 pm    Post subject:

I'll second that - thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 9:30 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB. You are in mid season form. Lonzo and Kuzma get the headlines but it was a great team effort to win the game.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 9:59 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 10:06 pm    Post subject:

The Nets got to a point where they fell back on using physical play which I loved because that what is going to happen at the next level. The NBA is full of grown men and you have to learn to deal with that. Lonzo struggled with that some which is to be expected. I also think that added to some fatigue at the end of the game.

Nice win.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 10:08 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

I'd like to see Vander get the remaining two-way slot.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 10:30 pm    Post subject:

I agree about Blue
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 10:46 pm    Post subject:

Blue has absolutely nothing to offer on the NBA level. He doesn't pass, he doesn't defend well, he's an inconsistent shooter and he's a bit of a ball stopper. He's a guy who is good at basketball, but doesn't help an NBA team win. Honestly, he's made for Europe. Needs to go over there and try to get a paycheck. Just the way it is for him.

In contrast, Caruso has the potential to be a hustle guy who can hit a 3 and play some hard nosed defense. There is Steve Blake potential in him. He makes winning plays here and there. That's why he got the contract and Blue hasn't.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 10:50 pm    Post subject:

Nice write up. I really liked how the nets were forcing zo to that mid range area and gave him many looks with different guys. Good test for him. Strength & conditioning / working on mid range game for the rest of the summer is going to be big for him coming into his rookie season.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 10:53 pm    Post subject:

Man that was a fun read........there will be alot of happy face threads this year! I'm sitting here watching the replay and can't believe this phenomenon that is transpiring. Kuzma is an absolute diamond, just abusing people tonight, and I might even be sold on Blue, and the surprising Caruso......
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 11:22 pm    Post subject:

LakerSanity wrote:
Blue has absolutely nothing to offer on the NBA level. He doesn't pass, he doesn't defend well, he's an inconsistent shooter and he's a bit of a ball stopper. He's a guy who is good at basketball, but doesn't help an NBA team win. Honestly, he's made for Europe. Needs to go over there and try to get a paycheck. Just the way it is for him.

In contrast, Caruso has the potential to be a hustle guy who can hit a 3 and play some hard nosed defense. There is Steve Blake potential in him. He makes winning plays here and there. That's why he got the contract and Blue hasn't.


Blue can't be a lead guard, and you need playmakers on floor with him. Otherwise, the game becomes a take-your-turn chuckfest. With Ball on the court and with the way the team plays because of that, Blue's problems have less of an impact on this team. Kind of reminds me how Ball helped UCLA's other problem guards look a lot better when he came to the team. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him that other two-way, but it's a tough situation for him to crack this squad unless we see them dumping JC right away.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 11:24 pm    Post subject:

Caruso with the put back dunk! What the heck
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 11:32 pm    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
LakerSanity wrote:
Blue has absolutely nothing to offer on the NBA level. He doesn't pass, he doesn't defend well, he's an inconsistent shooter and he's a bit of a ball stopper. He's a guy who is good at basketball, but doesn't help an NBA team win. Honestly, he's made for Europe. Needs to go over there and try to get a paycheck. Just the way it is for him.

In contrast, Caruso has the potential to be a hustle guy who can hit a 3 and play some hard nosed defense. There is Steve Blake potential in him. He makes winning plays here and there. That's why he got the contract and Blue hasn't.


Blue can't be a lead guard, and you need playmakers on floor with him. Otherwise, the game becomes a take-your-turn chuckfest. With Ball on the court and with the way the team plays because of that, Blue's problems have less of an impact on this team. Kind of reminds me how Ball helped UCLA's other problem guards look a lot better when he came to the team. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him that other two-way, but it's a tough situation for him to crack this squad unless we see them dumping JC right away.


He's not as good as JC though - I'd argue he offers us a worse version of JC and makes even more of those types of plays that ultimately lead to losing basketball. He's a guy a lottery team plays because "why not? and it helps them tank. But he's not a guy who should get any minutes on any team that wants to win. If JC is gone, I say you give his minutes to Hart and Brewer and hopefully have Ennis to back up Ball.
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 1:35 am    Post subject:

Honestly pretty impressed that the Lakers managed to squeak out a win vs the Nets who have NBA talent going into their seconds seasons on that roster. I think the only NBA experienced player the Lakers are using is Zubac, then Blue and Wear (who are G league guys).
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 2:33 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
LakerSanity wrote:
Blue has absolutely nothing to offer on the NBA level. He doesn't pass, he doesn't defend well, he's an inconsistent shooter and he's a bit of a ball stopper. He's a guy who is good at basketball, but doesn't help an NBA team win. Honestly, he's made for Europe. Needs to go over there and try to get a paycheck. Just the way it is for him.

In contrast, Caruso has the potential to be a hustle guy who can hit a 3 and play some hard nosed defense. There is Steve Blake potential in him. He makes winning plays here and there. That's why he got the contract and Blue hasn't.
Blue can't be a lead guard, and you need playmakers on floor with him. Otherwise, the game becomes a take-your-turn chuckfest. With Ball on the court and with the way the team plays because of that, Blue's problems have less of an impact on this team. Kind of reminds me how Ball helped UCLA's other problem guards look a lot better when he came to the team. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him that other two-way, but it's a tough situation for him to crack this squad unless we see them dumping JC right away.
Blue is a player that will fill out a stat sheet but not get Ws - as previously shared. If he had 25% of Irving's ISO skills, he would already be on a NBA roster.

The Mighty Alex (Steve Blake) Caruso exhibits the "In Your Face" mentality like a Matthew Dellavedova that winning teams always have.

Glad that the Laker roster (via the leadership, skills and production of Lonzo) are developing a calmative grit to win together. As Big Game shared on the post-game show, maybe this success will place a chip on these players' shoulders during the upcoming preseason/training gamp days when playing against the veterans.

Maybe Zubac should watch films of when The Cap was playing during the Showtime years to figure out how to maximize his presence/impact while on the court.
Note: NOT saying Zubac is Kareem, but The Cap didn't race with the thoroughbreds.

DB - all awls AAAAA always applies to your excellent reviews
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 4:12 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 7:29 am    Post subject:

Thanks as always DB for your excellent write-ups. I thought it was a nice win considering they had guys who were on their roster last year and they also had their HC on the bench.
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 8:12 am    Post subject:

DB + CaChookaMan == Ultimate cord-cutting (Lakers Style)
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 10:14 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
LakerSanity wrote:
Blue has absolutely nothing to offer on the NBA level. He doesn't pass, he doesn't defend well, he's an inconsistent shooter and he's a bit of a ball stopper. He's a guy who is good at basketball, but doesn't help an NBA team win. Honestly, he's made for Europe. Needs to go over there and try to get a paycheck. Just the way it is for him.

In contrast, Caruso has the potential to be a hustle guy who can hit a 3 and play some hard nosed defense. There is Steve Blake potential in him. He makes winning plays here and there. That's why he got the contract and Blue hasn't.


Blue can't be a lead guard, and you need playmakers on floor with him. Otherwise, the game becomes a take-your-turn chuckfest. With Ball on the court and with the way the team plays because of that, Blue's problems have less of an impact on this team. Kind of reminds me how Ball helped UCLA's other problem guards look a lot better when he came to the team. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him that other two-way, but it's a tough situation for him to crack this squad unless we see them dumping JC right away.


To me, watching Blue playing beside of Zo in SPL kind of got beat me a pretty good idea of how JC can play beside of him. A lot of attacking the basket in in semi-transition, looking to score out of the pick and roll, and being a guy who can lead the break himself. I actually hunk Blue could be a good 10-15 minute back up if we trade JC, but to me I'd just assume let Hart soak those extra minutes up if so.
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 4:52 pm    Post subject:

LakerSanity wrote:
Blue has absolutely nothing to offer on the NBA level. He doesn't pass, he doesn't defend well, he's an inconsistent shooter and he's a bit of a ball stopper. He's a guy who is good at basketball, but doesn't help an NBA team win. Honestly, he's made for Europe. Needs to go over there and try to get a paycheck. Just the way it is for him.

In contrast, Caruso has the potential to be a hustle guy who can hit a 3 and play some hard nosed defense. There is Steve Blake potential in him. He makes winning plays here and there. That's why he got the contract and Blue hasn't.




He plays exactly like Nick young
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