I watched the game. I figured more people on this board would have. Anyway, here is my take...
Gooden: I am going to go ahead and drink teh Kool-Aid. Gooden looks like he is on the verge of a breakout. It's not as if he is more athletic. It's not as if he is hustling more on the court. The difference is (1) he is more comfortable with the offense, so commits fewer mental eeors; (2) he is taking his time on shots and finding the basket with his eye before hoisting; (3) has far more consistency from 12 to 16 feet. All those things combine to make him a legit 16ppg 10rpg guy. He could score as many as 18 to 20ppg if he gets the minutes. You all are going to be glad you didn't let himn walk this summer. I like A.V., but A.V. is not as polished a scorer as Drew. IF Drew can become anything resembling a shotblocker, then he is going to be an upper-eschelon NBA pf.
Marshall: Looks more muscular and more importantly, more limber out there. THe thing that imprssed me most was that he was almost always the first big man back down court on offense and defense. It's like he knows he is in great shape and other guys are not, and is trying to take advantage of that fact. As for his offense...he definitely focusing on the paint. He passed up three point shots left and right and opted instead to take one dribble around his man and two long strides to the basket. He is also challenging shots (blocks). With he and Drew playing like they are playing, your team fg% will spike upwards. I'm really impressed with your power forwards.
Hughes: Looks strong and in good shape. He is busy as usual on defense. He is playing smart (resting when he can and helping out teaamates on switches and traps). The thing that jumps out most is that he is passing much more often. It appears he has now figured out teh paybook and his teammates and is getting them the ball in the right spots. One of the knocks on Hughes in D.C. was that he never passed the ball on the fastbreak. That nifty pass he made to Marshall tonight (when Hughes could have had an easy fastbreak basket himself) shows he has gotten past that mental block. He loks good. His shot has better rotation, but its still too early to say whether or not he has improved on it. His passing and off the ball movement are much better though. He will definitely have a better season than last year. Don't expect teh numbers he put up in Washington though. Your offense(s) is not as free as Washington's and Hughes appears to be understanding that he is a role player on this team and seems content to play that role. LeBron should have some help though (between Hughes, Gooden, Z and Marshall).
Big Z: Looked about the same. His midrage shot is more crisp. But overall he seems like the same Z.
Snow: Looks about the same. Hard worker. Good leader. Probably should play fewer minutes to give you guys different offensive looks via other players at pg.
Wesley: His outside shot is still deadly. LeBron is going to get 2 to 3 assists a night just kicking the bal out to Wesley. He should pick up some of the 3 pointers that you lose now that Marshall is playing more in the paint. Wesley, Hughes, Lebron, Marshall and Gooden will be an interesting line-up at times. Anyway, Wesley was a good pick-up, even at this late point in his career.
D.J.: Still the showman. Goofs around out there. Is in better shape, but will never be a strong defender. He can't stay in front of his man to save his life. Didn't shoot much tonight, so I couldn't tell where hsi jumper stands.
Gibson: I like this guy! He is a scrappy defender. As someone mentioned, his midrange shot is mechanically sound. He seems adept at running the offense. I think he can step into the backcourt with Hughes and give you all a very uptempo team. It all depends on how much your coach has tweaked the offense. Gibson, Hughes, LeBron, Marshall and AV could give yo all a very mobile and athletic squad. I'm impressed with the options/weapons yu all have.
S. Brown: You can see by the look on his face that he absoluetly can't stand being on the bench. He looked like he was bursting at the seams to get in in the 4th quarter. It's great that he has that kind of ambition, but he has to be patient and await his chances. When he got in the game he immediately began hoisting shots and palying a bit too much one on one ball. He eventually calmed down and made a good pass (which shows he has some passing skills). He needs tobe patient and learn the team game a bit more. He is gifted athletically. He is ridiculously strong for his size. Mentally though, he needs to tone it down a bit and let the game come to him.
