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Sunday, July 03, 2005
Expect Nothing (for now)

Now that the euphoria of drafting Gerald Green is finally starting to melt away, there's one thing I want to make crystal clear. We must have patience with this kid. We were spoiled terribly by Al Jefferson last year, and even he didn't get major minutes. Plus, Al is a big man that has a nose for the ball and didn't need plays called for him to be effective. Green will need to move without the ball and know what to do with once he gets it. I just don't think he'll be able to show his stuff this year. The learning curve is too great.

Everyone uses Tracy McGrady as an example. Well, he took a year and a half to show any improvement (and even then made his mark as a defensive specialist. While were at it, we can stop with the McGrady comparisons. At least we don't hear Jordan comparisons in the league anymore. But its still not a fair comparison. I tend to think Rashard Lewis (another draft day slider) is a better comparison. He's now an All-Star, but it didn't happen overnight.

We'll see what he can do in the summer league and training camp. Past that, I wouldn't expect him to get major minutes. Nobody is really sure how the NBDL is going to work, but if he doesn't surpass everyone's expectations in camp, I wouldn't be surprised if he saw some time in the "minors."

I'm as giddy as anyone at the thought of Al and Gerald leading this team into the next era. But the weight of the future is enough to put on them without adding the pressure of today. Expect nothing for now, and maybe, just maybe, we'll be plesantly surprised.

# posted by Jeff @ 7/03/2005 11:30:00 AM

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