I think Tidjane will surprise some people. The league he was in is a much more talented league than the g league.
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I agree i think people are underestimating him, Iām not saying heāll be a world beating all star but i think heāll surprise a few people
Thatās why I thought heād stay in the French league. Iāve commented above that I think that the high level of play from his team and the cohesive organization was what made him stand out. He seemed to know his role very well within the offensive flow.
Heās 18 and developing well, the French team and league appears to be doing great, so why not let him play another year there in France? He can get big minutes, expand his role, and improve what heās been improving. Thereās no need to rush him over to Charlotte to play a few minutes occasionally.
I understand, and agree, that it would be good to get him around coach Lee. But is he really going to play at all? And if he doesnāt play, why not let him continue in France? But if he carves out a role in Charlotte (somehow), this will all be a moot point.
I just feel like he plays more than most think. I could be wrong on that thoughā¦ I just feel this is a different Hornets team, and I donāt think it is a win at the cost of not playing our high draft pick. I just want to see him grow here.
Sorry but none of this makes sense. If heās not under contract in France, why put him in a situation where he needs to break that? Also, how is he going to develop for āthisā team when we have the cap and roster spot by playing an ocean away? Also, not sure most seasoned GMs get kudos for an overall 6th pick draft-and-stash when there is no financial or space reason. I canāt imagine a first time GM doing so without checking his locker for pink slips.
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Iām not privy to his French contract situation. No idea. Iād rather an 18 year old play another season with the team heās been on for two years, and has apparently has helped him grow leaps and bounds.
Im simply saying that unless heās going to actually play a real role in the rotation, it doesnāt make sense for him to sit on the bench and not play.
We have no idea on him, his role, or if heāll play a role in our rotation at this juncture in time. So it doesnāt really matter what we think until a few months from now.
All im saying is that I donāt foresee a really raw 18 year old playing a meaningful role in an NBA rotation his first year.
Iād say if we arenāt going to play him,ā¦ sure, but I feel like the plan is to play him, even if heās 18. 18 year olds have played a good bit through the years. I just think heāll grow faster letting him make mistakes and playing through them with minutes here.
Was Giannis stashed in Europe? I feel Salaun is every bit as ready as he was at the time.
If he plays French ball for a year he would then waste another year learning our system. A two way contract is what he needsā
I hope to dear God this is true. If it is then he can start off behind Miles and Grant. Perfect!
Obviously, if bridges goes elsewhere there is a clear path for minutes for Salaun. My preference is that he actually gets regular minutes with the charlotte team. But my point was that I see playing with his French team better than the g league.
I just think itās a huge mistake to not give a raw, talented 18 year old minutes. Itās a critical time for his development. Practicing with the team and having the tutelage of Coach Lee et al is a big plus, but heās gotta see the floor.
In addition to all the reasons I want bridges gone, it would all but assure a commitment to giving Salaun a real slot in the rotation.
I think Tidjane is far away from being ready to contribute, but I hope Iām wrong. Iām wrong all the time.
The French league is better than the G-League
Salaun is a developmental prospect that needs reps and experience.
But there are reasons why him being here are better for his growth and development than letting him play in France.
First, I donāt think, and the team probably doesnāt think, that heās best served sitting on the bench on the varsity team and not playing.
And while the French league has better competition, the coaches and program have no vested interest in developing any aspect of his game (in regards to his NBA future). Their whole focus is to win, so if they want him to be a screener and offensive rebounder only, then thats his job. Otherwise heāll sit the bench. Or they could sign another vet to better the team, and he gets sent to the bench for that. And whatever offensive/defensive system heās learning may or may not be applicable to the style that Lee wants to implement here at all.
So pro experience may be had, but he might be training in the wrong skill sets and/or philosophy on basketball that we want here.
The G-League, while not as skilled, does have high level athletes and competitors, so heāll still get a lot of development at game speed. I think its much more valuable though that heāll be in Leeās system, learning the terminology, learning the nuances, the communication style, and a ton of reps on not only what they expect him to focus on, but also to work on some weaknesses or work out some kinks against tough players who are playing full tilt to try to prove a point against high draft picks.
He can be called up to practice with the main team whenever theyāre in town, or get called up in case of injuries. And I feel once theres a comfort level of him learning the system, heāll be called up to be part of the regular rotation, much like how Mark Williams excelled for half a G-league season, then hit the ground running once he was called up.
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This sounds like the ideal world Iād love to see happen. Unfortunately, Iāve been living in the world of charlotte hornets basketball over the last many years where very little good happens. So I assume that nothing is going to be different and our organization is going to fuck up. Either the pick or the development of the pick.
Given the new coaching and front office-Iām open to something different happening other than incompetence. Itāll take me a while to believe it.
So yeah, Iāll own it. My opinion of Saluan and the likelihood of the coaching staff fucking it up are heavily etched into my mind. Can you blame me?
My gut reaction is to see Salaun keep expanding his role on his talented French team, rather than destroying his career trajectory in charlotte. But maybe things will be different now.
Well, to put it into the Salaun thread: I think Salaun had a good enough summer league for me to feel a little hopeful. Seems to have a good feel for the game and it looks like the talent is there and this sample of him was pretty representative of all the scouting reports on him. I see the talent there, but itās definitely going to take time. I donāt think weāll see much Salaun in Charlotte this year, and he may have a small role in the rotation his second year.
Unless of course, the team decides to do something similar with Salaun as they did Mark Williams. Though, the situation was different for Mark, being that the team needed a center and there were plenty of minutes for Mark to quickly get plugged in and expand his role. In terms of roster construction currently, there is no clear path to minutes for Tidjane, which is different than Mark.
Obviously, this is an overly reductionist take on Salaun, but if he does not develop an effective three point shot-Iām much less optimistic. The other parts are there, but heāll be severely limited without a good three point shot. Heāll just be an energetic bench PF that is more of a 7th guy on the roster, instead of the higher ceiling true stretch PF who can push into a starter level role.
What I liked the most was watching him run the floor (with or without the ball). The way he attacks the rim, looks for contact, and has a no-nonsense north/south attack style who wants to attack the rim. Thatās why I was drawn to Scoot Henderson, in terms of his ability to use his body to be physical and go attack the basket-opposed to shying away from contact and settling for difficult, lower percentage shots near the rim.
I believe you are forgetting that even though we desperately needed a competent center, Mark Williams played mostly G League minutes to start his career and didnāt really even get consistent rotation minutes until Plumlee was traded at the deadline.
Think you are tracking correctly on Salaun. A project with a definite foundation and high upside. Didnāt Jeff Peterson or Charles Lee say that Salaun was going to be an important rotational piece in his first year? I heard or saw that somewhere but forgot where.
I hadnāt forgotten about g league mark Williams. When I mentioned plenty of minutes I meant post plumlee trade.
When I said theyāll do something with Tidjane as they did with mark Williams, I mean the g league route before late in the season adding him to the charlotte roster.
Whereas mark had a more clear pathway to minutes post plumlee trade, Iām not seeing a clear route to minutes for Salaun. Unless thereās an injury to grant Williams or bridges.
This one is from James: