[princejamesParticipant]

You guys are being a little to hard on the young man, he’s a rookie, who’s still trying to figure out how to compete at a very high level against NBA Players ( Who are the best basketball players in the world). And he isn’t or won’t be the last talented rookie/lottery pick to struggle early in his career before finally developing into a very good NBA Player

Example:
1.Tracy McGrady averaged 7.2 pionts per game in his rookie year, played at a very below average level, and even had his head coach tell him that he wouldn’t succeed in the NBA

2.. Joe Johnson was a top 10 pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, who averaged 6.3 points in his rookie year, played at a very below average level, and got traded to the phoenix suns in the middle of the season because of his poor play

3. Chauncey Billups was a top 3 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, played very poorly in his rookie year, and got traded to the toronto raptors in the middle season. And was being called a bust by some in the first 3 years of his career

4. Jamal Crawford was a top 10 pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, and could not get off the bench in his first 2 years in the league. He was drafted to be a point guard and struggled early on because of his average feel for how to play the point guard position,

5. Steve Nash averaged 3.3 points per game in his rookie year, he struggled with his confidence, looked very average and out of shape in his first 4 years in the league. Before finally developing the work ethic that would help him become a hall of fame player

6. Kenny Anderson struggled mightily in his rookie year and averaged just 7 points per game. After being drafted as the Number 2 pick in the 1991 NBA Draft. He stuggled with his confidence, before developing the work ethic that allowed him to play at a very high level early in his career

Who said becoming great would be easy. At takes hardwork and constant development in a players ability to understand what is needed in basketball skills, physical skills, and mental skills. Inorder to play at a very high level against other great basketball players.

And Austin is going through that needed development process right now, and thus in my opinion Austin Will be fine because he is a very talented and skilled basketball player who’s the potential to develop into a dynamic scorer and shooter. He just needs to get in the gym and work on becoming a consistent shooter and work on becoming a better finisher around the rim. And the reality is that because of his great quickness and ball handling skills, he will always have numerous opportunities to create scoring opportunities for himself. So becoming a better shooter and finisher around the rim will help him do what comes natural to him at a consistently high level.

Be patient guys, because I predict that austin will be fine and start to play better. It’s just very hard for me to ignore the talent and potential he posesess as a scorer

( Copy And Paste )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbkj3eSYAb8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj3wQepWDbE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGDexLmdqpA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8hWsMREKs0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JQ7_ToAYAg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c2Ch9669ro

[HaleParticipant]

1. T-Mac came straight out of high school and was a raw but elite athlete as well as a SF. Rivers was supposed to be this polished scorer, but he’s a streaky shooter and he can’t finish. He also averaged 7 and 4 in only 18 mpg, shooting 45% from the field.

2. Joe Johnson had a much more well rounded skill set then Rivers. Better passer, athlete, defender and finisher and has way better size. Numbers adjusted to Rivers minutes: 8.2 ppg 3.5 rpg 2.5 apg, way better percentages.

3. Billups was a journeyman until he ended up in Detroit. That’s not exacty somethig you want to strive for. Also averaged 11 and 4 as a rookie in less minutes then Rivers is getting now.

4. Jamal Crawford despite his ability to score has been one of the bigger wastes of talent I’ve ever seen, and has spent most of his career as a 6th man. Stats adjusted to Rivers minutes: 7.3 ppg 3.7 apg, better but still very poor percentages.

5. Nash is the best pure passer I’ve ever seen, Rivers is an awful PG and will never be half the passer Nash is/was. There is no comparison to be made here. Also Nash only played 10 mpg as a rookie and was productive in the little time he was given. Stats adjusted to Rivers minutes: 8.6 ppg 5.5 apg, higher percentages.

6. Never watched him play so I can’t say with first-hand knowledge what te difference is, but I’m sure it’s something drastic. Just for the hell of it I’ll look up the numbers: More points and assists in 10 less minutes per game…

[akhan786Participant]

I think it is a bit of a stretch to assume that just because players in the past have overcome struggles early in their careers to become stars that the same thing will happen to Rivers.

If that logic was true almost everyone in the league would be a star.

However, I agree with your overall premise that it is simply too early to label him a “bust”. He has already shown to be a far better playmaker than anyone had ever imagined so early and his weaknesses are easily definable as well.

Get in the weight room and fix his shot. I think most people are surprised at his lack of fundamentals and I am as well. I mean I knew that Doc tried not to coach him as much as possible but damn Doc couldn’t you have taught him how to use his left hand? lol

Anyways…I think most Hornets fans are encouraged by the flashes they’ve seen of Rivers so far (meaning the things you can’t see in the box score which I see many trolls being the only thing they base their opinion on) and now it is just on Rivers to put it all together.

To be honest, I think he does it. Kid lives and breathes the game and has almost too good of a work ethic. More people should root for a kid like him that is so passionate about basketball.

[HaleParticipant]

You’re a Duke fan, of course you think that. I’m not calling him a bust yet, but I said from day one I thought he was a career 6th man, and to this point he’s showing that he certainly doesn’t look like a future starter. It’s not even like like he’s just struggling, he’s been flat-out terrible, and from what I’ve read from Hornet fans in a few other places I have yet to see one that is encouraged with what Rivers has shown.

[akhan786Participant]

1) You’re a UNC fan so don’t try to play that biased mess with me lol. I haven’t seen you say one good thing in regards to anything Duke without at least a backhanded remark.

Not that I have a problem with it, you’re part of a rival fanbase, but don’t try to act like you have more objectivity then me.

2) Have you actually watched 10 games of Austin in a Hornets uniform? And when I go to the Hornets Nest for the most part they know that he has a lot of work to do, but since they’ve seen pretty much every game they are encouraged and they love him. When the pick was made most of the Hornets fans were pissed and said they didn’t want an arrogant prick like Rivers. Now after getting to know the kid almost all of them on that site of done a complete 180 and love him and think he has a lot of potential.

[HaleParticipant]

1. No I’m not a UNC fan, I’m a Memphis fan. Regardless of what I have or have not said about Duke, I’ve said from the very beginning that Rivers is not that good, and that was before he became a Blue Devil.

2. Have I watched 10 games? No. Maybe three, but I’ve read Hornets forums after games and from what I can tell, about half the fan-base is already wishing they could redraft. Then a good portion dislikes him, and then there is a portion that says “oh he made a nice pass” he’s got potential!

I do take that into consideration, but the majority of what I know comes from what I’ve seen, and what I have seen is that Austin Rivers today is one of the worst players in the NBA. I’m not saying he’s always going to be that way, but I certainly don’t think he’s going to turn it around like anyone the OP mentioned, and I think he’s a career 6th man.

[BlueRivers25Participant]

Austin Rivers is better than Kendall Marshall. I cant name 3 memphis players to talk shit about.
Btw what is wrong with being a 6th man?

[HaleParticipant]

Cool, Derrick Rose is still better then anyone from Duke so why should I care?

Edit: I never said anything was wrong with being a 6th man. Also Rivers would probably see the same amount of time as Marshall if Gordon wasn’t hurt.

[BlueRivers25Participant]

Rose and Tyreke Evans and………. ?????????????? Lol google please
If if if if…….Gordon has a injury history. I rather Gordon be healthy, take the pressure off of Rivers. Rivers will get his minutes as the combo guard off the bench if if if Gordon was healthy, so u dont know what ur talking about. Marshall is the 3rd pg. No minutes for him plus he doesnt deserve it cause he sucks.

[akhan786Participant]

BlueRivers can you stop trolling? It’s annoying as f*ck when some people are trying to have a good discussion.

Also, Y2G I understand you hate Duke but I feel like you pile on Rivers more than necessary. Saying “one of the worst players in the NBA right now” is unfair to an incredibly raw 19 year old that was from the start supposed to be brought along slowly…

And don’t try say your hatred with Duke doesn’t have to do with anything…everyone can just feel the hatred behind every comment you make regarding them.

I thought he was a cocky prick too when he committed to Duke but after knowing what this kid is about he completely changed my mind. You like to put big brush strokes on Duke fans as if they are the only fan base that has trolls like BlueRivers. Makes you look more immature by responding to such idiots and then making broad generalizations.

[HaleParticipant]

Look I’m cool with you. You’re a valued poster on this site, and when I said I dislike Duke fans you were not included in that statement (probably should’ve said that from the get-go). While it may be unfair to call him one of the worst players in the NBA it is true right now, that isn’t to say most 19 year olds are but still I’m not going to sugarcoat anything about a player I can’t stand. I don’t think I ever said my feelings toward Duke don’t have to do with anything, what I was trying to say is that I would’ve hated Austin Rivers regardless of where he went because I disliked him before he even signed with Duke.

[bjcart53Participant]

Has bluerivers ever heard of penny hardaway?????

[BlueRivers25Participant]

Penny lol….. Thats 3. Even though he havent been in the league in over 3-4 years.
Hey ill give Memphis CDR. Im sure he’s on a d-league roster somewhere.

[SiggyParticipant]

Among those players who qualify ( players who play 25+ mpg) Rivers has the worst PER, the lowest WS and the worst TS in the league.
Fair or unfair, he has literally been the worst rotation player in the league.

[BlueRivers25Participant]

And u made my case that Rivers is better than Marshall. Kendall Marshall doesnt even qualify for the list, cause he cant get on the court.u

[SiggyParticipant]

Not really. It’s not like Rivers has done anything as a pro to show that he deserves the minutes that he’s getting. He was awful in summer league, the preseason and now the regular season. The only difference is that the Hornets were committed to getting Rivers developmental minutes. With their injuries and lack of talent at the 2 they didn’t exactly have a choice either. The Suns do.

I don’t even know why Marshall’s name is brought up. He has nothing to do with Rivers or his struggles.

I don’t know why you’re being so defensive about Rivers either if you’re a Duke fan. Him leaving early was addition by subtraction. Imagine him still being on the team and taking minutes away from Rasheed Sulaimon.
Sulaimon > Rivers

[BlueRivers25Participant]

^^^Do u even know what ‘trolling’ is? u POS.
Go back to scout, this site is for hardcore MFs. State ur opinionx but
But u better learn not to try to give anyone a lecture, son.

[BlueRivers25Participant]

Anyone that followed Austin Rivers at Duke, knows he wasnt going to be an impact player in the league his 1st season, in fact it might take him 3-4 years for him develop as a decent role player. There are many holes in his game to dominate at an elite level. But he still gave Duke this shot against UNC that will be replayed over and over and over again. http://youtu.be/3X1ewxVwhug

[theballerwayParticipant]

the fact that the team is really poor. If he were playing with players that can hide his weakness abit and allow him to blend. Theres nobody like that on NO unless u gonna count Ryan Anderson. Hes what i call a confidence p,ayer and once he gets that back i feel hell be a solid contributor. I really have a hard time imagining him still having the same issues in two years from now, especially as ADavis develops and start s commanding more of the defenses attention.

[BasketballJunkie224Participant]

he really wont be fine tho…overseassss

[JustaFanParticipant]

I agree with princejames, I think peopl are being unfairly hard on him and should just let the Kid play ball. This is very early in his Rookie year against the best players in the world, give him a break already. Everytime I look up on this site it’s something negatitve being said about this Kid and what he isn’t or isn’t going to be in the league. Let him play ball, he’s not the McDonald’s All-American anymore, not the Star at Duke, he’s a 19/20yr old Rookie in the NBA. He’s playing against the nicest players in the game on a nightly basis. It’s veteran who can’t produce in the league, he’s what 15 games in? Just let the boy play and develop his game before he gets these premature permanent labels.

[BlueRivers25Participant]

At least Rivers is getting playing time in the NBA. That experience will go a long way towards his development. Kendall Marshall will be going up against some of the d-leagues finest.

[ThepessimestParticipant]

The concerns I have about Rivers is that he is not an elite shooter and is not an elite athlete to finish at the rim and play bigger than his size (a la D. Wade). His ability to play PG is not there because he is not a play maker. He is going to have to change his game and work on some things to improve. The names listed are good examples of guys who were able to become good players after early struggles. However the difference in my opinion is that those guys struggled for different reasons.

McGrady struggled because of lack of strength but he showed glimpses of what he could be. He was so dang athletic and explosive so you could see where even if he didn’t become the star that he did he would have a place in this league.

Joe Johnson struggled early because he needed to become more comfortable and play with more confidence. But never did I see Joe Johnson and say he has to drastically change how he plays to have a shot at a career.

Billups needed a coach who would allow him to struggle a little. This example more closely resembles what Rivers’ career may look like but Billups was not seen as a gunner in college. He ran the point and just had to develop his ability to run a team in the pros.

Nash and other examples are not applicable.

…………and the reason they aren’t is because Rivers thinks like Kobe/Westbrook without having the ability to do the things that they are able to do to help their teams. He is going to have to change his game drastically and accept who he is (which is not the best player on a good tea) to perform well in the NBA. He is going to have to work on his jump shot and become a committed defender.

I think there is hope for him IF he changes his game and understands who he has to be to be a good player. If he thinks that he has to be THE GUY then he will struggle.

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