[surveParticipant]

 I dont know if anyone else feels this way, but from what I have seen of these guys in SL, they have amazing potential.  They are works in progress, but forget about Conley and Allen (Ellington)….if Hollins really puts the time in and these guys work hard, this can be a dynamic backcourt!

Man….Selby seems to have been humbled after falling in the draft.   He played well for what little minutes he got last year and he is showing some skills in SL.  Wroten is a matchup nightmare.  The kid is 6’5" or more and can do absolutely anything he wants to do off the bounce.  If he can improve his shooting….

Look,  lock Wroten in the gym everyday and make him shoot nothing but jumpers, maybe get him a good shooting coach (a lefty like Chris Mullin would be great).   

I could see this backcourt really being a problem.  They are not traditional by any sense, Selby is more of a scorer than true PG and Wroten is too poor of a shooter to play full time SG.  They are however interchangable.  You have 2 very good ballhandlers at the same time and 2 dynamic scorers.  They are not PG’s or SG’s, they are a mix of both.  They could be tough defensively and hell in an open court.

Not sure if Hollins is a guy who can get that out of them because I dont like how diminished Mayo’s role and failed to blend his guard and wing play successfully with his inside game.  I am telling you though, this is a backcourt with a helluva lotta upside.

[JoeWolf1]

 Selby is a fast 6’3” shooting guard.  The only times I’ve ever seen him create for others is in fast break situations, his strengths are not running an offense.  He is, however, a pretty good shooter and a guy who can get hot.  His lack of ability to really be a true point guard is why he was playing behind Jeremy Pargo last year. 

I feel this is an interesting scenario, but the best way it would work is if your PG (Wroten) is 6’6” and your SG(Selby) is 6’3”.  It’s not unheard of, Sacramento did this with Evans and Thornton, but that squad did not win a lot of games.

An interesting scenario, but I just don’t like Selby as anyone’s starting PG.  I think he’s really best suited for a role as a bench spark.  I think his ceiling is more along the lines of a Ben Gordon type player, but I see him as more of a Jared Bayless in the NBA.

[surveParticipant]

 Evans and Thornton are different than Selby and Wroten.  Wroten is a better PG than Evans I think.  I think Evans is better as a SG.  I think Selby is better or will be better at PG than Thornton and just as good as a SG.  I think Selby/Wroten has more versatility than Evans/Thornton.   Thornton and Evans are 2 SGs, Selby and Wroten are more interchangable I think.  Selby can be a really good P/R guy.

[JoeWolf1]

 You’re right about your analysis comparing Selby/Wroten to Evans/Thornton, but I guess I just see Selby as a specialist rather than anyone’s full time starter.  I’ve never been very high on him, he’s shot happy, a poor distributer and a SG through and through, just with a very good handle and a shorter stature that would suggest he could play point.

I know your post was more of a possible situation, and hey, it could work, but I’m just sold as Selby as a situational SG and incredibly skeptical of him ever playing PG even in a change out situation.  I still like Mike Conley because of his defense as their main PG going forward.  He doesn’t wow a lot of people, but he also plays with one of the best PF/C combo’s in the league and a 19 ppg wing scorer.  He doesn’t need to shoot all the time to help his team win.

[A Lil EnglishParticipant]

In the future if they play together, Wroten could do more distributing and guard 2’s and Selby can score and guard the PG. It’ll be interesting to if they can be 2nd unit partners in the regular season (this year or next), I think they can do well if they work to limit turnovers.

[surveParticipant]

 yes! exactly.  its very unorthodox and unseen, but its a very unique situation.  it doesnt matter who plays PG because they both can handle, but Wroten would be more of the distributor.  its kinda like Westbrook and Harden to a degree.  both can handle and play the spot but Harden better at getting everyone involved.  the outside shooting comes from Selby, the penetration comes from Wroten.  It doesnt sound good on paper but I could see it being a serious matchup problem for teams.

Selby has to become better at distributing and Wroten has to become a better shooter but I like this duo better than anything else Memphis has it its immediate future.

I just dont know if Hollins is the guy to bring the best out of these 2.   He seems too cut and dry and strict on how his offense works.  Would love to see these guys under someone liberal like Scotty Brooks.

[theballerwayParticipant]

Selbly would guard opposing PG, Wroten would guard the 2 spot then just flip it on offense. Either one could handle the ball in terms of bringing it up and initiating offense althlough wroten would be the better choice and both are dynamic as scoreres and passers in transition.( Evans n Thorton dont have Gay, Gsaol, and Randolph thats alot to do with wht it didnt work in Sac imo)_. Hollins tho? I have no faith in his ability, I think he coaches for the moment. agreed on the Mayo disaster too. I think hes committed to his pound it inside and high low philosphies because hes had success with that. Until he gets to playoffsand they get exposed for have a on dimmensional attack. Hes not an innovative coach imo, and tha back court of Wroten and Selby would be best served plying in a faster paced offense.

 

[jaycee24Participant]

The Pistons will probably be doing some of this next season also with B Knight and Stuckey.

[jaycee24Participant]

The Pistons will probably be doing some of this next season also with B Knight and Stuckey.

[Forte IVParticipant]

But the problem of comparing Wroten with Evans is that Wroten has a more pass to the open guy mindset. Tyreke will pass it, but he’s more interested in getting his own points first. Wroten just needs to slow his pace down.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Selby played great against the Wizards, against Brad Beal no less. Selby is 6’3 in shoes with a 6’5ish wingspan. So he has decent size. He might get an opportunity to play backup 2. Bayless has the backup pg spot locked down, even though he is more of a combo. Q-Pon will be our backup 3.

Wroten struggled more going 2/9 with no assists and 3 turnovers in 15 minutes.

I think the plan when we drafted Wroten was to use Selby and Wroten as our future backcourt with Wroten as the distributor and Selby as the scorer. But, I am not sure what Bayless’ signing affects that. Supposedly we might not sign Tony Allen at the end of the year, so I think Wroten is that guy who can be our other wing defender with Selby being a scorer. They are calling Selby, OJ 2.0. So it looks like the kid will get a shot.

We have a bunch of guards now if the Dante Cunningham for Ellington officially goes through (Dante might be involved in another trade after he goes to the T Wolves). I think it will be between Ellington and Selby for backup shooting guard. Selby will help his case if he works on his ball handling. A Selby/Bayless backcourt would be small, but very explosive offensively. Jeremy Pargo is the odd man out, so without him we have 12 guys. … it is sounding like Wroten might get some time in the D League to hone his skills. I love his upside but he needs practice. It seems like either Wroten or Selby won’t get many minutes and Wroten being a rookie might not help.
Although I guess we could go small with a Bayless, Selby, Wroten guard trio off the bench. That small ball lineup could be deadly.

Selby fits the OJ mold. Tony Wroten is unorthodox but so are most of our guys. If he works on defense he could be a T.A. type pesky-defender who can also create offense. I like that he is a creative, willing passer.

Without Dante we only have four bigs, so I think we might add one. Probably a minimum contract guy though. I want to see if our bigs do anything in our next summer league game. If we don’t resign Haddadi we might just go with a SL guy like Mitchell Watt.

[surveParticipant]

 Unless Bayless breaks out then I wouldnt look at him as anything more than a stop-gap in Memphis.  I posted this recently that he signs these contracts but teams are only looking at him in their short term plans.  I like Bayless and I am really high on him, but not sure he shouldve signed here.  I wouldve rather seen him go overseas or go to a scrub team that could figure him into their long term plans, be it a starter or 6th man.  He is basically keeping that spot warm for Wroten/Selby or whoever the next hot thing is.

Conley is a solid player but Wroten and Selby could be a decent backcourt that could do something very important for Memphis….put butts in the seats.  As unorthodox a backcourt it is, it could be extremely exciting.  I agree with theballerway, Hollins is unimaginative and lacking creativity with his offense….which is what would hinder this duo from developing into a good combination.

[surveParticipant]

 Wroten may not be doing much in SL but I am not worried about that much, I am looking at things he is good at…like one on one iso, dribble penetration, getting to the cup, and making plays…even if they dont turn into assists.  His numbers are not that great in SL but I have been impressed nevertheless because he is a young guy with a knack for certain things and he has the size and athleticism.

I am hoping I am right about Selby (and Austin Rivers alike).  I think he can play some PG….enough to get by if paired with a guy like Wroten who can defend the bigger guards.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

The problem with OJ Mayo is that he is not a pure shooter. So if you are looking for a knock down shooter then he is not your guy. He is a volume scorer with range who can be streaky who also brings some other things to the table.

After we put together the Marc and Z Bo front line we needed OJ Mayo as a knock-down jump shooter. He wasn’t that guy. Then we needed him off the bench since we had absolutely NOTHING off the bench. He did well in that role. But, in last year’s playoffs we needed a backup point guard and Coach Hollins made OJ our backup point guard. He struggled there. He can actually handle and pass some, but he is not a legit primary ball handler. Plus, the Clippers pesky guards gave everyone on our team trouble.

I think OJ Mayo will fit in well with Dallas. Dirk is the main go-to guy and OJ Mayo is more of an unorthodox undersized 2 guard who can really score when he gets it going… kinda like Jason Terry. OJ is streakier but he is also a little bigger and probably a better passer.

The new Mavs actually remind me a little bit of a poor man’s version of the 2011 Mavs that won it all. Dirk is still there of course, as is Shawn Marion. Tyson Chandler is gone, but Chris Kaman is coming in as a scoring/rebounding center. Kaman isn’t as good a shot blocking threat, but Brandan Wright is still on the team and could help there. The guards are different now. Out goes Kidd, Terry, and JJ Barea. But now they have OJ Mayo, Darren Collison, and Roddy Buckets. If Delonte West resigns then I like him as the veteran leader on the court who can run some offense. DeShawn Stevenson is gone, but Dahntay Jones is in Dallas now and could play the same role Stevenson played two years ago. Vince Carter is also on the team as a shooting guard who can still score and create. Elton Brand is another veteran. He can score and rebound down low and can play some solid defense.

The 2011 Mavs were kind of a quirky team that got red hot and beat a Heat team in the Finals that lacked depth and outside shooting. The 2012-2013 team may not be as talented on paper, but if they can get some rejuvenation going, Dirk, VC, OJ, Brand, Kaman, Marion, and Darren Collison is one talented group who could make a run. This team has some question marks (one of them is OJ Mayo and if he can get back to the being the guy he was his first two years) but they have enough talent on this roster who can provide some answers.

[tbest23Participant]

Loved watching him fight through injuries and a violation at KU. Posted the other day that Selby is a much more athletic Ben Gordon if he keeps sawing wood.

[HaleParticipant]

 I’m glad you brought this up. My favorite player from last year’s class and my favorite player from this year’s class. If that backcourt ever becomes more then a 2nd unit Memphis might become one of my favorite teams.

[terrancebowerParticipant]

 I agree with JoeWolf, Selby is a little reckless and relies mostly on his physical gifts. I think Jerryd Bayless is like a better Josh Selby.

I do really like Wroten and I think it’s likely that he could take the spot from Allen. However, even if Wroten becomes clearly the better, they might still start Allen in the same role Sefalosha has with OKC/Dahntay Jones starting over JR Smith back in Denver (anyone remember?), with Wroten playing off the bench and getting more minutes than Allen, carving out easy buckets against reserves the way Harden, Ginobli, Terry and JR Smith did/do.

Would be nice if Allen improved his 3 point shot, he isn’t really involved in the offense so at the very least he could stretch the floor a bit and just knock down an open shot once in a while, because right now defenders sag on him a bit and are able to help on Gay/Conley.

[theballerwayParticipant]

In Mayos 3rd year didnt Hollins put him on the bench in favor of X.Henry(another talent wasted ).

Question tho, was that the year that Rudy Gay went out with the injury?

Well see what happens when the season starts but hes a talent watser im telling you. Like i said its about wins n losses at the end of the day but surely you plany seeds for the furture. Its notlike theyre a championship team in sice they dont nessecarily attract free agents that often they should defo be nuturing their in house talents.

[Author]

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