What will be your reaction when Rivers plays lights out in LA?

I will be happy for him

Maybe doc and CP3 can help him make something of his athleticism on the defensive end but with that ugly shot and a complete lack of a touch around the rim I don't think we'll see much improvement on offense IMO

Edit: wish nothing but the best for him and hope he does somehow get better, he played hard here

Will never happen

Agreed.

I wish nothing but the best for the kid. He worked hard, and wasn't an attitude problem. He just didn't pan out. If he pans out somewhere else, good for him.

If he sustains it long term there will be an Anti Monty melt. More likely it will be like what happened to Xavier Henry and we'll laugh at the excitement over fool's gold.

No excuse for a coaches son to have a jump shot like his. One would think he'd be an 80%-90% FT guy, which would make him a solid back-up combo guard, but alas, that will never happen. His form is just atrocious.

ETA: In fairness, he has improved his FT% to low to mid 70's.

he's still going to make some great athletic plays, play above average defense, make some highlight reel crossovers or acrobatic shots in the lane, etc he may even go for 20-25 points a few times because he definitely has the ability but at what cost? 20 shots a game and below average shooting percentage?

regardless, his inconsistency with us and his inability to shoot the basketball when we already have guys like Reke and Asik who cannot shoot was the reason Dell pushed to give up Rivers instead of Salmons

he was not a great fit for us and does not push the Pels organization towards its goal but I will miss his dedication, work ethic, and passion he brought...I wish him the best

The fact is what would we pay to keep someone like him around. He is basically a minimum guy at this point. I would be fine with the Pels keeping him around for that, but it is understandable if they want to invest elsewhere. The biggest problem with the Pels right now is consistency and he is very streaky.

If his last name wasn't Rivers he would not even be talked about in this trade.

quote:

---

Rivers is too much of a gym rat. A coach somewhere will eventually figure out a way to push the right buttons.

---

Coach K and a NBA championship coach couldn't teach the guy to shoot. He just isn't that good. Charlie Thompson was a gym rat, too.

Yeah, his lack of success with draft picks is more indicative of the players than the coach. Monty has turned several guys' careers around and that isn't a coincidence. Dell has found some unpolished gems and Monty has turned them into jewels.

Monty knows how to coach, but his game management leaves something to be desired at times.