Former Cats in the NBA

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:23 pm

It is looking like TJ made the team!

Coop Cat · Post by **Coop Cat** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:29 pm

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:31 pm

Sean Miller was right.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:31 pm

Awesome news

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:35 pm

Official!

Main Event · Post by **Main Event** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:44 pm

LETS GO TJ!!!

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:10 pm

Between the RHJ video and this, fantastic.

UAEebs86 · Post by **UAEebs86** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:13 pm

Not bad for a mid-major point guard, eh enfuego?

Congrats to T.J.

Jefe · Post by **Jefe** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 4:32 pm

So glad for TJ!

This afternoon, McConnell was called to the office of Sixers coach Brent Brown, who informed McConnell that he had made the team. McConnell got emotional.

“I almost teared up in the coach’s office,” said McConnell. “I had to sit down. I was beside myself. I was at a loss for words.”

McConnell is one of only two point guards on the Sixers team, so he is expected to play a lot. Two other point guards are injured. The team opens the season Wednesday at Boston.

“I thought there was a chance I could make it, but I wasn’t sure how good of a chance,” said McConnell. “It was really good competition. We were all fighting for our lives pretty much. No one really knew what might happen.”

$525,093 salary

Video: http://www.csnphilly.com/basketball-phi ... -sixers-pg" target="_blank

UAGreg · Post by **UAGreg** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 7:19 pm

Wow, so happy for TJ!

One of my favorite Cats ever, if anyone deserves this, it's him.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 7:53 pm

Who would have bet 2 years ago that TJ would be in the NBA, and Nick Johnson and Brandon Ashley are not?

Lute perhaps.

scumdevils86 · Post by **scumdevils86** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 9:33 pm

Awesome news. Will have to find some way to catch a sixers game!

KaibabKat · Post by **KaibabKat** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 9:24 am

Javier Morales has has a very nice recap of the thirteen former Wildcats on NBA rosters to start this season:

http://allsportstucson.com/2015/10/27/a ... to-tipoff/

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 12:07 pm

Pitino has two. Wow.

77HoyaCat4Ever · Post by **77HoyaCat4Ever** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 1:56 pm

gumby wrote:Pitino has two. Wow.

His players shot their wad in college, some apparently during recruitment phase

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:50 pm

Stripped them of their confidence.

rgdeuce · Post by **rgdeuce** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:19 pm

Merkin wrote:Who would have bet 2 years ago that TJ would be in the NBA, and Nick Johnson and Brandon Ashley are not?

Lute perhaps.

No kidding. It wasn't until about 3/4 of the way through last season when I finally saw the light that, in the right situation, this kid could have a job on an NBA team. There were several people here who said it before his senior season started and I thought they were nuts. I watched three of his preseason games, and this is not just a case of him making a bad and injured 76ers team. If the 76ers waived him, he would have been picked up. He was looking great in some of those games with absolute dog crap for help on his team. There were times where he looked like the best all around and experience player on the floor for the 6ers and everyone else was turning the ball over, forcing bad shots and running around the floor aimlessly. With weapons, he would be a quality backup or 3rd option at point for quite a few teams, if not now, in the near future while biding his time in the d league. He's going to play D and get scorers the ball. His tempo was great every game I watched and I know that's a huge reason why Brown loves him.

scumdevils86 · Post by **scumdevils86** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:39 pm

Stats for 10/27

Stanley Johnson Detroit 3/10 FG 7 PTS 4 RB 3 AST
Richard Jefferson Cleveland 4/7 FG 10 PTS 1 AST 1 STL
Andre Iguodala Golden State 1/3 FG 2 PTS 5 REB 3 AST 1 STL

CalStateTempe · Post by **CalStateTempe** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:55 pm

Cats in the nba make me want to watch the nba again. But only teams with cats on them.

rgdeuce · Post by **rgdeuce** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 3:08 pm

CalStateTempe wrote:Cats in the nba make me want to watch the nba again. But only teams with cats on them.

Thats why I got League Pass this year. I watched maybe 10 regular season games last year. Going to try to DVR most games the former Cats are playing in and just fast forward and play while they are on the floor.

CalStateTempe · Post by **CalStateTempe** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 3:19 pm

Think RJ will ever get into coaching?

Main Event · Post by **Main Event** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 5:11 pm

NBA league pass is free this week and there is currently a wildcat in all but 1 game.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 5:56 pm

Watching DWill tear it up. 15 pts off the bench so far.

CalStateTempe · Post by **CalStateTempe** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 6:14 pm

Main Event wrote:NBA league pass is free this week and there is currently a wildcat in all but 1 game.

On xfinity too?

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 7:08 pm

Stanley had 11 points and 5 rebounds tonight

Rondae had 8 points and 4 rebounds

Tj had 4 points, 1 rebound 4 assists and 3 tos in his first game as the backup point guard

Gordon had 12/7/1 off the bench for the magic.

No one is starting but all are doing well off the bench

CalStateTempe · Post by **CalStateTempe** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 7:49 pm

ASUHATER! wrote:Stanley had 11 points and 5 rebounds tonight

Rondae had 8 points and 4 rebounds

Tj had 4 points, 1 rebound 4 assists and 3 tos in his first game as the backup point guard

Gordon had 12/7/1 off the bench for the magic.

No one is starting but all are doing well off the bench

How did TJ look? Are the TO's going to hurt him in coming off the bench?

Lando05 · Post by **Lando05** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 7:56 pm

Derrick Williams put up 24 and 7 off the bench in 21 min.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 6:27 am

Lando05 wrote:Derrick Williams put up 24 and 7 off the bench in 21 min.

He could make NY fall in love with him.

Just needs to cut the stupid dyed braids. Clean it up, and I can see him on a bunch of local car dealership ads next year if he keeps up his level of play.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 7:18 am

KaibabKat · Post by **KaibabKat** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 9:20 am

CalStateTempe wrote:
How did TJ look? Are the TO's going to hurt him in coming off the bench?

Doubt it - his 4 assists and 3 turnovers look pretty decent compared to the rest of the team that had 8 assists and 19 turnovers. It is going to be a very long season for T.J. I am afraid - 82 regular season games and the sixers are given a 50-50 chance of winning 4 of them.

rgdeuce · Post by **rgdeuce** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 9:42 am

Didn't catch TJs game, but 3 turnovers may not be a huge deal with this team when you consider, most of them have no clue what is going on out there. In the preseason, there were several TJ turnover that were not his fault. Guys not being where they need to be, not paying attention to where the ball is, bad hands, and dudes not being on the same page with TJ. I did see him force some things he shouldn't have, but most of the time it was with good intent and you will take that in exchange for a higher tempo and his creating skills. With time, things will clean up.

6ers are going to be bad. All of them. They are a bad team, young and inexperienced. Their top picks of late, Noel and Okafor, both look overwhelmed out there most of the time, though you can see the upside with both. Just a learning curve. There's going to be a lot of rough nights for TJ, so you gotta take a box score with a grain of salt because you likely aren't getting the whole picture.

rgdeuce · Post by **rgdeuce** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 9:44 am

D Will has been playing out of his mind. Looks like the Knicks are going to have to find a way to get him 28 plus minutes a night. Melo may sprain his coochie at some point, so maybe that's when it happens.

CalStateTempe · Post by **CalStateTempe** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 10:42 am

Good for dwill.

You know all of cats nation is pulling for him to show well.

What's going to happen to NJ and Bash?

Jefe · Post by **Jefe** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 11:12 am

TJ had to guard Isaiah Thomas most of the game and then spells of Marcus Smart. Considering how quick Isaiah is he did great. He got several stops where Isaiah had to bring it back out. TJ missed a couple shots by an inch but they are going to need at least 8-12 pts a night from him. Defense and assists are already solid. He looked very comfortable and played almost 30mins. He tried to help Isaiah up off the ground on a foul and got yelled at by his teammates lol

Imagine some of the PGs he will have to guard this year. Steph, Paul, Westbrook, Lillard, Kyrie, Rose etc. Cant wait

Not sure why AG didnt play in the 3Q but they were much better when he was on the court. Lost by 1 last night but had several highlights and made a poster or two

Found this from a couple nights ago

and DWill went off

pokinmik · Post by **pokinmik** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 11:25 am

Nets got blown out and I didn't watch so a grain of salt could be needed, but RHJ was +16 for the +/-. Almost everyone else on the team was negative and nobody close to +16...still not shabby regardless of circumstance. I'm sure the coaches will notice.

Beachcat97 · Post by **Beachcat97** » Fri Oct 30, 2015 1:00 pm

Sorry if this is covered upthread, but what happened with NJ? Surprised not to see him on a roster.

84Cat · Post by **84Cat** » Fri Oct 30, 2015 4:29 pm

Beachcat97 wrote:Sorry if this is covered upthread, but what happened with NJ? Surprised not to see him on a roster.

Denver waived him and no one has picked him up.

UAGreg · Post by **UAGreg** » Fri Oct 30, 2015 7:03 pm

No idea why AG isn't getting more minutes tonight and in general.

On a side note - will someone please tell DWill that he has the absolute worst hair in the NBA? It looks ridiculous.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Fri Oct 30, 2015 7:34 pm

2 points 2 rebounds 4 assists and 3 tos for tj tonight

Main Event · Post by **Main Event** » Fri Oct 30, 2015 9:10 pm

UAGreg wrote:No idea why AG isn't getting more minutes tonight and in general.

On a side note - will someone please tell DWill that he has the absolute worst hair in the NBA? It looks ridiculous.

Yeah it's really bothering me

Jefe · Post by **Jefe** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 12:13 pm

UAGreg wrote:No idea why AG isn't getting more minutes tonight and in general.

Tobias Harris is putting up 18/8 a game. He had 30/9 Saturday

AG did play 25mins against the Bulls so we may be seeing more of him. His energy and defense is contagious, so many put back dunks this year.

rgdeuce · Post by **rgdeuce** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:15 pm

TJ with 6 points (3-4), 6 boards, 8 assists, NO turnovers, and a steal off the bench in 19 minutes so far vs cleveland

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:25 pm

10 assists. Definitely the best pg on the team tonight.

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:02 pm

11 in the end.

UAEebs86 · Post by **UAEebs86** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:18 pm

Longhorned wrote:11 in the end.

12 according to ESPN

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 9:59 pm

I think TJ can do very well in the league. The pro game is a lot more run and gun with the 24 second clock and he sees the floor as well as anyone I've ever seen. Combibe those two factors and you've got a situation tailor made for his game. Let him find open guys in transit all night and let him kick to the shooters on the perimeter. If he gets a more reliable shot working, he could be another Steve Nash spark plug type of player.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:31 pm

77HoyaCat4Ever · Post by **77HoyaCat4Ever** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:25 pm

Jerryd Bayless played 47/48 minutes tonight and made 6 three-pointers!

Jefe · Post by **Jefe** » Tue Nov 03, 2015 2:33 pm

Anyone see LeBron post up TJ and then he ripped the ball from Varejao? Also stole the ball from LeBron and dished it to Noel. His best game so far.

TJ will be starting soon

http://www.csnphilly.com/basketball-phi ... guard-spot" target="_blank

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Wed Nov 04, 2015 12:44 pm

http://www.todaysfastbreak.com/nba-east ... n-move-on/" target="_blank

The Indiana Pacers declined to pick up Solomon Hill’s fourth-year option Monday, leaving the former first-round pick from Arizona to become a free agent next summer.

Through three games this season, the third-year pro has only played two minutes, so the Pacers’ move doesn’t comes as a surprise. Hill’s role has been in sharp contrast to the one he played last season when he played in all 82 games and led the team in minute during the team’s Paul-George-less stretch, averaging 8.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game at the shooting guard and small forward positions.

Indiana’s decision to forego another year of Hill also signals the end of its investment in him as a young developmental player, which, given the team’s need for another big wing player, says a lot about how quickly the team has soured on Solo since last season.

When the Pacers drafted Hill in 2013––one spot ahead of Tim Hardaway Jr., much to the chagrin of many Pacer fans––he was billed as the kind of low-ceiling, high-character player who was solid and smart enough to potentially contribute right away, even if he would never develop into a star. Hill got his chances early too, playing in 16 of Indiana’s first 21 games during the 2013-14 season.

That was in December. Hill wouldn’t play again until February, when he played in just one game before getting some garbage action down the stretch as that Pacers team was trying to stave off a total collapse. Any time the team has been fully healthy or functional, Hill hasn’t been able to crack Frank Vogel’s rotation, and when injuries or circumstances have brought him opportunities, he’s been a wildly unproductive player.

We delved deep into his issues during the summer, but here’s a quick sampling from last season’s extended action: Hill shot just 2.5 three-pointers per game despite making just 32.7 percent of them, graded out as one of the top-five least efficient shooters in the NBA according to Kirk Goldsberry, and had 20 percent of his inside shot attempts blocked last season, per 82games.com. Opponents even blocked 10 percent of his dunk attempts! It’s almost hard to understand.

Hill simply hasn’t looked comfortable in any role on the offensive end––with the ball or without it, spotting up or posting up, you name it. If he was Tony Allen, that would be one thing, but there’s only one Tony Allen, and even Memphis struggles to keep him on the court at a certain point. It’s simply difficult to score in today’s NBA when one of your five guys is a total offensive minus, and you’re not top-heavy with elite scoring like the 2011-14 Miami Heat or ongoing Oklahoma City Thunder teams.

Ironically, what did Hill in, and what does many underachieving first-round picks in, is the first-round price tag. He was due to make $2.3 million next season, a modest amount and typical rookie-scale deal, and one that might seem trivial given the impending rise in the salary cap. But even in that market, Hill simply isn’t worth that kind of investment, especially since an increase in market prices doesn’t decrease the importance of cap flexibility. In theory, the Pacers might love to send Solo down to their shiny new NBADL team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants––just not at that price.

Based on Hill’s disappointing play the last couple seasons, though, as well his lack of playing time when the team needs depth at that position, Indiana seems content to move on from the Solomon Hill era. That move is probably for the best, because, barring a swerve in his development curve, Hill doesn’t look like an NBA player.

Unfortunately, that’s how it goes most of the time draft picks in the 20s; it’s just too bad they couldn’t have turned him into a first-round pick like Hardaway Jr.

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