Fred - “Bruh, it’s your time now to join Hamas / Hizbollah and become a terrorist like me.” Reed - “I’m from Kentucky.”
I mean I know you're talking about the slow, over-cautious pace and all that, but let's be honest: If FVV could shoot like Reed he'd have been a perennial all-star
Nope. You have to have downhill gravity as well as shooting. All the best guards in the league have both. FVV has never had the ability to get to the rim on any steady basis. Even Curry, the greatest shooter of all-time, needs to get downhill to keep defenses honest. FVV is too slow footed to get into that tier. Even Amen who is great at everything other than shooting will not be a perennial all-star without an outside shot. You have to have both. If Reed improves his defense to average and can add drive and dish capability he could become an all-star.
I mean, Fred already made one all-star team as basically a league-average shooter (on 3P%, on volume he's elite) I'm not saying he would have been a superstar or an MVP candidate or anything like that, but if he were to add a few percentage points to his 3P% he would have increased his efficiency and scoring average noticeably, downhill game or not. That plus the defense and AST:TO stuff gets you a long way. Though I do agree his lack of rim pressure is a big weakness for him.
I just thought perennial all-star was a bit much. If you look at this year’s roster of guards in the all-star game, there is not a one that doesn’t have that part of his game. That would presume that the old style Van Gundy style of game never makes a return. FVV with a great 3 pt shot would thrive in that style of play. I don’t hate FVV as so many people assert. I actually was one of the few that applauded his first contract and Dillon’s, but I felt their usefulness and fit with the young core had played out even before last year’s playoffs made it abundantly clear. If we had a coach that would use FVV appropriately off the bench, I would even want to retain him as long as Reed pans out or we signed another starting guard.
The amount of hate Fred gets on this forum is stupid. He was our best player in the playoffs last season. He’s always there to help the other players. He’s just a great all around teammate and and someone this team could really use. Reed is the guy that will take Fred’s place, but Fred is not giving him the cold shoulder, he’s trying to help him get even better. You people just like to hate on people for no reason.