Are we sure that we can't use this guy?

[mainevent]

These highlights were just 2 seasons ago. Has he really digressed that badly?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9MAZTCVbbk

[diconzo]

He's good, no doubt. But I think DA waives him and signs a rookie to a small deal while still just barely getting under the luxury tax.(Nolan Smith? he's already coming to camp)

If DA & Wyc were fine with being in the luxury tax, I don't think they would have traded Melo and there likely weren't any deals to move bigger contracts if we had to ditch Melo after one year.

[Rakulp]

Dunking skills do not impress me whatsoever...the fact that 6 or 7 of those Top 10 moments were dunks mean little to me when evaluating the total skills of a player.

Put on the green, learn the system, listen to the coach and the vets on the team, and show me something in the limited minutes you will have on the floor...then we can talk.

I will always root for a man named Green who wears the Green...but it'll take more than that to earn a spot on the roster.

Rak

[Who]

Definitely. Donte Greene is a very useful end of bench utility player (SF/PF/SG).

[fairweatherfan]

Donte Greene is one of those guys who shouldn't be a scrub but is anyway.  Kinda like T-Will but with even less success. 

If we somehow keep him around and he somehow gets his head on straight, we could use him.  I doubt both those things happen, though.

[mainevent]

Why not keep a guy like this who can be thrown in behind our 3's and 4's and get rid of J Crawford? We really do have enough 2's. 

[slamtheking]

yeah, I'm sure

[Tr1boy]

Good at fast breaks or crashing the net and thats it.

There is still a miracle of a chance and he puts it together. Id keep him until end of training camp

[droopdog7]

Why not keep a guy like this who can be thrown in behind our 3's and 4's and get rid of J Crawford? We really do have enough 2's.

Because Greene's contract is not guaranteed.  So we can cut him and wipe his salary off the books.  We can Crawford if we want, but his contract will still count.

[kozlodoev]

Why not keep a guy like this who can be thrown in behind our 3's and 4's and get rid of J Crawford? We really do have enough 2's.

We have more forwards than 2s.

[Chris]

Definitely. Donte Greene is a very useful end of bench utility player (SF/PF/SG).

Any idea if he can defend?  I haven't payed enough attention to him on that end, but offensively, I think he has the game of the type of player that could find a home in the NBA later in his career as a role player.  But only if he can defend.

[Who]

Definitely. Donte Greene is a very useful end of bench utility player (SF/PF/SG).

Any idea if he can defend?  I haven't payed enough attention to him on that end, but offensively, I think he has the game of the type of player that could find a home in the NBA later in his career as a role player.  But only if he can defend.

Yep, he can defend. He is nothing special but he is solid (SF). Definitely not a liability. Middle of the pack sort of guy.

When he is moved to PF or SG, his defense drops off. Best used against combo forward and perimeter bigs at PF. Avoid overly physical opponents. Quite useful defensively in those matchups with his mobility and length. And against SGs, guys with lesser quickness or who use their strength/bulk to try and create an advantage. Can be slow on team defense at SG (defensive rotations, closing out on shooters). 

Some upside to improve. I think he become an above average defensive SF with some work, good coaching and time on a quality defensive team.

Rebounding is less consistent/useful. Offensive game erratic and overly passive. Hence a third string to below average backup SF rather than an average to above average backup.

Edit: Main reason he got minutes in Sacramento was his defense. Paul Westphal wanted him to concentrate on becoming a stopper because they already had so many offensive guys on the team. So that was his role. Was only an average defender but that was enough to get him minutes as a defender on that (lousy) team.

[PhoSita]

Definitely. Donte Greene is a very useful end of bench utility player (SF/PF/SG).

He's a 6'11'' wing who can't shoot, yet a large % of his shots are from outside.  I don't see a use there.

[jambr380]

Definitely. Donte Greene is a very useful end of bench utility player (SF/PF/SG).

He's a 6'11'' wing who can't shoot, yet a large % of his shots are from outside.  I don't see a use there.

While his % has since gone down, he shot 38% from three in 09-10 on 2.4 attempts per game. I get that he isn't great, but I've certainly seen worse and he has shown he has potential.

Why not keep a guy like this who can be thrown in behind our 3's and 4's and get rid of J Crawford? We really do have enough 2's. 

While I see the logic of adding a sf and getting rid of a sg, this is pretty short-sighted. Greene is hardly the player Crawford is (who I constantly point out has averaged 13 ppg over his career). Also, with Rondo out and Avery most likely stepping in as the starting pg, you can bet that Crawford will be playing a number of minutes at pg (and rightfully so)

[Boris Badenov]

Here's a fairly detailed preview from before last year:

Donte Greene (RFA)

The basics: 5.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, .6 apg, .406 FG%, .800 FT%, .238 3-PT%, 11.85 PER

Advanced stats: 9.4 rebound rate (26th among qualifying SFs), 16.9 defensive rebound rate (12th), 2.6 offensive rebound rate (46th), 9.5assist rate (48th), 9.0 turnover rate (23rd)

Shooting percentages by location: At rim: 71.6%, 3-9 feet: 34.5%, 10-15 feet: 43.8%, 16-23 feet: 35 percent

Noteworthy Synergy stats: Offense: Spot-ups: .738 ppp (26th percentile), Transition: 1.185 ppp (56th percentile), Isolations: .595 ppp (17th percentile), Cuts: 1.182 ppp (52nd percentile)

Defense: Post-ups: .955 ppp (25th percentile), Spot-ups: 1.23 ppp (6th percentile), Isolations: .979 ppp (12th percentile), As big defender vs. pick-and-roll ball-handler: 1.108 ppp (6th percentile)

First the good news: Greene showed improvement, however slight, this season, significantly cutting down on his turnovers, posting a career-high rebound rate with especially good work on the defensive end, and putting his size to good use by finishing extraordinarily well around the basket. But at 24-years of age and after four years of pro ball, Greene is supposed to be showing significnt improvement; the problem is he quite simply hasn’t shown enough. There’s still plenty of time, of course. But the Syracuse product is getting worse instead of better as a three-point shooter and his defense remains more of a myth than a reality at this point; something that is rather inexplicable and largely inexcusable given the considerable physical gifts at his disposal.

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/free_agency_preview_part_iii__2012_05_28.html