Share
Many of you can't understand why the rookies -- Gerald Henderson and Derrick Brown -- aren't already playing more. In fact, based on what many of you write, the most popular thing Larry Brown could do is start Henderson over Raja Bell.
I get it. When you get a new toy, you play with it, not leave it in the box. But the end of practice Thursday was telling. Bell and Boris Diaw played a half-court two-on-two game against the two rookies. It was about 7-0 almost immediately. Then the veterans backed off, let the rooks get a few baskets, before finishing them off.
Now, you'd expect Diaw and Bell to play well together, since they were teammates in Phoenix as well as here. But Bell is hurt and, by Larry Brown's desciption, Diaw still isn't in very good shape. And they still schooled the two rookies. It was mostly about spacing and anticipation -- either Diaw going into the post and forcing Henderson to double-team or Bell taking away Henderson's lanes to the rim.
It was never embarrassing, but there was also no doubt who would win. So marginalizing either Bell or Diaw to speed a rookie's development sounded a little silly Thursday.
