Nuggets I found interesting:
On Gaffney:
"I don’t think people really understand how talented he is, athleticallly, how much upside he has. "
-I liked him fine last year as a freshman as a stabilizing point guard presence, but he didn't really flash as much as I would have liked athletically and his shot was not consistent. I think
@superjohn was the loudest voice I remember that was touting his NBA potential based on athleticism, so it's good to know that Hurley still agrees. He mentioned it twice, specifically his athleticism. Sounds like he's trying to challenge him a bit.
On Cole:
“That’s a heck of a point guard competition right there, to see who’s gonna start the opener (Gaffney or Cole). I’m very comfortable playing multiple guards or even starting two point guards, so those guys will play together a lot.
-According to that poll thread, more people were penciling Cole into the starting lineup based on the way Hurley was speaking about him in the offseason, but sounds like this will very much be an open competition. Most of us did predict correctly that they'd play together a bunch.
On Adams:
“Once he gets healthy and can get back on the court with us, he’s gonna have a chance as a junior to start, or at the worst, he’s shown us that, off the bench, he’s a guy that could give us starter’s minutes and play a key role on a good team."
-Interesting to see Hurley putting Adams in essentially the same tier as Martin (because he's not starting over Bouk...). Not sure if he's being nice since he's such a hard worker or if he really does have a chance to start. And that brings us to...
On Polley:
“He’s a critical, critical guy for us as a stretch four-man. We really like him, especially recovering from the knee injury, I think it’s the best position for him to focus on this year... He’s gained a lot physically, he’s just got to knock the rust off."
-Sounds like Polley is going to be playing a lot more 4 this year. I showed the stats in a previous thread that he played the 4 25% of his time last year. Sounds like more like 50/50 or even more stretch 4 this year vs. at the 3. He's even listed as "forward" while Martin is listed as "wing". Hopefully that "gained a lot physically" translates into rebounds.
On Sanogo:
"To be able to get a guy of his caliber, a center, frontcourt player that could play some four because of the work he’s done with his body — he’s up to the high-230’s; he came in at close to 268, 270 "
-Thinking it's going to be Polley/Sanogo at the 4 a lot this year, with Whaley in the mix as well. Small vs. big lineups, essentially. At least until Akok comes back. It's his easiest path to minutes, and we want to get him minutes. When Akok comes back, maybe he'll have beaten out Carlton for majority of backup C minutes.
@husky429 already mentioned the AJ quotes. If his shooting and body are that good already, I wouldn't be surprised if he beats out Martin by the start of the season. Dynamic players and passers are always more important than guys who are just good athletes.
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