With all due respect...I think sometimes you might over-rate Speights' defense. He can't hang with that Laker front court. Further...there are times - you can just tell - that he's not playing with as much intensity as he needs to. (After all, it's his intensity that makes him a potentially dangerous player.)
Last night was one of those nights.
Love the guy; we all do.
But he ain't right for every moment of every game. He just isn't.
Speights was +7 in 5 minutes last night. He must have been doing something right, no? I do agree that his intensity is lacking quite often, especially on the defensive end and on the boards. Still, having him in over Evans in those last 3 minutes would have been a big help. He's already proven to be a smarter player than Dalembert (who isn't?) and could've really helped us get a basket in that final minute.
Donyell Marshall...well, he waddles up and down the court, but it's hard to argue with 9 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals down the stretch. What he lacks physically, he makes up for with knowledge of the game. He's gonna get cold at some point though, right?
Thaddeus Young has quietly started to blossom into a consistent offensive threat. He's also hitting the boards a lot harder lately, and, what I find most impressive, is that he almost never turns the ball over. 6 TOs in the 7 games this month. That's absurd. He's a real player.
Iguodala seems to be a lot more aggressive lately. I was shocked when, in the 4th quarter, he passed up a fairly open 3 to drive for the easy deuce. He really needs to not shoot the 3, even if he hit the big balls shot last night.
Lou is the X factor IMO. When he's on, this team is extremely dangerous, as the Lakers found out. He needs to do it more consistently, but I think those flashes of potential could at least have him traded this offseason for something (or nothing if we just want the cap space for something). I think he may be another Samuel Dalembert...in 5 years, we'll still be talking about his potential.
