Is this the end of the deathmatch before it started? If we’re going for 2009 we can only choose between keeping or letting go of Mccants, Foye is out of the picture for that year. We can still do whatever for 2010 but…

…I advocated for it to be ended last year because it’s only going to get uglier as it becomes more and more obvious that Foye can’t play the point. Myles Brown at Slam was the 1st media writer to put this idea in a column, albeit with a slightly different angle:

Foye is a fine talent. He is an efficient three-point shooter, a respectable slasher, shoots well off the bounce and can finish at the rim. But he’s not a point guard. He doesn’t have the vision or the keen sense of timing and space a natural does. He’s certainly capable of creating for others, but not enough to entrust him with the execution of an offense. Of course, if one were to acknowledge this, the problem would be what to do next. Randy isn’t a cancerous player at all, but he has been stubbornly confident in his capabilities as a point guard and should that expriment end with him on the bench, it would be quite the blow to his ego.

More importantly, should he land on the bench, it would be next the only player on the team who has more of his ego at stake in Rashad McCants. Risking two of his key players becoming malcontents may be more than Wittman is willing to risk, but it’s clear he’s going to have at least one. But moving Foye to the starting shooting guard position isn’t really an option. Talent that he may be, it’s still unclear whether he can exploit his talents within the framework of the Jefferson/Miller Inside-Out Combo, which was a major talking point of the draft day trade. Besides, quite honestly, he’s not a better shooting guard than McCants. And Shaddy knows it, which would only further his persecution complex. Putting them together as a second team backcourt isn’t much of a solution either, as it’s easier to envision them fighting for shots than complementing each other.

I know it’s only 1 game into the season but I’ve been talking about the Foye/McCants thing for a while now. McCants has the greater potential to be a starting 2 but they’re both mostly geared to be a 6th guard/off-the-bench type of player. They have a long way to walk back the 4th quarter Foye/Roy-Foye business. Promotions-wise it wouldn’t be the first time they switched gears on a player:

What makes this more bewildering is what happened during Shaddy’s second season, remember? Waylaid by microfracture surgery, he became the go-to guy for in-game promotions and skits both corny and touching, and shined in the role. He was eminently likeable and warmly embraced. Was it just coincidence that, when finally cleared to play late in the season, that, despite obvious rust and physical limitations, he exerted himself more effectively on defense than any other time in his career?

This team is going in the right direction and it’s going to be a nice fun year. However, there are a few pretty glaring weaknesses that will continue to cripple this team if they are going to take the next step. Foye and McCants are the same type of player and the front office is pretending that one can play point….the one with the least amount of talent between the two. I know that McHale wants to re-animate the 87 Celtics and he would like nothing more than to have 2 6’4" guards a’la DJ and Danny but someone is going to need to be able to run the lead guard and I just don’t see Foye as being able to change his game. He’s almost 25.

…or at least the guy he’s quoting. I don’t think Foye looked out of place at all at the PG spot in the first game. It’s clear that he’s learning the position – Udrih was able to take advantage of his green-ness at times – but I basically think he “gets it,” i.e. he has a kind of knack for the position. I could be wrong, and obviously I have no idea what happens when Telfair, whom I like very much, gets thrown into the mix and inevitably improves. But I basically think Foye can play PG and will show it.

I like 2 of Wolfen’s points. First, the mention of T. Jackson. From the first game, you kind of cringed when you saw him prepare to pass. I think the same thing would happen with Foye if he were an impostor at the PG position – you’d cringe when you saw him bringing up the ball, initiating the offence, penetrating, etc. I don’t think that’s the case with him, and I think that’s an excellent sign.

Second, the mention of Billups: I think this is a guy Foye could potentially emulate. Billups isn’t a “true” point guard in the mould of Nash or Kidd, but the fact that he’s a shoot-first PG doesn’t disrupt the Pistons’ offence. I think Tony Parker’s kind of the same way: watch him when he penetrates, he’s looking for his own shot, not to pass. Billups and Parker are great examples of non-traditional but fantastic PGs, and I think Foye could become something very similar. It’s all about being able to set a rhythm.

Anyways I might completely change my mind after a few games.

Carney could do what Telfair did last season depending on how he plays. Speking of Telfair, I can’t wait for his season to start.