Lamar Stevens: Junkyard Dog

[AustinCarr]

Glad he found a home. He is a legit NBA player, even if only a fringe one. I wish him all the best....except when he is playing the Cavs, of course. Then he can fuck off.

 

[Ohioplayer00]

Glad he found a home. He is a legit NBA player, even if only a fringe one. I wish him all the best....except when he is playing the Cavs, of course. Then he can fuck off.

I hated to lose him in the trade….he was really the only physical player we had!

 

[AustinCarr]

I hated to lose him in the trade….he was really the only physical player we had!

Yeah, that is one thing this team shares with the early 90's era Cavs: A lack of tough guys. Guys you know won't back down. Who will push back if they get bullied

 

[CavsKermit]

Lamar was a good defender against SFs who liked to play bully ball, but stretch bigs had no problem shooting over him, and he got murdered by quicker guards on switches.

In terms of toughness, I never once saw him commit a hard foul against an opposing player in game where we were getting shoved around. I'd feel differently if he embraced the enforcer role off the bench, but I just didn't see it.

He was also a poor rebounder for his size. I know he was a fan favorite, but he had a lot of flaws in his game.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Lamar was a good defender against SFs who liked to play bully ball, but stretch bigs had no problem shooting over him, and he got murdered by quicker guards on switches.

In terms of toughness, I never once saw him commit a hard foul against an opposing player in game where we were getting shoved around. I'd feel differently if he embraced the enforcer role off the bench, but I just didn't see it.

He was also a poor rebounder for his size. I know he was a fan favorite, but he had a lot of flaws in his game.

Offensively, his only real successes came when he could play bully ball against a team that was going small. Very strong inside and if the length wasn't there to stop him, he was a load.

But as you said, that's a niche guy truly playable only against certain opponents.

 

[CavsKermit]

Offensively, his only real successes came when he could play bully ball against a team that was going small. Very strong inside and if the length wasn't there to stop him, he was a load.

But as you said, that's a niche guy truly playable only against certain opponents.

Basketball Reference has the +/- data on all the Cavs 5-men lineups ran last season. The only negative lineup with our core-4 had Stevens in it. In fact, most 5-men lineups with Stevens were negative. He was a fan favorite, but he wasn't good.

 

[Lee]

Basketball Reference has the +/- data on all the Cavs 5-men lineups ran last season. The only negative lineup with our core-4 had Stevens in it. In fact, most 5-men lineups with Stevens were negative. He was a fan favorite, but he wasn't good.

He was good for an undrafted player and good for the 15th guy....but those are both pretty extreme qualifiers to make him good.

He gives max effort and is very limited skill wise. I dont mind having a max effort guy who has good team chemistry, but that is TT this year dont need another.

 

[CroopZ23]

Poor fella has only gotten like 15 total minutes so far on Celtics. I liked Lamar. Not sure if he will ever see the floor or get another contract if he isn’t given a chance. Hope so.

 

[Dr No]

Poor fella has only gotten like 15 total minutes so far on Celtics. I liked Lamar. Not sure if he will ever see the floor or get another contract if he isn’t given a chance. Hope so.

he will need an injury or two to those ahead of him to see the floor with that roster.

 

[CroopZ23]

he will need an injury or two to those ahead of him to see the floor with that roster.

Exactly....& theres not much he can really do to control the situation. Do you think, despite him being a great locker room guy, that he is an NBA caliber player? I think he is toeing the line...

 

[Omar The Horse]

Poor fella has only gotten like 15 total minutes so far on Celtics. I liked Lamar. Not sure if he will ever see the floor or get another contract if he isn’t given a chance. Hope so.

He has a great chance at winning a championship. He will be fine.

 

[Dr No]

Exactly....& theres not much he can really do to control the situation. Do you think, despite him being a great locker room guy, that he is an NBA caliber player? I think he is toeing the line...

He's borderline. He's has plenty of explosiveness and strength, but is a couple of inches short for the power forward position. But he's also not quite quick enough to be effective guarding the perimeter. If he would ever develop a credible 3-ball he could stick around for a few more years because of other things he brings to the table.

 

[Kouki]

Putting together a nice stretch of games lately.