Development of Cory Joseph

[swaggerjackson]

I am asking because I have so little of him. Does this guy have any chance of developing into a rotation player for the 12/13 season? With all the talk of backup point guards, Mills, and De Colo I just wonder if anyone really sees this guys stepping up and taking that slot.

[ChumpDumper]

The only thing Joseph has over Mills and De Colo at this point is defense. Not having a summer league and full training camp really hurt a young project like Joseph, so Vegas is going to be very important for him.

[timvp]

Yeah, it'll be all about summer league for Joseph. He looked really bad at the NBA level last year and wasn't very good in the D-League, which is a troubling sign for a young prospect.

He's really young and didn't get any summer league or training camp last season so he may be able to recapture some sort of potential. Right now it doesn't look good but Vegas could change that.

[Darkwaters]

Lets assume that he fails to impress at Vegas. Maybe not a full crash and burn, but a definite underwhelming performance.

What then? Do the Spurs hold onto him for one more season? At what point do they attempt to cut sling on him sooner rather than later?

[swaggerjackson]

Yea I am pretty ignorant when it comes to Joseph but I do like the idea of a defensive minded, bigger athletic point guard behind Parker. I would be happy with Mills or De Colo but I think De Colo may not turn out to be a solid defensive player. And Mills seems like a one trick pony who would be far from consistent. I just thought Joseph might be a different player with a training camp.

And I don't think the Spurs should consider letting him go unless they need the roster space for a proven player who we know will step in and help the team in a major way. This guy is only 20 or 21 and he only makes 1 million for the next three seasons. He isn't eating too much cap. I think the only reason to jettison him would be if it created space for a guy who can help now. James Anderson on the other hand should be gone. He is closer to mid 20's and hasn't shown much in 2 seasons.

[Mel_13]

Lets assume that he fails to impress at Vegas. Maybe not a full crash and burn, but a definite underwhelming performance.

What then? Do the Spurs hold onto him for one more season? At what point do they attempt to cut sling on him sooner rather than later?

If he has a bad SL and a bad training camp, then they won't pick up his third year option and he'll play out the season as a lame duck just like Anderson last year.

In other words, he has until October 31st to make a good impression.

[timvp]

Lets assume that he fails to impress at Vegas. Maybe not a full crash and burn, but a definite underwhelming performance.

What then? Do the Spurs hold onto him for one more season? At what point do they attempt to cut sling on him sooner rather than later?

I doubt he's so bad that the Spurs waive him. I think at worst they'll just put him on the James Anderson route: Decline his option but keep him around in case he shows something.




As for his defense, it looked pretty good against shooting guards. But against any decent point guard with quickness, he was pretty damn bad. However, he has potential on that end and his D is something that can get better quickly. Again, Vegas will tell that story.

[Kidd K]

I wouldn't sell him out just yet. . .he was terrible this last season, but we barely had any time for practice all year.

I think we should assess how good he is after summer league and some time in the D League.

I don't think we should cut him immediately, because we cut Alonzo Gee last year and it was like wtf are you thinking? Dude looked great in summer league and went on to immediately make an impact in Cleveland. Gee is beloved there right now. Yeah his stats aren't the greatest, but keep in mind he's had to start for a terrible team when his talent level basically says he should be coming off the bench for a good team and fitting in that way.

So I'd rather not just dump Corey right away. Sometime mid season maybe if he's not shaping up to what we'd like to see. I was happy with Mills though. . .so no big loss to me if we don't keep Joseph.

[gambit1990]

The only thing Joseph has over Mills and De Colo at this point is defense.

you think so? i think mills is much better defensively. he's small, but he guards tightly. he seems like he'd be a liability on defense, but i don't think he is.

[SenorSpur]

The future is certainly now for Joseph. I hope he can get his career on track.

[Russ]

The only thing Joseph has over Mills and De Colo at this point is defense. Not having a summer league and full training camp really hurt a young project like Joseph, so Vegas is going to be very important for him.

Einstein expressed it best in this eternal formula:

Joseph + Mills + De Colo = 0.

[TE]

I don't have much confidence in Cory Joseph's game. One would think Ford's injury would've opened the door for him to develop and improve. Granted, he's still young, but he looked so raw on the court.

I hope De Colo sticks, I really like his game.

[Bill_Brasky]

Yeah, it'll be all about summer league for Joseph. He looked really bad at the NBA level last year and wasn't very good in the D-League, which is a troubling sign for a young prospect.

He's really young and didn't get any summer league or training camp last season so he may be able to recapture some sort of potential. Right now it doesn't look good but Vegas could change that.

I thought he had a couple of dub-dub games or maybe even a trip-dub in the D-league?

Not that that's the most impressive thing ever or anything, but at least it would be a sign of a pulse.

From what I've seen so far Mills is a better, quicker on the ball defender from the PG position but Joseph has more size and potential.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

His will and desire to succeed will be the major factor here.

I saw him play at UT, and he basically was the same player with the spurs, minus the confidence.

The flaws are there: he is not especially athletic, not a very quick player, he dribbles at the height level of a 4th grader, and puts way too much arc on his jump shots, leading to many shots coming up short.

But what he was last year, that was missing were his positives:
A very calm, methodic floor leader, that possesses the a Team First attitude of the highest caliber. If Cory works on his game relentlessly this summer, fleshes out the unnecessary kinks in his game (dribbling low, shooting over arc shots), I can see him making this rotation.


Hopefully he has a relentless drive to succeed, and his goal was not just to earn a 1st round contract for family security.

[dunkman]

He's was first rounder, like Mahinmi or Anderson. The Spurs are stuck with him, unless he gets amnestied. The mistake with Mahinmi was to give a guarateed first round contract to a raw player, and it seems to be the same mistake with Cory. They should pick the best players that are ready to play in the first round, regardless of the position.

The Spurs will spend millions in his salaries, while he develops. Like in the case of Gerald Wallace, who was drafted raw by the Kings, and ended being an productive player many seasons later - for other teams.

[racm]

Lack of training camp weakened him. Granted, last year's class was projected to be weak beyond Kyrie, though of course there were a lot of surprises (Knight, Leonard, Faried, Parsons, Thomas).

[cd98]

Didn't watch him at all in the D-League, but if he wasn't dominating in the D-League, that's a bad sign. Especially because Anderson playing in the D-League on injury reassignment destroyed the competition down there and he's the same guy that gets swatted every time he goes for a dunk in the NBA, and not always by bigs.

[BackHome]

Why the Spurs drafted him I have no idea even most of the mock draft if not all had him late second round pick. I know we got Hill who no one thought should go first but CJ didn't do what Hill did in college not even close.

The best the CJ can do is either be D-Leauge material for a couple of years or try his game at a low level Europe team. To be honest I don't even think he could do the latter so work hard and put the time in and who knows what could happen.

[MR-Clutch]

Didn't the coaches have him playing sg in summer league? I still think Cory will turn into a player depending on his work ethic? I remember seeing Joseph make a couple of passes that really impressed me. He's is still only like 20 right? I think at the very least we should give him at least 2 yearS.

[AFBlue]

His will and desire to succeed will be the major factor here.

I saw him play at UT, and he basically was the same player with the spurs, minus the confidence.

The flaws are there: he is not especially athletic, not a very quick player, he dribbles at the height level of a 4th grader, and puts way too much arc on his jump shots, leading to many shots coming up short.

But what he was last year, that was missing were his positives:
A very calm, methodic floor leader, that possesses the a Team First attitude of the highest caliber. If Cory works on his game relentlessly this summer, fleshes out the unnecessary kinks in his game (dribbling low, shooting over arc shots), I can see him making this rotation.


Hopefully he has a relentless drive to succeed, and his goal was not just to earn a 1st round contract for family security.

The player you describe is exactly who I saw in the pre-season game against Houston. He was supremely confident and moved with a purpose while on the court, even though he didn't know the play book. He definitely needs to work on his shot, but I don't blame the kid for being overwhelmed in his first year...complex scheme, inexperienced player.

All that said, it's clear the Spurs are in "win-now" mode so they may not have the patience to wait another year for a productive player. Personally, I hope he shows enough they keep him around for another year.