The huge lift that Gerald gave us in games 3 and 4 is undeniable. A great move by Stevens.
With that said, I was at the game last night and I was appalled at how bad Gerald is on defense. He has the defensive fundementals of a junior high school kid. He jumps at his guy , i.e. leaves his feet every time his man catches the ball, sometimes even before the guy upfakes!! His man would always either go by him or draw a foul. That's why Stevens had to take him out quickly.
The defensive issues are undeniable. And you just hit on his on-ball-d, but his off-ball-d might be even worse. The guy has no defensive awareness at all.
8 teams in 9 years, which don't even include stints out of the league. Inconsistent play, awful defense, horrid shot selection, etc. Yeah, he's the very definition of a journeyman. He's a Marcus Thornton type.
Rollie, you constantly refer to his play with the Suns, but you don't even realize that Thomas wasn't even on the team that aberration of a season. Thomas played with Green the following season, when Green proceeded to suck (FG 41%, 3's 35%) and only played 19 MPG.
Oh, that's right Stevens "fears" Green. I guess that's why he only played him in 47 games at a paltry 11 MPG. So, yeah, he probably fears Green, but not in a positive way as evidenced by his playing time.
Rollie since you think my criticism is totally unwarranted, here are some thoughts on Green from fans of some of his former teams. Enjoy.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/4yh8cf/why_isnt_gerald_green_a_more_productive/?st=j20rbnvb&sh=0bc52d49#bottom-comments