MoonKnight

Email has actually played worse this year than he did last year. I would also keep MM over Email especially considering MM's calm demeanor on the court while running the point. While MM will never be a starter, he is a clutch shooter, which is a quality we don't have enough of. I also wonder why CC is not cutting into Ham's minutes. Ham has not been the player he was as a Buck in that he is not the momentum changer anymore. In past seasons, he was a play maker who could change the flow of a game with a key steal, a key block, or power dunk. CC deserves more PT this year and at Ham's expense.

problem and no other posters thought it was much of a problem. The 2 main problems dealing with ballhandling are that we have no true 2 guard on the roster. Ira is a pure 3. Dion is some hybrid 2/3 with no handles. DJ is on the pine and he was a questionable ballhandler anyway. So teams are regularly running two guys at JT in the halfcourt forcing him to pass the ball early. No one else is capable of initiating the O or even handling the rock in these situations. The 2nd problem is coaching. Lon has shown no ability to adapt to this ballhandling problem by preparing the team for the JT trap or by calling plays that require little setup. He also has not tried to go small (e.g. MM and JT) for short intervals of time to change the tempo and flow. Until the problems are addressed (better coaching and preparation, or adding a true 2), I don't see us improving.

Diesel's silly JT trade ideas are meant more to provoke posters than to be serious. Really, trade your only ball handler away for a team in serious need for ballhandling. Please.... If Diesel would watch the games he would see that the turnover issue is caused, like you basically stated, by our lack of O chemistry, our lack of solid b/u help at the pg, an our total lack of a ballhandler at the 2 guard position. Those are the real issues that need to be addressed either through more practice time or a trade for a combo 1/2 guard who can handle the rock. We may also need to consider whether GRob and Ira can coexist as starters since both guys are pure small forwards.

GRob's turnovers are not getting better but worse. 8 turnovers, heck I thought he had more than that last night. His turnovers are momentum killers. His twenty plus points per game are offset by his silly, unbelieveable turnovers and his D. I just don't see GRob learning how to dribble or pass overnight so I don't see this situation improving until we deal with the 2 guard spot. Our lack of a true 2 guard who can handle the ball is killing us. I love Ira on the floor but can we afford to keep two 3s (Ira and GRob) on the floor at the same time without another guard to help JT. At clutch time I would put GRob on the pine and move Ira to the 3 spot with either Email or newly obtained true 2 guard at the 2 spot with JT at the 1. This would take guts for Lon to sit GRob in clutch time but he is simply a horrible 4th quarter player (I honestly don't believe Lon has the guts to sit GRob at clutch time). Thoughts?

I agree in that I don't like seeing SAR roaming outside the three point line like he did most of the two overtime periods. Plus, having SAR in the post gives our clutch shooter, JT, more open looks at the basket. Lon's ability to coach in tight game situations is still an open question.

history? We played a gutsy game tonight but this is not horse shoes and we need to win these tight games against good teams. GRob had a decent game tonight but can anyone think of a worst clutch "star" than him in recent NBA history? I want Grob on the floor for most of a game except for any last minute or so of a game. But not more money time. He has a history as a poor clutch player. Some guys are clutch players but not "star" players (e.g. Mike Bibby or JT on some nights, Horry, TK). Some guys are clutch players and star players combined (e.g. Larry Bird, MJ). But some guys should never touch the ball in clutch moments (e.g GRob, Kobe on most nights). Clearly JT should have been taking the clutch shots despite his overall subpar shooting tonight. The lack of a ballhandling 2 kills us in tight games b/c Ira cannot initiate the O due to his lack of ballhandling skills. At the end of games, Email should play the 2 and move Ira to the 3 spot so Email to run plays for JT to get the last shot. We really need a good effort Sat. or our confidence will be hurt. This is not meant as a bashing post of tonight's game. Thoughts?

quarter. While we had some silly turnovers and couldn't buy a jumper, I questioned some of Lon's playcalling in this quarter. Conventional wisdom would suggest that when a team's jumpers are not falling, then move inside the post to score and draw fouls while attempting to get open looks in transition. Even though the Wolves played alot of zone, we still did not attempt to change the O plays in this quarter. It appeared to me we were running the same sets with the same poor results (with either our starter or backups). The coaching also looked "timid" in the 2nd quarter. I am not a Lon basher but the coaching clearly contributed to the collapse in the 2nd quarter.

The turnout for tonight's game was sad, very sad. I admit that I watched the game on the t.v. but I do have a partial season ticket package that begins soon. So where were the fans? This looked like the least attended game I can recall. I hope this is merely a reflection of football hangover from the Dawgs and Falcons. Once the college football season dies down I hope more people pick up basketball fever. The more we win, the more folks will come. It is too soon to make believers out of the fan base like the Falcons have recently done. I agree with the other comments that mention ticket prices as a possible factor as well. A monday night game may be a tougher sell as well. Random thoughts..... Can you imagine how others teams might hate to compete with Ham and CC on the Court at the same time? Their high energy and reckless style of play annoys opposing players. JT played a very controlled game and ran the O well. SAR is a good groove right now based on the number of fouls he is drawing in the post. ADavis had real trouble guarding SAR in the post. Nice to see DD hit a jump shot though I think the comparisons of DD to Mark Price are off base. We also catch the Wolves Wed. on the second night of a back to back game (like the past two games) so we need to be ready to run alot.

I am suprised at your bold statement "The point is that defense isn't neccessary if your offense is good enough". You will find no recent examples or past examples of teams that fit this statement that were serious championship contenders. Doug Moe's Denver teams? Nope. Don Nelson's Golden State teams? Hardly. Unless the Mavs play MUCH better D over the entire season and playoffs they are not a championship contender. Even their O scheme scares me in that it depends on the perimeter jump shot, almost exclusively. They have no real post players, so if they get cold on their jumpers they are in real trouble on the O end. The Mavs are fun to watch but I don't take them seriously as contenders until they consistantly play D over an entire season (a very big if).

I disagree with Jaywalker in that the problem is with coaching moreso that with JT's play. JT has actually been the most consistant Hawk to date. I believe he is carrying out Lon's game plan which is excluding JT on the O end. Instead of trying to get Theo involved in the O early on in games, we should run some plays for JT. JT's O play opens up SAR and GRob much more than Theo's O will ever do. The coaches need to do a better job of balancing JT's point play with his scoring ability.

improve. You don't see too many vets whose handles improve as the years go by. We just don't have a traditional 2 guard. Ira is really a pure 3 while Dion is some hybrid 2/3 with poor ball handling skills. This problem hurt us again in the Jazz game and could kill us tonight against the Kings. The Kings love to press and jump the passing lanes on D. I expect Email to play alot more and possibly start at the 2 spot in the near future if things don't improve. What do you think about Ham's play so far? I have been disappointed in his play. As a Buck he was a play maker either by making a key steal, block or dunk that changed momentum. He has done very little so far. CC could push him toward the end of the bench.

before he became a 2/3. He would fit the bill as a 2 who could handle the rock enough to take the pressure off JT. Jim Jackson would fit the bill if he could mend fences with Lon, though he could also be a chemistry killer. Heck, Drew Barry could handle the rock enough to help out against the press. I really hope we address this problem.

the two spot is coming true. This summer I posted several times about my fear of the lack of ball handling by our 2 spot guards. Ira is really a 3 who doesn't have the ball handling skills to play the 2. Dion is a 2 who has no fundamental guard skills at all. His ball handling is horrible for a guard (his inconsistancy is driving me crazy). Tonight the Suns (as I thought many teams would do) pressed JT most of the game and especially at crunch time. No other player on the floor helped JT with the press. Even our players at the 3 spot are suspect ball handlers (GRob and Ham). We had countless silly turnovers. This trend could continue and we could lose many more games just like we lost tonight. Lon is going to have to prepare the team for being pressed. Really EMail should get more minutes at the 2 b/c he can handle the rock and we have no other options at the 2 when teams are pressing as much as the Suns did down the stretch. Management had better address this issue soon, either by preparing the team for the press (if this can be done with our personnel) or trade (hopefully Dion) for a more complete 2 guard to help us in thes situations. Thoughts?

I need to give DG some play because I have been down on him lately. He played very well and ,along with Hendu, were major factors in the win last night. I thought it was a solid effort by all. It should be a competitive game tonight. On another note, I don't see any progress in DD's play. I know it is early in the season but the comparisons between DD and Mark Price is terrible. DD looks nothing like Price did his rookie year. DD will probably be lucky to oneday look like Matt Maloney.

While Grob has played very well so far, I too want JT to be the primary option in the last 5 minutes of the game. Neither Grob or SAR are considered clutch players, while JT has proven to be very clutch. On a side note, I am alittle concerned about JT's minutes. I know we are shorthanded but JT is playing heavy minutes. DD has not shown enough to warrant being the primary b/u. That leaves Email who is having to play b/u 2 because of Dion's injury. Email must get the majority of minutes as the b/u 1 so we may need to pick up a b/u 2 if Dion does not mend soon (Dion is way too injury prone to be reliable). Hopefully a b/u 2 with a good handle.

I wish we had moved him earlier in the summer because he is not a guy we can rely on. Dion simply is very injury prone and needs a change of address. ANY offensive help off the pine tonight could have helped us to a victory. I am not too worried about Theo because it sounds like his calves were cramping probably due to long inactivity and conditioning, which should be correctible. If he were in the game down the stretch, we might have pulled this game out. He actually played better than Deke and had more of an effect on the D end than Deke. My fear was somewhat confirmed in that JT was pressured alot bringing the ball up the court and we have no real ballhandlers to help JT out, especially at the 2 spot. This pressure led to some disarray on our O and silly turnovers. I still predict Email will play alot at the two b/c of his ballhandling skills (Dion's constant injuries will also push Email in the game). Overall, we should be competitive when SAR returns and Theo's conditioning improves. Lastly (I know this is rambling) wouldn't Alvin Jones be an improvement over Harvey. Harvey gave us little inside D and I know Jones has to be a better post defender based on his GT days. Thoughts?

Good points, but I don't expect teams to utilize a full court press but simply have their 1 cover JT the length of the court. JT played 38 minutes last year, which is a little on the heavy side. I am concerned that JT (our most clutch player) will be worn down in clutch time. If Ira or Dion were average ball handles we would be fine. But last year they were poor dribblers and the big dawg is not much better. JT is quick enought to break any press if he is fresh. So lets hope you are right that our shooters and JT's skill will cause teams to have second thoughts about pressing JT too much.

I think many posters are not acknowledging the poor ball handling of both Dion and Ira. I still have a fear that teams will eventually start pressing JT all game long in an effort to wear him down. Neither Ira nor Dion have the handle to help JT on a regular basis bringing the ball off the Court. Email can play good perimeter D and hit the open 3. He also can handle the rock and could occasionally allow JT to run some plays as the 2 guard. Not that I am advocating Email starting the 2 at the start of the season. ( I would start Ira for team chemistry reasons), but I would not be surprised to see Email get major minutes and start at the 2 if the above prediction comes true.

While I know this injury could have happened at any point in the season but why was he still in the game at the closing minute of a exhibition game? Was it that important for NY to win a exhibition game to play him all those minutes? This makes me feel better about how Lon is using Theo's preseason minutes.

You are right in your comparison of Email with the other 2 guards. As I have posted before, I am concerned about our lack of ball handlers in the starting rotation with JT at the 1. Neither Dion or Ira have solid handles and I am afraid teams will pressure JT the entire Court length to wear him down. Email has a good handle and could help out bringing the ball upcourt. He can also guard most 2s. Email will get some time at the 2.

I like Ira's game alot but to me he is a classic 3 type player without the O. His handle is too weak to be a 2 based on what I saw last year. Maybe he has improved his handle over the offseason, though that is one skill that I think is hard for older players to improve. While Lon may start Ira at the 2 b/c of his hustle value, it does create problems for ball handling. While JT can singlehandedly beat most presses, this will wear him down. DG's handle is not much better than Ira if it is better at all. I would not be surprised to see Email start at the 2 to lower the ballhandling pressure on JT and allow him some called plays at the 2 spot. Ball handling is a clearvconcern for the starting unit.

this season as he seemed to make a big game turning play against us every year we played the bucks. He can change a game with his energy and D. He should also be able to replace DJ's 40 inch vertical dunks effectively for one season.

I am somewhat surprised to see the number of posts that have Glover in the competition for the 2 spot with DJ and Ira. I am a homer and have pulled for Dion since his GT days but I don't see him as a viable option for the starting 2 spot. Two years ago he showed flashes of being a good D player with streaky O skills. Last year his D may have been the worst on the team along with Nazr. His O game disappeared and he was injured again. Dion may simply need a change of address to recharge his game. I simply don't believe he will pull ahead of either Ira or DJ at the 2 spot. E-mail is not a bad third string 2 either. So, I feel Dion is expendable for a player with size to be a b/u 5. While I am all for an open competition at the 2 spot, I think we are kidding ourselves if we believe Dion is an option at this point. Thoughts?

I was shocked at how soft he played last night. Argentina had numerous uncontested layups last night while Wallace was on the floor. They had no fear of driving in the paint against us at all. Sad loss for a team that should have won by 30 pts.