Down 15 with six left to play

[arhawkfan]

Soneone tell me why joe and josh are not in. Stranger things have happened. Fire drew

[MoBetta]

[AHawks89]

LD has been throwing the towel in way to early. He's been giving up on the team. I think players are starting to notice this, which is why I think they are now not listening/trusting LD.

[HalfHawk]

I dislike Drew as much as the next guy, but he made the right decision right there.

The starters amassed that 20 pt deficit, while our bench was hot at the end and brought us back. It was the correct move.

Edited February 7, 2012 by SmooveZilla

[arhawkfan]

I dislike Drew as much as the next guy, but he made the right decision right there.

The starters amassed that 20 pt deficit, while our bench was hot at the end and brought us back. It was the correct move.

Joe and josh were the only 2 keeping us in the game. They had it down to single digits and they quit feeding those 2. He pulled josh for vlad and it went down hill.

I dislike Drew as much as the next guy, but he made the right decision right there.

The starters amassed that 20 pt deficit, while our bench was hot at the end and brought us back. It was the correct move.

Joe and josh were the only 2 keeping us in the game. They had it down to single digits and they quit feeding those 2. He pulled josh for vlad and it went down hill.

[Gray Mule]

No defense.

No offense.

No victory.

End of story.

[PureGreatness]

.Joe and josh were the only 2 keeping us in the game. They had it down to single digits and they quit feeding those 2. He pulled josh for vlad and it went down hill.

Exactly. When they stopped going to smoove in the 3rd that was the end of the game smh.

[willthepureshooter]

Drew seems as though he's the cancer on the team. The last three games we've lost has come to the hands of his idiotic coaching. No one can make me understand and agree with him benching our two star players tonight. Now I see where his selfish *ss son gets his attitude from. He should be fired by daylight!

[DJlaysitup]

I dislike Drew as much as the next guy, but he made the right decision right there....

Oh BS, Bs and bs.....

No offense Smoovezilla - but when your bench players get it back to decent firing range - you put in the big guns.

It happens all the time with other teams.

JJ was 6-13 with a couple threes...3-3 on FTs...3 assts...and only two T.O.s. This is your BEST PLAYER for )*_)*#sake. He basically WON you TWO games on the 4-1 roadtrip...and you are trying to make some sort of point by not putting him back in at hero time? WTF? ....

(ok, ok...I'll settle down).

LD may be better than Woody - but this stuff has to stop. If he is lucky - he didn't lose the team tonight. I hope the owners were watching.

His sub patterns aren't mirroring the matchups we have - he seems to be frustrated all the time - I think he may be overwhelmed against the better coaches.

I'm not sure about LD at this point.

P.S. - I'm not sure the last three teams we lost to have better talent than us....just better coaching...maybe.

Edited February 7, 2012 by DJlaysitup

[Guest]

Not two weeks ago, the Spurs were being blown out by Dallas. Popovich benched the starters for the latter part of the 3rd quarter and the entire 4th quarter and OT. The bench played really well and sent the game into overtime. You know what Pop did in overtime, he still played the bench. His thought was they played tough to tie the game they deserved to play in overtime.

[MaceCase]

Oh BS, Bs and bs.....

No offense Smoovezilla - but when your bench players get it back to decent firing range - you put in the big guns.

It happens all the time with other teams.

Actually it's always a struggle for coaches when this happens. A game occurs where your starters squander it, the bench comes in and claws the team back into it so what do you do? Bench the guys that got you back into and put in the guys that put the team in the hole in the first place hoping that they are refocussed or do you reward the guys that got you back in the game and let them try to close it out with their inspired play.

[Guest]

Actually it's always a struggle for coaches when this happens. A game occurs where your starters squander it, the bench comes in and claws the team back into it so what do you do? Bench the guys that got you back into and put in the guys that put the team in the hole in the first place hoping that they are refocussed or do you reward the guys that got you back in the game and let them try to close it out with their inspired play.

Very true, I've also seen instances where the becnh claws back in game and because starters were sitting for so long thinking their night is over, they come in and don't do squat and the lead ballooons back up.

[DJlaysitup]

Not two weeks ago, the Spurs were being blown out by Dallas. Popovich benched the starters for the latter part of the 3rd quarter and the entire 4th quarter and OT. The bench played really well and sent the game into overtime. You know what Pop did in overtime, he still played the bench. His thought was they played tough to tie the game they deserved to play in overtime.

He made a point...and his backup team lost in O.T.....0 for 1 on that strategy.

I'm pretty sure the goal is to WIN games....make your "points" in practice.

Edited February 7, 2012 by DJlaysitup

[DJlaysitup]

Actually it's always a struggle for coaches when this happens. A game occurs where your starters squander it, the bench comes in and claws the team back into it so what do you do? Bench the guys that got you back into and put in the guys that put the team in the hole in the first place hoping that they are refocussed or do you reward the guys that got you back in the game and let them try to close it out with their inspired play.

Actually MaceCase...while I see your point from some sort of a "humanitarian" point of view (they did good so don't take em out?)....it makes NO SENSE from a competitive point of view. Do you really think (at that point) that you are better off with Pargo jacking another three than JJ doing his business?

Did you NOT SEE JJ saving the game in Detroit? Are you so ignorant (not you - MacCase - talking LD here) to understand there is a much greater chance that Smoove can make a play with a bigtime block, steal, or dunk?

If - as a coach - you think your subs are better than your starters - well then mister - you have a serious problem.

[MaceCase]

Actually MaceCase...while I see your point from some sort of a "humanitarian" point of view (they did good so don't take em out?)....it makes NO SENSE from a competitive point of view.

Well therein lies the problem, DJ. It depends on whether the coach felt the starters were competing in the first place to feel as if they'd be able to takeover from the guys who actually were. It's something even peewee coaches try to touch on whether they reward the hard workers or continue to show the talented guy that there's absolutely no consequences for him and his behavior because he's talented.

I will admit that yes, Joe should have been the one guy let back on the court but that might have been an even worse message for the rest of the unit.......

[DJlaysitup]

Well therein lies the problem, DJ.....

Wherein the problem lies is simple percentages and known skill. When was the last time Pargo made a last second jumper to take you into overtime against Detroit? When was the last time Pargo scored 30 points?...or Willie.

When you have a chance to win - even if you got there by wonderful effort of your backups - you put in the big guns and try to win the game..simple as that...otherwise, why have the big guns?

There is a reason the substitutes are substitutes...not that they are useless...but they aren't the best players.

It's like closers in baseball. As a manager you may have a middle reliever who pitches 4 nice innings and gets you back in the game - but at the end - do you leave him in or bring in your closer?

You bring in your closer. If you don't you are going against the odds - he is simply (on average) better - you also p!ss off your closer - you lose more games - because in the long run your closer is more effective - and you get fired....because you didn't play your best guy(s) at crunch time to try to win.

simple as that.

Edited February 7, 2012 by DJlaysitup

[Eddielives]

I find it refreshing that a coach will stand up to the egos of his starters and put in the bench players when there is still significant time left in the game. If you understand the concept of respecting your teachers and authority, coach Drew should be respected for his decision. I am sick of inmates running the asylum in sports. Wherever you have successful teams that win championships, you have a coach that is respected. No coach should ever feel intimidated to make a point to his starters by benching them when they are playing like crap. We were probably going to lose that game either way. So why not let some guys play who actually feel motivated to show something rather than let the big paychecks continue to put on a display of dysfunctional team basketball?

[MaceCase]

Wherein the problem lies is simple percentages and known skill. When was the last time Pargo made a last second jumper to take you into overtime against Detroit? When was the last time Pargo scored 30 points?...or Willie.

When you have a chance to win - even if you got there by wonderful effort of your backups - you put in the big guns and try to win the game..simple as that...otherwise, why have the big guns?

There is a reason the substitutes are substitutes...not that they are useless...but they aren't the best players.

It's like closers in baseball. As a manager you may have a middle reliever who pitches 4 nice innings and gets you back in the game - but at the end - do you leave him in or bring in your closer?

You bring in your closer. If you don't you are going against the odds - he is simply (on average) better - you also p!ss off your closer - you lose more games - because in the long run your closer is more effective - and you get fired....because you didn't play your best guy(s) at crunch time to try to win.

simple as that.

That analogy is off. It's more like your starter comes in, gives up 7 in the first 3 innings, you take him out for some middle reliever that has to stretch past his usual work but just so happens to pitch the next few innings scoreless and through some miracle of rule change you decide to bring your starter back in the 9th to close out the game.

Listen, I don't know what to tell you, it's also a simple fact that starters don't give a f*** about things sometimes because they are starters, the big guns, and will be troting out the very next game to play their usual minutes and take their usual shots whether or not they show effort or pride before. I'm not a fan of just giving guys minutes because they're talented, where was all that when the unit was getting hammered into the ground in the 3rd thus the 4th quarter deficit? Joe and Josh played the whole 3rd quarter and the team amassed a wonderful 16 points and allowed Phoenix 29. That's not exactly inspiring confidence for me to bring them in to overcome the deficit they lazed their way to in the 4th.

[Guest]

LD took way too long to take Josh and Joe out of this game in the second half. It is a pattern that has continued this whole season. LD has no balls or brains. Too bad the real people making decisions about roster moves have no brains either.

[macdaddy]

So we scream all year for LD to bench Josh for having a bad attitude and now we're mad he took him out as he and rest of the starters let PHX run them off the court?

Joe I thought played pretty well but i was ready for Josh to come out when he just dropped the ball on the court after a phx basket rather than inbound it to Kirk. Hinrich had to go pick it up off the floor to bring the ball up. Josh was out at the next timeout.