Coaching!

[AHF]

9 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

We've had a lot of expensive players on this team over the last few years that didn't play that much.

We've had guys we took on knowing they were bad players on bad contracts.  Gallo has been outstanding the last several years and he was signed to add value.  One of these things is not like the others....

Different situation from guys like Chandler Parsons but until Gallo returns to his normal self I'm with bleach about not playing him down the stretch and just limiting him in general (or sitting him if that is what we need to do to get him right).

 

[macdaddy]

There's a lot of revision going on here though.   First, while Gallo looked like an idiot on that play, it's not his fault.   The total clusterwhoops on the perimeter was to blame there.  You can't expect Gallo to become a rim protector out of the blue on this play.  

As to why Gallo is playing, it's not his contract.  He's the only serviceable PF on the roster behind Collins.  I'm not even talking about healthy.   All this talk of whether to keep JC continues to ignore the fact that we have no one else.  

Plus I think there was more than one person on here before the season claiming Gallo was better than JC anyway and should be starting.  How's everyone feeling about that now?

[REHawksFan]

13 minutes ago, AHF said:

We've had guys we took on knowing they were bad players on bad contracts.  Gallo has been outstanding the last several years and he was signed to add value.  One of these things is not like the others....

Different situation from guys like Chandler Parsons but until Gallo returns to his normal self I'm with bleach about not playing him down the stretch and just limiting him in general (or sitting him if that is what we need to do to get him right).

 

This may just be because of his injury, I don't know, but Gallo looks like a guy that you have to "protect" and limit his playing time.  Minutes restrictions / not playing b2b, etc...  He just looks old and worn down to me and I wonder if playing him 23-26 min per game is too much for him.  

And before anyone screams about his salary, I'm with you on it being an overpay for the production, especially if we have to further limit his PT.  I just wonder if limiting the PT would get better production?   

[macdaddy]

Gallo will revert to being the player he always has been.   He's being asked to do too much right now.

[Hawkmoor]

Pierce has been coaching to appease the front office:

1. Not challenging Young to be a point guard FIRST, then incorporating his scoring ability second.

2. Questionable rotations. He feels obligated to play the free agents who were signed.

3. The above leads to poor defense and disarrayed offensive possessions.

Nate coaches TO WIN.

1. He has the cache to reel Young in and Young knows it.

2. His rotations fit what is happening on the floor.

3. This leads to better defense and cohesive offense.

Edited February 24, 2021 by Hawkmoor

[REHawksFan]

10 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

As to why Gallo is playing, it's not his contract.  He's the only serviceable PF on the roster behind Collins.  I'm not even talking about healthy.   All this talk of whether to keep JC continues to ignore the fact that we have no one else.  

Wait, so if Gallo was playing the 4, who was playing the 5?  Solo?   Gallo was in on the last series because LP didn't want Capela in.  If you just HAD to have Gallo in for some reason, then you put him in for Solo and play Trae / Huerter / Snell / Gallo / Capela.  At least then you have a defensive anchor.  AND it may have all been moot because Capela MAY have gotten the rebound from Trae's miss.  

The bottom line for me is having Capela out of the game is indefensible.  Personally, I would have gone with Trae / Huerter / Snell / Solo / Capela based on who was available.  

[Peoriabird]

24 minutes ago, AHF said:

We've had guys we took on knowing they were bad players on bad contracts.  Gallo has been outstanding the last several years and he was signed to add value.  One of these things is not like the others....

Different situation from guys like Chandler Parsons but until Gallo returns to his normal self I'm with bleach about not playing him down the stretch and just limiting him in general (or sitting him if that is what we need to do to get him right).

 

Chandler Parson looked good at some point in his career too.  The point is that Gallo has been horrible with the Hawks especially lately.  Why does LP continue to give him the most bench minutes???  Throw Rondo in that category also.

[Peoriabird]

5 minutes ago, Hawkmoor said:

Pierce has been coaching to appease the front office:

1. Not challenging Young to be a point guard FIRST, then incorporating his scoring ability second.

2. Questionable rotations. He feels obligated to play the free agents who were signed.

3. The above leads to poor defense and disarrayed offensive possessions.

Nate coaches TO WIN.

1. He has the cache to reel Young in and Young knows it.

2. His rotations fit what is happening on the floor.

3. This leads to better defense and cohesive offense.

Plus plus post.  Except I'm not sure that LP knows how to coach...Haven't seen any evidence of it yet.

[REHawksFan]

4 minutes ago, Hawkmoor said:

Pierce has been coaching to appease the front office:

1. Not challenging Young to be a point guard FIRST, then incorporating his scoring ability second.

2. Questionable rotations. He feels obligated to play the free agents who were signed.

3. The above leads to poor defense and disarrayed offensive possessions.

Nate coaches TO WIN.

1. He has the cache to reel Young in and Young knows it.

2. His rotations fit what is happening on the floor.

3. This leads to better defense and cohesive offense.

I agree wholeheartedly on Points 2 and 3.  Nate is FAR FAR better in his rotations and just general feel for the game.  

Regarding point 1 though, I think you've got it backwards.  Nate allowed Trae to play to his strengths and find his scoring first and then let the facilitating flow from that.  In all three games his points came before his assists.  And the offense had more flow in all three games than in typical LP games.  Last night he had 5 assists before he had taken 2 shots.  Assists obviously aren't bad.  That's not what I'm saying.  But there's a reason the Hawks are 4-11 when he has double digit assists and 11-6 when he scores 26 or more (8-3 when he scores 30 or more).   

[macdaddy]

30 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

Wait, so if Gallo was playing the 4, who was playing the 5?  Solo?   Gallo was in on the last series because LP didn't want Capela in.  If you just HAD to have Gallo in for some reason, then you put him in for Solo and play Trae / Huerter / Snell / Gallo / Capela.  At least then you have a defensive anchor.  AND it may have all been moot because Capela MAY have gotten the rebound from Trae's miss.  

The bottom line for me is having Capela out of the game is indefensible.  Personally, I would have gone with Trae / Huerter / Snell / Solo / Capela based on who was available.  

This is absolutely right but my point is not who was playing the 5 but the fact that Gallo was in the game because Collins was NA.   Gallo is the only sub for Collins we have.   If collins was available we would have been looking at Trae/Heurter/Snell/Solo/Collins on that last play.   And possibly same result but at least Collins might have fouled him.

[REHawksFan]

23 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

This is absolutely right but my point is not who was playing the 5 but the fact that Gallo was in the game because Collins was NA.   Gallo is the only sub for Collins we have.   If collins was available we would have been looking at Trae/Heurter/Snell/Solo/Collins on that last play.   And possibly same result but at least Collins might have fouled him.

Gotcha.  Well that's not exactly a ringing endorsement for LP that if Collins had been healthy he STILL wouldn't have a Top 5 defender in the NBA in the game.  I'm not completely convinced that JC would have been in for Gallo instead of Solo in that scenario given LPs love of that small lineup, but I'll cede the point for the sake of this conversation.  

[Hawkmoor]

52 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

I agree wholeheartedly on Points 2 and 3.  Nate is FAR FAR better in his rotations and just general feel for the game.  

Regarding point 1 though, I think you've got it backwards.  Nate allowed Trae to play to his strengths and find his scoring first and then let the facilitating flow from that.  In all three games his points came before his assists.  And the offense had more flow in all three games than in typical LP games.  Last night he had 5 assists before he had taken 2 shots.  Assists obviously aren't bad.  That's not what I'm saying.  But there's a reason the Hawks are 4-11 when he has double digit assists and 11-6 when he scores 26 or more (8-3 when he scores 30 or more).   

We are gonna meet in the middle of this one and both be correct.  You are 100 percent correct that Trae went off in those games on offense and scored BEFORE he was a playmaker.  Where we are gonna meet in the middle is the fact that Nate HAD A PLAN.  This took hesitation out of Trae's game and that translated to the other players FILLING IN ROLES.  Normally, under Pierce, the other players are hesistant and RUSH shots because they never know when or if Trae is gonna pass the ball. 

With Nate, if he is telling Trae to let the offense flow thru him, this eliminates the hesitation in Trae's game, it eliminates his teammates from wondering if " is this the game where Trae is gonna be a assist man ".  I stand corrected, with Nate, there was a plan, even if the plan meant that Trae was ASSIGNED to run the offense through him, there was a plan, so you corrected me on that.

[REHawksFan]

1 minute ago, Hawkmoor said:

We are gonna meet in the middle of this one and both be correct.  You are 100 percent correct that Trae went off in those games on offense and scored BEFORE he was a playmaker.  Where we are gonna meet in the middle is the fact that Nate HAD A PLAN.  This took hesitation out of Trae's game and that translated to the other players FILLING IN ROLES.  Normally, under Pierce, the other players are hesistant and RUSH shots because they never know when or if Trae is gonna pass the ball. 

With Nate, if he is telling Trae to let the offense flow thru him, this eliminates the hesitation in Trae's game, it eliminates his teammates from wondering if " is this the game where Trae is gonna be a assist man ".  I stand corrected, with Nate, there was a plan, even if the plan meant that Trae was ASSIGNED to run the offense through him, there was a plan, so you corrected me on that.

Perfect.  You said it a little different but it's the same concept as what several folks have been saying for the last few weeks.  The TEAM plays better when Trae is in control doing his thing and running the offense through him.  Usually, that means score first and then get everyone else involved.  I suppose Trae could evolve into a player that can get others involved first and then get his, but that's not him right now.  He needs to get himself going first and then let the others play their roles as you say and fee off of Trae.  Plus, the gravity and spacing Trae creates just by taking those shots and driving in the lane with the floater / lobs helps the other guys as well.  

 

[AUhawksfan]

4 hours ago, REHawksFan said:

I could have missed it, but I've not seen anyone question LP's work ethic.  I'm sure Nate meant it as a compliment but it doesn't really address the criticisms of LP.  And besides, hard working doesn't equate to competent or productive.  In fact, I'd argue the fact that he's so hard working and still suffers well below average results is an indictment on his coaching acumen. Talent level in year's past is certainly a valid consideration as are injuries this year, but  I'd argue he's still not getting the most out of the players he has available. And when you don't do that AND you continue making the same coaching decisions that turn out poorly, game after game, one begins to question your ability to adjust your mindset for the betterment of the team.  

I actually like LP as he seems like a good dude, but I think he's highly suspect in the coaching department - which is kinda a big deal since he's a coach and all.  Even if you subscribe to the notion that there's valid reasons for the record, at some point players stop responding to you because the message that isn't working gets old.  Sometimes teams are just stuck in a rut and need new leadership.  I tend to think that's where the Hawks are now.    

This right here. I agree, he seems like a good dude and I like his personality but there are plenty of people I’ve worked with that I liked personally but they did a bad job.  If you’re making the same mistake over and over, it shows no flexibility with your strategy and mindset about how you coach.  I agree that the same old routine is falling on deaf ears with the players. I think he makes a great assistant but I’d rather have Nate at the helm making decisions. 

[Atlantaholic]

3 hours ago, AHF said:

If the goal was to take a late shot, then you really don't need Gallo's offense on the floor because Trae is going to create.

If the goal is to take a shot with time on the clock, you need defense on the floor.  Gallo / Solo D = 

But we also had injured Snell and Heurter out there!.... wait.

[JayBirdHawk]

1 minute ago, Atlantaholic said:

But we also had injured Snell and Heurter out there!.... wait.

Who would replace them though?  Beside Cap who should have been on the floor, the other options were Rondo, Mays and OO of the guys who played earlier.

[Atlantaholic]

Just now, JayBirdHawk said:

Who would replace them though?  Beside Cap who should have been on the floor, the other options were Rondo, Mays and OO of the guys who played earlier.

Yup, not a lot of options. But that just highlights the necessity of keeping Capela out there with one defensive posessino left in the game.

[Hawkmoor]

1 hour ago, AUhawksfan said:

This right here. I agree, he seems like a good dude and I like his personality but there are plenty of people I’ve worked with that I liked personally but they did a bad job.  If you’re making the same mistake over and over, it shows no flexibility with your strategy and mindset about how you coach.  I agree that the same old routine is falling on deaf ears with the players. I think he makes a great assistant but I’d rather have Nate at the helm making decisions. 

You can tell when Nate is coaching that the players are more involved and WANT to be more involved in whats going on.  With Pierce, its shoulder shrugs and confusion with the players.

[Buzzard]

19 minutes ago, Atlantaholic said:

Yup, not a lot of options. But that just highlights the necessity of keeping Capela out there with one defensive posessino left in the game.

Exactly! I don't know how anyone can argue against having your only way above average defender on the floor at crunch time. Not to mention Trae and Capela have been lob city offensively the past two weeks.

Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful

LP overthinks and micromanages way to much.

Edited February 24, 2021 by Buzzard

[Peoriabird]

27 minutes ago, Buzzard said:

LP overthinks

I think you are being way to generous here.  I think the term to used should be under-thinking because he could not foresee the events unfolding past that offensive set like Capela setting an adequate screen to free someone up for a lay up or easy shot or Trae getting fouled using that screen or the potential for a lob dunk or the potential for an offensive rebound of a missed shot or a defensive stop on the other end etc.