Take the 25 game pledge (... or if not, modify it to suit your own convictions... )

[JeffS17]

35 minutes ago, Wretch said:

Most of us checking people:

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@AHF checking people:

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@NBASupes getting ready to check somebody:

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Sturt checking people:

[Wretch]

14 minutes ago, JeffS17 said:

Sturt checking people:

[Wretch]

It me:

[JeffS17]

My major takeaways from the first part of this season:

• We have a lack of shooting problem that is partly caused by the Murray addition and partly caused by regression of Trae and JC.  I think Trae's poor shooting will rebound when he has more spacing to work with, but I am not necessarily banking on JC becoming a 3P threat again.  His shot just looks off now.  His misses are bad misses, and he doesn't look as confident as before.  I as assuming it has to do with his finger and injury history but it's a big problem given......
• CC and JC don't fit anymore with JCs 3P shooting regression and addition of Murray.  JC was never utilized to his full potential standing in the corner on the 3P line, but it worked for our offense in the past.  Now we have no spacing as everyone sees and has commented on
• We have a lot of weak points on defense, and you really cannot hide more than one at a time, particularly at similar positions.  CC is the most important player on defense, but disregarding him for a minute, we have too many atrocious perimeter defenders.  Lineups that include two of Trae/Bogi/AJ are basically unplayable because of how bad all three of them are on defense right now.  It gives Nate little flexibility on guard rotations.  I believe lineup stats with decent minutes would probably support this, but I'm basing this on just watching games.  In short, we need to develop AJ into a + defender which I believe he has the body and talent to be.  We also need to get off Bogi's contract ASAP because he is WOAT-tier defender imo as fun as it is to watch him rain in threes.  Aaron Holiday has been a refreshing surprise this year.
• We need a coaching change.  I think Nate would be a great assistant coach and a great guy to have on staff, but we need a head coach that is better at managing games and has an offensive system.  Even if that system is designed with Trae in mind, we need everyone on the team bought in so things do not devolve into iso ball.  It's possible we're going through growing pains, but the rejection of analytics and emphasis on mid rangers under Nate has been unacceptable imo.  Nate is just too old school.  Hoping to see a change this coming offseason.

[JayBirdHawk]

3 more games (LAL, LAC, MIL) to half the season being over.

 

Hawks are 18 - 20.

 

What's our record after 41 games? We were 17-24 after 41 last season.

 

[sturt]

On 1/3/2023 at 1:57 PM, sturt said:

Shakes isn't a serious discussant to the conversation. He's just trying to have fun, the mockery kind, where he thinks he's seized on some hypocrisy, and it's especially tasty to him b/c he has, from the outset of this thread, been allergic to the premise... to the basic standard.

That basic standard was inferred from the start, and as you've mentioned, that approach has been my history anyhow... but shakes is in the prosecution business here, so it doesn't serve his purposes to charge hypocrisy if he were to acknowledge that inference. His problem is, later in the thread and ahead of any of this conversation with him, I'd already stated that basic standard outright.

He's further stirred the pot in his own newer thread...

... where I'd responded... again... and again... debunked his line of logic. His total focus on the application of the standard is predictable. Again, he's in the prosecution business here... he's not seeking an actual rational reasonable respectable adult sort of discussion. He's been clear that he despises the whole notion of assessing the rotation only after all members have had actual time to gel, so why of course he's not seeking that.

 

No offense to anyone, but I'm bored with my own topic. Why are we even talking about it, I'm not sure, or that is, at least where it concerns me and my perspective. I've got nothing more to offer. I've said when they get back from this western trip, I'm ready to begin making some conclusions. Perhaps, though, I do still need to emphasize... begin. Performance begins to be indicative of capacity to win from sturt's point of view with the upcoming MIL game.

If shakes wants to continue to take a box cutter to what regard he's owed, it's nothing to me. I'm neither laughing or upset. My point's made and readers to whom substance is appealing? They get that.

 

 

 

Welcome! The day is finally here.

 

 

The preseason part of the season is done. Let's roll.

 

[RedDawg#8]

We need to adjust to our mindset offensively.

It’s not a Trae/Murray 1-2 punch featuring the others.

Trae is his own tier, but we have also seen that JC, Dre, Bogi, Murray can each go off on any given night. 

We need to be matchup hunting. Trae can do his thing, but he should be exploiting the hot hand. Some nights its JC and Dre, some nights its Bogi. But guys are showing us they can deliver when given the looks. And we showed we can win with Murray only giving 16pts .

Murray is the stabilizer when there is no Trae. But he is not the “2nd star”. His shot is not consistent enough for that. When he has it going, he is legit, and we need his defense obviously.

But we are just as good when JC and Dre have breakout games because of our lack of inside scoring.

I’m convinced that if JC, Dre or Bogi played for Pop during their career high seasons, they would have been all stars too. Sure, Murray has the winning mindset and leadership chops that we need. It needs to be a pick your poison offense. Not a defer to the 2 guards first offense.

If we play like that we will find offensive success. Our centers are the only guys you cannot run offense through. They can get theirs “in the flow.” We need to be intentional about the other guys.

 

 

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

3 minutes ago, RedDawg#8 said:

It’s not a Trae/Murray 1-2 punch featuring the others.

Trae is his own tier, but we have also seen that JC, Dre, Bogi, Murray can each go off on any given night. 

Yes and yes. The pairing doesn't need to be in some neat little box. It just needs a little creativity to bring out their best attributes. What I liked about Murray’s game was his ability to attack the paint. Too often he settles for the jump shot.

This makes so much sense.