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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 9, 2024 21:10:55 GMT -5
The trend I pointed out a while ago continues and is deeply troubling, 71 points to the Wizards in a half is not acceptable. The problem is to often the team is so talented they usually can overcome their defensive lack of effort and outscore the other team enough that some effort for a small part of the game overcomes their overall lack of effort on D. If this mindset does not stop what happens when it actually matters, say the second round or further into the playoffs. In all sports sometimes the record does not matter until the end, and trends especially defensively matter more especially when you are championship caliber. How much longer can this lack of effort, and make no mistake defense is typically all about effort, how long does this have to last before we all get very concerned? Hell, I'm usually on the rah-rah enjoy the ride side of things.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 7, 2024 21:48:26 GMT -5
Weird game - 14 turnovers, to the line only 9 times to Atlanta's 20. But - a win is a win is a win is.... Odd game for sure, what I did like was 4 starters with between 6 and 8 assist each, that and 15 combined steals and blocks, and the only quarter we lost was the first. Didn't like Tatum's 2-13 on 3s he kept going to an empty well.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 7, 2024 21:08:29 GMT -5
Some nice stuff from PP the last few minutes I never noticed how athletic KP was until he played for us, he's about as smooth a 7 footer as I can remember. He's also been very consistently good, I guess that's why he is the Unicorn.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 7, 2024 20:47:27 GMT -5
I see they have entered the “defense optional” portion of the season. Its been a bad trend, hoping it'd just the dog days of the schedule. Not counting their last game they've allowed 114, 124, 112, 115, 110, 110, 107 their previous seven games which is about 113 per game.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 4, 2024 20:24:15 GMT -5
With the trade deadline being Friday what does this team need? Man I thought they needed a big for improved depth but I no longer think that. If KP is hurt we are a bit screwed but we are not getting another starting center nor do we need one. With Korney, Horford and Queta I no longer think that is a need, I really don't know what is at this point, what do you all think?
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 4, 2024 20:17:13 GMT -5
Jordan Walsh dunk for his first bucket Nice to see as was 14 players with at least 7 minutes. I missed Gino on the scoreboard. They should work on something like that.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 4, 2024 19:00:48 GMT -5
One thing I haven't seen anyone bring up after alot of criticism of coach Joe M., and the criticism was just, is during the last several weeks Joe's learned to call timely time-outs.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 4, 2024 18:40:04 GMT -5
That's likely nostalgia, that how that works. I remember even the 86 team having a klunker or two, not to dispute in any way your evaluation of their performance. Sure, klunkers, they happen. I've no issue with clunkers, per se. I remember Jo Jo shooting 4-20, kicking the ball out of bounds a couple too many times, Cowens in foul time so here comes high Henry, and a loss. But Jo Jo went 4-20 shooting mostly good shots, shots the offense dictated, his shots. He kicked the ball out of bounds, sure, but not because he was playing 1 versus 5, but because variance in performance is to be expected. That is what is frustrating about this team. Strive to do what you do best and be disciplined about it. You ever see Robert Parish shoot a 20-footer, Silas fail to crash the boards, Big Red fail to put body on body, Hondo stop and watch the action? Max & Kevin worked the box, KG in-range jumpers, Ray loved the corner threes, Paul put that thick strong body to work, he drove and finished. They did other things, of course (yes, Paul jab step, late-clock mid-range jumpers) but this was their MONEY and they were disciplined enough to go to money relentlessly. I don't think this crew is relentless enough. Or so it seems to me. Maybe I misremember the other teams, the champions. I hope I am wrong. p.s., It occurs to me Al embodies the example I am trying to make. Al doesn't always play good, but he most always plays within the confines of "how" he should play: sometimes he makes the threes, sometimes he misses; sometimes he blocks the post-up, sometimes he gets scored on. But, generally speaking (& this from the perspective of an amateur) Al most always plays exactly how he should so I can live with the outcome -- what more could he have done? Hopefully I'm done with this topic for awhile. What you said about Al could also be said about Marcus. Really nice to see the love for Smart there (I'm watching the game about 15 minutes behind)and I'm one of the people that thought the trade was the right timing.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 3, 2024 12:24:09 GMT -5
No Lebron or AD versus Celtics tonight (NBA & TNT must be thrilled). Question: should this be a load management game for us -- rest JT and/or JB plus either Al or KP -- or, try to win by 50 (it IS the Lakers in town)? They chose: None of the Above This sort of putrid performance makes me in no hurry to watch them play again. I expect that'll wear off but ... gosh, this was awful. Maybe my memory is failing but I don't recall KG, PP & Ray et al, or Larry, DJ, Kevin, Chief & company, or John, Jo Jo, Big Red, Tall Paul & that crew ever just not competing. That's likely nostalgia, that how that works. I remember even the 86 team having a klunker or two, not to dispute in any way your evaluation of their performance.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 1, 2024 21:47:23 GMT -5
Stars heard Lebron and Davis weren’t playing so they said they wouldn’t play either TNT broadcaster said see Lebron and Davis on the bench this is what its all about, FFS, what in gods green earth is he talking about?
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Feb 1, 2024 20:43:36 GMT -5
They are playing like they want to lose, no effort.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 30, 2024 22:05:09 GMT -5
I prematurely decided that only Boston, Philly or the Bucks could make it out of the East but Indiana could be a dark horse.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 30, 2024 22:02:55 GMT -5
Why can't we get players like that?
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 30, 2024 21:43:49 GMT -5
One thing I've not seen mentioned is not only has the rotation players done very overall this year in Horford, Pritchard, Houser and Kornet but even Queta, Brisset and Blanton and Stevens have played well in the limited minutes off the end of the bench.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 30, 2024 21:11:28 GMT -5
There was a side show Bob sighting on the Pacer bench
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 30, 2024 21:07:58 GMT -5
To my point yesterday 81 is unbelievable but the 66 is terrible. The D needs to improve. I actually started to write this at halftime but was distracted.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 29, 2024 22:14:51 GMT -5
It’s crazy how much better Tatum is this year attacking the basket. That needs to be his default mode. And until the J's hit a higher percentage of 3's perhaps they should be taking a few less a game. And in lieu of those 3's attack the net even more. Tatum in particular, as he is now clearly better at creating his own shot even when it's a half court set as opposed to Brown who is marginally better in attacking the D before it's set. I wish Brown would play most games like he does the first quarter of most games. These are nit picking points but applicable none the less. So as usual I often watch a recorded game of the C's and begin it about a half hour after it starts. The fourth quarter, especially the second half of it was awesome, by Tatum, White and Hortford. With 7:52 left in the game they were down 8 yet they won by 6 a 14 point swing on the final 8 minutes after trailing most of the game. The refs for about 5 minutes in the third spoiled it somewhat but it was a great win none the less. One possession by Tatum in particular stood out, he let the clock run some, good move, but he did not let it run down to the last few second, he suddenly drove to the next and caught the defense napping, love to see some more of that.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 29, 2024 21:27:19 GMT -5
Fun fact they’re still betting favorites in this one despite being down 8 As crazy as from the moment they climbed the hill to bring it back to a one possession game every call has been for the Pelicans. Still plenty of time but this is getting the feel we have to win by ten tonight to win by one.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 29, 2024 20:39:07 GMT -5
Pelicans are shooting the lights out. Too many good looks Good assessment. Everyone loves to point out meaningless, in the big picture, team weaknesses the moment it losses but the one thing I have not liked recently even in some of the wins is how many points the opposition has scored. And I do think some of that has to do with other teams shooting well and much of it does not. They may be simply entering a little slump right now. They have been playing several really good teams lately. I can acknowledge current weaknesses without making crazy assessments like this is why they won't win it all yadda yadda yadda. They are too good a team to have any real kind of losing streak and I believe they are still on pace to win 62 games. To me winning 60 games remains the hallmark of a great-ish team.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 29, 2024 20:30:40 GMT -5
Some of these starters turn into pumpkins when Porzingis is out. I think last game was the exception and wouldn't go that far, however kinda to your point KP brings a dynamic to the team that makes us very hard to beat. We need all 3 of them healthy in the playoffs with none of them missing more than a game or two at a time. KP makes us better on so many levels. I'm not sure why the media hasn't called them the third big 3 yet or something to that affect.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 28, 2024 23:31:15 GMT -5
Buehler and maybe Gallen are really the only ones I see as likely to sign an extension. Rosenthal has already said there’s a mutual understanding that Fried is leaving next offseason, for example. Burnes definitely isn’t re-signing. Rumors are that Houston doesn’t have the money for Valdez, either, and I’d imagine guys like Cease and Keller aren’t exactly raring to extend with their current teams. Tampa is Tampa, so I’d be surprised if they pay Eflin. And of course, those aren’t the only guys who would be hitting free agency over the next two years. Curious what it would be if you’re not being generous. Every-time someone list free agent pitchers to be, the list inevitably shrinks whether or not they are extended, which you already concede a few are likely to be, or they are traded, point being the list shrinks. No need not to be generous here.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 28, 2024 23:15:01 GMT -5
You stated, "when the likes of Max Fried, Walker Buehler, Corbin Burnes, Zach Wheeler, Zac Gallen, Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Mitch Keller, and Zach Eflin are gonna be free agents in the next year or two?" we all know that they will not be free agents by the time it reaches that point. It's not a valid arguement it is speculative at best if I'm being generous. Buehler and maybe Gallen are really the only ones I see as likely to sign an extension. Rosenthal has already said there’s a mutual understanding that Fried is leaving next offseason, for example. Burnes definitely isn’t re-signing. Rumors are that Houston doesn’t have the money for Valdez, either, and I’d imagine guys like Cease and Keller aren’t exactly raring to extend with their current teams. Tampa is Tampa, so I’d be surprised if they pay Eflin. And of course, those aren’t the only guys who would be hitting free agency over the next two years. Curious what it would be if you’re not being generous.
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 28, 2024 21:41:02 GMT -5
Odd how about two weeks ago an ad had both KC and SF listed for the Super Bowl. Sure it was merely an accident AND also just an amazing coincidence. You can fool most people most of the time.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 27, 2024 20:41:28 GMT -5
Woof on that half I take it the clippers remembered that beating we gave them on their home court and wanted to serve us a receipt They showed a stat where from roughly Dec. 4 the Clippers have the best record in the NBA. Could be a preview of the Finals. I went and did a few quick chores and come back and they went from down 4-6 to 18 what happened? Also 39 point first half after 77 against the Heat is a tough one to swallow. Well let's see if we can make the third ours this time. Keeping the starters and KP healthy is the single most important thing with this team. They have only a few others minor things to work on.
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jodyreidnichols
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Post by jodyreidnichols on Jan 27, 2024 19:36:32 GMT -5
Last year they started the season with 8: Sale, Paxton, Kluber, Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, Houck, and Whitlock, with Murphy, Walter, and Mata in the wings. It wasn't enough. (You can say Giolito is more reliable health-wise than some of those guys, but a) any pitcher can get injured, and b) he can hardly be expected to pitch 240 innings, which is what they got from Sale/Paxton/Kluber last year.)
If they had a top 4 of the rotation like the Blue Jays or Mariners I'd be comfortable with Houck/Whitlock/Winckowski as the #5/6/7 starters. But if they're not going to have any obviously top-of-the-rotation type starters the least they could do is try to make up for it with depth.
As for your other points, I'll just say that my median expectation is that 1-2 starters will be injured at all times, and they should plan accordingly. Both you and Breslow seem to think otherwise, and I think that's where the main difference of opinion lies.
For what it's worth, ZiPS projects Giolito, Criswell, and Walter to outproduce Sale/Paxton/Kluber's output from last year by around 1 WAR in the same amount of innings, in no small part because they probably would've been better off giving Kluber's innings to Pablo Reyes. I guess I'm just curious what you want for depth. They've got Giolito, Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, Houck, Whitlock, Winckowski, Castillo, Criswell, Murphy, and Walter as options to start games. Sure, odds are good someone's gonna be banged up at any given moment, but it's not like they're all gonna have season-ending injuries. They have plenty of bodies to make a start here and there.
They could really use someone at the top, definitely. But are you gonna give Blake Snell $30 million/yr or Jordan Montgomery $25 million/yr when the likes of Max Fried, Walker Buehler, Corbin Burnes, Zach Wheeler, Zac Gallen, Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Mitch Keller, and Zach Eflin are gonna be free agents in the next year or two? I get why they're leaning "no" there. Missing out on Yamamoto basically guaranteed the roster wouldn't get where it needed to be this offseason. And like I said earlier, I do think this team is a tougher sell to a Lugo/Wacha/Lorenzen type, since it's really not guaranteed that they get enough starts to turn a short-term deal here into a bigger payday. At the end of the day I get the decision to trust their ability to help those guys turn flashes of brilliance into sustained success.
No reason not to add another bat, though. It's not like they can't afford it.
You stated, "when the likes of Max Fried, Walker Buehler, Corbin Burnes, Zach Wheeler, Zac Gallen, Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Mitch Keller, and Zach Eflin are gonna be free agents in the next year or two?" we all know that they will not be free agents by the time it reaches that point. It's not a valid arguement it is speculative at best if I'm being generous.
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