One of my close friends from college is a massive Suns fan and has court side tickets. This is pretty much exactly what he has said about the Morris twins. I think Marcus was much more of a malcontent in Phoenix but he seems to be a front runner who becomes kind of toxic when things go bad.
Can you explain the "joyless team" bit more? Were there any offenders that stood out more than others? Did it seem like certain players were causing the joylessness?
This is in essence where the chemistry issues on the floor originate in regards to players identifying their roles. We have a clear cut #1 option and everyone knows this. Then we have four or five 3rd/4th types who are all trying to be the #2 scoring option rather than each player on the floor recognizing that the 1 and 2 are the guys you run plays for and look to when the shot clock gets under 10 while understanding when/where to be spotting up, screening, and doing other things to help the 1/2 do the primary scoring. Nobody is doing these "little things" as 3/4/5 scoring options as they are all actively looking to be part of the 1/2 on any given possession with so much money at stake for them to put up production numbers.
As I said above, the Cs don't really have a #2 scoring option. JT was supposed to be that guy but he isn't there yet. And I don't think that's because he doesn't get touches. It's just because he's 20.
Let's not forget Jackie MacMullan's fantastic piece on the Morris brothers mental health during this period. http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24393541/jackie-macmullan-complex-issue-mental-health-nba-african-american-community
I agree with you. I think it is also because he's fighting with 4 other players for those "number 2" touches as well.
He is also attempting more shots from what some might term a sub-optimal distance this season. Last year his the percentage of his shots from three feet to sixteen feet was just over 20%. This year he is shooting over 25% of his shots from there. He has been better around the rim out to 10 feet but from 10 feet and out beyond the arc, his shooting % has fallen off, particularly for deep mid-ranges and threes.
Yes. Because he should never be on the floor with Kyrie. He's just a backup 1.
This reminds me of the old Francona complaints each year during the regular season as he is winning World Series Championships in October. Brad is not coaching this team to optimize every minute or even every game during the regular season which is what some here are commenting on assuming that he is. He isn't. Brad's minute distribution and lineups in the spring will not resemble what we are seeing during these 82-games. He doesn't give a rats ass about the Kyrie/Rozier net rating in the regular season if getting Rozier a few extra minutes each night keeps him engaged enough to be a productive "backup 1" in the playoffs which is what really matters.
Agreed.
I'm looking forward to his return Monday against Houston so we can hear how Brad is mismanaging his roster by not playing Horford at the 4 so our best rim protector can chase PJ Tucker around 25 feet from the basket.I can't believe Brad isn't playing Baynes more. That's a real error in my book.
yea, PJ Tucker is an offensive savant that would torch Al Horford
He was often exceeding 20 mpg starting around late November, aside from the 2nd half of back-to-back games. He's also been hurt quite a bit this season.
Many of those games were blowout wins. Of the recent games prior to reinjuring himself one was a 20-pt blowout over Cleveland and the other vs Memphis when it makes sense to run him with Horford in certain spots.
I love Vucevic and think he would be a great fit this year. The problem is that his success/AS appearance (first Magic player to appear in the AS game in six seasons)and the Magic being in the hunt probably made the asking price too costly at the deadline.
Again for the 5th time, False. You keep trying and it's flat out wrong.
Are you serious? Horford isn't their best rim protector.
So now you've moved to calling power forwards "wings"?
Their usage was spotted for them not to be overexposed against bad matchups. Sure, Baynes started all those games last year when we were decimated with injuries but that was NEVER the plan entering the season nor was it moving forward.......and Brad STILL spotted him only 18 mpg due to matchups favoring Horford at his natural 5 position. Doc actually played Davis MORE minutes than Baynes in each of his seasons so really it was Brad being MORE protective of Baynes’ matchups. Powe played similar minutes as Baynes.
Yes because most of this years 4’s are playing as traditional 3’s or 3/4’s and not as 4’s or 4/5’s. It’s happening like every game we play do you not see the floor spaced with small 4’s? Tonight, for example, the Wizards start two stretchy 4’s at the 4/5 in Portis and Ariza. The other night Houston started 4 perimeter players and a 5.
Pointing out the exceptions does not make the rule. Again, I count about 20 starting PFs that were also starting PFs last year. If Horford could handle the exact same guys last year, why would it be impossible for him to do so this year? Did they all get much quicker, and Horford much slower, in the course of one year?
I see this too and it definitely looks like a team lacking confidence in the game plan and each other.
Rozier is a perfect example of this. I dump on the guy a lot, but an open 15 footer is an open 15 footer. Last night I could practically hear him thinking, “I’ll get yelled at if I take this shot. So I’ll just dribble it into the floor instead.”
This is spot on. It seems I am constantly yelling at my tv for them to shoot the ball and then they end up with a more contested shot later in the possession. JT is definitely the worst offender.
Last night he was behind the arc, pumped faked his man perfectly, and did what we’ve all been yelling at him to do all year - side step to remain in 3-point range instead of dribbling forward for a long 2-pointer. Set himself up perfectly for an open 3.
That was a good play.
The Celtics are 14-5 when Semi plays 12 minutes or more, 9-2 when he plays 16 minutes or more. Not a huge sample size, but on a team where players are struggling to fulfill roles, Semi knows exactly what he needs to do when he gets in the game- try to consistently put his chiseled body in front of the other team's best wing, and make opportunistic plays on offense the few times they arise.
Let's put this stat in its proper context and point out the reason WHY Semi is playing 12 or more minutes in these games. These 14 wins include Celtic victories of 29, 18, 33, 56, 21, 16, 21, and 27 points. It does seem like Semi knows exactly what to do in these games...….run the clock out while the bus is getting warm.
People are clamoring for role playing on the Celtics. I point out that they have a guy on the roster that has been effective as a role player. The point isn't whether Semi is like 100 other guys in the league, but that he can fill a role on this team.
I think HRB’s point is that Semi’s main role has been eating minutes in blowouts. Maybe you’re right that Semi can defend good opposing wings, but Brad hasn’t seen fit to give him much run in that role in meaningful situations.
Yes that was my point. The other thing is that most young players aren't capable of being trusted to provide quality role player minutes which is why championship level teams design their bench with primarily veterans. Semi was pretty bad last year when multiple injuries forced him to play so I surely wouldn't be entrusting this player in any role on my team. After he leaves Boston maybe he'll get an opportunity for minutes on a lottery team as a platform for him to improve and grow.
At least he'll go out there and give it all he's got where Morris will just ass drag through his 18 - 30 minutes. With Brad's track record of getting average talent to overachieve and conversely failing to get the best out of vets I really don't see a huge downside in getting a rough around the edges energy guy some more minutes. At this point; why not?
Because he can’t close on a jump shooter for shit — good NBA wings will shoot over Semi like he isn’t there. Even a less-than-motivated MaMo is a better option.
I guess what I don’t get about this is that the team hasn’t been playing good, team-centric basketball since well before early February. So I have trouble attributing the frustrating play to Kyrie’s mood suddenly changing a month or so ago.
