Both. But, they didn't win on the road when they had Wiggins.Originally Posted by M2
Both. But, they didn't win on the road when they had Wiggins.
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
Fair, though they've had their starting 5 available for only 331 minutes (they're +24.3 per 100 possessions). Having all 5 together strikes me as their best potential saving throw. Side question on the Warriors, if we could rewind to right before the deadline should the Warriors have put a bet down on a guy like Vucevic? Would have cost Wiseman, Looney, and Moody.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
With the pace the Warriors want to play, I'm not sure if Vucevic would have chance to leave the logo area after the opening tip. I think you're right though, that a guy like him would at least bring a dimension to the offense they currently lack.
I think at least some of the blame falls on Jordan Poole, though. After appearing to be channeling his inner Steph last season, Poole has been throwing up a high volume of bricks from deep this year (33% three-point rate on 7.9 attempts/game) and his turnover rate (3.2/G) is at a career high. Lastly, they're not getting any younger. I think it's pretty crazy that they had a near-motherlode of high draft picks from 2020-21, but instead of packaging any of them for young established talent, they were used the to draft players (Wiseman, Kuminga, Moody) who have combined to be of almost no use, even when Kerr sees fit/is forced to give them minutes (which is another issue entirely).
That being said, they're probably still the Warriors until someone tells them via a playoff series win, that they're not the Warriors any more.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
My comments in parentheses.
March 18th, 2023 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams
Unless they turn things around quickly and drastically, the Trail Blazers will miss the playoffs and the play-in tournament for a second consecutive year since hiring Chauncey Billups as their head coach. However, a high-ranking source within the organization tells Jason Quick of The Athletic that the idea of firing Billups “hasn’t even crossed our minds.” (90% of Blazer fans who stomach his crap every day for two years now want him out of here, thus the reason the article had to be printed. Probably 70% want Simons gone as we are going into Year 9 of the 2-small-guards-who-can't-play-defense experiment.)
Billups has also received endorsements from several of Portland’s most important players, including Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Jerami Grant, according to Quick. Grant, who is eligible for free agency this summer, said that outsiders calling for Billups to be let go are “stupid,” adding that he’s “ready to run through a wall” for his coach. (But, apparently he's not ready to grab a rebound or play any Defense, so yeah, who wouldn't support a Coach who lets him get away with that AND get his numbers in a contract year instead of developing younger players in a throw-away season.)
For his part, Billups told Quick that he’s in frequent contact with Blazers general manager Joe Cronin and isn’t afraid of losing his job. “I don’t worry about that, at all,” Billups said. “We have our talks and everything, and that will remain between us, but I don’t worry about that at all.” (He definitely coaches like he has job security.)
(We could get Wembeyana and we'll be bottom-half of the lottery again.)
“… The sad part about this season is we never got to see our team play. We had Josh, GP, Justise (Winslow) … veterans we know who were really going to help you win. And early in the season, we had a lot of those guys playing, and we were kicking up some dust, playing well. But an injury here … and all the stuff that happened (trades of Hart and Payton) … it was just tough.” (All you ever get is excuses from Billups while blaming everything on his players and front office. Nobody here is judging Billups based upon the players he doesn't have, but are weighing their opinions on what he does with the players he has on a given night.)
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
Why deal with facts?
But, 331 minutes is actually about 25 games, as it usually takes about that many games for any group of five to put together 331 minutes.
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
27 games, actually.
https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced
Interesting that the Warriors starting five have actually played 24 more minutes together than Philly's group of Tucker/Harris/Embiid/Harden/Maxey. That being said, M2 has a point as Golden State's starters have murdered opponents to the tune of +21.9 points in those 331 minutes.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
Kingspoint (03-18-2023),M2 (03-18-2023)
It was just an educated guess on my part.
Which is why they need both Wiggins and Payton. Not having a real big might come back to bite them.
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
On the road versus Indiana tonight, the Sixers started strong- running out to a 10-point lead after the first- held serve over the next two quarters, then pulled away late while Embiid was resting on the bench. The Pacers played well enough offensively- hitting 51% of their shots and about 39% of their three-point attempts. But Philadelphia, without James Harden (rest) and P.J. Tucker (ankle) just blitzed Indy to the tune of 61% from the field and 43% from deep to cruise to a 141-121 win.
Joel Embiid finished a super-efficient 30-minute night, hitting 10 of his 15 shots for 31 points and adding 7 boards and the same number of assists. Tyrese Maxey was the first-half star for Philly with 20 points, and also ended the night with 31 points on 67% shooting and 5 (of 9) treys. Tobias Harris rounded out the 20+ point scorers for the Sixers with 24 points, going 9-of-12 from the floor while being a lot more involved in the offense with Harden out. Philly fans should give a big shout out to DeAnthony Melton. While his 14 points were appreciated, his 6 steals set up a number of easy buckets for the squad. Honestly, it's pretty hard to find any rough spots with anyone's play tonight- surprising when on the tail end of a back-to-back.
Again, the Pacers played well offensively while putting up 121 points. The entire starting lineup finished with double-digit points, led by Aaron Nesmith's 25. He, Andrew Nembhard (22 points, 9-for-16 shooting), and Jordan Nwora (13 points, 9 boards, 5 assists) were all impressive while Myles Turner had a very solid 20 points, throwing in 7 of his 12 shot attempts, most from close to the rim. I actually thought that as much as Philly switched, the Pacers should have gone more often to Turner- who often found himself with Maxey or Melton guarding him as he rolled to the rim.
Off to Philadelphia for the first of a home-at-home versus Chicago, then a big breath for the start of a road trip gauntlet of Golden State, Phoenix, and Denver.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
goreds2 (03-19-2023)
Gutsy win by Utah tonight, beating Boston by a point without Sexton or Clarkson. That allows them to move past the Lakers into the final play-in spot, and the Celtics loss allows Philly to take over the 2nd seed in the East.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
goreds2 (03-19-2023)
I can’t believe the Jazz got Walker Kessler as essentially a throw in with the Gobert trade.
Boston Red (03-18-2023),M2 (03-18-2023),SteelSD (03-19-2023)
I literally just did. You even quoted them. That unit has a sexy +/- and hasn't played a ton of games together.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
In an update of my favorite NBA stat, Buddy Hield is now 30th all-time in 3-point FGs. In 2 or 3 games he'll catch Steve Nash and he has an fair chance of passing Dale Ellis for the 28th slot by the end of the season. Also has an outside chance of becoming only the 3rd player ever to sink 300+ 3-pointers in a single season, joining Steph Curry (four teams, he's not human) and James Harden.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
goreds2 (03-19-2023)
In a scramble for the ball last night, Hield- from the floor- hoisted up a shot to try to beat the shot clock. It was nowhere near, but that was soooooo Buddy Hield.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
M2 (03-19-2023)
To be fair, he probably had a 30%+ chance of making it.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
SteelSD (03-19-2023)
They demanded Kessler. Wasn't a throw-in. Jazz wouldn't do the deal without him.
- - - Updated - - -
I was praising you for using facts and mocking myself for not mentioning them. I know I left it a little obscure, but hoped I was clear enough. Sorry I wasn't and left you thinking the opposite.
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
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