Mstermisty wrote:lipoli390 wrote:Mstermisty wrote:To be 5-14 you have to be doing a lot of things wrong. You could point at pretty much everything on this team and make an argument. Even Thibs.
The truth is probably much simpler: our main guys are not physically or mentally ready yet to compete on a high level or even a playoff level. Combine that with having to learn a new system, poor point guard play, poor bench play, and losing a lot of close games and you have 5-14. While I think this is underachieving, maybe realistically it's closer to where we should actually be at this point.
We shouldn't be worse than we were last season, but we are. By worse, I mean worse than last season in its entirely not just worse than how we played after the allstar break last season. And we are enormously worse than we were post-allstar break last season. I know some are in denial and try to come up with ways to diminish that comparison. The latest feeble effort forced on some wins against teams that weren't very good or weren't at full strength. Well, we've played generally mediocre teams so far this season and played a number of teams missing key guys. Remember our win over the D-League version of Memphis earlier this season? That's just one example. So yes, we are far worse than we were later last season and the team late last season should be more reflective of the caliber team entering this season.
We can point to a lot of things that account for our pathetic performance thus far this season. But at some point a root-cause analysis needs to be done. I think it's obvious where the weight of the evidence is pointing. But I've vowed to give it another 30 days before giving up completely on the bellowing bag of negativity carping on the sideline.
While I think learning a new system and adjusting to a different style of coaching has contributed, I don't see Thibs as the problem. Maybe by the end of the season I'll think differently. But all I see is young players making stupid decisions on the court, trying to play hero ball, and struggling on defense, often under the hoop getting manhandled. When the game is on the line they start thinking the game instead of playing. A good example tonight would be the Zach and Wiggs 2 on 1 fast break. That should be 2 points every time.
Could they be better? Yes. But honestly I'm just starting to think this team was meant to take it's lumps until the main guys figure it out. It's frustrating though. We all want to see it happen sooner than later.
Well put Misty.
