longstrangetrip wrote:Abe, let me make my point about Sam's influence on the defense a different way. The Wolves became one of the best offensive teams in the league at the end of the season after ranking near the bottom at the start of the season. Are we then to conclude that Sam is the greatest offensive coach of all time, and that it was his offensive influence that turned this team around? Of course not. The Wolves became a much better offensive team because KG's and Tay's minutes were replaced by players who can score but not defend. Similarly, that's the reason the team got so much worse defensively as the season progressed. It would be disingenuous to pin the defensive woes of this club on Sam without giving him credit for the offensive turnaround...especially when both have much more to do with KG than Sam.
Agreed. I think Mitchell should get more credit for the team's offensive improvement.
I just wanted to make it clear that I don't agree with absolving him of the defensive struggles.
[Note: I get your point about swapping defensive players for offensive ones. But Garnett has played only 556 minutes the entire season. Even when in the fold, he was playing less than 1/3 of the game.]
I'll add this here but you know all that stuff Sam has said he has been telling his players about what they need to do to get better if they are doing those things and it seems like that is happening. They have had some legit level of success including beating GS the other day. So maybe these players are thinking now "ok Sam and these coaches and vets know what they were talking about look at us!" And Sam can say see guys look at all that hard work you put in is paying off. That's some speculation but it's interesting to think about.
longstrangetrip wrote:The Mitchell vitriol on this board continues to astound me, and calling these two moves "blunders" is another example. Misty and monster both make good points about the timeout with 8 seconds left, and demonstrate why this was a 50/50 call...some will like it and some won't. But the timeout was a great move. Sam called two timeouts toward the end of the game...one when we were down 5 with about 7 minutes left and then the one up 5 in OT...and both were very timely. You could tell that the Wolves were really gassed at both times, and Sam saw it and called the timeout to let his players catch their breath. The first one resulted in 5 consecutive points that got us back in the game, and although Ricky missed a wide open look after the second one, it both refreshed the team and allowed Sam to reset his defense with Barnes coming in for Green. And you can't argue that it wasn't successful, because after getting their wind back the Wolves built their lead in the final minute.
I listened to KAT on the radio yesterday making his plea for Mitchell to come back. He talked about how everyone has developed during the year, and he credited the coaching staff for that. I recognize that the board sentiment is for the Wolves to bring in their 4th new coach in 6 years, but the last thing this young team needs is more instability. Everyone loves Rick Carlisle, but despite having a team with almost no veterans on it, the Wolves record since the all-star break is almost identical to the Mavs. Doesn't Sam deserve some credit for the improvement in this team the past couple months? This board has complained about every coach we have had except Flip, and my sources confirm he is not coming back. I'm hoping Glen recognizes the enormous steps this coaching staff has led this young team to this season and brings them back...this franchise needs some stability.
Yay a post from LST!!! It's good to hear your perspective especially one that's pro Sam.
Could you please let me know where you heard that radio spot with KAT talking about Sam?
Monster, Barreiro had KAT on his show Wednesday afternoon.
Thanks for the response I just listened to the spot. I think more than what Towns said directly about Sam was him talking multiple times before that about discipline and execution.
monsterpile wrote:I'll add this here but you know all that stuff Sam has said he has been telling his players about what they need to do to get better if they are doing those things and it seems like that is happening. They have had some legit level of success including beating GS the other day. So maybe these players are thinking now "ok Sam and these coaches and vets know what they were talking about look at us!" And Sam can say see guys look at all that hard work you put in is paying off. That's some speculation but it's interesting to think about.
I just find it hard to believe it was Sam and the staff that's been developing them all along and it's finally paid off. The improvements came pretty much directly when Sam finally fixed his rotation which logically would seem more like he has been holding their development back all year long and who knows where we'd be if he did this from the start. Why are guys now playing a more modern way offensively actually getting behind the three point line instead of ending up short of it? It's difficult to say how much credit Sam deserves. He came into the season with bad rotations and and old school mid-range jump shot offense and now a rotation change later we all of a sudden have a modern offense. Is that the coach changing his ways mid-season, playing the personnel in a way that fits what he wanted to do all along or the personnel basically forcing his hand to play a more modern style?
monsterpile wrote:I'll add this here but you know all that stuff Sam has said he has been telling his players about what they need to do to get better if they are doing those things and it seems like that is happening. They have had some legit level of success including beating GS the other day. So maybe these players are thinking now "ok Sam and these coaches and vets know what they were talking about look at us!" And Sam can say see guys look at all that hard work you put in is paying off. That's some speculation but it's interesting to think about.
I just find it hard to believe it was Sam and the staff that's been developing them all along and it's finally paid off. The improvements came pretty much directly when Sam finally fixed his rotation which logically would seem more like he has been holding their development back all year long and who knows where we'd be if he did this from the start. Why are guys now playing a more modern way offensively actually getting behind the three point line instead of ending up short of it? It's difficult to say how much credit Sam deserves. He came into the season with bad rotations and and old school mid-range jump shot offense and now a rotation change later we all of a sudden have a modern offense. Is that the coach changing his ways mid-season, playing the personnel in a way that fits what he wanted to do all along or the personnel basically forcing his hand to play a more modern style?
Good stuff to bring up. I was more commenting on the idea that the players may be buying into Sam and his staff a heck of a lot more than they were back when Jon K. wrote the story where several players had concerns.
