Rotation once our walking wounded return

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Q, who are the "vets that know what they are doing out there" other than Ricky?

Ricky, Pek, Martin, Adrien, and yes - even Mo and Thad when they are in proper roles more fitting for their skill-sets.

I'm not a Mo Williams fan at all - his efficiency as a player has been deteriorating for the past 4 or 5 years as I pointed out when we signed him. That being said, he is miles ahead of LaVine in terms of running the offense.

[Coolbreeze44]

I don't agree with that Q. I feel better with Zach at the helm than Mo. Zach though raw tries to get everybody involved in the offense. Mo is looking for his shot first. Not saying that I don't like Mo, we signed him to be the backup point guard so I think that's what we should do. But saying he's miles ahead of Lavine in terms of running the offense doesn't sound right. Lavine actually tries to run the offense, Mo doesn't.

And our D league options are a mess. It would be one thing if we had our own affiliate where we could control the situation somewhat, but just sending Zach down to play isn't in his best interest. To me he has proven he can play in the league. Now he is going to get a chance to come off the bench as a combo guard and that should help him quite a bit. I'm actually really looking forward to that.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Cool, you might feel better, but the results are horrific. We are a much worse team with him on the court versus off of it. Zach gets folks involved because Flip basically takes the ball out of his hands seconds after he crosses half-court. The offense typically is initiated with Young at the top of the key or Dieng popping out into the high post. And when Zach does get the ball, he rarely puts any pressure on the defense because he doesn't drive to the hoop, preferring instead to take long 2-point jumpers off the dribble. That means we are highly reliant on guys like Wiggins, Shabazz, and Young to create their own points. They rarely get easy looks due to a LaVine drive and dish or pick and roll.

The one area Zach excels at is in the open court, but unfortunately, that is a small fraction of our possessions.

I agree that he has the potential to play in this league, but I don't believe he's proven anything at this point. Perhaps he'd look different as a SG, but he has been a huge liability for us at point guard.

You make a good point about our D-league situation. I just don't know where the playing time will come from once Martin is healthy. We can't possibly leave Daniels on the end of the bench in my opinion.

[Coolbreeze44]

I don't really see the relevance of being statistically worse while he's on the floor. We're 5-26, and it's hard for me to blame our 19 year old raw rookie for that. What he's gaining by playing is much more important in my opinion.

But to your point, I don't really understand why he isn't putting pressure on the defense. His handle is good, his explosiveness is terrific. All he needs to do is develop the mindset, and I'm not one bit surprised that a guy with his experience doesn't have it yet. I'd rather keep putting him in there until he gets it. He's not going to play much point guard on this team going forward, so he's going to have another learning curve that starts once Ricky plays. Remember, he wasn't a top 10 pick - give him the time and patience he needs to come into his own. I think we've gotten great value out of him so far this season.

[mjs34]

Cool, you might feel better, but the results are horrific. We are a much worse team with him on the court versus off of it. Zach gets folks involved because Flip basically takes the ball out of his hands seconds after he crosses half-court. The offense typically is initiated with Young at the top of the key or Dieng popping out into the high post. And when Zach does get the ball, he rarely puts any pressure on the defense because he doesn't drive to the hoop, preferring instead to take long 2-point jumpers off the dribble. That means we are highly reliant on guys like Wiggins, Shabazz, and Young to create their own points. They rarely get easy looks due to a LaVine drive and dish or pick and roll.

The one area Zach excels at is in the open court, but unfortunately, that is a small fraction of our possessions.

I agree that he has the potential to play in this league, but I don't believe he's proven anything at this point. Perhaps he'd look different as a SG, but he has been a huge liability for us at point guard.

You make a good point about our D-league situation. I just don't know where the playing time will come from once Martin is healthy. We can't possibly leave Daniels on the end of the bench in my opinion.

Q, this sounds like a Flip issue, rather than a Lavine issue. Let's keep in mind that Zach was thrown into the fire when Ricky went down, but he has certainly improved significantly from those early games.

In reference to vets knowing how to play, I don't see Young suddenly passing the ball on the fast break. Young clearly doesn't understand his weaknesses, and I see no reason why that would change, particularly when Flip can't see them either. Is Young going to start trying to block out on defensive rebounds?

All I ever hear is how guys have to prove themselves in practice first. Why don't we care about lack of effort on the court during games? Mo doesn't get back on D, but yet there is never a word spoken in his direction by Flip. Bazz's guy knocks down a three from six feet behind the line at the end of the quarter and Flip is charging the court screaming. What this team needs is accountability by all the players, not just the young guys.