Stotts Is Mediocre

[Orion Bailey]

Please help understand the X-factors that we seem to be missing.

Multiple injuries to both starters and role players on the bench.

Nobody (including Stotts, Hughes, Vanterpool and the rest) has any idea because he never came back in after his initial stint.

But it didn't work initially either. Again, Im not saying he got torched, but it didn't work.

I think the problem here is that people think (and I'm tending to agree) that Stotts doesn't realize that Kaman is a Jack of Spades that's usually pretty useful (6th man) but doesn't work if you're in a hand that's a wheel and heart draw (starting alongside Dame and LMA). And that Dorell is a 3 of clubs. He has peeked enough at CJ and Crabbe to see that they're both red, and that's about it. He hasn't even flipped Claver over yet.
Crabbe has. CJ hasn't had a ton of chances, but the effort, if not the results, is there. Wright is darn near worthless. Victor's game can't be volume output or glamorous because you need to be on the court to produce those things.

I agree with this for the most part. Except, I am not near as impressed with Crabbe as most others on this forum.

Nope, most people are saying Nic should be sitting because he's injured and plays like absolute (expletive adjective) (expletive object). It's only a slight exaggeration to say that most people think a trained monkey could play better and/or with more effort than Nic is playing right now. He doesn't need LBJ on the bench. He doesn't even need Aaron Afflalo or Jeff Green. Yet when you're pulling minutes, starting one night and completely sitting the next 4, racking up the DNPs, you can't possibly know what you have

I understand most people are saying sitting him for injuries, which I agree. but I have read statements, that it seems to be all about output, and no one who has filled his shoes when he HAS been out has done anything better than an injured Nico in my opinion. I am not saying don't rest him, but I am saying don't rest him for better production, because it isn't there. I am saying rest him and expect nothing more out of that position or you will be let down.

I think that you might be better if you try to stay focused on the arguments at hand, which have to do with Nic's ineptitude and the big man rotation, rather than a strawman about how Dame needs to sit.

The argument kinda translated into rest anyone who is hurt, so I brought up Dame, who is probably the second most, if not the most banged up guy on our team that is still starting every night. I understand resting them AND agree. I just wouldn't expect this team to see a turn around because of it. Nothing can really help this team but getting our bigs back at the moment. Rest or no rest for the hurt players. All star break will provide much needed rest for both Nico and Dame and then our bigs will be back.
I am saying that I think Stotts has tried to mix things up at times and it just hasn't worked. Some people read as it seems Stotts is just blind and not trying anything different.

I've spent longer than I should on this.

Also, Im still learning this place. Your quoting is much cleaner. I will figure it out for easier reading in the future.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

Crabbe hasn't show much of anything other then that he doesn't turn the ball over and plays passable defense (which is certainly a start, don't get me wrong).

 

[kjironman1]

Of course we have a Stotts bashing thread also. Lets see? You have a Batum basher. You got a CJ basher. You got a Lillard basher. You got a Neil basher. Stotts seems like a logical choice now. Of course i will be waiting for the Mathews and Aldridge bashing threads still on the way.

 

[TBpup]

Crabbe is 7-0 as a starter. Not sure what that means but with Nic as bad as he has been, I might try that at least until it doesn't work. He hits the open shot, doesn't force the issue, was even starting to go the basket a little bit and plays top-3 perimeter defense on Portland's roster.

As for the offense, it is so 3-pt oriented that as teams have have adjusted, there seems to be no 'Option B'. Players will pass up open looks or a completely wide-open lane to through the ball back out for a contested '3'. That just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense but I guess if that is the mentality from the top down, it becomes a habit.

Portland shoots very few FT's, forces almost a league low in TO's and rarely gets fast-break buckets. So they are left with hoping they are hot from the outside to win a game. That's fine when everyone is shooting a high percentage from out there but now Dame is in an 8- game slump and Nic has been a no-show for most of the season.

An adjustment or two might be in order...

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I know it is hyperbole week and all but seriously of course he doesn't deserve the max but what he does deserve is to be on our team next year which is no slam dunk.

He does deserve about twice as much money as most think is reasonable, from the results alone.

 

[illmatic99]

Do you really think a players' coach like Stotts will bench Nic? My biggest criticism of Stotts is that I don't think he's as hard on his starters/vets as he should be.

 

[Orion Bailey]

I thought about Stotts rotations over the last three games and wondered if we're trying to showcase TRob and CJ before the trade deadline but they failed to help the cause. I also think we've kept Crabbe out because they have some good film on him when he played well. Hard to say but after the Bucks loss Stotts looked extremely frustrated and seemed to have no answer for the media. 2 guys in double digit scoring will never beat 6 guys in double digit scoring and we need more production on offense. Yeah, it's a slump but not season ending by any stretch. I'm frustrated with the game threads and team bashing that now is plastered all over the team's homepage. When I go to the homepage, the center pane for Rip City 2 looks like Knicks fans have arrived. Stotts is mediocre? CJ is horrible...etc. Of all the years I've followed the fanbase, the angry villagers with torches and pitchforks were pretty hard to tolerate within 2 minutes of the first qtr. For me, it ruins a game I settle in to enjoy whether we win or lose. Constructive criticism and objective analysis is great and has its place but the angst has taken over the boards. We all like winning but during a game, a game thread should not be overwhelmed with trade ideas, coach firing and doom and gloom. Those threads have their place but it fucks up a game experience for some of us. That's my 2 cents.

I agree 100%. Short termers like I noted in another thread. Have patience, stay the course.

I do not find 2-8 in our last 10 hilarious.

I never said that. Thanks for quoting out of context. I find the Stott's bashing hilarious...just to clarify. If anyone here thinks that 2-8 is all on him, well then your not a true fan enough to know two things.
One... we have been very injured this year...its bound to catch up.
Two... We don't know the extent of the inside talk about what Is happening or not happening. Both in Neil/Paul convos, as well as Neil/Terry convos. Many many assumptions about the state of a players health in these threads using that as an opportunity to try to bash the coach. None of us have the in, so to think we know all is ... well ...foolish.
Again. Stotts has tried many different things this year and not one of them has outshined the rest as a clear decision to continue doing.
Scott's is doing what he can with what he has...

The moment the season seems like it might be a loss, I guarantee you he would rest Dame and Nico, but as long as we are pushing for the top spot and home court, you keep your best players on the court playing hurt unless you have someone else who can CLEARLY outperform. NO ONE has outperformed any of the starters, hurt or not, on a regular basis and most of the bench players HAVE had chances.

 

[magnifier661]

My biggest complaint is not playing Crabbe. I just don't get it! Crabbe is probably our best bench wing defender. The fact that he's seeing no burn, while out of control Barton and couldn't hit an ocean with a boat CJ are getting more burn is really getting to me.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Also, Im still learning this place. Your quoting is much cleaner. I will figure it out for easier reading in the future.

I like splitting the quotes, so I pick a place to interject and add a (/quote) block and then start writing. When I'm done with it I add a (quote) to get it back to the block quote. And continue.

use [] instead of () in the above examples.

 

[Blazinaway]

My biggest complaint is not playing Crabbe. I just don't get it! Crabbe is probably our best bench wing defender. The fact that he's seeing no burn, while out of control Barton and couldn't hit an ocean with a boat CJ are getting more burn is really getting to me.

My biggest complaint is not playing Vic and giving him the same chance as the rest of the bench guys have received, supposedly the big complaint against Vic is his shooting as he doesn't space the floor, yet both his FG% and 3 pt% in limited minutes this season is better than almost all those guys and much better than Nic. Yes I know its limited minutes but he HAS demonstrated improved shooting yet he basically gets NO run time, I think this is a real bad decision by Stotts.

 

[BlazerWookee]

Mediocre coaches don't announce starting centers returning to the lineup.

 

[Orion Bailey]

I like splitting the quotes, so I pick a place to interject and add a (/quote) block and then start writing. When I'm done with it I add a (quote) to get it back to the block quote. And continue.

use [] instead of () in the above examples.

Thanks Brian! Will do moving forward. much easier. Html is not my thing.