Game 77: Cavs @ Suns 4/3/2024

[ijspeelman]

[jbk1234]

On the fence about going to the bar to watch this one. I really need a night out, but the fanbase has more than its share of complainers. You'd think we were the Browns.

[JonFromVA]

On the fence about going to the bar to watch this one. I really need a night out, but the fanbase has more than its share of complainers. You'd think we were the Browns.

Good luck... the Suns look pretty close to full strength, had a day off, and are playing at home.

Could get ugly, but fingers crossed.

[jbk1234]

On the fence about going to the bar to watch this one. I really need a night out, but the fanbase has more than its share of complainers. You'd think we were the Browns.

Good luck... the Suns look pretty close to full strength, had a day off, and are playing at home.

Could get ugly, but fingers crossed.

My baby girl has been sick for 2 weeks straight and I've been home with her like 90% of the time. My wife told me I should go to the bar tonight.

[JujitsuFlip]

On the fence about going to the bar to watch this one. I really need a night out, but the fanbase has more than its share of complainers. You'd think we were the Browns.

Good luck... the Suns look pretty close to full strength, had a day off, and are playing at home.

Could get ugly, but fingers crossed.

My baby girl has been sick for 2 weeks straight and I've been home with her like 90% of the time. My wife told me I should go to the bar tonight.

This is a late one jbk, be safe if ya do go out!

[jbk1234]

Good luck... the Suns look pretty close to full strength, had a day off, and are playing at home.

Could get ugly, but fingers crossed.

My baby girl has been sick for 2 weeks straight and I've been home with her like 90% of the time. My wife told me I should go to the bar tonight.

This is a late one jbk, be safe if ya do go out!

Yeah, I just saw the start time. I'll be lucky if I catch this game from home with one eye open.

[SunsRback4Good]

Please go easy on us tonight fellas. We are desperately fighting for playoff position otherwise our season could be over.

[jbk1234]

Look, if we decided to rest guys and eat the L, I get it, but if someone on coaching staff thought Niang should be on Durant again, then maybe coaching isn't your thing.

[JujitsuFlip]

Being this disjointed right before the playoffs just spells disaster.

[jbk1234]

Being this disjointed right before the playoffs just spells disaster.

Perhaps. I'd shut Mitchell down. With Okoro and Wade out, JBB doesn't have many options. On the second night of a back-to-back, he does need to stop trying to thread the needle though. Either play the deep bench, or go at them with your starters.

[JujitsuFlip]

Typical Jb, run the starters into the ground for a 20 point blowout.

Pretty positive you all just caught a glimpse of how the playoffs are gonna go. I really wish someone in the organization would wake up and fire that guy already.

[ijspeelman]

Typical Jb, run the starters into the ground for a 20 point blowout.

Pretty positive you all just caught a glimpse of how the playoffs are gonna go. I really wish someone in the organization would wake up and fire that guy already.

At this point, they are only firing him if he doesn't meet their expectations in the play-offs (which I have to assume is to win the first round). I've been holding out judgement for this team until we were healthy heading into the play-offs, but at this point it seems unlikely.

I agree with your sentiment in the previous game thread that we will have our best shots against the Magic + Pacers, but after that, especially injured, I don't love our chances against any team capable of reaching the 2nd round (barring injuries)

I wish to not have low expectations, but the team hasn't given me enough (performance and health-wise) to have higher expectations heading into the play-offs

[JujitsuFlip]

Typical Jb, run the starters into the ground for a 20 point blowout.

Pretty positive you all just caught a glimpse of how the playoffs are gonna go. I really wish someone in the organization would wake up and fire that guy already.

At this point, they are only firing him if he doesn't meet their expectations in the play-offs (which I have to assume is to win the first round). I've been holding out judgement for this team until we were healthy heading into the play-offs, but at this point it seems unlikely.

I agree with your sentiment in the previous game thread that we will have our best shots against the Magic + Pacers, but after that, especially injured, I don't love our chances against any team capable of reaching the 2nd round (barring injuries)

I wish to not have low expectations, but the team hasn't given me enough (performance and health-wise) to have higher expectations heading into the play-offs

I don't think even then they will fire him, the lights are on but nobody is home. Feels the collective organization has fell asleep at the steering wheel.

However, I'm not liking how the standings are shaking out, we look to be on a collusion course with one of the Knicks or Heat and that just spells disaster either way.

[JonFromVA]

Typical Jb, run the starters into the ground for a 20 point blowout.

Pretty positive you all just caught a glimpse of how the playoffs are gonna go. I really wish someone in the organization would wake up and fire that guy already.

At this point, they are only firing him if he doesn't meet their expectations in the play-offs (which I have to assume is to win the first round). I've been holding out judgement for this team until we were healthy heading into the play-offs, but at this point it seems unlikely.

I agree with your sentiment in the previous game thread that we will have our best shots against the Magic + Pacers, but after that, especially injured, I don't love our chances against any team capable of reaching the 2nd round (barring injuries)

I wish to not have low expectations, but the team hasn't given me enough (performance and health-wise) to have higher expectations heading into the play-offs

My normal inclination is to give Bickerstaff the benefit of the doubt because of all the injuries; but he's made it very difficult to decouple his coaching from those injuries and/or his use of the deep bench when those guys saved his season.

If the team is tuning him out, there's certainly an argument for canning him right now. After all, getting effort and fight from the guys was the best thing he has done as a coach. But we need to be careful that we get the right next coach for the team and how we treat Bickerstaff is important and we don't necessarily want to get locked in to an assistant just because the team started to rally because of the firing.

otoh, the last thing we need is a major injury to one of our players because JBB pushed them too hard in the playoffs. Altman has to protect his players from our coach.

[toooskies]

I think JBB gave the starters extended run because:
- the team has two days off to rest up
- the bench groups stunk and the adjustment was play the starters

The starting group was positive on the night while anytime two of the starters were out, we gave up runs. All of LeVert, Niang, Merrill, and Morris were huge liabilities when they were on the floor-- all of them nearly a negative point per minute in plus-minus. We couldn't guard Booker or Durant when our bench guys were out there. We miss Okoro.

I maintain that Niang is fine as a deeper bench guy but if his shot isn't falling, he's a big liability. Even if he does a good job on his man, he's not a good helper. We miss Wade.

LeVert was just bad.

I actually thought the starters played well. Mitchell and Garland made it a point to drive to the hoop and they looked better getting to the rim than they have lately.

[JonFromVA]

I think JBB gave the starters extended run because:
- the team has two days off to rest up
- the bench groups stunk and the adjustment was play the starters

The starting group was positive on the night while anytime two of the starters were out, we gave up runs. All of LeVert, Niang, Merrill, and Morris were huge liabilities when they were on the floor-- all of them nearly a negative point per minute in plus-minus. We couldn't guard Booker or Durant when our bench guys were out there. We miss Okoro.

I maintain that Niang is fine as a deeper bench guy but if his shot isn't falling, he's a big liability. Even if he does a good job on his man, he's not a good helper. We miss Wade.

LeVert was just bad.

I actually thought the starters played well. Mitchell and Garland made it a point to drive to the hoop and they looked better getting to the rim than they have lately.

That's fine, but second night of a b2b for most of them, some of them dealing with injuries, it's just asking for trouble.

Did you stay up late enough to see whether they looked gassed in the 4th? Were they walking the ball up the floor?

[toooskies]

I think JBB gave the starters extended run because:
- the team has two days off to rest up
- the bench groups stunk and the adjustment was play the starters

The starting group was positive on the night while anytime two of the starters were out, we gave up runs. All of LeVert, Niang, Merrill, and Morris were huge liabilities when they were on the floor-- all of them nearly a negative point per minute in plus-minus. We couldn't guard Booker or Durant when our bench guys were out there. We miss Okoro.

I maintain that Niang is fine as a deeper bench guy but if his shot isn't falling, he's a big liability. Even if he does a good job on his man, he's not a good helper. We miss Wade.

LeVert was just bad.

I actually thought the starters played well. Mitchell and Garland made it a point to drive to the hoop and they looked better getting to the rim than they have lately.

That's fine, but second night of a b2b for most of them, some of them dealing with injuries, it's just asking for trouble.

Did you stay up late enough to see whether they looked gassed in the 4th? Were they walking the ball up the floor?

They didn't look that gassed. They even made a little bit of a run in the 4th, but our outside shot wasn't falling all night and Booker/KD made their shots so we couldn't string anything together. We looked the worst in our bench minutes. We just don't seem to know how to shift gears.

[jbk1234]

I think JBB gave the starters extended run because:
- the team has two days off to rest up
- the bench groups stunk and the adjustment was play the starters

The starting group was positive on the night while anytime two of the starters were out, we gave up runs. All of LeVert, Niang, Merrill, and Morris were huge liabilities when they were on the floor-- all of them nearly a negative point per minute in plus-minus. We couldn't guard Booker or Durant when our bench guys were out there. We miss Okoro.

I maintain that Niang is fine as a deeper bench guy but if his shot isn't falling, he's a big liability. Even if he does a good job on his man, he's not a good helper. We miss Wade.

LeVert was just bad.

I actually thought the starters played well. Mitchell and Garland made it a point to drive to the hoop and they looked better getting to the rim than they have lately.

I think we miss Wade more than Okoro. I'm kind of souring on Okoro in terms of handing him any kind of sizeable contract.

That run without Mitchell and Strus was just so brutal. It all but cemented him as a defensive role player off the bench in my mind. Even LeVert, who we paid, at least in part, to eat minutes and put points on the board in case of injury, just completely failed as a starter. You can't have your starting SG and SF average a combined 21 ppgs in 2024, and if they can't sub effectively as starters when key injuries hit, that really lowers the value they add.

[JujitsuFlip]

I think JBB gave the starters extended run because:
- the team has two days off to rest up
- the bench groups stunk and the adjustment was play the starters

The starting group was positive on the night while anytime two of the starters were out, we gave up runs. All of LeVert, Niang, Merrill, and Morris were huge liabilities when they were on the floor-- all of them nearly a negative point per minute in plus-minus. We couldn't guard Booker or Durant when our bench guys were out there. We miss Okoro.

I maintain that Niang is fine as a deeper bench guy but if his shot isn't falling, he's a big liability. Even if he does a good job on his man, he's not a good helper. We miss Wade.

LeVert was just bad.

I actually thought the starters played well. Mitchell and Garland made it a point to drive to the hoop and they looked better getting to the rim than they have lately.

This is not the answer...

So the only guys we can play are our starters? Yeah I've read this book, I've seen this movie.

Jb has to go if this is the answer at the end of every season, smh I'm sick of it. I thought we were supposed to be this team stacked with depth. Yeah now 5 games from the playoffs our answer is play the starting 5, 48 minutes per game or we lose, wonderful.

[jbk1234]

I think JBB gave the starters extended run because:
- the team has two days off to rest up
- the bench groups stunk and the adjustment was play the starters

The starting group was positive on the night while anytime two of the starters were out, we gave up runs. All of LeVert, Niang, Merrill, and Morris were huge liabilities when they were on the floor-- all of them nearly a negative point per minute in plus-minus. We couldn't guard Booker or Durant when our bench guys were out there. We miss Okoro.

I maintain that Niang is fine as a deeper bench guy but if his shot isn't falling, he's a big liability. Even if he does a good job on his man, he's not a good helper. We miss Wade.

LeVert was just bad.

I actually thought the starters played well. Mitchell and Garland made it a point to drive to the hoop and they looked better getting to the rim than they have lately.

This is not the answer...

So the only guys we can play are our starters? Yeah I've read this book, I've seen this movie.

Jb has to go if this is the answer at the end of every season, smh I'm sick of it. I thought we were supposed to be this team stacked with depth. Yeah now 5 games from the playoffs our answer is play the starting 5, 48 minutes per game or we lose, wonderful.

I think our bench gets pretty overrated by our fan base because they were able to beat some bad teams during the soft part of our schedule, before some of them even appeared on scouting reports, and opposing defenses were primarily focused on Mitchell. Also, you can get some wins by out-hustling teams in the middle of the season, but playoff teams start locking in come March.

Bob Bol shoots 45% from 3, offers rim protection, makes $2M per, and gave the Suns great minutes last night. The Suns got O'Neale for next to nothing at the deadline, went 4 first 5 from 3 and played good enough defense to stay on the floor.

If we're being honest, we lack two-way players on our bench. In theory, we should be able to play Wade, LeVert, and Okoro against most teams in the NBA, but they've shown a real inability to put points on board against solid defenses. On top of that Wade, and increasingly Okoro, can't stay healthy. Conversely, Niang and the SL Champs really can't defend at a playoff level.

In theory, you should be able to balance offense/defense with bench rotations, but Merrill, and occasionally Wade/Okoro, are the only ones who are good enough on one end to justify their limitations on the other. I feel like we're going to have guys like Niang and LeVert defaulting into a playoff rotation, but on a true contending roster, they wouldn't get meaningful minutes.

That's not on JBB, that's on Altman. He signed them last summer.