Game #75: PELICANS @ Clippers Saturday 3/25 7:30PM

[Clemenza]

well ok so maybe you shouldn't come around here as captain ballmer anymore because this is Ballmer's team

BALLMER stalked and signed Kawhi and traded the next decade of draft picks for PG to get him

and traded Shai
and humiliated Blake Griffin
And Tobias
And Lou
And Trezz
And Bev
And Reggie
And Luke

dumped like dogs

Yeah you should leave

Ballmer isn't the savior
he's the disaster
change your name

Piss off. Remember I'm from Europe and watching Clippers games live means cutting my sleep early. I definitely don't need that for this product

Ballmer takeover still the best thing happened to this franchise. He roll the dice with 213. It didn't work. As an owner witnessing the end of Lob city, understandable to take a shortcut and spending tons of luxury money to make it work. My fear is Ballmer might stick with this decision longer than he should(no chance to recover) because of the new arena opening. His hardest quest still hasn't occured. If it would up to me I'ld give him the second chance in a heartbeat.

Firing T.Lue, or Benching Morris won't change the outlook of this tenure. This summer we need Brooklyn style(Clippers style in 2017?) haul&rebuild a young, energetic team plays hard like in 2018 would be welcomed by majority of Clippers Supporters familier with this style quiet a long time. New FO, coach and start building with our own talent, no star trades etc.

Piss off? OK, tough guy.

Backing up the truck and cutting everyone else's throat looks like the only way now. Enjoy.

But make no mistake--this is BALLMER'S doing. It's Ballmer's team, from cutting CP loose [who still had 3 good years left in him] to re-signing Griffin [whom he unceremoniously dumped a few months later] to firing Doc to shamelessly stalking Kawhi for a YEAR then trading away our draft future for the next decade. [And Shai.]

It all seemed a good idea at that time but Ballmer also took a lot of criticism for starting in the pole position with Microsoft but getting his lunch eaten by Apple.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/watch-microsoft-ceo-steve-ballmer-laughs-at-iphone/articleshow/92539357.cms

So here we are. I'm not a fan of how Ballmer does business. He kicked too many guys to the curb who sweated blood for the Clippers without a how-you-do. I won't even mention their names again but let's just say that Ballmer's Clippers are not a "family," and if I were one of them I wouldn't shake his hand either.

Blame Ty all you want but this club needs a heart transplant, not a new brain. Ballmerville is a corporation, not a team. As Ricky Watters infamously said in Philly, "For who? For what?"

So now you too can't stop bringing up the SGA trade, Doc, etc.? Vulture 2.0?

[playaloc916]

It's a little late, but I wish Lue would just start Roco for a few games just so everyone can put this Morris thing to rest. If Roco is just as bad or worse, fine, he can say "I told you so" and start Morris again and everyone can move on from this discussion. But the fact that he just refuses to bench Morris even though he's been bad for a long time, it's the whole definition of insanity thing.

I recall he benched Morris for a bit when Batum got hot a few years ago, I don't see why he refuses to do it again, especially since his production has fallen off a cliff and the team overall hasn't been very impressive. The result? Morris' confidence is at an all time low, and some fans are turning on Morris...

Then there's the chatter about Lue and the FO clashing. And tinfoil hat time, Lue is with Klutch and some people are predicting he will step down to join the Lakers... Conspiracy theories, probably, but I wouldn't be surprised if it actually happens.

[esqtvd]

Piss off. Remember I'm from Europe and watching Clippers games live means cutting my sleep early. I definitely don't need that for this product

Ballmer takeover still the best thing happened to this franchise. He roll the dice with 213. It didn't work. As an owner witnessing the end of Lob city, understandable to take a shortcut and spending tons of luxury money to make it work. My fear is Ballmer might stick with this decision longer than he should(no chance to recover) because of the new arena opening. His hardest quest still hasn't occured. If it would up to me I'ld give him the second chance in a heartbeat.

Firing T.Lue, or Benching Morris won't change the outlook of this tenure. This summer we need Brooklyn style(Clippers style in 2017?) haul&rebuild a young, energetic team plays hard like in 2018 would be welcomed by majority of Clippers Supporters familier with this style quiet a long time. New FO, coach and start building with our own talent, no star trades etc.

Piss off? OK, tough guy.

Backing up the truck and cutting everyone else's throat looks like the only way now. Enjoy.

But make no mistake--this is BALLMER'S doing. It's Ballmer's team, from cutting CP loose [who still had 3 good years left in him] to re-signing Griffin [whom he unceremoniously dumped a few months later] to firing Doc to shamelessly stalking Kawhi for a YEAR then trading away our draft future for the next decade. [And Shai.]

It all seemed a good idea at that time but Ballmer also took a lot of criticism for starting in the pole position with Microsoft but getting his lunch eaten by Apple.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/watch-microsoft-ceo-steve-ballmer-laughs-at-iphone/articleshow/92539357.cms

So here we are. I'm not a fan of how Ballmer does business. He kicked too many guys to the curb who sweated blood for the Clippers without a how-you-do. I won't even mention their names again but let's just say that Ballmer's Clippers are not a "family," and if I were one of them I wouldn't shake his hand either.

Blame Ty all you want but this club needs a heart transplant, not a new brain. Ballmerville is a corporation, not a team. As Ricky Watters infamously said in Philly, "For who? For what?"

So now you too can't stop bringing up the SGA trade, Doc, etc.? Vulture 2.0?

Hold on there, buddy. I mention Doc in passing here. Not every day. Not every thread.

Doc was out of work like 3 days and is doing just fine in Philly. It was more Pat Bev, Reggie, Trezz. I didn't even oppose them being cut loose, it was the way they did it. Hell, I was never a Blake fan but selling him the "Clipper For Life" bit with pictures of Martin Luther King then exiling him to NBA Siberia [Detroit] was beyond the pale. Blake could have signed elsewhere as an UFA with a contender but instead lost the rest of his prime with a garbage team.

The larger point here is that this is all Ballmer's creation. None of these moves happened without his say-so, and the pursuit of Kawhi was HIS initiative. Sending Lawrence Frank up to Raptors home games in the dead of winter ffs. The buck stops there. I think y'all have the wrong villains in this narrative, is all. There's some serious Jerry Jones shtt going on here.

[esqtvd]

It's a little late, but I wish Lue would just start Roco for a few games just so everyone can put this Morris thing to rest. If Roco is just as bad or worse, fine, he can say "I told you so" and start Morris again and everyone can move on from this discussion. But the fact that he just refuses to bench Morris even though he's been bad for a long time, it's the whole definition of insanity thing.

I recall he benched Morris for a bit when Batum got hot a few years ago, I don't see why he refuses to do it again, especially since his production has fallen off a cliff and the team overall hasn't been very impressive. The result? Morris' confidence is at an all time low, and some fans are turning on Morris...

Then there's the chatter about Lue and the FO clashing. And tinfoil hat time, Lue is with Klutch and some people are predicting he will step down to join the Lakers... Conspiracy theories, probably, but I wouldn't be surprised if it actually happens.

A couple of years ago, it was determined that Marcus was terrible off the bench, whereas Batum was just as productive starting or coming off the bench. The whole equation was about getting the maximum out of the TWO of them, never that Morris was better.

I went through the numbers a few weeks ago and Morris only played the 4th quarter in something like 60% of his games but Batum played the 4th in 90% of his. Batum was already the choice, but he's just not able to put in extended minutes anymore.

As for RoCo, I think Morris is in complete meltdown now too. A coach hates to let decisions be made by the mob, but now Morris won't even take an open shot. Something's got to give. My proposal is that like John Wall, Morris comes down with a phantom injury for a week or two to save face.

[playaloc916]

It's a little late, but I wish Lue would just start Roco for a few games just so everyone can put this Morris thing to rest. If Roco is just as bad or worse, fine, he can say "I told you so" and start Morris again and everyone can move on from this discussion. But the fact that he just refuses to bench Morris even though he's been bad for a long time, it's the whole definition of insanity thing.

I recall he benched Morris for a bit when Batum got hot a few years ago, I don't see why he refuses to do it again, especially since his production has fallen off a cliff and the team overall hasn't been very impressive. The result? Morris' confidence is at an all time low, and some fans are turning on Morris...

Then there's the chatter about Lue and the FO clashing. And tinfoil hat time, Lue is with Klutch and some people are predicting he will step down to join the Lakers... Conspiracy theories, probably, but I wouldn't be surprised if it actually happens.

A couple of years ago, it was determined that Marcus was terrible off the bench, whereas Batum was just as productive starting or coming off the bench. The whole equation was about getting the maximum out of the TWO of them, never that Morris was better.

I went through the numbers a few weeks ago and Morris only played the 4th quarter in something like 60% of his games but Batum played the 4th in 90% of his. Batum was already the choice, but he's just not able to put in extended minutes anymore.

As for RoCo, I think Morris is in complete meltdown now too. A coach hates to let decisions be made by the mob, but now Morris won't even take an open shot. Something's got to give. My proposal is that like John Wall, Morris comes down with a phantom injury for a week or two to save face.

That would be the most logical move at this point. Let the man sort out whatever he is going through (or load manage), heck even Simmons is out of the Nets' rotation, and that was before the impingement thing. See if the rust can be shaken off Roco or even Coffey. Both have the ability to shoot from outside which would help Kawhi with spacing, and Roco brings a bit more defense to balance things out.

[Dynamix]

Yup, that's exactly it. There's nowhere to hide Morris on the second unit. Next to Kawhi and PG, maybe, if they're both playing well.

Guess this is why Ty has been so hesitant to take action, because it would basically have to be straight DNP, and he's just not willing to do that to his guy.

Unfortunately for RoCo, he might finally get his shot as a starter when we're desperate, without PG being there. Such a frustrating season of what-ifs, maybes and if-onlys.

And what sucks the most is that everyone else is also struggling, especially in the West. We could miss the play-in entirely and I'd still think we could've won it all with a few tweaks and a bit of luck.

[Roscoe Sheed]

Yup, that's exactly it. There's nowhere to hide Morris on the second unit. Next to Kawhi and PG, maybe, if they're both playing well.

Guess this is why Ty has been so hesitant to take action, because it would basically have to be straight DNP, and he's just not willing to do that to his guy.

Unfortunately for RoCo, he might finally get his shot as a starter when we're desperate, without PG being there. Such a frustrating season of what-ifs, maybes and if-onlys.

And what sucks the most is that everyone else is also struggling, especially in the West. We could miss the play-in entirely and I'd still think we could've won it all with a few tweaks and a bit of luck.

if he can't bear to take Morris out of the starting line up, then at least yank him 6 minutes into the game if he is pulling the garbage act he has of late. Minimize the harm in some way

[madmaxmedia]

Yup, that's exactly it. There's nowhere to hide Morris on the second unit. Next to Kawhi and PG, maybe, if they're both playing well.

Guess this is why Ty has been so hesitant to take action, because it would basically have to be straight DNP, and he's just not willing to do that to his guy.

Unfortunately for RoCo, he might finally get his shot as a starter when we're desperate, without PG being there. Such a frustrating season of what-ifs, maybes and if-onlys.

And what sucks the most is that everyone else is also struggling, especially in the West. We could miss the play-in entirely and I'd still think we could've won it all with a few tweaks and a bit of luck.

If Morris won't take open shots then he's nothing out there. His defense is probably easier to hide alongside Kawhi and PG.

I don't think only RoCo/Nico PF platoon works though, that may be too many minutes. I guess we're not anticipating a deep playoff run anyway, but 18/18/12 minutes distribution seems more sustainable to me.

[esqtvd]

Yup, that's exactly it. There's nowhere to hide Morris on the second unit. Next to Kawhi and PG, maybe, if they're both playing well.

Guess this is why Ty has been so hesitant to take action, because it would basically have to be straight DNP, and he's just not willing to do that to his guy.

Unfortunately for RoCo, he might finally get his shot as a starter when we're desperate, without PG being there. Such a frustrating season of what-ifs, maybes and if-onlys.

And what sucks the most is that everyone else is also struggling, especially in the West. We could miss the play-in entirely and I'd still think we could've won it all with a few tweaks and a bit of luck.

If Morris won't take open shots then he's nothing out there. His defense is probably easier to hide alongside Kawhi and PG.

I don't think only RoCo/Nico PF platoon works though, that may be too many minutes. I guess we're not anticipating a deep playoff run anyway, but 18/18/12 minutes distribution seems more sustainable to me.

Lost in all the fuss is that Gordon is doing even worse than Senior lately.

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional?LastNGames=6&PerMode=Per100Possessions&TeamID=1610612746&dir=A&sort=PLUS_MINUS

[og15]

I attended this game and when you're at the game you realize how bad the spacing is with the starting line up because you have 2 non-shooters in Westbrook and Zubac and now a 3rd who just won't shoot in Morris. It is like Kawhi is operating in a phone booth.

Something has to change- like going with a 3 guard line up or at least try Covington- he is not a reluctant shooter and is a better defender than Morris.

On a side note, it was frustrating that the Pelicans stayed red hot all game. Kind of ridiculous. True, the defense was relatively poor, but to make 21 three pointers with 62% accuracy is outrageous.

Morris is in a slump, but the thing about slumps is that you have to shoot yourself out of them. Not take bad shots, but you take good shots, get to the basket, etc. The problem when you start passing up shots is that the defense will adjust and know they can play one step off you because you're now going to hesitate.

Playing one step off you means they can play one step closer, generally to the star players and then it's just a cascading effect of space killing. So even if guys are off, it's actually worse when they decide to not shoot or become really tentative. You have to do something, shoot it, drive it, something, but passing up good looks won't go unnoticed by the defense.

[Dynamix]

Not to overanalyze a single possession, but Mook's only made basket against the Pelicans was a wide open layup, and he even seemed to struggle with that. It's really quite shocking how fast and hard he's fallen off.
I'm guessing Ty keeps waiting for those shooting numbers to even out, but the sample size only keeps growing.

[og15]

Yup, that's exactly it. There's nowhere to hide Morris on the second unit. Next to Kawhi and PG, maybe, if they're both playing well.

Guess this is why Ty has been so hesitant to take action, because it would basically have to be straight DNP, and he's just not willing to do that to his guy.

Unfortunately for RoCo, he might finally get his shot as a starter when we're desperate, without PG being there. Such a frustrating season of what-ifs, maybes and if-onlys.

And what sucks the most is that everyone else is also struggling, especially in the West. We could miss the play-in entirely and I'd still think we could've won it all with a few tweaks and a bit of luck.

If Morris won't take open shots then he's nothing out there. His defense is probably easier to hide alongside Kawhi and PG.

I don't think only RoCo/Nico PF platoon works though, that may be too many minutes. I guess we're not anticipating a deep playoff run anyway, but 18/18/12 minutes distribution seems more sustainable to me.

Morris' presence on the floor when you compare the trio of PG/Kawhi/Zubac with/without him has resulted in much better Drtg, much better at keeping opponent off the glass, and much better defensive 3PT%. So that is in comparison to any other replacement at his position, so regardless of his statistics, he's bringing something defensively. Boxing out, communication, man to man defense, maybe even just also familiarity and stability of the lineup, whatever we want to conclude it is, it is positive to defense and rebounding. RPM which I cited previously also agrees with lineup data that he is positive on defense.

So taking away the variable of he's only playing with Kawhi/George (and Zubac), he's doing something positive on defense. Offense is a different story though.

Whether someone else could do a better job in the combination of defense and offense, we can't truly answer that definitively.

[NickP]

Yup, that's exactly it. There's nowhere to hide Morris on the second unit. Next to Kawhi and PG, maybe, if they're both playing well.

Guess this is why Ty has been so hesitant to take action, because it would basically have to be straight DNP, and he's just not willing to do that to his guy.

Unfortunately for RoCo, he might finally get his shot as a starter when we're desperate, without PG being there. Such a frustrating season of what-ifs, maybes and if-onlys.

And what sucks the most is that everyone else is also struggling, especially in the West. We could miss the play-in entirely and I'd still think we could've won it all with a few tweaks and a bit of luck.

If Morris won't take open shots then he's nothing out there. His defense is probably easier to hide alongside Kawhi and PG.

I don't think only RoCo/Nico PF platoon works though, that may be too many minutes. I guess we're not anticipating a deep playoff run anyway, but 18/18/12 minutes distribution seems more sustainable to me.

Morris' presence on the floor when you compare the trio of PG/Kawhi/Zubac with/without him has resulted in much better Drtg, much better at keeping opponent off the glass, and much better defensive 3PT%. So that is in comparison to any other replacement at his position, so regardless of his statistics, he's bringing something defensively. Boxing out, communication, man to man defense, maybe even just also familiarity and stability of the lineup, whatever we want to conclude it is, it is positive to defense and rebounding. RPM which I cited previously also agrees with lineup data that he is positive on defense.

So taking away the variable of he's only playing with Kawhi/George (and Zubac), he's doing something positive on defense. Offense is a different story though.

Whether someone else could do a better job in the combination of defense and offense, we can't truly answer that definitively.

Whether someone else can do that job or not it's not an answer we can find this season. Because the sample size of games wouldn't be anywhere close to what Morris has compiled.

[Roscoe Sheed]

I attended this game and when you're at the game you realize how bad the spacing is with the starting line up because you have 2 non-shooters in Westbrook and Zubac and now a 3rd who just won't shoot in Morris. It is like Kawhi is operating in a phone booth.

Something has to change- like going with a 3 guard line up or at least try Covington- he is not a reluctant shooter and is a better defender than Morris.

On a side note, it was frustrating that the Pelicans stayed red hot all game. Kind of ridiculous. True, the defense was relatively poor, but to make 21 three pointers with 62% accuracy is outrageous.

Morris is in a slump, but the thing about slumps is that you have to shoot yourself out of them. Not take bad shots, but you take good shots, get to the basket, etc. The problem when you start passing up shots is that the defense will adjust and know they can play one step off you because you're now going to hesitate.

Playing one step off you means they can play one step closer, generally to the star players and then it's just a cascading effect of space killing. So even if guys are off, it's actually worse when they decide to not shoot or become really tentative. You have to do something, shoot it, drive it, something, but passing up good looks won't go unnoticed by the defense.

I totally agree- and if Morris won't shoot, then Lue has to move on from him. At least Covington will pull the trigger

[og15]

If Morris won't take open shots then he's nothing out there. His defense is probably easier to hide alongside Kawhi and PG.

I don't think only RoCo/Nico PF platoon works though, that may be too many minutes. I guess we're not anticipating a deep playoff run anyway, but 18/18/12 minutes distribution seems more sustainable to me.

Morris' presence on the floor when you compare the trio of PG/Kawhi/Zubac with/without him has resulted in much better Drtg, much better at keeping opponent off the glass, and much better defensive 3PT%. So that is in comparison to any other replacement at his position, so regardless of his statistics, he's bringing something defensively. Boxing out, communication, man to man defense, maybe even just also familiarity and stability of the lineup, whatever we want to conclude it is, it is positive to defense and rebounding. RPM which I cited previously also agrees with lineup data that he is positive on defense.

So taking away the variable of he's only playing with Kawhi/George (and Zubac), he's doing something positive on defense. Offense is a different story though.

Whether someone else could do a better job in the combination of defense and offense, we can't truly answer that definitively.

Whether someone else can do that job or not it's not an answer we can find this season. Because the sample size of games wouldn't be anywhere close to what Morris has compiled.

I think Lue has gotten too tied to the constancy of that lineup in the midst of all the flux of the roster that he hasn’t given himself room to experiment as much as he should with that unit. It’s the same thing I said with Reggie, when you have a player who isn’t good enough that you have to stick with them, it’s okay to mix things up, but the rest of the flux seems to make him afraid.

[esqtvd]

Morris' presence on the floor when you compare the trio of PG/Kawhi/Zubac with/without him has resulted in much better Drtg, much better at keeping opponent off the glass, and much better defensive 3PT%. So that is in comparison to any other replacement at his position, so regardless of his statistics, he's bringing something defensively. Boxing out, communication, man to man defense, maybe even just also familiarity and stability of the lineup, whatever we want to conclude it is, it is positive to defense and rebounding. RPM which I cited previously also agrees with lineup data that he is positive on defense.

So taking away the variable of he's only playing with Kawhi/George (and Zubac), he's doing something positive on defense. Offense is a different story though.

Whether someone else could do a better job in the combination of defense and offense, we can't truly answer that definitively.

Whether someone else can do that job or not it's not an answer we can find this season. Because the sample size of games wouldn't be anywhere close to what Morris has compiled.

I think Lue has gotten too tied to the constancy of that lineup in the midst of all the flux of the roster that he hasn’t given himself room to experiment as much as he should with that unit. It’s the same thing I said with Reggie, when you have a player who isn’t good enough that you have to stick with them, it’s okay to mix things up, but the rest of the flux seems to make him afraid.

When that "flux" is the ultimate wild card Russell Westbrook--now on his FIFTH team in 4 years--there is never too much caution. TWO new starters was a big ask, so Ty concentrated on Project Westbrook.

And things were going ok--in fact, much better than we had reason to hope. Ty had built a house of cards, it's true, but at least it was still standing.



But then PG went down, and that delicate balance went kerblooey. Marcus is most to blame, but the starting 5 is now a mess with the smaller and older Eric Gordon in for George.

There's nowhere left to hide Marcus, and it appears that getting useful minutes out of Eric Gordon was also being done with smoke and mirrors, because his plus/minus is as bad or worse.

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional?LastNGames=3&TeamID=1610612746&dir=A&sort=PLUS_MINUS

IMO things are even worse than they look. So yeah, Ty needs to go into Throw S*** at the Wall mode and hope something sticks--not that he hasn't been doing it all month with the addition of 3 new rotation players anyway. Plus Bones Hyland, who had 18 points but 5 turnovers the other night. Juggling chainsaws.

[esqtvd]

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