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Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 7:45 am
by Calinks
Are these guys not listening?
Old over new: Wolves lose 100-90 to Bobcats in Charlotte
Posted on December 1st, 2008 – 11:39 PM
By Jerry Zgoda
The Wolves played out without Corey Brewer’s energy but what they lacked mostly, if you listened to Randy Wittman, were enough players willing to follow the game plan.
That’s why Brian Cardinal was out there in the third quarter, or so Wittman said. And why Kevin Ollie, back from his calf injury, led the offense for 10 second-half minutes while Randy Foye moved over to two guard.
The Wolves committed 14 first-half turnovers, just four after intermission. Foye had three turnovers, all in the first half, and four assists, all in the second half. The Wolves trailed by seven at halftime and never recovered.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with energy,” Wittman said. “It’s just a matter of executing the game plan. You have an idea where you want to attack from an offensive standpoint and where you’ve got to take their strengths away from a defensive standpoint. You’ve got to do those things. We lacked in the game plan.”
“I’ve got to find some guys — and probably some veteran guys — who are going to follow the game plan and what we want done.”
Al Jefferson didn’t reach double-figured scoring — he scored eight — for the first time this season and admitted to being “messed up” by a tactic Oklahoma City used Friday, Denver borrowed in the second half Saturday and Charlotte repeated Monday: He said it’s a stunting strategy where defenders will bluff double teaming him — sometimes they come, sometimes they don’t — and he said he has to be aggressive and attack it to defeat it, something he obviously didn’t do tonight.
He did get a career-high six blocked shots, a fact that made Wittman look at the stat sheet twice. He pulled Jefferson with 3:44 left in the game after Emeka Okafor scored on three consecutive Charlotte possessions and afterward said “they had guys who wanted it more down the stretch.”
A couple other things:
The Wolves look awfully un-athletic, even against a Charlotte team that isn’t the most athletic in the league, and will be even more so with Brewer out for the season. Rodney Carney, the best athlete left probably, played six minutes.
Kevin McHale is along on this trip, too. That’s two in a row for him. When asked why he’s out on the road with the team, he stammered a bit and said he just wants to be closer to the guys.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 8:03 am
by RD&KG2
Something has to change in the next few weeks. I don't know what Wit is talking about tho. Does he want to sign a bunch of veteran FA's? I don't see how playing Madsen, Cardinal, Collins, Ollie, and Booth would give us a better chance of winning even if they play strictly to his game plan.
What it comes down to is accountability. The players need to take accountability for what they do on the court, and Wittman needs to take responsibility for how the team preforms. It's hard to tell exactly what the players are doing about it, but time after time all we here from Wittman is complaints about the "guys". It's his job as a coach to get our "guys' to preform, and win or at least make improvements. It's not happening. Something has to change.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 8:23 am
by 4ho5ive
I hope this doesnt mean MORE time for Cardinal, he looked awful out there. I know there is rust but i would rather Madsen get burn. Ollie I dont mind putting out there.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 1:05 pm
by Foye
I simply don't understand what they are doing...
it is clear that this team WILL NEVER reach playoffs this season...so why do we even discuss letting those vets play many minutes? our young players need to develop and that means getting major time on the floor. you could argue about having a vet guy who leads our young guys on court (mike miller) but apart from that we don't need any vets playing major minutes because our young players need to improve...it doesn't matter if we finish the season 20-62 or 30-52...
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 1:36 pm
by hijacktheparade
The last paragraph in the article is very interesting. I wonder what's about to happen.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 1:47 pm
by _AIJ_
BTW, we will finish the season 52-30. Foye >>> NBA
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 2:07 pm
by C.lupus
RD&KG2 wrote:What it comes down to is accountability. The players need to take accountability for what they do on the court, and Wittman needs to take responsibility for how the team preforms. It's hard to tell exactly what the players are doing about it, but time after time all we here from Wittman is complaints about the "guys". It's his job as a coach to get our "guys' to preform, and win or at least make improvements. It's not happening. Something has to change.
Agreed. I think there is enough blame to go around. Wittman is probably correct that the players aren't following his plan. On the other hand, it is the coach's responsibility to communicate with his players. Are all the players on the team dumb or is his plan unintelligible or have they started to tune him out? IDK.
I am coming around to the fact that this team needs a solid vet PG. We don't need a bunch of vets but a vet floor general that the players will respect and listen to could help tremendously. It would take some pressure off Foye and free him to just play loose. I think he is way more effective that way.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 2:16 pm
by Worm Guts
I don't think the problem is the coaching or that players aren't following his gameplan. The problem is that the players aren't good enough.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 2:26 pm
by Basti
meh it sucks that they don't listen to him but if the FO manages the situation like they did with Casey I'm all for it. so please refuse listening to Wittman to get him fired.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 2:33 pm
by Devilzsidewalk
coach:
1. To train or tutor or to act as a trainer or tutor.
isn't that a coach in a nutshell - you're the expert on the subject matter, but your responsibility doesn't end there, you have to find a way to convey that knowledge. Just having a gameplan and laying it out there isn't enough. It's also his job to pass that gamplan on to his players. And one technique probably isn't enough either, he has to approach each player in a unique way. It's not babying them, it's just good communication skills. If you lose your patience and start placing blame and give up because what you try doesn't get through, then you're a bad teacher. Good training is versatile and evolutionary.
I think Wittman can be a good coach, but he needs to relax and stop worrying about job security by calling out his guys so we think "oh wow, Wittman's awesome, his players are just too dumb". He needs to go down swinging with his 15 and try to get them to understand team concepts. Let McHale and company worry about personnel. Wittman needs to only think about being that coach ie trainer ie tutor at all times.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 2:47 pm
by deeney0
Worm Guts wrote:I don't think the problem is the coaching or that players aren't following his gameplan. The problem is that the players aren't good enough.
I agree in part, that's A reason. The guys are undersized, unathletic, and not hitting shots they should hit. Our ball handling is sub par. Still, these guys are good enough that a good coach could get them to .500. That's just not RSW.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 3:02 pm
by Devilzsidewalk
deeney0 wrote:Worm Guts wrote:I don't think the problem is the coaching or that players aren't following his gameplan. The problem is that the players aren't good enough.
I agree in part, that's A reason. The guys are undersized, unathletic, and not hitting shots they should hit. Our ball handling is sub par. Still, these guys are good enough that a good coach could get them to .500. That's just not RSW.
It could be RSW, he just needs to make some adjustments to his style.
A wise man once said "If I can change, and YOU can change.... EVERYBODY CAN CHANGE!!!"
Adrian was sobbing and the Berlin wall fell over from the mere resonance of those powerful words.
PS Universal Soldier III is in the works and Drago and Van Damme's abs are both rumored to be involved
it's great time to be alive
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 3:27 pm
by shrink
The last two Wolves coaches weren't let go because of their record -- it was because the players stopped listening.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 4:09 pm
by john2jer
shrink wrote:The last two Wolves coaches weren't let go because of their record -- it was because the players stopped listening.
In this case, though, it's not a matter of the players stopped listening. They were never listening to him in the first place. He's an idiot. Can't stop doing something you never started.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 4:12 pm
by Howler21
Devilzsidewalk wrote:deeney0 wrote:Worm Guts wrote:I don't think the problem is the coaching or that players aren't following his gameplan. The problem is that the players aren't good enough.
I agree in part, that's A reason. The guys are undersized, unathletic, and not hitting shots they should hit. Our ball handling is sub par. Still, these guys are good enough that a good coach could get them to .500. That's just not RSW.
It could be RSW, he just needs to make some adjustments to his style.
A wise man once said "If I can change, and YOU can change.... EVERYBODY CAN CHANGE!!!"
Adrian was sobbing and the Berlin wall fell over from the mere resonance of those powerful words.
PS Universal Soldier III is in the works and Drago and Van Damme's abs are both rumored to be involved
it's great time to be alive
Another wise man said this "THERE IS NO TOMORROW!!! THERE IS NO TOMORROW!"
This man sported a killer stache and a patriotic top hat. What was he really speaking of? Wittman.....
ps. Segals abs>>>>>>>>all
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 4:25 pm
by Worm Guts
Howler21 wrote:
ps. Segals abs>>>>>>>>all
Steven Segal had more of keg than a 6 pack, if I remember correctly.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 4:32 pm
by Howler21
exactly
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 4:59 pm
by prefuse73
love the rocky references
I really think Carney should be inserted in the starting lineup with foye and miller. Gomes should come off the bench. Collins, even though its nice to have a 7 footer, just slows us down to much.
I kinda wish we kept Pops from summer league. he would have at least been a 6'9 athletic guy to start at pf. he is good for some blocks, decent D and putbacks.
Lets get a bunch athletic guys around Al at C and go from there.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 5:07 pm
by mandurugo
One of the few tools a coach has to deal with recalcitrant players is playing time. If young players aren't following the game plan, they should sit. If you reward their inability to follow the plan with game time because "that's the only way they'll get better" the team will fail. I think that's a lesson we all learned from Hoosiers.
Re: Wolves players aren't following the gameplan?
Posted: Wed Dec 3, 2008 5:15 pm
by funkatron101
I kinda miss Kirk Snyder.