3/25 - POSTGAME | Portland Trail Blazers (108) - (105) Oklahoma City Thunder

[getrichordie]

Who is running this ship? How many more shots does Melo have to miss before what he's done previously in his career becomes irrelevant?

Anyone else remember when Spoelstra sat Whiteside an entire half earlier in the season because he took a defensive playoff?

I would argue that it is different because Spoelstra has practically coached up Whiteside to be the player he is whereas Donovan is coaching Melo, who is used to being catered to. And listen, you will never ever hear the Thunder organization criticize or put down a player's game in the media. It's just not who the Thunder are. What you see in the media, and what goes on behind closed doors is two entirely different things. Can you imagine Kobe Bryant in the twilight of his career being benched by a coach that is new to him?

I believe McHale rode his Harden-less bench to the famous win over the Clippers in the playoffs.

What are you trying to say? That's the series where CP3 got hurt, right? And Harden wasn't a superstar prior to McHale coaching him. Great young 6th man? Yes. Superstar? No.

[bondom34]

I would argue that it is different because Spoelstra has practically coached up Whiteside to be the player he is whereas Donovan is coaching Melo, who is used to being catered to. And listen, you will never ever hear the Thunder organization criticize or put down a player's game in the media. It's just not who the Thunder are. What you see in the media, and what goes on behind closed doors is two entirely different things. Can you imagine Kobe Bryant in the twilight of his career being benched by a coach that is new to him?

I believe McHale rode his Harden-less bench to the famous win over the Clippers in the playoffs.

What are you trying to say? That's the series where CP3 got hurt, right? And Harden wasn't a superstar prior to McHale coaching him. Great young 6th man? Yes. Superstar? No.

Um....Harden was an MVP candidate in 2015.

[getrichordie]

I believe McHale rode his Harden-less bench to the famous win over the Clippers in the playoffs.

What are you trying to say? That's the series where CP3 got hurt, right? And Harden wasn't a superstar prior to McHale coaching him. Great young 6th man? Yes. Superstar? No.

Um....Harden was an MVP candidate in 2015.

Of course, but he was just beginning to come into his own under McHale, relatively speaking.

[bondom34]

What are you trying to say? That's the series where CP3 got hurt, right? And Harden wasn't a superstar prior to McHale coaching him. Great young 6th man? Yes. Superstar? No.

Um....Harden was an MVP candidate in 2015.

Of course, but he was just beginning to come into his own under McHale, relatively speaking.

It was his 3rd year on his own.

And Paul wasn't injured. McHale had the brain to do what worked.

[getrichordie]

Um....Harden was an MVP candidate in 2015.

Of course, but he was just beginning to come into his own under McHale, relatively speaking.

It was his 3rd year on his own.

And Paul wasn't injured. McHale had the brain to do what worked.

I completely agree but it's not like you can just bench Melo and everything will be a-okay. I'm sure the last thing Presti wants is a HUGE distraction w/ the potential of George staying hanging in the balance. But I think it buys you respect when you've coached a guy for a few years. This is BD's first year coaching Melo. By the way, what year did Paul get injured in the playoffs? Wasn't it vs. HOU or am I misremembering?

[bondom34]

Of course, but he was just beginning to come into his own under McHale, relatively speaking.

It was his 3rd year on his own.

And Paul wasn't injured. McHale had the brain to do what worked.

I completely agree but it's not like you can just bench Melo and everything will be a-okay. I'm sure the last thing Presti wants is a HUGE distraction w/ the potential of George staying hanging in the balance. But I think it buys you respect when you've coached a guy for a few years. This is BD's first year coaching Melo. By the way, what year did Paul get injured in the playoffs? Wasn't it vs. HOU or am I misremembering?

Paul missed 2 games that series, but not when that comeback was. 2015 was the Houston game where Josh Smith got hot from 3.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201505140LAC.html

It's not uncommon for a coach to ride a hot bench.

[slick_watts]

scott brooks benched russell westbrook in the playoffs for eric maynor once, too.

mchale and brooks aren't elite coaches (brooks is close), but they had chutzpah to be independent decision makers.

that's clearly not the profile the thunder are looking for. billy's just a mouth piece.

[getrichordie]

It was his 3rd year on his own.

And Paul wasn't injured. McHale had the brain to do what worked.

I completely agree but it's not like you can just bench Melo and everything will be a-okay. I'm sure the last thing Presti wants is a HUGE distraction w/ the potential of George staying hanging in the balance. But I think it buys you respect when you've coached a guy for a few years. This is BD's first year coaching Melo. By the way, what year did Paul get injured in the playoffs? Wasn't it vs. HOU or am I misremembering?

Paul missed 2 games that series, but not when that comeback was. 2015 was the Houston game where Josh Smith got hot from 3.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201505140LAC.html

It's not uncommon for a coach to ride a hot bench.

That is very true. By the way, do you think Presti thought of the Melo trade as a high-upside, Kanter-contract dump? Presti sells more tickets and is perceived by potential free agents to be a GM who can get you what you need to be a contender. I'm curious to know the intricate thought process that went into this move.

[bondom34]

I completely agree but it's not like you can just bench Melo and everything will be a-okay. I'm sure the last thing Presti wants is a HUGE distraction w/ the potential of George staying hanging in the balance. But I think it buys you respect when you've coached a guy for a few years. This is BD's first year coaching Melo. By the way, what year did Paul get injured in the playoffs? Wasn't it vs. HOU or am I misremembering?

Paul missed 2 games that series, but not when that comeback was. 2015 was the Houston game where Josh Smith got hot from 3.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201505140LAC.html

It's not uncommon for a coach to ride a hot bench.

That is very true. By the way, do you think Presti thought of the Melo trade as a high-upside, Kanter-contract dump? Presti sells more tickets and is perceived by potential free agents to be a GM who can get you what you need to be a contender. I'm curious to know the intricate thought process that went into this move.

Honestly at the time I thought it was a win on court and off. But Melo fell off a cliff worse than I think anyone could have seen and seems to give approximately zero **** anymore. I miss Enes.

[getrichordie]

Paul missed 2 games that series, but not when that comeback was. 2015 was the Houston game where Josh Smith got hot from 3.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201505140LAC.html

It's not uncommon for a coach to ride a hot bench.

That is very true. By the way, do you think Presti thought of the Melo trade as a high-upside, Kanter-contract dump? Presti sells more tickets and is perceived by potential free agents to be a GM who can get you what you need to be a contender. I'm curious to know the intricate thought process that went into this move.

Honestly at the time I thought it was a win on court and off. But Melo fell off a cliff worse than I think anyone could have seen and seems to give approximately zero **** anymore. I miss Enes.

I don't miss Enes just because he was unplayable in the playoffs. He just can't get better on defense.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kanteen01.html#playoffs_totals::none

The guy I miss the most is McDermott. I knew he was about to turn the corner. How nice would it have been to have Patterson starting and McDermott coming off the bench playing the stretch 4 and giving Russ so much space to operate? A line up of: Westbrook/Abrines/George/McDermott/Adams would just be ridiculous.

[bondom34]

That is very true. By the way, do you think Presti thought of the Melo trade as a high-upside, Kanter-contract dump? Presti sells more tickets and is perceived by potential free agents to be a GM who can get you what you need to be a contender. I'm curious to know the intricate thought process that went into this move.

Honestly at the time I thought it was a win on court and off. But Melo fell off a cliff worse than I think anyone could have seen and seems to give approximately zero **** anymore. I miss Enes.

I don't miss Enes just because he was unplayable in the playoffs. He just can't get better on defense.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kanteen01.html#playoffs_totals::none

The guy I miss the most is McDermott. I knew he was about to turn the corner. How nice would it have been to have Patterson starting and McDermott coming off the bench playing the stretch 4 and giving Russ so much space to operate? A line up of: Westbrook/Abrines/George/McDermott/Adams would just be ridiculous.

I forgot that too...sigh. Though honestly how playable is Melo period lol.

[getrichordie]

Honestly at the time I thought it was a win on court and off. But Melo fell off a cliff worse than I think anyone could have seen and seems to give approximately zero **** anymore. I miss Enes.

I don't miss Enes just because he was unplayable in the playoffs. He just can't get better on defense.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kanteen01.html#playoffs_totals::none

The guy I miss the most is McDermott. I knew he was about to turn the corner. How nice would it have been to have Patterson starting and McDermott coming off the bench playing the stretch 4 and giving Russ so much space to operate? A line up of: Westbrook/Abrines/George/McDermott/Adams would just be ridiculous.

I forgot that too...sigh. Though honestly how playable is Melo period lol.

As much as I hate to say it, he's more playable than Kanter in the playoffs. Maybe Donovan will bring out the secret sauce in the playoffs and have Melo play the 5 on offense. It would make a ton of sense in my opinion. But I think the real loss was McDermott. We could have locked him on a great contract and he has lots of upside left in my opinion. I would have tried to package Ferguson (or 1st) and Kanter to move him for a passable SG on a bad contract.

[bondom34]

I don't miss Enes just because he was unplayable in the playoffs. He just can't get better on defense.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kanteen01.html#playoffs_totals::none

The guy I miss the most is McDermott. I knew he was about to turn the corner. How nice would it have been to have Patterson starting and McDermott coming off the bench playing the stretch 4 and giving Russ so much space to operate? A line up of: Westbrook/Abrines/George/McDermott/Adams would just be ridiculous.

I forgot that too...sigh. Though honestly how playable is Melo period lol.

As much as I hate to say it, he's more playable than Kanter in the playoffs. Maybe Donovan will bring out the secret sauce in the playoffs and have Melo play the 5 on offense. It would make a ton of sense in my opinion. But I think the real loss was McDermott. We could have locked him on a great contract and he has lots of upside left in my opinion. I would have tried to package Ferguson (or 1st) and Kanter to move him for a passable SG on a bad contract.

If Melo's shot randomly comes on he's at least workable. I guess for now it's all we can hope for with him.

[QPR]

Who is running this ship? How many more shots does Melo have to miss before what he's done previously in his career becomes irrelevant?

Anyone else remember when Spoelstra sat Whiteside an entire half earlier in the season because he took a defensive playoff?

I would argue that it is different because Spoelstra has practically coached up Whiteside to be the player he is whereas Donovan is coaching Melo, who is used to being catered to. And listen, you will never ever hear the Thunder organization criticize or put down a player's game in the media. It's just not who the Thunder are. What you see in the media, and what goes on behind closed doors is two entirely different things. Can you imagine Kobe Bryant in the twilight of his career being benched by a coach that is new to him?

I know it's a stars' league and I know the Whiteside example isn't like for like, but that Donovan quote confirms that what is happening in the current game is not the basis for key decisions within that game. That is very troubling for a head coach.

[Revived]

Who is running this ship? How many more shots does Melo have to miss before what he's done previously in his career becomes irrelevant?

Anyone else remember when Spoelstra sat Whiteside an entire half earlier in the season because he took a defensive playoff?

I would argue that it is different because Spoelstra has practically coached up Whiteside to be the player he is whereas Donovan is coaching Melo, who is used to being catered to. And listen, you will never ever hear the Thunder organization criticize or put down a player's game in the media. It's just not who the Thunder are. What you see in the media, and what goes on behind closed doors is two entirely different things. Can you imagine Kobe Bryant in the twilight of his career being benched by a coach that is new to him?

Carmelo Anthony is no where near as established a player as Kobe Bryant.

[spicy6]

Just from reading billys comments in the postgame, you guys nailed it. The whole "defensive communicator" "proven scorer BS" tells the story in itself. The team should be better theres no doubt with losses to phoenix, dallas, magic, knicks etc... , but the team would have been on gs, houston level if they had a brad stevens, erik spolestra,carlisle type coach that demands certain traits of its stars. Donovan is arguably the worst coach in the league IMO and this game just cemented my thought process behind it.

[Pillendreher]

Who is running this ship? How many more shots does Melo have to miss before what he's done previously in his career becomes irrelevant?

Anyone else remember when Spoelstra sat Whiteside an entire half earlier in the season because he took a defensive playoff?

I would argue that it is different because Spoelstra has practically coached up Whiteside to be the player he is whereas Donovan is coaching Melo, who is used to being catered to. And listen, you will never ever hear the Thunder organization criticize or put down a player's game in the media. It's just not who the Thunder are. What you see in the media, and what goes on behind closed doors is two entirely different things. Can you imagine Kobe Bryant in the twilight of his career being benched by a coach that is new to him?

I know it's a stars' league and I know the Whiteside example isn't like for like, but that Donovan quote confirms that what is happening in the current game is not the basis for key decisions within that game. That is very troubling for a head coach.

This. You can't ignore what's happening on the court because Melo made shots 3 seasons ago. He's obviously not making them now. He's at 50.2 TS% on the season and that's a guy that has taken more 3s than ever in his career.

If Melo doesn't score, he's useless, plain and simple. But since we're not treating him like the role player that he is, that goes out the window.

EDIT: And I know he won't throw Melo under the bus in a situation like this. But him re-enforcing this notion of him still being a star player verbally and then also doing it on the court is just horrible coaching.

[Grits n Gravy]

The shot distribution is hilariously awful for this team. You have Carmelo Anthony with a true shooting percentage of .502 being second on the team in shots per minute. Getting almost 6 shots more per game than Steven Adams with a true shooting percentage .636.

This is not even factoring in that Adams is getting a lot of those shot attempts on tip backs and offensive rebounds. Good lord you better hope Carmelo opts out this off season(though I strongly doubt he does).

[anthony00]

The shot distribution is hilariously awful for this team. You have Carmelo Anthony with a true shooting percentage of .502 being second on the team in shots per minute. Getting almost 6 shots more per game than Steven Adams with a true shooting percentage .636.

This is not even factoring in that Adams is getting a lot of those shot attempts on tip backs and offensive rebounds. Good lord you better hope Carmelo opts out this off season(though I strongly doubt he does).

Donavan

[Bergmaniac]

Any coach with actual balls and working brain would have taken Melo off immediately after he took that incredibly dumb three pointer from a good meter behind the line with 23 seconds on the shot clock about 3 seconds after he missed another three pointer from a better position, especially given that he couldn't hit anything all night and Grant was doing great. He is not LeBron, he's almost 34, he's clearly a shadow of what he used to be so the coach and the front office should stop treating him like a big star.