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Wow, bad start. I was finishing a scouting report (so I missed the 1st half) and now we are getting killed.

My Nova guy Jalen is crushing us from 3. We need to fix our closeouts and rotations out on the perimeter.

Yeah this is no bueno. Hopefully two days off before the LAC back-to-back (and maybe getting Brooks back) can help get us past the funk we are stuck in.

Brevin is right - we are getting beat 24-0 on fastbreak points. Role reversal here.

We have made a little run here late. We need to make more threes - moral of the story. We will have two days to rest and consider the beatings we have been taking. I expect a rejuvenated team, though the Clips are tough.

The team is obviously in a crisis. Winslow should have played some part in it - I don’t know which, though. Otherwise, his return and this crisis is just a coincidence, in which I usually don’t believe.

94 FGA's, 13 TO's for Memphis

70 FGA's, 16 TO's for Dallas.

Outside of giving up too many open looks from 3, Memphis defense was solid. They were + 24 on FGA's an extra 21 possessions.

Dallas shot only 36% from 3 on 51 attempts, usually that's a good sign for Memphis. Problem is, Memphis shot 19% on 31 attempts. Which allows, allowed Dallas to put the clamps on Memphis 2 main offensive post weapons, Jonas & Ja, while punishing their individual defense. Message to Jenkins, pulling Jonas for more stops, isn't the answer. Every time you've attempted to pull Jonas for better defense, it's led to a run

Memphis defense was & is not the issue. Carless TO's, bad decision making & poor efficiency, is something good defenses cannot compensate for, especially against a team with a potent offense & 3pt shooting like the Mavs, NO's, Suns etc ..

Watch the tape, Memphis commits careless TO, Mavs hit 3, rinse repeat. 1 possession, 5-6pt swing, with no defense played.

Winslow being off offensively doesn't help the situation either but he's had some solid plays on the defensive side of things.. It's a shame 3J is not in the rotation because I think he would look a lot different with 3J at either the 4 or 5, with Anderson possibly at the 4 & a shooter, shot creator at the 2.

Morant needs to work on that 3 ball to avoid more games like this.

jman3134 wrote:Brevin is right - we are getting beat 24-0 on fastbreak points. Role reversal here.

It's not because Dallas defense was better though. Memphis D actually forced more TO's

Memphis 13 TO's

Dallas 16 TO's

I maintain, it's the level of confidence & fuel an offensive team gets off of weak TO's & poor shot selection. It builds their confidence in the same manner a player that is "feeling it", doesn't seem to miss.. same way when you're up big you don't want to let a team feel they can get back into it...

Basketball is a game of confidence. If I know I can score without having to defend you ...

Resting healthy players & throwing Winslow into the fire after missing as many games as he has, has really helped Memphis get to that 12-14th pick range.

I don't like losing, more less getting worked but this is actually putting Memphis in a better position for the future

Almost like it was planned

Still an odds game when it comes to the lotto, but I would be okay with it if that was the intention. A better way to go about this is to trade a few guys to contenders for picks (yet still play everyone every night to compete). FWIW, I still want to make the playoffs as the 10 seed.

Whole Truth wrote:Resting healthy players & throwing Winslow into the fire after missing as many games as he has, has really helped Memphis get to that 12-14th pick range.

I don't like losing, more less getting worked but this is actually putting Memphis in a better position for the future

Almost like it was planned

It could be the case. With the draft being a much better quality this year, would it so odd to think they could be pullling back on some of these games by design?

SD2042 wrote:

Whole Truth wrote:Resting healthy players & throwing Winslow into the fire after missing as many games as he has, has really helped Memphis get to that 12-14th pick range.

I don't like losing, more less getting worked but this is actually putting Memphis in a better position for the future

Almost like it was planned

It could be the case. With the draft being a much better quality this year, would it so odd to think they could be pullling back on some of these games by design?

IMO they're not intentionally throwing games but putting player development & evaluation ahead of winning is a subtle form of tanking because they are not prioritizing winning, though they're not "trying" to lose.

It's similar to what GM's do by trading off players that might help a team & coach win in order to tank a roster without actively throwing the games. The players are just not talented enough to win & the GM knows it but team, players & coach are all playing to win.

Isn't it incredible timing that Dillon is out with injury, just as Winslow returns to rotation?.

Wasn't Winslow expected back from injury a lot sooner than his return?

Coincidence that 3J is taking longer than expected also?.

I mentioned it before. I believe these rest days & injuries are being used to get individuals the playing time needed to get a good read on what they bring to the table. It's not directly tanking but it's not prioritizing putting your best foot forward either.

Memphis put up 92 pts on 94 FGA's

Dallas put up 102 pts on 70 FGA's

Defense wasn't the issue, taking care of the ball, offensive efficiency is. Reason why it didn't work in Jenkins favor pulling Jonas early first for a defensive player/stops & why they made their mini run 4th Q, with Jonas on court.

When a team is struggling to score the first notion is to try & get more stops. When IMO, what Memphis needed to do was put more offensive pressure on Dallas.

Whole Truth wrote:

SD2042 wrote:

Whole Truth wrote:Resting healthy players & throwing Winslow into the fire after missing as many games as he has, has really helped Memphis get to that 12-14th pick range.

I don't like losing, more less getting worked but this is actually putting Memphis in a better position for the future

Almost like it was planned

It could be the case. With the draft being a much better quality this year, would it so odd to think they could be pullling back on some of these games by design?

IMO they're not intentionally throwing games but putting player development & evaluation ahead of winning is a subtle form of tanking because they are not prioritizing winning, though they're not "trying" to lose.

It's similar to what GM's do by trading off players that might help a team & coach win in order to tank a roster without actively throwing the games. The players are just not talented enough to win & the GM knows it but team, players & coach are all playing to win.

Isn't it incredible timing that Dillon is out with injury, just as Winslow returns to rotation?.

Wasn't Winslow expected back from injury a lot sooner than his return?

Coincidence that 3J is taking longer than expected also?.

I mentioned it before. I believe these rest days & injuries are being used to get individuals the playing time needed to get a good read on what they bring to the table. It's not directly tanking but it's not prioritizing putting your best foot forward either.

That’s a very good theory.

Given our schedule moving forward I hope we have plenty of rest days simply to avoid injury. That second half of the season looks absolutely brutal.

VCfor3 wrote:Given our schedule moving forward I hope we have plenty of rest days simply to avoid injury. That second half of the season looks absolutely brutal.

I think 40 something games in 60 plus days if I'm not mistaken. That's going to be real interesting.