GT: vs Portland Mon Dec 3 7PM

[thruthefire]

More minutes have led to more points and rebounds, but no actual improvement.

[Shem]

and they give the last chance shot to the 28% 3pt shooter....

Yes, coming into the game, Babbitt was 28% from 3-point range. But with those 3 out of 4 makes that bumped him up to 38.9% for the season now. And Babbitt is 39.6% for his career. It's not as bad as you're making it seem.

[Diop]

I thought he was referring to our bad 3pt shooters.

Sessions, Kemba, Mullens. take you pick.

[MPM]

seems that everyone's already hit on the causes of this utter meltdown:

Mullens couldn't keep LMA off the glass in the 4th and we played small ball far too long. Not seeing MKG, JT, or Haywood on the floor at all was a mistake. As Dunlap says, he should have substituted more aggressively.

Sucks, because it was a fun game right up until we lost our merde.

[KembaWalker]

Cho needs to balance out this roster in the worst way. I never want to see Kemba/Sessions/Gordon lineup ever again.

If we had even a starter level big man we'd blow crummy teams like Portland out by 20 every game instead we get to see Mully taken to school every night.

[Liver_Pooty]

Cho needs to balance out this roster in the worst way. I never want to see Kemba/Sessions/Gordon lineup ever again.

If we had even a starter level big man we'd blow crummy teams like Portland out by 20 every game instead we get to see Mully taken to school every night.

I blame Dunlap for not playing Haywood and either MKG/Taylor the last 5 minutes of the game. Were guard heavy right now, but that will work itself out.

[thesneakysneak]

Cho needs to balance out this roster in the worst way. I never want to see Kemba/Sessions/Gordon lineup ever again.

If we had even a starter level big man we'd blow crummy teams like Portland out by 20 every game instead we get to see Mully taken to school every night.

Yup, We have 6 wings and 3 bigs worthy of rotation / starter minutes and 5 guys who should not see the court. With Hendo working his way into the rotation again it is going to be hard to give minutes to all the wings currently in the rotation without going really small. Add that to one of our bigs (mully) being so inept on D and it is painfully obvious to see the flaw in the way the team is built as of now.
Having a good player down low will open up everyone else game so much both on D and O. The problem is all young bigs with an ounce of an inside game are near untouchable in trades and you have to max them out to see if they can live up to their potential.
In saying that, In Cho I Trust.

[catch20two]

I have nothing against Mullens because I'm intrigued by his potential and upside but we would easily be above .500 if he didn't have so many mental lapses. I wish we could swing Sessions or Diop/Warrick expirings for a serviceable PF. Mullens shouldn't be seeing over 30 minutes a night when he's struggling offensively, especially knowing defense isn't his strong suit. I guess this is all a part of the developmental season aka tank. We have to live with it. I'm not bitter either way but I like winning. Losing no matter the circumstances tend to get under my skin. I can't wait until tomorrow now even though the Knicks game is probably a loss too but at least I can seek vengeance as a fan again. I'll remain optimistic.

[lmcguir5]

Let's not forget either guys that we're still an incredibly young team who is rough around the edges. I expected that we we're going to lose some games like this this year but it's fine. It's a learning experience, but the beauty is the talented young corps we have is only going to get better. Who expected MKG to come out of the gate like this? Who thought JT was going to be a pretty good scorer? Who thought Kemba was going to be this dynamic? The point is we should be excited about the direction we're going. I figured we wouldnt make the playoffs this year anyway but the big picture is that this team is getting better. We're far from the 7-59 debacle of last year, this team plays hard. Did Dunlap make a mistake in last night's game? Sure he did, but like I said before, he's going to grow as a coach as much as the guys are going to grow as players. I understand the frustration, I'm just as mad as any other die-hard Bobcats fan, but I guess it's expected. On to the next one I suppose, can only ask everybody to learn from this one.

[fatlever]

i am interested to see what dunlap does the next time gordon is hot and we are in a close game.

his thought process

1) i have to leave gordon in the game, he is on fire
2) i have to have kemba in the game, he is my best player
3) i have to have sessions in the game, he is my closer
4) i have to have mullens in the game, he is the only big man who can score

when gordon is hot like that, dunlap will need to make a decision between kemba or sessions. he cant have all three, especially against a team as long as the blazers.

[catch20two]

when gordon is hot like that, dunlap will need to make a decision between kemba or sessions. he cant have all three, especially against a team as long as the blazers.

I think he learned that last night. Sessions shouldn't have been in the game during that final 5 minutes with a double-digit lead, especially with him struggling and Kemba/Gordon having good nights. It was a lesson learned. At least we're not 1-15 right now because 7-9 is respectable considering the lowered expectations coming into the season.

[amcoolio]

Its definitely difficult for Dunlap, because the best crunchtime defensive lineup it seems is Kemba-Taylor-MKG, but Sessions has been great at closing games, and Gordon has been scorching hot from 3 lately. Too bad Talylor and MKG aren't 3-4 inches taller.

[catch20two]

Its definitely difficult for Dunlap, because the best crunchtime defensive lineup it seems is Kemba-Taylor-MKG, but Sessions has been great at closing games, and Gordon has been scorching hot from 3 lately. Too bad Talylor and MKG aren't 3-4 inches taller.

Everybody keep stating that Sessions is a closer. I only remember him closing 1 win for us but I also remember him missing key free throws in 2 losses for us.

[Olajuwon34]

Byron Mullins almost single-handedly lost that game! He is so bad defensively that I don't understand how he sees the light of day! His offense is overrated as well I think. He is a 7 footer shooting 37% FROM THE FIELD and 28% from 3 while averaging 5 3 point attempts per game. I know we lack offense but I just cannot fathom how he sees the light of day. Even though Biyombo is offensively defficient and Haywood isn't amazing, neither of them will defend or rebound as badly as Mullins did in that game.

I think there were 3 possetions in a row where Mullins gave up offensive rebound putbacks and this is to Lamarcus Aldridge who isn't even known as an especially physical big. I have honestly given up hope of Mullins ever becoming more than he is; his defensive fundamentals and effort level are just toooooooo bad.

[doc.end]

Well it came to allowing second chance points namely Aldrige tip-ins. While we use the clock rather than try to score at first good neough opportunity, mabe more of a defensive lineup should be on court. Bismack or Haywood for sure, maybe both, or MKG. If you have Gordon out there for threes, Mullens is a bit extra. I was thinking now it is almost time to clear bench and then they start their run. And we kept the same lineup in. Despite neither MKG or Jeff were in foul trouble. Sessions is a tricky dude, he may have an off night but still gets to the line, make good plays in cluth time and can make you a fool for wanting him to be subbed out. But there was enough time left to try it one way and then fall back to another (the 3 guards lineup). I don't care whether MKG is playing four or we get rebounds from bigs but we have to secure them. Defensive ones are enough.