GT Jan 12th: Charlotte @ Indiana 7:00pm

[BigSlam]

I think we are due for an inspiring, well rounded game.

Can't imagine the guys are going to be happy about last night and I think they come out with fire.

[Fred Williamson]

[fatlever]

i'm with slam on this game. we will play much better tonight. but in the end, it wont be enough to beat a good pacers team that is on fire and really tough at home.

look for changes to the starting lineup. personally i'd like to see kemba, hendo (or gordon), mkg, adrien and haywood.

the bigs on this team need to accept the challenge and play better. collectively they have been much much worse this year than i anticipated and my expectations were minimal to begin with.

the guards need to keep the ball moving. last night was way too much iso ball. kemba, sessions and gordon were all major ball stoppers.

[catch20two]

It looks like Dunlap has lost the players. I don't think any of the veterans out of Sessions, Gordon, or Haywood pay him any attention anymore and I don't blame them other than the fact that they are supposed to be professionals. None of his dubious strategies seem to be working, especially whatever defensive philosophy he had drawn up to defend in the NBA.

I'm sure there will be some kind of shakeup in the starting lineup. Maybe Adrien at PF and/or Gordon at SG. However it will be needed. We are one of the only teams that usually start a lineup that's worst than their bench. Most of the other teams in the league are scared to go to their bench while we look to our bench to bail us out. What kind of backwards thinking of a gameplan was that by Dunlap and his staff going into games expecting to stay competitive? Don't answer. The question was rhetorical.

I have a feeling that Dunlap will implement the same zone defense tonight that he used to bother the Pacers the first game of the season. It might actually work. From the games I've seen the Pacers aren't that good at shooting the 3-ball. They seem to shoot bad shots and crash the boards until they get a good look.

The Pacers are a great defensive team. In order to stay competitive we'll have to keep our turnovers down.

[DY_nasty]

Is it really so hard to say that we suck? Do we need scapegoats that bad? Do we have to blame someone for literally following the plan of tanking?

Just enjoy the ride, stop taking the team so seriously, and watch games to be entertained. Dunlap's zone is a consistent gamble that I can't even disagree with given the composition of the team (we have no bigs) so its really a matter of picking a poison regarding how opposing teams bury us. It'd either be in the paint, relentless and unforgiving as we get destroyed and don't even give ourselves a chance or we bet on the three ball and turn the interior of our defense into a game of charades. I didn't think it was that hard to understand but for some reason so many people seem baffled that we suck and that we have to compensate and plan around how much we suck more than we have to gameplan for other teams. Our interior is no doubt full of the worst players of those positions in the league - and without bigs, you can't guard anyone given how perimeter play works these days.

We suck. Dunlap is out there to simply elevate individual players and get guys used to systems in general and in that, he's done a great job. We aren't even getting blown out nearly as often as we should as the 2nd worst team in the league. There is no need to make up storylines such as "he's lost the players" when most if not all of the players know exactly where they'll be at the end of the year and have known as much since opening night - regardless of how the season went.

We suck. Accept it. Its okay to suck when you have a long term plan and part of that plan is to suck hard.

[JT2006]

Is it really so hard to say that we suck? Do we need scapegoats that bad? Do we have to blame someone for literally following the plan of tanking?

+1

[Probst]

This could be rough, Indiana are an elite defensive team

Hope to see some sort of response after the Raptors game

[Liver_Pooty]

All I ask is that we play with energy. Thats all.

[fatlever]

- effort
- rebounding
- ball movement
- dont allow uncontested dunks, layups and wide open 3s
- continued improvement from youngsters
- entertainment

this is all i really ask from this team. its frustrating when we go 0-for-6 on my list

[fatlever]

hendo starting tonight per bonnell

[fatlever]

no other changes, warrick and biz will also start.

[BigSlam]

George is out with the flu for them.

[BigSlam]

the guards need to keep the ball moving. last night was way too much iso ball. kemba, sessions and gordon were all major ball stoppers.

Post game the Raps spoke about this at length. They said they knew we were an iso team and all they had to do was make sure they executed neat help D and they could stop us.

We are pretty much an open book to the other 29 teams.

[BigSlam]

Beautiful extension by Biz. I wish he would use that full extension all the time.

[catch20two]

Biyombo scores!!!

[BigSlam]

I've watched a couple of Indiana games this past week. That Stephenson kid is HORRIBLE.

He's like the B.Lopez of guards with his shot selection.

Awful to watch play.

[catch20two]

Great start versus a team just as offensively challenged as us.

[HornetJail]

George is out with the flu for them.

That means no Granger and no George? Niiiiiiiice.

[thruthefire]

It's really hard to understand what Dunlap was thinking moving Taylor to the starting lineup.

[catch20two]

George is out with the flu for them.

That means no Granger and no George? Niiiiiiiice.

Now we just have to get Hibbert or West out. Preferably both.