We "Don't" Want the Monk: The Malik Monk Thread

[Braggins]

I held off criticizing JB for not playing Monk for a long time because when he did play in the preseason he looked so flat and lifeless and I thought there was a decent chance he was having lingering issues with covid. I did start to express suspicion eventually, but he was reinserted into the rotation shortly after. Its good to know for sure that he really was just having covid issues that entire time.

[Rich4114]

Yeah, I think it makes more sense as to why he didn’t play until he did. Why couldn’t we get that info like 3 months ago though?

[Liver_Pooty]

If I recall correctly didn't Monk express frustration with Bonnell over his playing time earlier this season or lackthereof? I might be wrong on that, but I don't think it was 100% covid related

[Braggins]

If I recall correctly didn't Monk express frustration with Bonnell over his playing time earlier this season or lackthereof? I might be wrong on that, but I don't think it was 100% covid related

Yeah, but he also made some statements around that time about still not being 100%. My interpretation is that he eventually felt he was well enough to play even before he was quite 100% and JB probably should have reintegrated him a bit sooner.

[euphorbus]

LaMelo Ball and Malik Monk will be evaluated today and tomorrow, with the hopes that one or both will be available to play minutes this weekend. Most of the article is about how the Hornets need rest:

https://www.si.com/nba/hornets/news/-charlotte-hornets-looking-forward-to-rare-break-in-between-games

[Braggins]

I think this is only the second time since the all-star break they've had more than a single day off in between games.

[Hornet Mania]

The scheduling this year has been trash and it was obvious from the start. The league prioritized the magic number they needed to get 100% of TV contract revenue over the health of their employees and the product has suffered as a result.

It's too bad the NBA players union is worthless, competent representation would have prevented a team going months at a time without at least 72 hours between games.

[euphorbus]

The scheduling this year has been trash and it was obvious from the start. The league prioritized the magic number they needed to get 100% of TV contract revenue over the health of their employees and the product has suffered as a result.

It's too bad the NBA players union is worthless; competent representation would have prevented a team going months at a time without at least 72 hours between games.

The NBA Players' Association agreed to the schedule last fall. Maybe they were as desperate as the league to get back on the court, but it should have been obvious that the schedule was not only difficult, it was dangerous and even cruel.

I wonder, how many of the 57 candidates for the US Olympic Basketball Team will actually make themselves available after running this gauntlet?

[Hornet Mania]

The scheduling this year has been trash and it was obvious from the start. The league prioritized the magic number they needed to get 100% of TV contract revenue over the health of their employees and the product has suffered as a result.

It's too bad the NBA players union is worthless; competent representation would have prevented a team going months at a time without at least 72 hours between games.

The NBA Players' Association agreed to the schedule last fall. Maybe they were as desperate as the league to get back on the court, but it should have been obvious that the schedule was not only difficult, it was dangerous and even cruel.

I wonder, how many of the 57 candidates for the US Olympic Basketball Team will actually make themselves available after running this gauntlet?

The players union always caves because the vast majority of players are still living basically paycheck to paycheck. I hate that dynamic, even though it is sort of their own fault, the owners know they can beat them through attrition every single time.

If I were a top-flight player there is no chance in hell I'd go to the Olympics this year. Between the insane grind and Covid tamping down on the Olympic experience anyway it's super pointless.

[Diop]

The players union always caves because the vast majority of players are still living basically paycheck to paycheck.

I’m know you’re right but it’s hard not to smirk when you see how much they earn.

It’s like when Sprewell complained he needed more money to feed his kids.

[predators]

The scheduling this year has been trash and it was obvious from the start. The league prioritized the magic number they needed to get 100% of TV contract revenue over the health of their employees and the product has suffered as a result.

It's too bad the NBA players union is worthless; competent representation would have prevented a team going months at a time without at least 72 hours between games.

The NBA Players' Association agreed to the schedule last fall. Maybe they were as desperate as the league to get back on the court, but it should have been obvious that the schedule was not only difficult, it was dangerous and even cruel.

I wonder, how many of the 57 candidates for the US Olympic Basketball Team will actually make themselves available after running this gauntlet?

The players union always caves because the vast majority of players are still living basically paycheck to paycheck. I hate that dynamic, even though it is sort of their own fault, the owners know they can beat them through attrition every single time.

If I were a top-flight player there is no chance in hell I'd go to the Olympics this year. Between the insane grind and Covid tamping down on the Olympic experience anyway it's super pointless.

Even if I wasn't living pay check to pay check, I would prefer not wasting a year of my relatively brief playing career not making millions of dollars, I'd just make up injuries and sit out some games. If I had to guess the players union wanted to get 100% of the TV contract revenue to get 100% of their salaries, because 100% of the money with condensed schedule is better than 70% of the money with a less condense schedule.

I would definitely not be going to the Olympics this summer though.

[euphorbus]

We Want the Monk!

[yosemiteben]

To my eyes he didn't look right tonight, even before he tweaked the ankle. He hit a few shots, but he looked like he had a ton of rust.

[Braggins]

To my eyes he didn't look right tonight, even before he tweaked the ankle. He hit a few shots, but he looked like he had a ton of rust.

He tweaked his ankle?

[yosemiteben]

To my eyes he didn't look right tonight, even before he tweaked the ankle. He hit a few shots, but he looked like he had a ton of rust.

He tweaked his ankle?

Looked like it, didn't come out of the game though so wasn't that bad. He just grabbed it a bit, then got up and ran back on D.

[Braggins]

To my eyes he didn't look right tonight, even before he tweaked the ankle. He hit a few shots, but he looked like he had a ton of rust.

He tweaked his ankle?

Looked like it, didn't come out of the game though so wasn't that bad. He just grabbed it a bit, then got up and ran back on D.

I remember later in the game an announcer saying they thought someone stepped on his ankle. Hopefully he didn't twist it.

He seemed rusty, but I don't think he looked excessively rusty. Looked about like what youd expected from a guy after missing a month to a pretty bad ankle sprain to me. In the second half he looked fatigued and didn't have a lot of bounce/explosion in his step and he had a really bad defensive mistake earlier in the game where he got completely lost on a screen and chased the wrong guy (I think Biz erased the mistake though). Other than that, he shot well, made some nice passes, and had an overall good defensive effort with a couple nice possessions.

[SpearNMgicHelmt]

He did seem to be missing a little bit of his one-on-one sizzle and would pass when I was expecting him to keep going.

[Rich4114]

He lost his energy in the second half from what I could tell. That’s expected for anyone coming back after a month off. I’m worried that if we do get Gordon back for the play in that he’ll be the same.

[euphorbus]

If you are talking about which players to sign for the next few years, here are three comparisons per 36 minutes:

https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/#!/?PlayerID=1628370&VsPlayerID=1628970&Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&PerMode=Per36

https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/#!/?PlayerID=1628370&VsPlayerID=1628984&Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&PerMode=Per36

https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/#!/?PlayerID=1628370&VsPlayerID=1629667&Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&PerMode=Per36

[euphorbus]

Monk did not play in the second half due to (continued) soreness in his right ankle, and only played nine minutes altogether. He may not be available on Sunday against New Orleans.