PG: Refs and Thibs f*Ck us

[Fat Kat]

After the work T.J. McConnell gave him, I’m through clamoring for Deuce. Is he just energetic or is he a lockdown defender? I’m gonna need more evidence

[mpharris36]

After the work T.J. McConnell gave him, I’m through clamoring for Deuce. Is he just energetic or is he a lockdown defender? I’m gonna need more evidence

TJ was giving everyone the business. Duece isn't lockdown...he is solid/good defender. And he generally competes on that end.

He is a better defender than Burks though.

[FrozenEnvelope]

That bald **** who called that foul is from Miami. Maybe he's a resentful Miami fan? It just sucks that NOTHING will happen to him and that crew. At ANY other profession, you'd at least get a warning or suspended for **** up so bad!

[god shammgod]

if i'm 6'5 and you're 6'1 but we have the same wingspan, who's reaching higher when we put our arm up ? lol

[GONYK]

whats the point of the additional size if Burks plays small. I would think you would want the better POA defender out there so Brunson can play off ball and not have to chase around the best ball handler anyway.

I didn't think you contested shots with your head...there have been plenty of short guys that guard up because that have good strength and wingspan.

Burks isn't out there to provide the best defense possible. He's out there to provide size, scoring, and playmaking next to either Brunson or Deuce.

Judging him outside of that lens doesn't make sense. If Deuce is going to play more, it is going to be next to AB.

again what is size? what does it help you with?

I watch Caruso defend guys way bigger then him...should he not defend PF's because of size? Marcus Smart is short and he defends up because of his strength and wingspan.

What did Burks size help with last night with Amen Thompson grabbing ever loose ball and rebound over him because Burks is soft as charmin. At least Deuce will try to box him out and battle. I could care less about size if he's just going to stand around an not do anything. And I don't need his offense next to Brunson because Burks is a chuck. I would rather have Duece who has been great in C&S this season anyway.

Better defender...equally good in C&S..and I certaintly don't need Burks playmaking...since it doesn't exist...he playmakes for the other team with his horrible turnovers.

Burks should be in when Brunson is out and that is it...because we could maybe use his extra scoring with no brunson on the court...with Brunson on the court...I don't want to see Burks ever

Deuce v Burks is kind of a meaningless debate, because the real answer is OG

[FrozenEnvelope]

I know I've mostly disagree with the 'minutes police' but yeah, I think Thibs is going a little too much right now. I get we are severely undermanned but then again, it's a regular season game in February. Playing Deuce only 5 minutes and none in the second half is just not acceptable. I do think Leon should fill the bench with players who Thibs might actually play. Having guys like Jeffries, Brown and Toppin is so stupid and a complete waste of roster spots. Thankfully we have one more and more so then winning, I just want to make it out of that game without anymore injuries.

[seren]

Thibs is really something. How do you go from playing one guy 40+ minutes to 5? I know the general theme is Thibs is gonna Thibs but there is nothing normal about how he handles rotations.

[FrozenEnvelope]

Thibs is really something. How do you go from playing one guy 40+ minutes to 5? I know the general theme is Thibs is gonna Thibs but there is nothing normal about how he handles rotations.

I'm pro Thibs and think his strengths far outweight his weaknesses but yeah, that is an issue. I'm surprised Leon nor any of the other assistants bring this up or maybe they do and he just doesn't care?

[mpharris36]

Burks isn't out there to provide the best defense possible. He's out there to provide size, scoring, and playmaking next to either Brunson or Deuce.

Judging him outside of that lens doesn't make sense. If Deuce is going to play more, it is going to be next to AB.

again what is size? what does it help you with?

I watch Caruso defend guys way bigger then him...should he not defend PF's because of size? Marcus Smart is short and he defends up because of his strength and wingspan.

What did Burks size help with last night with Amen Thompson grabbing ever loose ball and rebound over him because Burks is soft as charmin. At least Deuce will try to box him out and battle. I could care less about size if he's just going to stand around an not do anything. And I don't need his offense next to Brunson because Burks is a chuck. I would rather have Duece who has been great in C&S this season anyway.

Better defender...equally good in C&S..and I certaintly don't need Burks playmaking...since it doesn't exist...he playmakes for the other team with his horrible turnovers.

Burks should be in when Brunson is out and that is it...because we could maybe use his extra scoring with no brunson on the court...with Brunson on the court...I don't want to see Burks ever

Deuce v Burks is kind of a meaningless debate, because the real answer is OG

I mean that is obvious...however we simply can't punt the next month. We have to get creative to win some of these games to remain afloat until the injured guys get healthy...the problem is a new guy seems to be going down because of that stubbornness of our coach.

[K_ick_God]

if i'm 6'5 and you're 6'1 but we have the same wingspan, who's reaching higher when we put our arm up ? lol

The guy who actually raises his arms and competes

You're not deducting Burks for his slowness -- he's not a good defender so his outstretched arm is farther from the ball, if he bothers to put them up

[Iron Mantis]

I liked Grimes, Evil Donte, and the Nova Cheerleader better.

Chemistry, defense, and youthy players matter.

[GONYK]

again what is size? what does it help you with?

I watch Caruso defend guys way bigger then him...should he not defend PF's because of size? Marcus Smart is short and he defends up because of his strength and wingspan.

What did Burks size help with last night with Amen Thompson grabbing ever loose ball and rebound over him because Burks is soft as charmin. At least Deuce will try to box him out and battle. I could care less about size if he's just going to stand around an not do anything. And I don't need his offense next to Brunson because Burks is a chuck. I would rather have Duece who has been great in C&S this season anyway.

Better defender...equally good in C&S..and I certaintly don't need Burks playmaking...since it doesn't exist...he playmakes for the other team with his horrible turnovers.

Burks should be in when Brunson is out and that is it...because we could maybe use his extra scoring with no brunson on the court...with Brunson on the court...I don't want to see Burks ever

Deuce v Burks is kind of a meaningless debate, because the real answer is OG

I mean that is obvious...however we simply can't punt the next month. We have to get creative to win some of these games to remain afloat until the injured guys get healthy...the problem is a new guy seems to be going down because of that stubbornness of our coach.

Perhaps, but it all seems like quibbling over the least wrong tool for the designated job. Shuffling chairs on the Titanic doesn't change much in the big scheme of things. There's no replacing the players we don't have.

If it were up to me, I'd have sat everyone of importance for the last 3 games heading into AS break, if you want a peek into my mindset right now .

[seren]

I know I've mostly disagree with the 'minutes police' but yeah, I think Thibs is going a little too much right now. I get we are severely undermanned but then again, it's a regular season game in February. Playing Deuce only 5 minutes and none in the second half is just not acceptable. I do think Leon should fill the bench with players who Thibs might actually play. Having guys like Jeffries, Brown and Toppin is so stupid and a complete waste of roster spots. Thankfully we have one more and more so then winning, I just want to make it out of that game without anymore injuries.

I agree but how can Leon know who Thibs will play when as you said Thibs is inconsistent in that himself. It really has nothing to do whether a player is Thibs player or not. If you start, you get 40 minutes and if you don’t you will get crumbs. That goes to show you he has no concept whatsoever of how to rotate.

[thebuzzardman]

if i'm 6'5 and you're 6'1 but we have the same wingspan, who's reaching higher when we put our arm up ? lol

The guy who actually raises his arms and competes

You're not deducting Burks for his slowness -- he's not a good defender so his outstretched arm is farther from the ball, if he bothers to put them up

Burks only raises his arms when he's taking a jumpshot.

Granted, he takes a lot of them and it's tiring, so he rests the arms on defense.

[K_ick_God]

if i'm 6'5 and you're 6'1 but we have the same wingspan, who's reaching higher when we put our arm up ? lol

The guy who actually raises his arms and competes

You're not deducting Burks for his slowness -- he's not a good defender so his outstretched arm is farther from the ball, if he bothers to put them up

Burks only raises his arms when he's taking a jumpshot.

Granted, he takes a lot of them and it's tiring, so he rests the arms on defense.

His arms are also tired from dribbling

I really despise him and honestly think Fournier is about as good ... Burks sort of better at giving the appearance of playing defense, maybe he is slightly better defensively than EF, but not a lot. Fournier is probably better offensively lol

Fournier for Fournier

2 picks and Grimes for Bojan

I don't think that's a good trade; I already miss Grimes a lot lol

[Monk1718]

Not sure how true it is but I read somewhere that the ref that made the call has a 7-0 record favoring the heat when officiating their games

[mpharris36]

Deuce v Burks is kind of a meaningless debate, because the real answer is OG

I mean that is obvious...however we simply can't punt the next month. We have to get creative to win some of these games to remain afloat until the injured guys get healthy...the problem is a new guy seems to be going down because of that stubbornness of our coach.

Perhaps, but it all seems like quibbling over the least wrong tool for the designated job. Shuffling chairs on the Titanic doesn't change much in the big scheme of things. There's no replacing the players we don't have.

If it were up to me, I'd have sat everyone of importance for the last 3 games heading into AS break, if you want a peek into my mindset right now .

its not like the margin of error is not unreachable. Sure a better 1st half from brunson or a better call from an official we could have won that game. But also playing Duece for 5 minutes is kinda ridiculous in a game in Feb non the less. This is also not just a Burks convo. DD has been playing unsustainable minutes and it finally caught up to him last night. At what point is this lack of understanding for a coach going to derail our season?

During our stretch of 15 out of 17...duece was probably avg like 20 minutes a game or close to it. What ultimately has changed since then? Thibs basically only played a 7 man rotation last night with a couple short stints from Duece and Taj (so they really didn't even play).

It's really poor job if you ask me.

[K_ick_God]

I mean that is obvious...however we simply can't punt the next month. We have to get creative to win some of these games to remain afloat until the injured guys get healthy...the problem is a new guy seems to be going down because of that stubbornness of our coach.

Perhaps, but it all seems like quibbling over the least wrong tool for the designated job. Shuffling chairs on the Titanic doesn't change much in the big scheme of things. There's no replacing the players we don't have.

If it were up to me, I'd have sat everyone of importance for the last 3 games heading into AS break, if you want a peek into my mindset right now .

its not like the margin of error is not unreachable. Sure a better 1st half from brunson or a better call from an official we could have won that game. But also playing Duece for 5 minutes is kinda ridiculous in a game in Feb non the less. This is also not just a Burks convo. DD has been playing unsustainable minutes and it finally caught up to him last night. At what point is this lack of understanding for a coach going to derail our season?

During our stretch of 15 out of 17...duece was probably avg like 20 minutes a game or close to it. What ultimately has changed since then? Thibs basically only played a 7 man rotation last night with a couple short stints from Duece and Taj (so they really didn't even play).

It's really poor job if you ask me.

And it doesn't work usually. He will keep barking up the wrong tree with Burks tho

That's not gonna change

[cgmw]

So far Burks is avg 28 shots per 100 possessions with a 31.3% usage

On Det he avg 20-21 shots per 100 possessions with a 23% usage.

The worst part is Burks is getting rewarded with more minutes. Thibs needs an intervention.

For comparison:
Brunson avgs 28.2 shots per 100
Randle avgs 25.5 shots per 100

Pure madness!

burks is an azzhole

Hard to believe it's been 4 years of Thibs and fans still don't see that this is EXACTLY what Thibs wants. The one and only offense he teaches, rewards, or wants is high-usage selfish dribble-drive rim attack. Burks isn't an as$hole at all. He's just doing exactly the same job Thibs wanted out of Elfrid, D. Rose, IQ, Brunson, Randle, and RJ. And yet fans keep coming on here complaining that players are selfish as if it's not by intentional design.

Also PS: Deuce McBride can never thrive here unless he develops into the selfish iso a$shole that Thibs demands. Either that or the passive corner-three release-valve catch-and-shoot Reggie Bullock 3-D role.

[K_ick_God]

There is a larger and more disturbing pattern emerging ... 'Get Grimes out of here'

Thibs decides he's done with someone over probably not much -- I mean, Grimes is still a young player who has shown significant flashes, as well as always solid and disruptive defense -- so whatever he did could not be that bad

But Thibs sits on his throne and his former agent does whatever he wants

That's not a recipe for success

I realize it has something to do with the fact that the team has had a good season ... but inserting Burks was a bad idea

The injuries are piling up and he may be at fault for that

The Randle stuff is dormant now because he was playing well ... but any coach that buys into Randle this much raises red flags too ... I'm not going to ignore that just because the conventional wisdom is quiet on that now

Grimes should have stayed ... and whatever issues Thibs has are his problem ... he's the coach, he has to coach the guys he has and not send out wish lists for players

Besides, his wish list is ever changing. Presumably he approved Fournier and Austin Rivers. He probably doesn't like DD as much as we think he should ... and eventually he'll sour on Hart

When is enough enough