Bucks/Pacers Lead-up - Dame Cleared for Practice

[kanyon]

Been 100% checked out since Dame went down. Kinda hope they get swept.

They are better without Dame

I don't know what the stars say but this feels real. Giannis has admitted to liking it more/it fitting his style style.

[humanrefutation]

I think we're going to win this series.

[paulpressey25]

I think we're going to win this series.

Indy has been playing well also to close out their year. Despite going 8-0 we couldn’t catch them for the 4th seed.

Will be a great test for how close or far away the organization is. Lot of questions will be answered such as:

Can Giannis dominate against whatever they throw at him, or do we see frustrated Giannis?

Has Kevin Porter matured, or is he destined to be a journeyman guard?

Can Kuz play lights out defense against Siakam or Turner if needed? (as this is not a good matchup for Brook)

Can Doc and his staff of all-stars keep the team focused for a series victory?

[mediocrityrules]

Been 100% checked out since Dame went down. Kinda hope they get swept.

They are better without Dame

I don't know what the stars say but this feels real. Giannis has admitted to liking it more/it fitting his style style.

It feels real, but I would still want to see Dame and Giannis together with a coach that knows how to play them together. Doc did neither of them any favors.

[WiscoKing13]

Listening leglers pod he said he was told by Doc that the Bucks doctors believe there is a chance Dame could be back in round 1.

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[soxperry]

Been 100% checked out since Dame went down. Kinda hope they get swept.

Cool

[pifhluk23]

Doc has a pretty damn good record in the playoffs when he's the underdog and he's consistently been able to max role players. Probably still giving Carlisle the edge but so many of you are lost in narrative instead of reality.

Same goes for Dame, some of you lost in your own crazy heads thinking the team is better off without him.

Betting odds and analysts all showing Bucks at around 30% to win the series and that seems fair. Looking forward to seeing who shows up. Bobby/KPJ/GTJ/Prince could all get paid millions more if they have a good series.

[ShootingtheJ]

Doc has a pretty damn good record in the playoffs when he's the underdog and he's consistently been able to max role players. Probably still giving Carlisle the edge but so many of you are lost in narrative instead of reality.

Same goes for Dame, some of you lost in your own crazy heads thinking the team is better off without him.

Betting odds and analysts all showing Bucks at around 30% to win the series and that seems fair. Looking forward to seeing who shows up. Bobby/KPJ/GTJ/Prince could all get paid millions more if they have a good series.

Agree with almost everything here, but wanted to address the Dame part. You can contend that the team won't continue to be better without Dame, but it's fact that the team was better without Dame this season.

The team was better with Dame last season when we were still letting Giannis be Giannis, but in an effort to help Dame, we handed him the keys this year, and that didn't maximize our talent or properly leverage Giannis.

If Dame makes it back, it's time for him to swallow his pride, and just fit in off ball.

[Ayt]

Is Doc smart enough to play a ton of the KPJ, Trent, AJG, Bobby, Giannis lineup? Indy if the perfect team to play that type of lineup against.

[Bucksmaniac]

Doc has a pretty damn good record in the playoffs when he's the underdog and he's consistently been able to max role players. Probably still giving Carlisle the edge but so many of you are lost in narrative instead of reality.

Same goes for Dame, some of you lost in your own crazy heads thinking the team is better off without him.

Betting odds and analysts all showing Bucks at around 30% to win the series and that seems fair. Looking forward to seeing who shows up. Bobby/KPJ/GTJ/Prince could all get paid millions more if they have a good series.

Agree with almost everything here, but wanted to address the Dame part. You can contend that the team won't continue to be better without Dame, but it's fact that the team was better without Dame this season.

The team was better with Dame last season when we were still letting Giannis be Giannis, but in an effort to help Dame, we handed him the keys this year, and that didn't maximize our talent or properly leverage Giannis.

If Dame makes it back, it's time for him to swallow his pride, and just fit in off ball.

My thing about your opinion on Dame is that you really think he makes us worse while believing we should be able to get stars for him. That seems hard to believe unless he comes back in the playoffs, looks like the Dame of old and makes a positive impact on winning.

[CharityStripe34]

Read on Twitter

Kindofa dubious and predictable construct though. Giannis 'made them look better', but did he make them better players? How useful is this.
Do the 4 other Bucks in our highest-rated lineup also 'make Giannis look better'? If his numbers are slightly down from lineups where he puts on a one-man show, did 'they' make him worse? Or is he really better for real, functionally, b/c the lineup rises together and gets better as a whole, regardless of whether Giannis' personal stats are up or down.

Lineup data is generally misleading. It doesn't take a quantum physics formula to know that a generational player in his prime will make the lineups he's in look better (and vice versa). Hence why the lineups with him, Green, Trent, Portis and KPJ look so great. It's a lineup that optimizes his strengths with shooting and competent team defense.

[Ron Swanson]

Doc has a pretty damn good record in the playoffs when he's the underdog and he's consistently been able to max role players. Probably still giving Carlisle the edge but so many of you are lost in narrative instead of reality.

Same goes for Dame, some of you lost in your own crazy heads thinking the team is better off without him.

Betting odds and analysts all showing Bucks at around 30% to win the series and that seems fair. Looking forward to seeing who shows up. Bobby/KPJ/GTJ/Prince could all get paid millions more if they have a good series.

Agree with almost everything here, but wanted to address the Dame part. You can contend that the team won't continue to be better without Dame, but it's fact that the team was better without Dame this season.

The team was better with Dame last season when we were still letting Giannis be Giannis, but in an effort to help Dame, we handed him the keys this year, and that didn't maximize our talent or properly leverage Giannis.

If Dame makes it back, it's time for him to swallow his pride, and just fit in off ball.

Dame's usage is down from last year where Giannis' jumped from 33% to 35.2%. Giannis is taking more than 2 shots per-100 more than last year whereas Dame is taking 1 less. Dame's pick & roll usage is down by 4% from last year. He's been more efficient this season (11th best offensive player in the league by EPM) in a lesser role by every metric you wanna use. There is absolutely zero evidence that we "handed the keys to Dame" this year, and it's crazy the amount of un-true junk you just throw out there so confidently lol.

[CharityStripe34]

Yeah, I actually noticed that Giannis and Dame found a bit more balance with each other's game and Dame started deferring more often this season in comparison to last year.

[Baddy Chuck]

Handed the keys.

[Plossum]

Part of the Dame Giannis combo might just be that we’ve been trying to force it too much when we were prob better off using them separately in the way the Clips use Kawhi and Harden.

[soxperry]

Part of the Dame Giannis combo might just be that we’ve been trying to force it too much when we were prob better off using them separately in the way the Clips use Kawhi and Harden.

It might turn out that way, but you still need to try and mesh them. They need to be able to close together, for one. For two, Giannis's biggest weakness is Dame's biggest strength and vice versa. So our best lineup should theoretically involve them both.

[chonestown]

Part of the Dame Giannis combo might just be that we’ve been trying to force it too much when we were prob better off using them separately in the way the Clips use Kawhi and Harden.

Yeah, I think there's validity to this. I also think Scoot is just a better p and r guy.

If Dame comes back, he's better served as a drive and dish/shoot guy with the ball and a spot-up guy w/o it.

Giannis is better on ball surveying the court rather than being forced into a p and r with a guy who doesn't thrive in that role. However, Giannis has to continue to be decisive otherwise it all grinds down. Level of competition and all that, but GA has been quicker and less pounding the rock this month.

[soxperry]

Handed the keys.

I see big differences in counting stats but small differences in efficiency.

That tells me that theres probably some truth to the idea that Dame is more efficient with more touches. Needs to find his rhythm. It also tells me that Dame can still put up Portland numbers if necessary.

Feels so long since he has played that it doesn't even feel like hes still a Buck. Maybe on a chalkboard in a hidden war room, hes not...

[fan230]

Part of the Dame Giannis combo might just be that we’ve been trying to force it too much when we were prob better off using them separately in the way the Clips use Kawhi and Harden.

This is a great suggestion. Doc should certainly try this.

[Bucksmaniac]

Yeah, I actually noticed that Giannis and Dame found a bit more balance with each other's game and Dame started deferring more often this season in comparison to last year.

I hope if and when we do get him back he drives more, so a higher pct of our free throws are from him. We have enough shooting to where he doesn’t have to attempt 10 3s per game.