Why is Earl Clark not playing?

[JohnVancouver]

Agree that Clark doesn't need huge minutes out of the gate - let him get his feet wet, get acclimated tot he speed and size of the league, don't give him too big a load to carry. It's a terrible thing to do to a young player, throwing them in to sink or swim. A few thrive on it, most lose all confidence.
Clark is going to get plenty of burn under Gentry, just relax

[Cash]

Bottom line for me is that Dudley and Amundsen are playing really well and the team is winning, so you can't cut their minutes. That doesn't really leave much of anything for Clark. But that's okay. At this super-early stage of his career, he can learn a lot even by just sitting and watching. Plus, I've seen enough of him in the preseason and his brief regular season minutes to know that he really needs to work on either his shot selection or his jumper (preferably both) before he can be a productive NBA player.

[nashrambler13]

lol, clark didnt play tonight!

[Kerrsed]

I like using red type too!FF0000 is the best for laying the smack down!

[justinb80]

I don't necessarily mind Clark only getting 5 to 10 minutes of playing time, but I really hope we don't see too many more "DNP-CD" like last night.

[realsunsfan]

I don't necessarily mind Clark only getting 5 to 10 minutes of playing time, but I really hope we don't see too many more "DNP-CD" like last night.

It's going to really depend on the match ups and who we are playing. He will get minutes in most games, but they are not going to put him in a situation where he may struggle and face a confidence issue, remember Gentry stated from the very beginning that he was going to bring him along slowly.

[rsavaj]

We just need to be top notch on this road trip, especially against ORL and BOS. I think once we're facing Philly and Washington, Clark will start to get minutes again.

[GrapeApe]

Will he be sent to the d-league to get playing time or was he drafted too high to disrespect him like that?

[Cash]

Will he be sent to the d-league to get playing time or was he drafted too high to disrespect him like that?

Good question. Until Fropez comes back and shows he can play, there's no way Clark gets sent down. Tucker and Griffin are really not NBA players at this point (esp. Griffin), so if anyone in the front court gets hurt, Clark will be needed in that game and any ones the hurt guy misses. When Clark gets on the floor right now, he's showing that he's not quite ready for prime time. He can still help us in certain games, and if injuries force big minutes on him, I don't think he'll kill us, but he shouldn't be taking minutes away from any of our front court players right now.

[impulsenine]

It seems to me that people's opinion about whether or not Clark should be playing more ultimately comes down to whether or not they trust the coach. We obviously had zero reasons to believe D'Antoni knew what he was doing with the rookies.

At this point, I will say that Gentry has my faith as a coach, and I cite the team's work ethic and impossibly-great chemistry (the 8-1 helps, too, I admit it).

Because I have faith in Gentry, I have to say that he is probably doing the right thing with Clark. Those who think he's doing it wrong may still be bitter about D'Antoni's 6-man rotation (and rightfully so), and be applying that bitterness to Gentry, which I don't think is fair.

Therefore: I am not worried about Clark's minutes.

[WTFsunsFTW]

Clark is fortunate enough to not have any pressure to carry a burden for his team, and is playing under a coach that will play him as many minutes as he earns. He just needs to stop taking 17 foot jumpshots and slash to the damn basket

[TASTIC]

^Agreed. He took a jumper last night where he basically had a clear path and needed to take 3 dribbles and throw it down, but he chose to shoot it. Nerves maybe?

[impulsenine]

OK well, whoever was complainin' about Clark's minutes...

he's playing right now, in minutes that are pretty damn important versus L.A.

I can't think of anyone asking for more than that.

[Jimmy76]

Clark is fortunate enough to not have any pressure to carry a burden for his team, and is playing under a coach that will play him as many minutes as he earns. He just needs to stop taking 17 foot jumpshots and slash to the damn basket

I dont remember if it was Clark or Tucker but one of those two got the rebound off a freethrow and slammed it down against the Lakers

[sunfire0112]

IIRC, It was Earl.

That jam was one of the few redeeming plays of garbage time. Of course, nothing can beat Lou's Taco denying 3-point play.

Overall, I like Earl's development so far. He's still a bit too reliant on his jumper but he has tried to be more assertive by posting up down low, especially on mismatches. Earl just needs to shed that guard mentality and attack the basket like a big-man.

[nanoclarkology]

I think that Gentry knows what he is doing with EC. Here is an example his locker is right next to GH. GH is a stand up guy on and off the court. He had a lot of his prime age years taken away because of that ankle. He is performing better than we expected. GH that is.

With that said. EC is developing Lou and Dudley have been off the hook good for us this season. They are a cheaper better version of Varejaou (sp?). Plus they seem to be feeding off of each other. EC will get there and when he starts playing more minutes than Lou and Dudley that means he earned it over them. That is what I am looking for is that desire.

[dantian]

Clark's offense is raw. He needs at least two years to be NBA ready on offense to start anywhere. Until then, take some lessons from Dudley to make coach have to play you.

[Mr. Sun]

I'd play Clark.... on Kobe. Length is what frustrates him.

[Qwigglez]

Earl Clark needs to fix that broken jumper. His confidence in his shooting ability seems shaky. His defense seems to be on point however.

[Jimmy76]

Clark looks lost out there he isnt ready for the NBA yet

Hes got the skill-set and physical aspects he just needs to get to the NBA on a mental level