Wolves @ Nuggets, 8:00pm, My29

[Krapinsky]

43 and 17? DAMN!

I believe Jefferson's career high was 39.

[Gunny]

43 and 17? DAMN!

I believe Jefferson's career high was 39.

Didn't he have a 40 and 19 game a couple years ago against Phoenix?

[horaceworthy]

[It is the exception, at least from what I've seen. His usual MO is to drive the ball up the court and shoot a 3 as soon as his toes touch the line.

Not really, he has the 46th highest usage rate in the league amongst point guards, which wouldn't be the case if that was his standard operating procedure.

But they're different kinds of mistakes. I can take Beasley losing the handle if there's good defensive pressure, which by the end of games there usually is, but I can't take Brewer and Ridnour shooting long 2s early in the shot clock. They're stupid shots that 5th graders know not to take, but they do it anyway. And they do it so much that I know they're not learning from their mistakes. The 3 guys you mentioned all have improved somewhat in those areas.

The mistakes they're making really aren't different (although the mistakes you're choosing to acknowledge in that post are), stupid is stupid (and it isn't like Beasley is immune to taking long 2's early in the shot clock, that's practically his go to move). They aren't the only guys who take stupid shots down the stretch and I haven't seen the improvement in those areas from the others that you claim there's been.

Yes, yes they are. But the worst part is that they're supposed to be the veterans. Ridnour is a 9 year vet and Brewer has the most experience in the Triangle at this point, but they constantly do things that they shouldn't. I can take learning mistakes but this sort of BS is just hard to watch.

No, no they aren't. They're just being made by players you happen to like less. They aren't the only guys who have been hard to watch late in close games this year.

Ok? But the ability to hit a shot doesn't make it a good one. And while Ridnour may have been signed just because he could hit the long 2s, he certainly wasn't signed for what he's been doing. His matador defence, lack of leadership and overall bad play probably wasn't what Kahn and Rambis was expecting.

As you said, Ridnour's been in the league for 9 years. There's a pretty good chance Kahn and Rambis knew what they were getting. This is a pretty typical Luke Ridnour season.

The Wolves are a bad team, and Brewer and Ridnour have emerged as the easiest scapegoats. That's fine, I just object to them being portrayed as the only ones.

[LOBO 7]

For what it's worth, I also agree that Ridnour and Brewer should not be used as the only scapegoats, and they have been on the receiving end of too much hate around here. Due to Flynn and Webster's injuries, Brewer and Ridnour are both playing larger roles than they would ideally be playing, which logically would lead to them not living up to expectations.
Yes, we are a bad team at the moment. But we are the youngest team in the league, have played more road games than any team in the league(and more travel distance), are in the top third of the league in strength of schedule, and have dealt with some major injuries. Despite that, we have been competitive and as our schedule eases and our health improves, we will start to see some results. I don't see the sense in calling for the heads of players who, once this team is healthy, could become what they were expected to be, which is merely nice complimentary pieces.

[shangrila]

Not really, he has the 46th highest usage rate in the league amongst point guards, which wouldn't be the case if that was his standard operating procedure.

I'm not talking about the entire game, just late game situations.

The mistakes they're making really aren't different (although the mistakes you're choosing to acknowledge in that post are), stupid is stupid (and it isn't like Beasley is immune to taking long 2's early in the shot clock, that's practically his go to move). They aren't the only guys who take stupid shots down the stretch and I haven't seen the improvement in those areas from the others that you claim there's been.

Maybe they aren't the only ones but they're certainly the most frequent. And I explained how they're different so I'm not going to do it again.

No, no they aren't. They're just being made by players you happen to like less. They aren't the only guys who have been hard to watch late in close games this year.

Go back and read what I actually wrote and you'll see why they're different.

The Wolves are a bad team, and Brewer and Ridnour have emerged as the easiest scapegoats. That's fine, I just object to them being portrayed as the only ones.

There's a big reason for why they're the easiest scapegoats though, which you seem to be ignoring. Beasley, Love, Darko, Johnson, all of these guys are going to make mistakes and that's fine. They're learning or being asked to do more then they're used to. This is why Ridnour and Brewer's are less forgivable.

But I've explained my opinion, twice now, so I guess we'll just agree to disagree.

[Krapinsky]

43 and 17? DAMN!

I believe Jefferson's career high was 39.

Didn't he have a 40 and 19 game a couple years ago against Phoenix?

You're right, but i think it was agaisnt NJ.

[horaceworthy]

That's fine, I just object to them being portrayed as the only ones.

There's a big reason for why they're the easiest scapegoats though, which you seem to be ignoring. Beasley, Love, Darko, Johnson, all of these guys are going to make mistakes and that's fine. They're learning or being asked to do more then they're used to. This is why Ridnour and Brewer's are less forgivable.

But I've explained my opinion, twice now, so I guess we'll just agree to disagree.[/quote]I don't think I'm ignoring anything. I've consistently acknowledged that Brewer and Ridnour are flawed players who have made mistakes down the stretch in close games. You stating here that it's fine for guys like Beasley, Love, Darko and Johnson to make mistakes because they're learning or being asked to do more than they're used to but being less willing to forgive Brewer or Ridnour's even though they're both being asked to do more than they ought to, sort of plays right into what I said here:

They're just being made by players you happen to like less.

All I'm saying is that while I recognize Brewer and Ridnour are flawed, there's plenty of blame to go around.

[drawingtechs]

when is darko and the montenegarian rapist expected back?