Giannis' Development

[ReasonablySober]

We should have shut Giannis down in January.

That's taking this argument to its logical conclusion, right? Season was over, nothing left to do but tank for a pick.

Yeah, because there's no middle ground between Giannis not playing at all, and Giannis playing 40 minutes in meaningless games down the stretch, or playing 2-3 straight quarters with no rest.

How many times did he even play back to back quarters? To hear you say it over and over again it seems like it must have been a regular thing.

[blazza18]

He regularly played 20+ minute stretches. Sure someone who isn't lazy can look that up.

[VooDoo7]

That's taking this argument to its logical conclusion, right? Season was over, nothing left to do but tank for a pick.

Yeah, because there's no middle ground between Giannis not playing at all, and Giannis playing 40 minutes in meaningless games down the stretch, or playing 2-3 straight quarters with no rest.

How many times did he even play back to back quarters? To hear you say it over and over again it seems like it must have been a regular thing.

Umm, a lot. You really did miss a lot of games.

[emunney]

Wait they didn't even let him rest between quarters? Did he do wind sprints during TV timeouts, too?

[blazza18]

Why not just play him 48 minutes? He gets enough rest when the whistle is blown.

[emunney]

Why not just play him 48 minutes? He gets enough rest when the whistle is blown.

Kidd already plays him 48 minutes. He makes him make up the difference in his dungeon post game.

[ReasonablySober]

Yeah, because there's no middle ground between Giannis not playing at all, and Giannis playing 40 minutes in meaningless games down the stretch, or playing 2-3 straight quarters with no rest.

How many times did he even play back to back quarters? To hear you say it over and over again it seems like it must have been a regular thing.

Umm, a lot. You really did miss a lot of games.

Can you at least tell me? Because no, I don't think it was that many nights.

[KidA24]

How many times did he even play back to back quarters? To hear you say it over and over again it seems like it must have been a regular thing.

Umm, a lot. You really did miss a lot of games.

Can you at least tell me? Because no, I don't think it was that many nights.

Middleton and Giannis finished 6th and 9th in minutes played this season. Giannis missed 2 games, Middleton 3.

Giannis had 16 games where he played 40+ minutes.
Looking at the Games in or around 40 minutes in April:
4/1 vs Orlando 40mins: Plays the entire first Q. Rests for 7 minutes start of the 2nd. Rests for final 2 minutes of the 3rd.
4/3 vs Chicago 43 mins: Plays the entire first Q. Rests for 5 minutes start of the 2nd. Plays entire 2nd half.
4/5 vs Cleveland: 39 mins: Plays the first 18 minutes. Rests 3, plays the rest of the first half. Plays the first 18 minutes in the 2nd half, while they are down 30 in the 4th quarter.
4/8 vs Philly, 39 mins: Rests first 6 minutes of 2nd and 4th Q.

Edited to add: Holy crap. No wonder Harden didn't play defense. He played 232 minutes more than the next closest guy. To put that in perspective, that's the same as the difference between #2 on the list and #24.

[ReasonablySober]

Umm, a lot. You really did miss a lot of games.

Can you at least tell me? Because no, I don't think it was that many nights.

Middleton and Giannis finished 6th and 9th in minutes played this season. Giannis missed 2 games, Middleton 3.

Giannis had 16 games where he played 40+ minutes.
Looking at the Games in or around 40 minutes in April:
4/1 vs Orlando 40mins: Plays the entire first Q. Rests for 7 minutes start of the 2nd. Rests for final 2 minutes of the 3rd.
4/3 vs Chicago 43 mins: Plays the entire first Q. Rests for 5 minutes start of the 2nd. Plays entire 2nd half.
4/5 vs Cleveland: 39 mins: Plays the first 18 minutes. Rests 3, plays the rest of the first half. Plays the first 18 minutes in the 2nd half, while they are down 30 in the 4th quarter.
4/8 vs Philly, 39 mins: Rests first 6 minutes of 2nd and 4th Q.

Edited to add: Holy crap. No wonder Harden didn't play defense. He played 232 minutes more than the next closest guy. To put that in perspective, that's the same as the difference between #2 on the list and #24.

Thank you for doing the legwork. Much appreciated.

[ReasonablySober]

But one game in April. What else we got?

[emunney]

The shelf him in January thing was an absurd extrapolation but it at least it would have done the two things you guys are complaining about us not doing enough, those being protecting Giannis from getting injured in meaningless games and making us lose more.

I actually wanted us to hard tank in January, but I didn't want to sit Giannis to do it, because it didn't seem like we needed to. Once he got moved to the point... I don't know, for me the point you guys are deliberately ignoring is that there is real long term value in getting Giannis point guard reps *now*. As many as he can handle and in as many different situations as become available. Of course I wish the move had been made earlier in the season, but we have confirmation from people close to Giannis and Giannis himself that some of the stuff we've been blaming Kidd for -- the alleged no 3s edict and keeping him off ball -- were ALL GIANNIS. And that's fine.

We can talk about the finer points and I certainly wouldn't have done everything the same way if I was running ****, but this binary nonsense is dishonest. There are demonstrable benefits and drawbacks to all of these ideas.

[Max Green]

If Giannis was playing 33 minutes a night Voodoo would be complaining about Kidd not playing him 35 minutes.

[Chapter29]

I haven't been reading Voodoo's posts but to address the comment of being overworked.

I feel that the season is for working hard and playing games. I feel that the offseason is for resting both mentally and physically and for getting good training work in. So take some time off, get to training, take some time off, get back to work for the next season.

Not a real tough concept.

I just don't feel like he should be focusing on learning a new system, playing with new teammates and continuing playing competitive league ball for most of the offseason. I also don't feel its the end of the world, just not a perfect world....never is.

Was Giannis overworked in the regular season? Maybe a little but again that is life in the NBA as a teams core guy. I would have liked to have seen him with less as the season winded down but again, not that big of a deal. Some just love to hate Kidd. I am just a bit more a matter of fact.

[VooDoo7]

If Giannis was playing 33 minutes a night Voodoo would be complaining about Kidd not playing him 35 minutes.

Even for you, this is lame, Max.

[VooDoo7]

I haven't been reading Voodoo's posts but to address the comment of being overworked.

I feel that the season is for working hard and playing games. I feel that the offseason is for resting both mentally and physically and for getting good training work in. So take some time off, get to training, take some time off, get back to work for the next season.

Not a real tough concept.

I just don't feel like he should be focusing on learning a new system, playing with new teammates and continuing playing competitive league ball for most of the offseason. I also don't feel its the end of the world, just not a perfect world....never is.

Was Giannis overworked in the regular season? Maybe a little but again that is life in the NBA as a teams core guy. I would have liked to have seen him with less as the season winded down but again, not that big of a deal. Some just love to hate Kidd. I am just a bit more a matter of fact.

But you think him playing this summer increases his chances of getting burnt out or hurt, correct?

[imithanos]

If Giannis was playing 33 minutes a night Voodoo would be complaining about Kidd not playing him 35 minutes.

Even for you, this is lame, Max.

I kind of found it funny.

If I could choose for your avatar, I would pick this:

[AussieBuck]

Giannis played a bunch of back to back quarters. I still got disappointed when he went to the bench though.

[Jez2983]

I haven't been reading Voodoo's posts but to address the comment of being overworked.

I feel that the season is for working hard and playing games. I feel that the offseason is for resting both mentally and physically and for getting good training work in. So take some time off, get to training, take some time off, get back to work for the next season.

Not a real tough concept.

I just don't feel like he should be focusing on learning a new system, playing with new teammates and continuing playing competitive league ball for most of the offseason. I also don't feel its the end of the world, just not a perfect world....never is.

Was Giannis overworked in the regular season? Maybe a little but again that is life in the NBA as a teams core guy. I would have liked to have seen him with less as the season winded down but again, not that big of a deal. Some just love to hate Kidd. I am just a bit more a matter of fact.

But you think him playing this summer increases his chances of getting burnt out or hurt, correct?

Dunno why we would aim for the playoffs. There could be as many as 28 extra games the Core could play. I mean think about it, Chris Paul wouldn't have got injured if the Clippers didn't make the playoffs.

[M-C-G]

Much ado about nothing...He played a little more than I would like, but when you have like 8 guys on the roster and Ennis as your only other PG, what do people expect?

[Ron Swanson]

Steph Curry played the fewest minutes of any MVP winner ever the last two years (32 MPG, 34 MPG), and was 30th in minutes this season, yet he still sprained his MCL in the first round of the playoffs.

Clearly he was overworked and Kerr needs to limit him to 28 minutes per game and wrap him up in styrofoam and packing peanuts in between quarters.