Next room in the Bubble Bowl/Demon SZN; MJ WARREN V HERRO 8/10 (Monday) 8PM

[DayofMourning]

These games have been tune ups for the playoffs. Spo is trying rotations out and testing out players in certain roles.

IMO these are some takeaways:

- Herro and Dragic should make up the entirety of the PG rotation (with Herro getting some SG minutes as well). The total "guard" rotation should consist of Dragic-Herro-Jimmy. I'd love to see us start Herro at PG. Dragic is so important to us regardless, but I really think he gives us a fantastic counterpunch and a sense of identity for our lineups when rotations start in the back half of the 1st. Dragic's punch is less needed starting out with the first unit (but he should def be finishing).

- Healthy KO is taking the big man minutes along Bam, and Meyers is staying on the bench for the playoffs. Engaged and healthy KO plays smart and versatile bball. He's somewhat limited in some traditional big man tasks like rebounding and rim protection, but he's still serviceable relative to smaller alternatives, and it's not like Meyers is great in those functions.

- Our injection of wing/forward depth with the additions of Jae and Iggy is an important addition for the playoff run. No need to even speak on Jae--he's been the ideal 3&D wing for us and plays smart & tough. Iggy is more of a steadying presence than he is an exciting one. He will be getting regular minutes in the playoffs even if he's not hitting many shots. He fills little gaps with smart play to keep things going.

- It's ideal to have one of Jimmy and Dragic on the court at all times to keep the team humming.

Cemented playoff rotation:

Bam
Butler
Dragic
Duncan
Crowder
Herro
Olynyk
DJJ
Iggy

That's a 9-man rotation right there. That's all you need for the playoffs.

Sounds about right. Spot minutes for Meyers and Nunn as needed.

Herro has taken Nunn's spot in my eyes. And there are too many players who contribute consistently on both sides of the ball to have Nunn's mercurial play deciding playoff games.

I like Meyers, as a cheerleader. Damn good one. When he's on the floor, he offers little as a post presence. Rather just find a way to max out KO, and keep the small ball thing going, as our best players are wing type players.

[al bondiga]

Meyers should get minutes , he has been an important part of us getting into this position
..if we encounter any kind of big Center opposition , which would most teams have, we need him

[gom]

I like the Pacers team a lot, but that Heat D last night was good enough for Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.

[greg4012]

Meyers should get minutes , he has been an important part of us getting into this position
..if we encounter any kind of big Center opposition , which would most teams have, we need him

I agree on Meyers being a potential situational play. But in assessing what he provides versus what KO provides, where does Meyers gain advantage? Possibly in one-on-one paint defense on a true big man in the paint, but I wonder if the numbers really bare that out. I've never felt we gained particular advantage with Meyers bumping with Embiid of the paint.

Let's run through the matchups

Bucks: Brook Lopez mostly camps out around the 3 point line. I see no advantage with having Meyers in there trying to keep up with Giannis on ball or in the paint.

Raptors: Marc Gasol is averaging 7.6 ppg this season. His presence on offense should not be dictating our rotations

Celtics: Enes Kanter is a specialist backup big situational scorer for Boston. Maybe we throw out Meyers to bump with him situationally to match size. But, by no means should we overplay Meyers over concern of Kanter. He averages 17 mpg and is not part of Boston's preferred formula for success.

Pacers: Turner is often around the perimeter. He should not dictate our rotations at all.

76ers: Embiid is a giant and their best player. We need to game plan to stop him. Without Simmons, Bam can likely focus more on that matchup and is a much better option than Meyers. BUt when Bam rests it may make sense to give Meyers some burn.

IMO it's likely to be a very limited dose of Meyers in the playoffs.

He's a great guy and great teammate. He sets good screens and I love when he gets off an open 3. But, aside from that, I have no qualms with his role continuing to be very diminished in the playoffs.

[al bondiga]

Meyers should get minutes , he has been an important part of us getting into this position
..if we encounter any kind of big Center opposition , which would most teams have, we need him

I agree on Meyers being a potential situational play. But in assessing what he provides versus what KO provides, where does Meyers gain advantage? Possibly in one-on-one paint defense on a true big man in the paint, but I wonder if the numbers really bare that out. I've never felt we gained particular advantage with Meyers bumping with Embiid of the paint.

Let's run through the matchups

Bucks: Brook Lopez mostly camps out around the 3 point line. I see no advantage with having Meyers in there trying to keep up with Giannis on ball or in the paint.

Raptors: Marc Gasol is averaging 7.6 ppg this season. His presence on offense should not be dictating our rotations

Celtics: Enes Kanter is a specialist backup big situational scorer for Boston. Maybe we throw out Meyers to bump with him situationally to match size. But, by no means should we overplay Meyers over concern of Kanter. He averages 17 mpg and is not part of Boston's preferred formula for success.

Pacers: Turner is often around the perimeter. He should not dictate our rotations at all.

76ers: Embiid is a giant and their best player. We need to game plan to stop him. Without Simmons, Bam can likely focus more on that matchup and is a much better option than Meyers. BUt when Bam rests it may make sense to give Meyers some burn.

IMO it's likely to be a very limited dose of Meyers in the playoffs.

He's a great guy and great teammate. He sets good screens and I love when he gets off an open 3. But, aside from that, I have no qualms with his role continuing to be very diminished in the playoffs.

it is almost a certainty that we would play Milwaukee... somebody big in the paint is needed in order to have a shot ( foul trouble, visual clogging or will penetrate at will, rebounds, etc)... if this is not NBA decision or Riley is sucking-up or Leonard is injured... then spo is screwing up by not giving him some run

[carnageta]

Meyers should get minutes , he has been an important part of us getting into this position
..if we encounter any kind of big Center opposition , which would most teams have, we need him

I agree on Meyers being a potential situational play. But in assessing what he provides versus what KO provides, where does Meyers gain advantage? Possibly in one-on-one paint defense on a true big man in the paint, but I wonder if the numbers really bare that out. I've never felt we gained particular advantage with Meyers bumping with Embiid of the paint.

Let's run through the matchups

Bucks: Brook Lopez mostly camps out around the 3 point line. I see no advantage with having Meyers in there trying to keep up with Giannis on ball or in the paint.

Raptors: Marc Gasol is averaging 7.6 ppg this season. His presence on offense should not be dictating our rotations

Celtics: Enes Kanter is a specialist backup big situational scorer for Boston. Maybe we throw out Meyers to bump with him situationally to match size. But, by no means should we overplay Meyers over concern of Kanter. He averages 17 mpg and is not part of Boston's preferred formula for success.

Pacers: Turner is often around the perimeter. He should not dictate our rotations at all.

76ers: Embiid is a giant and their best player. We need to game plan to stop him. Without Simmons, Bam can likely focus more on that matchup and is a much better option than Meyers. BUt when Bam rests it may make sense to give Meyers some burn.

IMO it's likely to be a very limited dose of Meyers in the playoffs.

He's a great guy and great teammate. He sets good screens and I love when he gets off an open 3. But, aside from that, I have no qualms with his role continuing to be very diminished in the playoffs.

it is almost a certainty that we would play Milwaukee... somebody big in the paint is needed in order to have a shot ( foul trouble, visual clogging or will penetrate at will, rebounds, etc)... if this is not NBA decision or Riley is sucking-up or Leonard is injured... then spo is screwing up by not giving him some run

I heard this before, back in 2016 when we were set to face the Raptors. People were implying that we were guaranteed to face the Cavaliers. Didn't turn out for us.

I think it's far from a certainty that we play Milwaukee. Playoffs are a different beast. A series against these Pacers (if they are who we face in the first round) is going to go the distance (6-7 games). Could go either way. I hope we don't get too cocky. We're not the Warriors or the Cavs with prime Lebron, or the big 3 Heat team. Nothing is guaranteed for us, lol.

Looking at this Indiana matchup from a completely unbiased point of view, I'd put it 60/40 in favor of us to win.

[greg4012]

Meyers should get minutes , he has been an important part of us getting into this position
..if we encounter any kind of big Center opposition , which would most teams have, we need him

I agree on Meyers being a potential situational play. But in assessing what he provides versus what KO provides, where does Meyers gain advantage? Possibly in one-on-one paint defense on a true big man in the paint, but I wonder if the numbers really bare that out. I've never felt we gained particular advantage with Meyers bumping with Embiid of the paint.

Let's run through the matchups

Bucks: Brook Lopez mostly camps out around the 3 point line. I see no advantage with having Meyers in there trying to keep up with Giannis on ball or in the paint.

Raptors: Marc Gasol is averaging 7.6 ppg this season. His presence on offense should not be dictating our rotations

Celtics: Enes Kanter is a specialist backup big situational scorer for Boston. Maybe we throw out Meyers to bump with him situationally to match size. But, by no means should we overplay Meyers over concern of Kanter. He averages 17 mpg and is not part of Boston's preferred formula for success.

Pacers: Turner is often around the perimeter. He should not dictate our rotations at all.

76ers: Embiid is a giant and their best player. We need to game plan to stop him. Without Simmons, Bam can likely focus more on that matchup and is a much better option than Meyers. BUt when Bam rests it may make sense to give Meyers some burn.

IMO it's likely to be a very limited dose of Meyers in the playoffs.

He's a great guy and great teammate. He sets good screens and I love when he gets off an open 3. But, aside from that, I have no qualms with his role continuing to be very diminished in the playoffs.

it is almost a certainty that we would play Milwaukee... somebody big in the paint is needed in order to have a shot ( foul trouble, visual clogging or will penetrate at will, rebounds, etc)... if this is not NBA decision or Riley is sucking-up or Leonard is injured... then spo is screwing up by not giving him some run

Meyers Leonard actually allows a higher opponent field goal percentage within 6 feet of the basket than Olynyk. Granted neither are great (65% vs 61%), but I don't understand the perpetuated myth of Meyers presence being a real net plus compared to what we've been doing. He's a steady open 3 point shooter. Aside from that, he looks physically impressive, is a cool dude, a great teammate, a good screener, and can barely move. KO does more for us and most of his weaknesses are shared by Leonard. I'm not opposed to Meyers getting spot minutes, but those up in arms about his absence just confuse me.

[Wiltside]

Just a note to advise we are the South East Division Champs, beating out the Hawks, Magic, Hornets and Wizards for the honours. Huge.

Spoiler: