2021-2022 Regular Season Game 6: at Orlando Magic (1-4) - @ Raptors (2-3) 10/29/21 at 7:00pm ET

[tooler]

Cole is playing well and deserves a shot. I'd just rather see him off the bench to give the lineups more balance. The backups need him more than the starters do. And it's silly to make Suggs sit in a corner while Cole dribbles around. But Suggs is committing so many turnovers that I can't be too upset about it right now. They can always mix things up in a few weeks.

[Bergmaniac]

But to be fair, just by my surveillance which may be wrong, we were quite unlucky with creating TOs for the opponents. The team is deflecting many passes, fighting hard for loose balls, just doesn't seem to go in our favor.

We are 26th in the league in deflections, so it's not just bad luck.

[Xatticus]

I mean, I don't think it was an easy layup, Banton stopped defending because of the timeout but why let them set up?

It's not a big deal. All five defenders were back and Banton was right there to stop the ball. I probably wouldn't have called it because we had momentum and Suggs was flying downhill, but the TO probably didn't alter our chances of winning that game by much in either direction.

[Skybox]

This was a very good night for Suggs to break out. I hope it continues (I think it will, he has the tools).

My concerns:
TRoss is showing zero veteran smarts on the court AND he's not even bringing the TRoss "Flame On" offense (which is likely a Mosley efficiency thing). Regardless, I'm watching our designated trade chip play himself into zero trade value...we've seen him play like sixth man of the year candidate for years and now I'd have to say he's negative value. Next time he has a big game, take those calls.

I don't know what to make of RJ. I don't see how it gets better when Fultz and MCW get back. If Gary Harris' shooting is still in the 3 season slump, but he still gets the nod over RJ every night -that's not good. Speaking of Harris, he's just a good sound player who had one phenomenal shooting year and got paid. I was really hoping he'd shoot lights out to start the season and build up his value, but it looks like he's just an expiring (as far as trade value), so we might as well just hang onto him for his vet play. I'd really like Mulder to get some run as he might be the designated floor spreading threat that makes everyone better. I guess it's a good problem but concerning.

Bamba looks like the guy we wanted to draft. He's getting better each week too. I have to put that largely on Cliff. It will be real interesting to see what happens to the 4/5 rotation when Isaac & Okeke limp back. There could be some hard feelings too. He's still a RFA and there isn't a ton of money out there but I hope we find a smooth way to sort through our pieces...Wouldn't shock me to see Isaac moved once he shows he's healthy. He could bring back something of real value. WCJ has been solid next to Bamba, but I have always thought solid is his ceiling. However, his presence is a good complement to Bamba's -they're very different bigs. We'll see the dynamic with Isaac.

[The Real Dalic]

So why do we hate Cole again? Best player for the 4th game in a row. Do it all PG right now.

a) who HATES Cole?

b) explain to us how he has been the best player. Do better than “he scored the most points.” I’ll wait.

He's been our best scorer for the last games. One of the best shooters. The best passer. One of the best at taking care of the ball. The best rebounder outside of Bamba despite being the smallest player on the team.

His only issue has been his defense. Which isn't complete trash, but isn't good at the moment.

Franz has been the second best player and the most consistent in my eyes. Followed closely by Bamba and Carter Jr.

RJ has easily been the worst player all season to me.

[PrimeThyme]

Mosley letting Suggs decide the game at the end there and him hitting a game winner against the Raptors would have made my entire year.

[Nyce_1]

Cole/Markelle
Suggs/RJ
Franz/Okeke
WCj/JI
Mo/*whoever*

we make the play-in. zero doubt.

[basketballRob]

Cole/Markelle
Suggs/RJ
Franz/Okeke
WCj/JI
Mo/*whoever*

we make the play-in. zero doubt.

We can add Banchero it Chet at the 5 next year.

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[Skybox]

Cole/Markelle
Suggs/RJ
Franz/Okeke
WCj/JI
Mo/*whoever*

we make the play-in. zero doubt.

You really believe ORL would even consider bringing Fultz and Isaac off the bench beyond any kind of "break them in slowly" period? I can't. Our starters have measured well but, you might have noticed, haven't tasted much in terms of wins. I'm encouraged by those numbers, but there will definitely be a shuffling when our "other team" returns. I don't know that RJ moves into that slot either...I really hope he catches up. My guess (although there will almost certainly be course corrections based on how combinations work together)...

Fultz/Anthony/MCW
Suggs/RJ/Harris
Franz/TRoss
Isaac/Okeke
Bamba/WCJ/RoLo

hopefully, there will be lots of minutes for the Bamba/WCJ combo...but Isaac and Okeke can't be ignored. I'm also excited to see how the ball moves with Franz & Okeke at the F spots. I'm really hoping most of all that U of W Fultz (magically) returns and we've got a real blue-chip backcourt with Cole bringing the fire off the bench. Mosley will have his hands full deciding how much time to give each combo to work things out...good problem, I guess. How quickly he is able to correctly determine that will make or break his progress.

[Skybox]

I forgot my new favorite hope...Mulder ahead of Harris and RJ at SG

banging in 6 3's a game off the bench.

[Nyce_1]

Cole/Markelle
Suggs/RJ
Franz/Okeke
WCj/JI
Mo/*whoever*

we make the play-in. zero doubt.

You really believe ORL would even consider bringing Fultz and Isaac off the bench beyond any kind of "break them in slowly" period? I can't. Our starters have measured well but, you might have noticed, haven't tasted much in terms of wins. I'm encouraged by those numbers, but there will definitely be a shuffling when our "other team" returns. I don't know that RJ moves into that slot either...I really hope he catches up. My guess (although there will almost certainly be course corrections based on how combinations work together)...

Fultz/Anthony/MCW
Suggs/RJ/Harris
Franz/TRoss
Isaac/Okeke
Bamba/WCJ/RoLo

hopefully, there will be lots of minutes for the Bamba/WCJ combo...but Isaac and Okeke can't be ignored. I'm also excited to see how the ball moves with Franz & Okeke at the F spots. I'm really hoping most of all that U of W Fultz (magically) returns and we've got a real blue-chip backcourt with Cole bringing the fire off the bench. Mosley will have his hands full deciding how much time to give each combo to work things out...good problem, I guess. How quickly he is able to correctly determine that will make or break his progress.

YOU really believe this super conservative FO would rush to start Kelle & JI off ACL injuries? C'mon man, even you know the the right answer to your own question.

And if you ask anyone on here that watches the games, why have we lost the last few games? Hint: it's not the starters. Once we break the lineup, shyt goes south; like clockwork. The bench unit, especially with no PG running the offense, has KILLED this team. Markelle alone raises that unit to decent. Add Okeke & JI, and it's damn near our real starters going against backups, as they get back into game shape and take it easy from recoveries. I'm not the biggest fan of this starting lineup but it's WORKING. Load up the bench with Markelle/JI/Chuma/ and one of Gary/RJ/Ross, and we're rolling.

[Skybox]

Cole/Markelle
Suggs/RJ
Franz/Okeke
WCj/JI
Mo/*whoever*

we make the play-in. zero doubt.

You really believe ORL would even consider bringing Fultz and Isaac off the bench beyond any kind of "break them in slowly" period? I can't. Our starters have measured well but, you might have noticed, haven't tasted much in terms of wins. I'm encouraged by those numbers, but there will definitely be a shuffling when our "other team" returns. I don't know that RJ moves into that slot either...I really hope he catches up. My guess (although there will almost certainly be course corrections based on how combinations work together)...

Fultz/Anthony/MCW
Suggs/RJ/Harris
Franz/TRoss
Isaac/Okeke
Bamba/WCJ/RoLo

hopefully, there will be lots of minutes for the Bamba/WCJ combo...but Isaac and Okeke can't be ignored. I'm also excited to see how the ball moves with Franz & Okeke at the F spots. I'm really hoping most of all that U of W Fultz (magically) returns and we've got a real blue-chip backcourt with Cole bringing the fire off the bench. Mosley will have his hands full deciding how much time to give each combo to work things out...good problem, I guess. How quickly he is able to correctly determine that will make or break his progress.

YOU really believe this super conservative FO would rush to start Kelle & JI off ACL injuries? C'mon man, even you know the the right answer to your own question.

And if you ask anyone on here that watches the games, why have we lost the last few games? Hint: it's not the starters. Once we break the lineup, shyt goes south; like clockwork. The bench unit, especially with no PG running the offense, has KILLED this team. Markelle alone raises that unit to decent. Add Okeke & JI, and it's damn near our real starters going against backups, as they get back into game shape and take it easy from recoveries. I'm not the biggest fan of this starting lineup but it's WORKING. Load up the bench with Markelle/JI/Chuma/ and one of Gary/RJ/Ross, and we're rolling.

I said "break them in slowly" to make sure they're ready for minutes...beyond that, there's no way. We're not simply adding our best players to back up this group. The starters' metrics alone don't account for 1-5, several by blowouts...they're playing surprisingly well, but not that well.

[Bergmaniac]

Cole/Markelle
Suggs/RJ
Franz/Okeke
WCj/JI
Mo/*whoever*

we make the play-in. zero doubt.

Seems like a big stretch to me. Yeah, the play of the starters has been very encouraging, but there is a big difference between posting positive plus-minus in losses and actually getting wins when things get tight down the stretch. Markelle and especially JI will be rusty as hell when they come back. Plus, the East looks pretty deep this season. Which teams are we overtaking to get to the play-in?

[pepe1991]

Open Detroit game thread please?

[Dub_Sax]

Great game guys! That Suggs 4pt play and block at the end of the almost sent our fanbase to shambles.

So wasn't that 4 pt play a flagrant foul?

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Eh I don't like it called as that in general but I've seen that particular foul called as flagrant but whatever it's okay lol

Not a fan of the call either but I understand the intent. Talking in terms of consistency, because there was a similar play earlier in the game that was called a flagrant.

Also, looked like Suggs was limping pretty bad afterwards. Really hope it doesn't cause him to miss tonight's game against Cade and the Pistons.

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[Xatticus]

Got to start giving Cole some credit here. This is multiple games he has stepped up, despite some more questionable plays, he is showing some different facets we weren't sure he had. We need scoring and he can get get going. Y'all, we had some poster saying last week he is not NBA caliber

It's like, people forget he made two impressive game winners last year but not NBA caliber....

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I said it and I did so with the full expectation that it would stick in someone's craw and they'd bring it up in the inevitable occurrence in which Anthony has a good shooting night.

I suppose I should clarify... I don't believe he has the potential to become one of the 450ish best basketball players on the planet. It's an important distinction, because at any given time, there are many players outside of the NBA that are much better than many of the players that are in the NBA. So I suppose that being NBA caliber just means that someone is willing to commit a roster spot to you, which is a much lower threshold. I also said that I expect him to lead the team in scoring if he plays 30 minutes a night because scoring a lot of points and not being a good NBA player are not mutually exclusive.

Cole Anthony will score points. The way to score a lot of points is to take a lot of shots and you can't stop Anthony from taking a lot of shots. Do I believe that Anthony will score on 47% of his 2-point field goal attempts? I do not. Do I believe that Anthony will score on 39% of his 3-point field goal attempts? I do not. If he does those two things, do I believe that he will be a good NBA player? I do not.

I can't really say how representative his shooting percentages are right now. His shot selection looks objectively poor, but the percentages are far better than last year. Perhaps he really is a much better shooter? Time will reveal that. His TS added right now is 2.5, which is just fine, but it doesn't really justify a high-usage role. His TS added last year was -92.2, which was 529th of 540 NBA players. Dwayne Bacon was 539th, so at least he wasn't the worst on the team.

Cole Anthony will impose himself on a basketball game, but force of will isn't a substitute for tools, skills, and IQ. Anthony has a pretty good skill set, but he lacks the tools and the brain to excel. I think his skill set and shooting are on par with someone like Damon Stoudamire, but he doesn't have the IQ. He's a bit bigger than Stoudamire, but he isn't 5 inches taller. He defaults to himself too much for you to ever want him running your offense and his defense is really poor, so he has to shoot very well to be useful.

I expect a similar career arc to guys like Ben Gordon or Brandon Jennings. When the luster of potential fades, you will be left with a 2nd-unit scorer whose career will wind down when teams figure out that this offensive specialist doesn't actually make your offense good.

[Xatticus]

Great game guys! That Suggs 4pt play and block at the end of the almost sent our fanbase to shambles.

So wasn't that 4 pt play a flagrant foul?

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Eh I don't like it called as that in general but I've seen that particular foul called as flagrant but whatever it's okay lol

That's the rule now. I like it. It's tough on the defender because an honest closeout can yield a flagrant foul, but they are trying to fix a problem. It's like the horse-collar tackle rule in football. It's there because reckless challenges can wreck someone's season.

[Xatticus]

Cole/Markelle
Suggs/RJ
Franz/Okeke
WCj/JI
Mo/*whoever*

we make the play-in. zero doubt.

You really believe ORL would even consider bringing Fultz and Isaac off the bench beyond any kind of "break them in slowly" period? I can't. Our starters have measured well but, you might have noticed, haven't tasted much in terms of wins. I'm encouraged by those numbers, but there will definitely be a shuffling when our "other team" returns. I don't know that RJ moves into that slot either...I really hope he catches up. My guess (although there will almost certainly be course corrections based on how combinations work together)...

Fultz/Anthony/MCW
Suggs/RJ/Harris
Franz/TRoss
Isaac/Okeke
Bamba/WCJ/RoLo

hopefully, there will be lots of minutes for the Bamba/WCJ combo...but Isaac and Okeke can't be ignored. I'm also excited to see how the ball moves with Franz & Okeke at the F spots. I'm really hoping most of all that U of W Fultz (magically) returns and we've got a real blue-chip backcourt with Cole bringing the fire off the bench. Mosley will have his hands full deciding how much time to give each combo to work things out...good problem, I guess. How quickly he is able to correctly determine that will make or break his progress.

They will be on minutes restrictions when they do come back.

[RookieStar]

So wasn't that 4 pt play a flagrant foul?

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Eh I don't like it called as that in general but I've seen that particular foul called as flagrant but whatever it's okay lol

Not a fan of the call either but I understand the intent. Talking in terms of consistency, because there was a similar play earlier in the game that was called a flagrant.

Also, looked like Suggs was limping pretty bad afterwards. Really hope it doesn't cause him to miss tonight's game against Cade and the Pistons.

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Cade is finally playing? And he will make his debut against us? This sounds good for the league and bad for us lol

[tooler]

WTF Bamba had 18 rebounds? Nice, grab those boards over all the 6'9" guys!