PG: Screwed the pooch

[BahamaBull]

Here's why you can't play Lopez at center against a Griffin-Speights combo:

1. If he guards Speights, he needs to rotate and run out to the 3-point line. He can't do that.

2. If he guards Griffin, he is guarding every single PNR, something he can't do. He can't stop Griffin on the move, nor can he switch onto CP3, which the Bulls bigs were doing all game.

If you didn't think Portis should have played as much, that's fine. But if you think Lopez was the solution, your scouting report is way off imo.

Missed the first 3 qtrs...was Felicio bad that he didn't deserve minutes over Bobby?

No...Fred was...

[Red Larrivee]

Mo Speights is not mobile. He's a stationary shooter.

And putting in the right lineup X's and O's wise doesn't work when you're replacing a competent NBA player (Lopez) with a terrible one (Portis).

Speights isn't Jason Kapono out there. He can definitely move around the perimeter, and having Lopez guarding him in PNR's would be terrible. Lopez is awesome, but the reality is that he is not a good center when teams play hybrid/smallball lineups.

Portis is not a good defensive center in any situation. The On/Off numbers tell us that he is easily the worst defensive big.

Portis is literally never the answer. We would also have been better off going small in earnest.

Nobody is arguing that Portis is a good defensive anything. The point is that Lopez despite being awesome, is the worst option because he can't recover enough on the pick/roll that far away from the basket. And on the offensive end, he's not a really good offensive threat who can expose lack of size in scoring situations.

They simply went with a player who is mobile enough and has typically rebounded the ball well. It wasn't illogical, it just didn't work against a really good Clippers team.

But, hey...we lost. So it's time to blame the coach.

[kingkirk]

Missed the first 3 qtrs...was Felicio bad that he didn't deserve minutes over Bobby?

Barely played but didn't really have a matchup out there. DAJ was bad and Doc sat him a while. Really the only guy Felicio could check.

[Proven_Winner]

Thank you. Were people not paying attention the amount of PNR's they were running at the top? There's no way you can put Lopez in that with a big looking to shoot or put the ball on the floor.

You still have to try something different. Don't let your guy keep getting cooked. Even if he played felicio it might've worked out differently. How many shots does a guy have to make before you decide to change how you defend him.

If there's a better alternative, then absolutely. But Lopez is the worst alternative. He is too slow to guard Blake or defend pick-and-pops that far away from the basket.

I'm not saying just Lopez just any of our other bigs. When your supposed best option is getting crapped on what's the harm in trying something else? No matter what when the game is that close you have to be willing to try all avenues.

[Hangtime84]

Here's why you can't play Lopez at center against a Griffin-Speights combo:

1. If he guards Speights, he needs to rotate and run out to the 3-point line. He can't do that.

2. If he guards Griffin, he is guarding every single PNR, something he can't do. He can't stop Griffin on the move, nor can he switch onto CP3, which the Bulls bigs were doing all game.

If you didn't think Portis should have played as much, that's fine. But if you think Lopez was the solution, your scouting report is way off imo.

MCW

[Bulls03]

Dude, they were running pick n rolls. You know how much running Robin would have to do showing on Paul and then racing back to Speights at the 3 point line? No chance.

But the main point in getting at is Bobby did absolutely nothing lol. Didn't defend rebound or score. Didn't set good screens. Let Speights get his 16, we win with Lopez scoring on him and setting good screens and not giving them rebounds.

This is ROBIN Lopez, not Brook, why are you acting like Lopez was gonna being scoring down the stretch or even get shots? Maybe offensive rebounds but that's it. If Robin played he'd have to guard Blake.

He was 5-6 from the field and he would've had opportunities. And would've helped on the offensive glass, defensive glass, and setting screens. There is no argument for Bobby over Lopez. Speights scored 16 on Bobby.

[Rerisen]

Time to start giving Zipster minutes when he gets back. Not much to lose.

[pduh01]

Missed the first 3 qtrs...was Felicio bad that he didn't deserve minutes over Bobby?

Barely played but didn't really have a matchup out there. DAJ was bad and Doc sat him a while. Really the only guy Felicio could check.

Felicio should have played despite he was awful for a short period of time he have played in this game, or take a chance to go small.

[Red Larrivee]

But the main point in getting at is Bobby did absolutely nothing lol. Didn't defend rebound or score. Didn't set good screens. Let Speights get his 16, we win with Lopez scoring on him and setting good screens and not giving them rebounds.

This is ROBIN Lopez, not Brook, why are you acting like Lopez was gonna being scoring down the stretch or even get shots? Maybe offensive rebounds but that's it. If Robin played he'd have to guard Blake.

He was 5-6 from the field and he would've had opportunities. And would've helped on the offensive glass, defensive glass, and setting screens. There is no argument for Bobby over Lopez. Speights scored 16 on Bobby.

Lopez is an opportunity scorer. He's not a player who exposes individual mismatches in scoring situations. How would Lopez help on the defensive glass if he's guarding Speights on the three-point line?

[pduh01]

Here's why you can't play Lopez at center against a Griffin-Speights combo:

1. If he guards Speights, he needs to rotate and run out to the 3-point line. He can't do that.

2. If he guards Griffin, he is guarding every single PNR, something he can't do. He can't stop Griffin on the move, nor can he switch onto CP3, which the Bulls bigs were doing all game.

If you didn't think Portis should have played as much, that's fine. But if you think Lopez was the solution, your scouting report is way off imo.

MCW

Yeah this is probably where playing MCW I mention maybe we could go small but this is where we could use MCW and go line up something like Taj/Butler/MCW/Wade/Rondo or something like that.

[TheSuzerain]

Of course Lopez guarding Speights is not ideal. But the benchmark is Portis, not the ideal.

[Polynice4Pippen]

But the main point in getting at is Bobby did absolutely nothing lol. Didn't defend rebound or score. Didn't set good screens. Let Speights get his 16, we win with Lopez scoring on him and setting good screens and not giving them rebounds.

This is ROBIN Lopez, not Brook, why are you acting like Lopez was gonna being scoring down the stretch or even get shots? Maybe offensive rebounds but that's it. If Robin played he'd have to guard Blake.

He was 5-6 from the field and he would've had opportunities. And would've helped on the offensive glass, defensive glass, and setting screens. There is no argument for Bobby over Lopez. Speights scored 16 on Bobby.

Lopez can't guard Speights on pick n rolls with Paul, it's as simple as that. Your options for that matchup are Taj, Niko or Bobby, that's it.

[RSP83]

Would've been cool to win this. But truthfully we're not even close to their level yet. If not because of Wade's unusual hot shooting from 3, the game wouldn't be this close.

But I like our effort, I think teams are taking notice. Nobody is going to sleep on us anymore. Expect teams to start bringing extra edge playing against us.

[MrSparkle]

Glass half full... we barely lost to the hottest team in the NBA. *shrug*

They actually have the best record.

Got to say, the Clips look different this year. Redick has made a big leap in overall confidence; looking like he's put it all together. That alley-oop pass was really nice. Griffin looks like he's approaching this season more seriously. They've still got a lot of veteran talent. This may be their year.

I hope not. Really like our odds of recruiting CP3/Griffin if GSW eliminates them in May.

[pduh01]

Another thing to adjust that Fred should have done is tell his players to double team Mo once he hit at least two shots in a row, and see how he and they respond with the double team If it works you continue to double him up

[Red Larrivee]

Of course Lopez guarding Speights is not ideal. But the benchmark is Portis, not the ideal.

All you can do is tip your cap. Well played, Doc.

[Red Larrivee]

Another thing to adjust that Fred should have done is tell his players to double team Mo once he hit at least two shots in a row, and see how he and they respond with the double team If it works you continue to double him up

Double-teaming Mo Speights. With Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford on the floor.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Payt10]

An important reminder that Speights is a 30% three point shooter. He's not Ryan Anderson. The shots he made tonight, nobody was within 5 feet of him. If he makes shots with a hand in his face to beat you, so be it. Portis and Mirotic had been awful leading into the final minutes of the game. Had one of them actually done something productive, you'd have an argument to play them. Lopez was having a good game and should have been out there. It especially hurts knowing we lost multiple opportunities to secure rebounds that could have completely changed the outcome of the game.

[bullslas]

This loss is on Fred and Bobby. I was at the game and the playersat the end weren't very happy. I think we have seen the last Portis playing down the stretch.

Portis is bad at baskeball. He really is what he is. Coach Fred is bad at these rotations. I can't wait til MCW is back.

[bearadonisdna]

Look, im not that down on bobby. I mean i have hope for the future and that this version isnt an outlier of who he is as a player.
But its definitely hope for the future not in the short term obviously.