I agree with that... which is in line with me saying he thinks he's better than he is, no? I think the OKC & Houston situations forced him to have a taste of humble pie. Being rejected by the entire league would do that to most anyone who thinks they're elite.
Stotts was asked about Melos spot in the rotation and he said that Melo wasn’t going to lose his spot in the rotation. He’s earned his leeway due to his stature in the league and how he played for us last year. My worst nightmare. He’s guaranteed a role on this team as long as he’s on this team. Pure madness. The decision to sign Melo is probably one of my least favorite decisions of the last decade.
I didn't hear the interview, but did he say he wasn't going to lose his spot because of missing one game due to COVID protocols? Or did he say the Melo's role is locked in for the entirity of the season? Those are two vastly different things, one of which is totally reasonable.
His role needs to be restored back to what it was in the bubble--spot-up shooter on the wing. Every time they give him the ball in isolation, they perpetuate the problem.
Stotts did say "there is meritocracy (holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability) in terms of earning your minutes on the court." To me, that doesn't imply that Melo can do whatever he wants. Now saying that and doing it are two different things.
He also admitted that Melo gets more leeway because of his status. Now how many extra games he gets to prove he doesn't hurt the team is up for debate. There will be games where he's on fire and helps us win the game. But for each one of those games there will be 3 more where the entire team is suffering because of his time on the floor. Is Stotts going to look at the good games as a reason to keep playing him?
Also on the minutes crunch: There's minutes to go around if the starters don't have to continuously play 30+ MPG per game. Dame and CJ are averaging 38 and 37 so far. RoCo and DJJ are averaging 32+. Ideally Dame and CJ are around 34 MPG and RoCo/DJJ are around 28-29. That's 15 MPG right there from the guard and forward spots. The minutes are there if the bench can stabilize the game, but that means not hemorrhaging points on the defensive end. I just can't see that happening with Melo playing.
It's just tough when our worst defenders (CJ, Melo, Kanter) all play together on the same unit. I don't think even Giannis and Kawhi could make that an average squad defensively.
If last game showed anything, it's that one of DJJ/RoCo needs to be on the floor at all times when Kanter is in the game. Substitution pattern needs to be tweaked quite a bit by Terry. That probably means bringing in Gary and Melo really early in the 1st and 3rd, and then taking Melo out immediately in the 2nd and 4th and never coming back in. Basically, Melo needs to be the 9th or 10th man, if he HAS to play.
