Decent article that may in part explain the inconsistent play of late. In the end they're all just excuses, I suppose. Sonics' banged-up bench slumping <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">""Guys' bodies aren't feeling the greatest right now," Allen said. "We've played a lot of games in the last three weeks." Nowhere is that more evident than the reserves, who have been a strength for so much of this season but have cramped up recently. After 41 games, the Sonics' reserves were No. 2 in the league at 38.3 points per game. In the past nine games, the bench has scored fewer than 30 points four times, and the biggest reason behind the drop is underscored by the Band-Aids the team's reserves are putting on injuries. </div>
We haven't gotten much off the bench for a while now. Against both Houston and Chicago last night the bench hasn't delievered, and when Ray's shot is off, it really limits our point scoring. Vlad is slumping, Danny isn't the force he was earlier in the season, and AD hasn't put in one of his clutch second halves in a while.
AD has a torn meniscus which stops his explosion and hurts his ability to cut, change direction laterally or get up off the floor at either end. Nick has a broken nose and is wearing a mask which impacts his aggressiveness on both ends, and his shooting from outside 5 ft. Vlade...who knows, he says his wrist is better and isn't affecting his shot, maybe he just needs to find his groove, and let's hope he does. Danny...his grandmother is probably wearing on his spirit...he hasn't been the same since she took ill, and it has hit is stats and perhaps his attitude. Flip and Vitaly...well, you gotta play to contribute, and frankly, they ain't getting the PT.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting psheehy:</div><div class="quote_post">AD has a torn meniscus which stops his explosion and hurts his ability to cut, change direction laterally or get up off the floor at either end.</div> He was huge in the last quarter against the Knicks, really big. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Nick has a broken nose and is wearing a mask which impacts his aggressiveness on both ends, and his shooting from outside 5 ft.</div> Not too concerned about Nick at the moment, he was huge against the Knicks down the stretch too. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Vlade...who knows, he says his wrist is better and isn't affecting his shot, maybe he just needs to find his groove, and let's hope he does.</div> I agree the wrist must have something to do with it. Still, hit a massive trey down the stretch last night, let's hope that can spark him. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Danny...his grandmother is probably wearing on his spirit...he hasn't been the same since she took ill, and it has hit is stats and perhaps his attitude.</div> Understandable, but we need the Danny of earlier in the season come playoff time. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Flip and Vitaly...well, you gotta play to contribute, and frankly, they ain't getting the PT.</div> Heh, can't argue that.
I definitely think Flip needs more minutes. Why not put him in when Ray is shooting terribly (as he has been doing lately)?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Seattle.:</div><div class="quote_post">I definitely think Flip needs more minutes. Why not put him in when Ray is shooting terribly (as he has been doing lately)?</div> Coaches have to trust that the superstar will find his groove. Ray is too good a shooter to stay down long. However, I think Luke, Ray and AD need rest to be ready to play at playoff intensity if the supes want to make a real run. I think Nate should use Flip more when the Sonics are able to build a lead or stay in games to get the other guards some rest. Unfortunately, they haven't played well enough to have a lead and he has been forced to play his key rotation in every game lately.
When Ray's shot is off, he needs to attack the basket and get to the line. He has a tendency to keep taking difficult shots when his shot is off, and while he's still a terrific shooter and can make shots from pretty much anywhere, shooters should always be trying to get to the line when their shot is off. You don't want to bail the defense out too often.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting psheehy:</div><div class="quote_post">I think Nate should use Flip more when the Sonics are able to build a lead or stay in games to get the other guards some rest. Unfortunately, they haven't played well enough to have a lead and he has been forced to play his key rotation in every game lately.</div> I'm getting sick of people acting like giving Flip minutes would be a down grade from our current guard rotation. Flip deserves minutes b/c he is more talented than every guard on this roster not named Ray Allen (and even that is debateable). Nate knows that the only way to keep Murray from changing the dynamic of this ball club is to keep him sidelined. Otherwise guys like Ray and Rashard will end up watching their roles reduced dramatically. Ray has gone on record as saying that the Sonics are a better team w/ Murray on the bench. Ray is lobbying for Flip to remain on the bench b/c he wants his numbers to be at a career high mark when he negotiates his next contract. Nate doesn't want to deal with the discension from the team when the lowest paid Sonic ends up with the primary role. That is why I look at both Nate and Ray as clowns and cowards.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Iron Shiek:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm getting sick of people acting like giving Flip minutes would be a down grade from our current guard rotation. Flip deserves minutes b/c he is more talented than every guard on this roster not named Ray Allen (and even that is debateable).</div> My comments are not reflective of my opinion of Flip's talent. Flip started the year injured and the team on the floor with the rotation Nate had to use worked. He isn't going to change that until it stops working. At the moment it appears to NOT be working. I read the Seattle Times article about Ray's attitude of late, and while I haven't seen the previous 4 games, last night I think it was clear that Ray was holding the ball too long, jacking up bad shots and playing too much one-on-one with Hamilton. If he keeps that up Nate will change the rotation. My comments about using Murray more when we have a lead was because I knew Nate wanted to keep his "chemistry," and lead with his starters, however he NEEDS to rest them. Ray was hot in the 3rd after Flip spelled him in the second. Frankly, while Flip may indeed be a "better" player than AD or Luke, the particular pieces that they bring as role players have been VERY effective this year, and neither is Flip's key strength. He can play man defense and run the offense, but his strength is scoring. He doesn't have the assist/turnover ratio or aggressive defensive spark of AD, and he doesn't have the vision/passing/speed of Luke. Those particular dimensions are why those players are being used, and why they are effective. I think that playing Ray, Luke and AD less right now would be better for their health and better for the team. I think Nate CAN do that because Flip can score like Ray or fill in for the other role elements as needed. He is however a 2nd option for any one of those elements...his overall ability therefore may be higher, but he doesn't do any one of those things as well as the players doing them.
