We are bad, but not this bad. I thought I’d give my insights/feelings as to some reasons why and try to hand out the blame:
- Injuries - Memphis was missing 5-6 guys last night and they were HORRIBLE. Looked lost, tired, and energy was way off (search for Marcus Smart yelling at the team video). This is the best basketball league in the world with worldclass athletes/skill. No team can have the injuries/sickness that we have had and even be decent. IMO, this is the #1 contributor to the losing streak - Who’s Fault? IT’S JUST PART OF THE GAME, or our trainers (but I have no clue)…45%
- Ivey/Killian Situation - We don’t have the full story and maybe only Monty and Jaden do. They seem “fine with it” so I will choose to be as well. Mainly because I do think Ivey is trying harder on defense and I choose to believe he sees Ivey as a budding star with a glaring issue that he wanted to address (also there is a chance that Killian kills people in practice and it doesn’t translate). Perhaps, bad timing…but now he’s back and Cade is better because of it and it looks like Ivey is ready to flourish with more minutes. We’ll see…but I think Ivey is a core piece and think we’ll see it this year (please stay healthy!). - Who’s Fault? It’s complex…maybe no one…10%
- Youth - This team does SO MANY dumb things every game. Throw the ball away, pick up dribbles way too soon, miss seemingly every bunny shot, frustration fouls, AND we have a bunch of young guys putting shots up to get the reps/improve which our fanbase forgets regularly…Personally, I think it’s great that Ausar/Sasser/Umude keep shooting (even though last game was rough)…now Killian, Wiseman, Stew, etc is another story. - Who’s Fault? Too much youth, so I suppose Weaver AND I’d like to see more sound basketball so Coaching as well…This one had the most variance for me on %, but lets say 20%.
- Veteran Talent - Where is it? Injuries for sure hurt this, but it was arrogant for Weaver to walk into this season thinking the corpse of past players would contribute at a high level. We could really have used any decent veteran player (and not ancient) with a winning background…I know people hate on Grant Williams, but he’s definitely the type of player we could’ve used…20%
- Cade’s Body - He’s out of shape. It’s so clear and I’m not sure how our fanbase can’t collectively see that it’s the #1 issue with him (personally, not team-wide which is his need for spacing)…He’s in “gym” and “beach” shape but not in basketball shape as it’s played today. Guys fly up and down the court now at a crazy speed and Cade needs to drop 15-20 and up his cardio ASAP. How much of this has to do with recovery vs poor training advice (my opinion btw) is a good question. Guess what you do when you’re tired and pressing? Turnovers and easy missed shots. I think we see a thinner and faster Cade by year end, but next year he should be leaner and bouncier with proper training. 5%
Writing this out made me feel a bit better as I get lost in the extreme downs. We’re not gonna stay injured forever, or at most this should be a 1/2 or 1 season ordeal. Ivey is a good basketball player and Killian’s mins are dwindling. We’re young but we will grow up or I hope be shipped out. However, this is where Weaver really bothers me. You gotta move on when you know (Wise/Kill especially) or you block potential contributors while people start to accept mediocrity. We will add a real solid Vet or 2? (again, Weaver failing here) Finally, Cade is going to be fine…and I hope it’s with the Pistons and our fanbase doesn’t push him out the door. You can also blame other players, lineup decisions, etc…but most of those are found in the categories above, but maybe then they deserve more of the pie. Who knows. What do you think?
I thought about lineups, but most of that was the Ivey/Kill thing for me. The lineups are still really confusing, but even our guys who “can shoot” are super cold so I think it’s a talent issue…like even Stew, I cringe when he shoots and expect him to miss. I think Monty seems to just be chucking out diff lineups to see if anything will work, but I agree some of them are so frustrating…but a lot of it has to do with a general lack of talent on the team.
The Ivey thing was weird to start the season and then he was sick for a few games. I really only view the last couple as Ivey games we’ve had. I do agree on Sasser and Umude minutes as I want them to get the reps/shots to see how they develop.
One thing that is driving me nuts about Monty is him not giving regular mins to Sasser specifically. He’s CLEARLY a good basketball player and scorer…give him a chunk to cook within each game. I want to see him get reps/develop.