Hoping we get more Mark Williams action tonight
Another night they are showing fight, just need to be consistent with this…
I need someone to explain to me like I’m a 5th grader how in the wild wild world of sports Clifford can explain subbing Plumlee back in for Williams in the 4th. Tell me one (1) thing Mason did in the 4th quarter at any moment to justify his time on the court.
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Assuming Cliff’s mind just went to “experience” and that’s why. He probably thought having someone with experience in that situation is better.
Agreed…. And it’s not like Mason is bringing us wins at the end of games. The dude cannot hit a free throw. Wish we could just trade him and roll with Richards and Williams.
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We really ought to be able to extract some decent value from Mason’s expiring and free up the minutes for Richards and Williams, with Kai as 3rd C. There is no reason for Mason to be on the team anymore, he is simply taking up minutes we could, and should, be using to develop our young centers.
Also, for the love of god, if we’re going to trade Mason, please sign Richards first. It would be such a Hornets thing to do to trade Mason first, thus giving Richards’ camp more negotiation power.
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I think it’s simply Cliff stubbornly holding onto the idea of playing groups, and never changing rotations outside of foul trouble.
He will always, always, always, without fail, close games with the starters, regardless how good a bench player has been. I guess under the assumption that starters are your best players and should be trusted to close games.
So when Nick or our shiny new center are playing well, they’ll get put in at about 6 minutes in the 3rd, play all the way through the end of the quarter until 6-7 minutes left in the 4th, and will be pulled for the default starting center for the rest of the game. And this rotation goes for all positions.
I don’t understand it at all. Stagger the minutes better, you can give Nick a breather at start of 4th or steal a couple minutes somewhere, so you’re not forced to sub a tired player at the end and never go back.
I feel like JB was rigid at the end of games too, once he settled on a closing group, there were no subs last 5 minutes/overtime. Neither one had the ability to feel the game and make adjustments.
Coach Snyder and Melo + Vic/Scoot/NCAA star will look good next year though.
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Put this way Clifford suks as a coach. And all ways has.
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I don’t think he’s a bad coach just he should be coaching a veteran team not this one
I used to think so, but if you need only a narrow band of conditions in which you can succeed, it says something about the coach/manager/leader more than the assemblage of parts. Not to say that the GM assembled great parts, but there is a point where the kid stops blaming the parent.
Agreed. Also, a point when the parent needs to be the parent. At some point Kupchak has to realize that this season is not going to end up like they want, and look to the future. Which means playing the young guys, to see what you have, and allow them to grow and gain game time experience.
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This seems to be the hill that Clifford is dying on, again and again, and again. I used to buy and parrot his view that it is a confidence crush to send a guy out that isn’t ready and have him get trounced on court. I am starting to see the self-serving nature of that viewpoint. Why is it a confidence crush to say, “you got worked out there because you aren’t there yet” but it’s no hit to your confidence to say, “you are so bad we cannot play you because you will get punked?” I no longer buy there’s any difference other than the coach saying he has no way to build a guy up, he has to send him to the minors to do all the work.
I think Cliff and JB suffer from the same thing … they’re both good number 2s or assistants, but simply are not cut out ot be HCs. The thing that separates a HC from a regular coach, for me, is coaching decisions made in the moment. I really like Cliff, like his thoughts on the game and so on. It’s just painfully apparent that he doesn’t have the ability to make on the fly calls / changes.
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