Hawks Come to Town

I’d love to think the message to the players could be as simple as “right now we’re starting Ball, Terry & Miles, so you Bigs need to fight it out to play with them”.

That Guard, Wing starting line-up should give us plenty of offence and ball movement, so who can provide a bit of rim protection & D, and a lot of energy to compliment that trio? If any lack of hustle is visible, then off the court they come.

If he was, he’d be talking about left handed players. Haha

Where’s Bouknight? Not listed on injury report for last game. Didn’t dress. Not playing tonight for the Swarm. Is he in timeout for the rest of the year?

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Looks like it. Kind of a bummer, as he looked to be getting better when he’d play. But…. When you get in JBs doghouse… you aren’t coming out.

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Honestly if this is the type of thing we’re gonna keep running into with JB and company might as well start trading off first rounders for players of use (like a Center)…

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Agreed. Or we should never draft scoring guards. I honestly think we should forget about the draft at this point. We have enough young guys. Unless we can get in the top 3 and get a big, let’s just sign or trade for one. Bouk has zero value now though… thanks to how we’ve used him.

Bouk was mocked as high as 6 in last year’s draft. When guys fall, there is usually a reason. It’s not like the Hornets haven’t been burned like that before. I don’t view his lack of PT as a JB issue. His attitude reminds me a lot of the early Monk.

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I still think Monk would have played more on any team but ours. And if Bouk was like Monk… why did we pick him… bc you know JB won’t like him. Just seems like a waste with JB here.

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I think Bouknight could have been rookie if the year this year on a bad team.

Very far from giving up on him. Treating him like hes 5 isn’t thrilling though

Yes. I am Eric Collins. Don’t tell people

…I’ve said too much.

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Monk himself has said why he didn’t get much playing time.

And that’s not the only interview where he basically admitted that he came in with an entitled attitude, started taking bad shots, and not trying on defense.

Bouk makes me feel the same way, that when things don’t go his way, that he stops giving 100%.

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I’m still in the mindset that if JB didn’t treat the guys like he does, it still wouldn’t happen. I liked when Monk was shooting when he first started playing bc that’s what he does. I could only imagine if someone like Kobe would have been coached by JB early in his career.

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Monk’s first year was Cliff.

And the thing is that plenty of guys have developed nicely under JB. Devonte’ made his jump his second year under JB. Terry was good before coming here, but very few people expected him to live up to his contract. Under JB Terry did. Miles has really grown into a player, even if he had a bit of a rough start. LaMelo’s turned out OK so far.

As for Monk, when he finally got his head on right during his last year in Charlotte, guess what? He played - in spite of the fact that the team also had LaMelo, Devonte’, Terry and more poised to steal minutes from him.

I’m not a JB fan - like at all - but this notion that he’s responsible for Monk holds no water for me. Monk derailed Monk. Bouk is derailing Bouk.

One of the reasons Kobe was Kobe, was because he worked his tail off. He gave effort. Bouk isn’t and Monk didn’t. Grousing about JB will not change that.

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100% this. I don’t love all JB’s in game decisions but Monk’s immense hurdle was Monk.

Read that article a bit ago too. Very telling. Some shared blame, sure. But if you’re a player, it’s your responsibility to give 100%. Think it’s also telling that nobody else wanted to give him any money in the off season either.

As I’ve always said, wish dude well, but this idea that he was a blue chipper that we squandered because of a bratty coach doesn’t hold water.

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I’m just bitter about the whole thing. I can’t let it go… haha

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It sucks, I love Malik. There hasn’t been a player I’ve ever been as excited to draft as him. When Borrego became the HC he seemingly told everyone in the media and Monk himself that Monk would be a big part of our team moving forward then it never happened.

I agree with alllll this except I’m not ready to say that Bouk isn’t giving effort yet. He has some growing up to do and I don’t blame JB at all for his lack of playing time under the circumstances of how our season has played out. But he has impressed me everytime he’s had an opportunity to play it’s just that his opportunities have been few because others have stepped up in front of him and are more experienced. We are in win now mode and with players like Cody making the leap he’s made this season, you have to go with the experience and defense that you can trust vs having a long leash on a rookie to take his lumps and play thru mistakes. Plus by the time injuries presented opportunities he’s been hurt himself. I’m not giving up on Bouk yet but he’s got to mature and get his attitude in check, put the work in and be coachable.

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The only thing I really regret about Monk’s situation is that it seemed every time he self-corrected and did what was being asked of him, he’d suffer some nagging injury that interrupted the progress he’d made.

He’s certainly made enough admissions about his own lack of maturity that I don’t feel like he was treated unfairly, but I do think there was a little bit of bad luck thrown in there too.