Loss to Spurs Disappointing; Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats at Dallas Mavericks
by David A. Arnott on Dec 12, 2009 9:54 AM EST
29 comments
Disappointing seems like such a... well... disappointing and inadequate word to describe losing to the Spurs last night. On the one hand, this is the Spurs we're talking about, the dominant dynasty of the past decade. But on the other hand, Spurs version 2009 is very different from Spurs version 2005. They're still figuring things out, and this was an opportunity to steal a road win from a team that suddenly looks more vulnerable than they have in years, like last year's Pistons.
Instead, we settle for the pleasure in seeing the Cats make the game competitive with a great third quarter, even though they ultimately lost 104-85. I caution against the notion of microcosm, but if this game wasn't a microcosm (it wasn't), it was a part of the larger developing pattern.
Highlights, lowlights, and a preview of tonight's Dallas Mavericks game after the jump.
(A couple of these were contributed in last night's thread. Username of the contributor is in bold. Thanks, guys!)
BAD
-- Tyson Chandler had 8 turnovers in 21:31. That looks like a typo, and I really hope it is. That's the kind of insanely horrible line that will make a fickle guy like Larry Brown yank him from the starting lineup.
-- What do we have to do to improve the free throw shooting? The Cats only shot 18-29 from the line (62%). I shoot about 70% from the line (granted, not in in-game situations, but whenever I practice shooting free throws, I do it in between running lines). I'll show the team how to shoot Rick Barry style. When I shoot normally, I'm about 30%, but the underhand shot has been a godsend for my free throw performance. My email is in the sidebar, guys. I'm available.
-- Gerald Henderson was again marginalized, again forced to watch Stephen Graham stink for more than 10 minutes while he only got 2 minutes. I'm past the point of being angry with LB about this. Even when he finally does give Henderson real minutes on a consistent basis, I'll probably continue to harbor a grudge for this totally unreasonable and illogical railroading.
GOOD
-- Derrick Brown consistently makes good use of his minutes. In 22 minutes tonight his line was 7 pts on 3-7 shooting, 2 rebounds, 1 steal. What those numbers don’t show is that he was a pivotal player in the 3rd quarter Bobcats run that shaved the once 20+ pt deficit disappear. The numbers also don't tell you about the nasty fast break throw down dunk Brown had during that run. --dudemanhey
(DA: I've shared my soft spot for super-athletic combo forwards before. This is more of the same from Brown, who, thanks to a dearth of power forward options, has shown he's capable of being a rotation player in this league.
-- Gerald Wallace shot 6-9 from the field and 6-10 from the line, for 18 points. That's an uptick from his scoring average, but still very efficient. He only got 6 boards, but that still led the team and was more than 1/5 of the 25 the Cats grabbed.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
-- We’re always quick to revel in the numbers when one of our own contains a supposedly better player. Well, Felton and Wallace got contained tonight and what it meant was that Wallace’s numbers were merely damned good instead of incredible and Felton’s stats were reduced to mediocre instead of the numbers of an emerging star. Considering that it happened on the road against a team many think will be duking it out (or am I supposed to call it Chapel Hilling it out?) with the Lakers for the Western Conference crown, I’m not going to cry over it. --Ourdaywillcome
(DA: As contentious as we can sometimes be about evaluating Raymond Felton and defining his place in the NBA sphere, I think there's one uncontroversial thing we can all agree upon: When Felton shoots less, he tends to do more for this team. It's not a direct relationship, seeing as someone like Luke Walton can do very little negative on either end of the court and still not add much, but I do think it's indicative that he's doing other things to help the team. Combine that with a downturn in turnovers and an undeniable commitment to defense, and suddenly his outlook is rosy. Last night was a mixed bag, but was still an improvement upon his past games that inhabit my nightmares. He took only 7 shots. Four other players took as many or more field goal attempts. That's a good thing for a point guard who's never been a good scorer himself.)
===
Hey! It's a Texas back to back and the Cats will face the Mavericks tonight!
Pump Up Music: Lucky Boy Confusion -- "Hey Driver"
The Big Picture: The Mavs are coming off a win at Miami last night in which Erick Dampier absolutely sonned Joel Anthony to the tune of 20 points and 17 rebounds, and both Jason Kidd and J.J. Barea had 10 assists. I'll go out on a limb and say that probably won't happen tonight.
A developing meme I've noticed this year is the notion that Dirk Nowitzki's millionth straight amazing season is cementing his spot as greatest European player in NBA history. Maybe so. Dude's still in his prime, and that this is under consideration adds another layer to the respect we should have for him. Enjoy watching.
Key to Victory: I really don't think the Cats will have to make many lineup adjustments to match up with the Mavs, even when they go crazy with their lineup permutations. Here's how I'd do it.
When Dallas goes Barea, Kidd, Marion, Dirk, Dampier, I'd put Felton on Barea, Gerald on Kidd, Diaw on Marion, Jackson on Dirk, and Tyson on Dampier. This is specifically because, historically, Dirk has had trouble with smaller, long, defenders. He's at his best when he can put the ball on the floor against slower big men, so I'd take my chances with him posting up Jackson and everyone else is outside, turning Kidd/Marion and others into spot up shooters, which I definitely want to happen. Same thing happens when Terry is on the floor in place of either Kidd or Barea. Put Gerald on him and see what happens. Alternatively, the Cats could follow Mike D'Antoni's lead and imitate what he did when he assigned Jared Jeffries to guard Rajon Rondo: Put Diaw on Kidd, sag off, and dare Kidd to be a jump shooter. That would put Gerald on Marion.
It's still not much of an issue when Dallas goes super small with their three-guard lineup, Barea, Kidd, Terry, Marion, Dirk. Maybe we go slightly smaller with Diaw at center. Or maybe we take special care to save Tyson so we can put him on Dirk in these situations. Basically, it all comes down to a willingness to put Diaw on Marion. Dude hasn't been able to shoot threes in two and a half years. Make him beat you that way.
Detail That Might Interest .08% of You: Recently, Tim Thomas was linked to a 3am fight at a Dallas-area Denny's.
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Larry Brown Falls in Love With Starters
If LB Would Pull Some Of The Starters Out When Then Are Not Playing Well They Might Start Winning? Let Them Set On The Bench For A Couple Of Minutes and See If That Will Change The Run Of The Game? What Not Trade For a Power Forward ,Plenty Of Players To Let Go?
When Thomas played for PHX he used to wave his hand in front of his face after he made a shot. He said it was a “dance.” Hitting a senior citizen with a chair at Denny’s in a dust-up at 3 am makes him an even bigger d-bag.
Huh. I didn’t think he could be a bigger tool after the “dance” thing, but, here we are.
According to a reporter that was eating there at the time
Thomas didn’t do it – not even close.
Just an FYI. Since I wasn’t there myself I couldn’t say one way or the other.
by Ourdaywillcome on Dec 12, 2009 1:17 PM EST up reply actions
I really miss Okafor
With Jack on board, Wallace’s improvement and Felton becoming much more reliable… This team is obviously better! But with the exception of the center position. The guy bobbles every friggin pass thrown to him. I’ve gotten happy to see him get in foul trouble early.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
Oh you didn't know?
According to Steven Martin it’s not Chandler’s fault. Tyson’s made it clear that he only likes passes that are at his shoulders or higher. Therefore, he doesn’t have greased teflon fingers, it’s everyone ELSE’S fault! Poor guy. His teammates just won’t listen. Maybe we can make his dreams come true and send him to another team. Then he can play with a squad he can make throw up TO him instead of a squad that wants to throw up BECAUSE of him.
by Ourdaywillcome on Dec 12, 2009 1:20 PM EST up reply actions
Let's go back in a time machine, shall we?
I’m keeping names out of it toprotect the innocent, but here are some great quotes from the ‘Okafor/Chandler trade topic’ a few months back:
“this trade is not as bad as y’all drama queens are making it out to be!”
“Unloading Nazr would make this deal much easier to swallow.”
“I’ll trust LB on this one, if he thinks Chandler can help, then I’ll trust him.”
“If Chandler is healthy, then Charlotte will continue to improve and not really lose anything on the court.”
“the past 2 years, Tyson Chandler is everything Emeka has been, but better”
“if Chandler’s health is not an issue then the trade is not that bad.”
How things change…
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Dec 12, 2009 2:19 PM EST up reply actions
All I can say is
“ouch.” I wan’t here back then, but still, “ouch.”
by Ourdaywillcome on Dec 12, 2009 2:41 PM EST up reply actions
I see two, both regarding Chandler's health.
Chandler’s been mostly healthy, and he still sucks.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Dec 12, 2009 5:19 PM EST up reply actions
Oh, and Brown clearly thought he could help.
Trust denied!
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 12, 2009 6:21 PM EST up reply actions
Right because coaches never make mistakes
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
One wouldn't think a vaunted surefire Hall-of-Fame coaching deity wouldn't make many.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 12, 2009 7:47 PM EST up reply actions
When coaches make mistakes this big,
They usually get fired. I’ll be surprised if Brown is still coaching the Bobcats next season. Probably depends on the health of Crash and Jax this season and whether the Cats stay in playoff contention. But as disappointing as the Raptors, Bulls and Wizzards have been, everyone but the Nets should have a shot for a long time.
That is - whether Brown makes it to the end of this season
probably depends on the health of Crash and Jax and whether the Cats stay in playoff contention.
Larry Brown will not get fired.
Yeah, Larry didnt like Okafor but it wasnt only LB who made the decision to trade him. It was buyers remorse from Bob Johnson and MJ is in charge of the decision, not LB.
You're kidding yourself if you think THAT'S true.
Brown leads Jordan around by his nose like a puppy.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 14, 2009 5:55 PM EST up reply actions
You're assuming he's healthy. That's the point.
He’s definitely been a disappointment in that he hasn’t played the kind of D that he’s shown in the past.
If he's not, we never should have traded him.
Further, he shouldn’t be playing. But he is, having been cleared by a whole host of doctors. So it’s not an excuse.
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
by MichaelProcton on Dec 13, 2009 2:18 PM EST up reply actions
Have any of you noticed
that whenever Chandler has one of his bad nights (you know, roughly 3 out of 4 games) Steve Martin will make some half-hearted attempt to reference an injury that doesn’t appear on any status sheet or team report whatsoever? He’ll say, “Well he’s still playing on that ankle…” or some such nonsense. He won’t ever get specific, he’ll just mention a random body part. “He appears to be having trouble with the shoulder…” Unlike Martin’s other public relation assignments where he never shuts up, it’s always some passing remark that makes it clear that Martin himself is having trouble swallowing the whopper he’s being required to spew into the mike. It’s pretty funny. At some point Martin’s going to just say “screw it” and come out with, “Well, Tyson’s still getting over his period and he may still be having some cramping….” to give Del the chance to say, “he DOES look bloated Steve, you may be right. Maybe Stephanie can get us an update.”
by Ourdaywillcome on Dec 13, 2009 3:08 PM EST up reply actions
Mohammad/Diop rotation???
Jackson is finding all kinds of exotic ways to get Chandler the ball in the post. Most of the time the ball just hits him in a random body part… it’s like passing to a brick wall. I wonder if Mohammad/Diop rotation would be better? Diop wasn’t great, but I remember him being a decent defender… and I don’t ever remember him being as bad as Chandler has recently.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
I didn't see the game last night but the Chandler situation is far out of hand.
He was known for elite defense. Where is it? I don’t know exactly why he’s regressed so much but it looks like the risk didn’t really pay off. We’re lucky that Nazr is picking up way more slack that we could expect.
All I want for Christmas is some front court depth!
As I said earlier
I wasn’t part of the group at the time the trade was made. I was however a Bobcats fan and when I read the news of the trade I remember thinking that it was financially logical but that there was no way in hell picking up an injury prone Chandler was going to help the team. Okafor was reputed to be a risk when we drafted him because of being injury prone himself, but the guy played hard and any “injury” risks associated with him dissipated quickly. During his days in orange I used to fantasize about what he would be like as a 5 or 6 year veteran at his peak and the new draftees that would be coming up behind him as the team built itself into contenders one piece at a time.
My initial response to the trade was to turn to my bride and say, “dumbasses!” She asked me why they did it (she’s a fan of sports in general, has a favorite player or two in each sport, but doesn’t “devote” herself to all the ins and outs) and I explained the financial rationalle. Proving for the millionth time that I’m lucky to be with her, she said, “If the management chooses to be more devoted to the ledger sheets than to the roster sheets there’s going to be a lot of heartaches for the fans.” Is this a smart lady or what?
The Chandler deal isn’t going to be remembered with the same 80 year agony as say, the Bosox dumping of Babe Ruth. But more than any other move good or bad by Bobcats management it’s the one trade that has affected the progress of this team the most. Even the second most effective trade – for Stephen Jackson – doesn’t make up for the negative impact having Tyson on the team has had and continues to have as we try to move forward.
One of the more telling things to me about the whole thing isn’t even visible in the stats lines or in the performance comparison thread that Michael maintains. It’s this:
Night after night I see pure despair on DJ’s face.
But night after night Chandler acts as if he doesn’t even notice how his own play hurts the team. Oh sure, he gets pissed off and jaws at the refs, but he’s just behaving like a little kid pitching a tantrum over being punished. If he’s ever said so much as “sorry guys” to his mates I’ve not seen it or read of it. In fact, I was doing some research for another project one night last week during a game when my wife said, “did you see that?” I looked up at the game and the replay was of Chandler getting his second 1st quarter whistle. As I was wondering what the big deal was, I saw Chandler reach the bench where someone, I believe it was Graham, reached up to pat Tyson on the shoulder as he walked by him. Chandler violently jerked his shoulder out of the way and stomped to his chair. Graham just shook his head with a “what a dillhole” expression and shrugged.
by Ourdaywillcome on Dec 12, 2009 5:20 PM EST up reply actions
"That's the kind of insanely horrible line that will make a fickle guy like Larry Brown yank him from the starting lineup."
If he hasn’t seen reason to boot him so far, why would he now?
Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt
rick barry
Funny you should mention this. My senior season I was having a miserable time at the foul line and coach told me to try underhanded in practice. His motivation for the suggestion was not so much the attempt to improve my performance but rather pure spite— he was a malicious prick and figured I’d find this humiliating. I quickly got quite good at the Barry approach— it really is effective as anyone who has ever practiced at it will attest— and then my first game back from injury I drew a shooting foul the first time I touched the ball. Ref hands me the ball and I look back the bench as if to say “you know what I’m gonna do?” Coach looks green; he never expected I would do it in a game, and especially not in front of our biggest crowd of the season. But I did, and hit both of them. Except for my teammates, no one had ever seen me do this, and so when I threw the first one up the crowd totally roared. Coach holds his head in his hand. Everyone’s laughing and hooting, including the refs and the other team. When I get taken out a couple of minutes later, I leave to applause. I saunter my ass down to the end of the bench as far from coach as possible. It was one of the greatest moments of my career. We lost the game, didn’t matter. I didn’t even get back in (which was ok by me as my ankle felt like it was going to explode.) I was briefly a hero to the masses for doing something stupid, and amongst my teammates for my gesture of defiance to our universally reviled incompetent boob of a coach. I will always be grateful to Rick Barry for the inspiration…
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