[Game] 39/82: Kings @ Bulls 12 JAN 2025, 12:30pm PT/3:30pm ET
- Thread starter Mr. S£im Citrus
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That's the thing and why I think while getting a "wing" looks great on the surface, people need to figure out that for better or worse that "wing" was DeMar DeRozan. It just was. If you want a starting level wing then DDR has to go. Trading a guard for a wing won't really do much unless you move DeMar to a position he hasn't really been able to play for a few years now.
I like what Monte has going here and lets not doubt he and his teams ability to find gems without needing a pick. Jones and Crawford. Give it time. Jones has already shown potential to be a replacement type down the line that you groom. The same way Doug was clearly being groomed to coach. Trust the process? lol. Sounds good enough for now.
They can keep Vuc haha. I still believe that play is best made with the MLE. Lopez, Adams, Horford, Looney, Bamba, theres some potential fillers out there this summer. Also guys like Brown, Portis, Boucher at F might be able to be had. If Monte can move Huerters salary out great, but no value. There are too many options this summer.
Fox actually looks decent defensively when another good defender is with him in the backcourt. I agree in principle that the Fox/Monk backcourt is probably not the move. I'm going to zig where a lot of people here seem to be zagging and say that Monk is much more replaceable than Fox, and it might be a good idea to sell high on him.
The team is built for this as long as we can get Keegan some rest. Lyles play right now in this system is allowing both Domas and Keegan to get around that but would love to see one more piece that can split the 4/5 minutes up if he gets hurt or is playing poorly. Doesn't have to be a stud, just serviceable. Would like to get Jones run in blowouts.
Yeah, I don't get this fixation on height some people have. Either a player can play, or they can't. The OKC Thunder have had the best record in the West two years in a row. Last season, their only starter over 6'6 was a 7'1 center who weighed 210lbs. This year is is a 7'0 center who weighs 250lbs. Lu Dort has been their starting SF at 6'4 & Williams their starting PF at 6'6. Yet somehow, if we ask Devin Carter to play a few of his minutes at SF, the balance will be so drastic that the team won't be able to complete.
Yeah, but I think the main objective would be to get Keon in the game for starter like minutes, which Doug has been doing. Whether Keon starts or is the first guard off the bench is moot. Monk has paid his dues and DDR is still playing at an All-Star level. You don’t necessarily want to mess with the mojo at this point in the season. I have confidence that Doug will pull the right strings. I think Doug has everyone buying in to their roles right now.
We need to maintain that delicate balance of ego, minutes and winning. We can worry about shuffling the starting lineup if things start to stagnate later.
We need to maintain that delicate balance of ego, minutes and winning. We can worry about shuffling the starting lineup if things start to stagnate later.
And I think it becomes less of a concern if the 3 guard lineup that is utilized is…
PG - Fox or Monk
SG - Ellis
SF - Carter
At least that lineup has two great defenders who have great size/length at the SG spot (Ellis & Carter) who can help hold down the fort even if they’re giving up a bit of size for a stretch.
Also, Carter’s excellent rebounding makes it easier to get away with a 3 guard lineup since we’re not really sacrificing that aspect of the game when playing him at SF.
PG - Fox or Monk
SG - Ellis
SF - Carter
At least that lineup has two great defenders who have great size/length at the SG spot (Ellis & Carter) who can help hold down the fort even if they’re giving up a bit of size for a stretch.
Also, Carter’s excellent rebounding makes it easier to get away with a 3 guard lineup since we’re not really sacrificing that aspect of the game when playing him at SF.
And arguably it wasn't completely the starting lineup that was ever the issue, it was the finishing lineup. Which did include Monk for 3 years now. Brown went all offense outside of Keegan for most of those if not all the 4th quarters and it showed up in the clutch stats. Clutch offense is a great thing, but if you're an open door on the other end like they were up until his firing then you are capped at 1st round fodder at best unless you have a legit MVP somewhere on your roster. History tells us that, this isn't even an argument now. Some nights you won't need the defense, but look at the stats, the playoffs aren't as offensively kind. You better be able to score in the half court, draw contact, and have a few guys that can stay in front of people, not just play passing lanes and get deflections. Offense only teams that rely on defensive gambling might make it to the finals one year and the play in the next. We've been seeing it in real time for like 4-5 years now with certain teams.
It'll play out over time. I know where my money would be at sooner than later. We saw it at the start of the 4th. If Doug Christie doesn't give Fox and Carter a legit chance to play together to see if it's real, then that's a disservice pure and simple. It might not hit it's potential, but if it does? The NBA could be in serious trouble. Serious trouble.
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