Grades v. Jazz 02/26/10

[Hoovtrain]

And tonight the young team won AND learned a valuable lesson. They learned if they play TEAM ball, good defense and trust each other, they can win against a good strong team. That lesson alone is worth a lot more than another loss.

Do you think the players didn't get some confidence from tonight's win? If that's the goal, Westphal got it dead on.

True, but I don't believe Donte is the reason why this team doesn't play team ball. He proved this while starting at the beginning of the year with the team playing quite successful. Yes he can be a bit erratic, but he also brings many intangibles to the table. As is the case with Spencer, I believe PW wants to somewhat "reign" in these two guys. He realizes both have immense skill sets that can benefit this team; he just wants them to play within the context. PW also realizes these guys are both 21 years old and need a bit of guidance. That being said, I loved seeing Donte on the bench in full Mateen Cleaves mode tonight.

 

[KingsCitizen]

I wasn't able to see this game..uhm, actually only about 1 minute when the score was tied going into the last 2 minutes.

But it nice to see this statement from Derron Williams:

“Any time Beno comes out and gets 25 points, it’s tough to beat them. And Evans makes me look small and he’s able to do so much around the lane. He’s a tough matchup for any point guard.”

 

[dbfish]

I don't know about player of the game, but Donte should get team mate of the year. No matter whether he is starting or sitting on the bench the whole game, he takes it like a man and never complains, while putting up with PW's constant lineup changes.

 

[TTown Kings]

Put me down as another one of the, "there is absolutely no reason, whatsoever, that Andres Nocioni and Ime Udoka should be playing over Donte Greene."

 

[ReinadelosReys]

Don't know if its been posted but Westphal is freakin awesome.
[YT=Hawes and Westphal]cVjwuCJfbeI[/YT]

One would have to admit, that was pretty awesome

 

[kupman]

im sorry but the above makes no sense...

this season is over and done with... end of story...winning is great...

but.... the goal now is to get the actually talented players confidence up and get them gelling together...

Greene IS and SHOULD be apart of our future... hes got way too much damn talented to EVER be playing behind Ime or Noc.... Greene could literally not take a single shot and still give more to the team than either of these 2 clowns...

Im really glad Westphal and Hawes made up, and we won... but we didn't win because we played Noc or Ime over Greene....

he should have played... and if this continues were looking at another player vs Westphal showdown in another few games....

absolute bullcrap!!!


even tho we won... we lost just a little bit with Greene not playing any role in this victory

Judging by what I saw from Donte last night he is handling the situation much better than you. I am sure that PW will show his appreciation.

Donte gets an "A" for knowing his role tonight and being mature about it.

 

[OptimusRhyme]

wow soo many complainers here.. we won the friggan game against an insanely good team right now. boo hoo, donte got a dnp-cd.. hes been playing out of his role the last cuple games trying to force drives and turning the ball over alot.

I dont blame westphal for the benching of donte yesterday.He made the right descision. It'll get greenes head back on straight just like it did for hawes.

Now if we see Noc and Ime in every game for donte from here on out, then theres a problem. BUT thats not the case here. This move was about giving donte some time to think about his role and come back a stronger more effective player.

 

[SLAB]

My wanted starting rotation...

G: Tyreke
G: Beno
SF: Donte
PF: Landry
C: Hawes

With Cisco and Casspi as firey 6th men and JT's hustle once he gets back. I like them in these roles for now.

 

[pshn80]

My answer?

None of the above. Lots of wonderful performances out there tonight. A true team win...and that is what it took to beat Utah.

But the singlemost important factor in this win?

The mysterious disappearance of the "death by dribbling" offense.

Tyreke was great and got everyone involved. IMHO, forget about game winning shots or gaudier stat lines, this was Tyreke's best game as a King...by far.

That must have been two hella days of practice.

You got it! I think voting in this one sends the wrong message. It was a team win. And your point about "death by dribbling" is right on.

 

[pshn80]

im sorry but the above makes no sense...

this season is over and done with... end of story...winning is great...

but.... the goal now is to get the actually talented players confidence up and get them gelling together...

Greene IS and SHOULD be apart of our future... hes got way too much damn talented to EVER be playing behind Ime or Noc.... Greene could literally not take a single shot and still give more to the team than either of these 2 clowns...

Im really glad Westphal and Hawes made up, and we won... but we didn't win because we played Noc or Ime over Greene....

he should have played... and if this continues were looking at another player vs Westphal showdown in another few games....

absolute bullcrap!!!


even tho we won... we lost just a little bit with Greene not playing any role in this victory

Unfortunately I can't agree with your view at all. Ime and Noc do some things much better than Donte and they do what they do much much more consistently than Donte. And I want them to win. And my interest in seeing players developed is limilted by a practical question of whether the player responds and is worth it. In my view the jury is out and I'll leave the decision to the coach.

 

[Ed2009]

My wanted starting rotation...

G: Tyreke
G: Beno
SF: Donte
PF: Landry
C: Hawes

With Cisco and Casspi as firey 6th men and JT's hustle once he gets back. I like them in these roles for now.

I want Casspi in the starting 5.
Donte is not a starter for me..

 

[pshn80]

...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Did you watch the game? Did you see the chemistry? Did you see the cohesiveness?

Those are key elements to any successful team and Westphal did a masterful job of determining which players should be in for the key moments. I'm not going to lose one moment's sleep over Greene's DNP-
CD and quite frankly I'm not going to lose one moment's sleep over your ranting and use of red lettering.

NO ONE SAID GREENE ISN'T A PART OF THE TEAM'S FUTURE. On this night, against the Utah Jazz, however, he wasn't a part of the win. And if a couple of fans get their panties in a bunch over it, too bad.

Agree. And love your post. Right on.

 

[pshn80]

Do you think the players didn't get some confidence from tonight's win? If that's the goal, Westphal got it dead on.

And I repeat my earlier message. You are right on and helped relieve my frustrations with many of the previous posts. This is the best thing that could have happened however Westphal did it. Just ask the players, even Donte.

 

[SLAB]

I want Casspi in the starting 5.
Donte is not a starter for me..

Maybe Casspi in the future, but with him slamming into the rookie wall face-first and completely limiting his game, I think a reduced role as a spark off the bench would not only help him, but also help the team.

And I think if Greene gets consistent minutes, he can have a ceiling higher than anyone else on this team, minus our resident rookie sensation Mr. Tyreke Evans.

 

[Tetsujin]

I want Casspi in the starting 5.
Donte is not a starter for me..

Casspi is playing about as good as a blind man with gout. Once he proves he can at least touch the rim with a shot twice in a row, then maybe he can. He is TIRED right now.

 

[jcassio]

I'm all for rebuilding, but there's more to rebuilding than just putting your players with the most potential on the floor. With such a young team, a coach has to find opportunities to teach and to build confidence. That requires winning every once in a while. So sometimes a coach has to coach his team to a win, even if that means limiting the minutes of some mistake-prone players. In addition, I agree with a few others who have suggested that this game may prove to have been an important learning experience for Greene. I can assure those of you who worry about his happiness that he will get PT in the next game, and I will be shocked if he doesn't play well. Go figure.

 

[drogba]

why didn't green play ?

 

[jcassio]

why didn't green play ?

I don't know if Westphal has been asked that question. But if he has, I'm guessing he would say 'match-ups.' However, I would suggest he simply wanted to avoid Donte's mistakes in a close game that he wanted to win - if at all possible.

 

[swisshh]

People always try to claim that Beno is the Pg when he and Reke are paired, jsut because he is of course a PG. But that's not the way it works out. Beno guarded the SG, he looked for his own offense, he got half the assists Reke did. He was the SG.

denial

It's okay, you'll come around.

 

[Bricklayer]

denial

It's okay, you'll come around.

Just fact.

 

[Nighthawk1]

I don't know if Westphal has been asked that question. But if he has, I'm guessing he would say 'match-ups.' However, I would suggest he simply wanted to avoid Donte's mistakes in a close game that he wanted to win - if at all possible.

i would actually offer an alternative... Just to make an example to the rest of the team knowing Donte wouldn't cry about not playing.

Truth is, I would prefer Donte starting at the 3 just due to his defense. Both players have a ways to go though as far as being consistant goes.

 

[VF21]

Three A grades? Has this happened at all this season before last night?

The whole team looked like a team, they acted like a team, they played like a team and they won like a team. Whatever (or whoever) their problems might have been, it sure wasn't evident last night.

I LOVE THIS TEAM!!!

 

[FaStRmAn]

And tonight the young team won AND learned a valuable lesson. They learned if they play TEAM ball, good defense and trust each other, they can win against a good strong team. That lesson alone is worth a lot more than another loss.

Do you think the players didn't get some confidence from tonight's win? If that's the goal, Westphal got it dead on.

I DO think the players gained some confidence in this game. I think the adversity with JT down and Hawes stepping up is a huge growth step. Injuries are part of life in the NBA. How a young team handles adversity is as important as how they handle failure and success.

 

[Ed2009]

Maybe Casspi in the future, but with him slamming into the rookie wall face-first and completely limiting his game, I think a reduced role as a spark off the bench would not only help him, but also help the team.

And I think if Greene gets consistent minutes, he can have a ceiling higher than anyone else on this team, minus our resident rookie sensation Mr. Tyreke Evans.

You might be right-i just see Casspi´s minutes go down in the last games.
He is definetly tired but needs support to get over this period of time and get used to it.

Anyway the nice thing about what happened is that we finally play again as a team.

 

[TIG Kings]

Slovenian National Anthem -- in honor of Beno. With English translation even -- seems their national anthem was written by an idealist? A drunk idealist? In any case, seems to have little to do with Slovenia or the normal nationalistic themes. More random goodwill towards mena nd peace on Earth stuff.

Yeah our anthem was definitely written by a drunk guy , but I don`t know what did you mean with "normal natinalistic themes"...

 

[pshn80]

I don't know if Westphal has been asked that question. But if he has, I'm guessing he would say 'match-ups.' However, I would suggest he simply wanted to avoid Donte's mistakes in a close game that he wanted to win - if at all possible.

I missed reading your post yesterday. I would suggest the same thing. Donte is partially excellent but I believe we pay a real price playing him.