Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Sorry. Been busy. And a Jazz/Kings matchup in April, some 4 months after we crap our season away is tough to stay on task for.
Boxscore
Stats: 30min 14pts (5-10, 1-3, 3-4) 5reb 0ast 1stl 0blk 2TO
Casspi ( ) -- we're going to have to start calling these games "The Omri". Ran the floor for easy leakouts, worked well with Cuz (meaning Omri kept moving and ran to spots and Cuz found him.) Hayward's awful night wasn't really Omri's doing -- only about half the shots were even taken against Omri, and Omri only notably challenged 3 of them -- but nonetheless, he outplayed the Jazz's best guy, so you'll take that anyday. Late in the game had an unfortunate hand in some of Hood's fireworks, as for some reason he and Williams were chasing around the little guy far too often.
Stats: 14min 6pts (3-6, 0-0, 0-0) 2reb 1ast 1stl 0blk 0TO
Landry ( ) -- and we're going to have to start calling spot starts like this "The Landry". One post, one spot up, one move without the ball. And there's your night. Missed a couple of other long jumpers, not much on the glass per usual -- this btw is why even when healthy Landry was an absolutely moronic choice to try to pair with Cousins. The one thing he does well is of virtually no value when he's out there next to the big guy. Also why Malone got our best use out of him as a Cuz interior scorer replacement, not supplement. Favors big numbers in limited minutes weren't as much of Carl's fault as you might have guess however. He did get spanked on one big postup where his minime stature issues were on full display. Got overpowered for one o-reb and finish. But otherwise most of Favors work against him came when Carl wisely or not stepped up to help against penetration.
Stats: 35min 26pts (11-22, 0-0, 4-9) 12reb 4ast 1stl 1blk 8TO
Cousins ( ) -- funny how desensitzed we've become so that the 26pt 12reb nights now are just ho hum, business as usual. Well business as usual with too many TOs forcing, and a continuation of this month's odd FT woes.
Stats: 38min 20pts (8-12, 2-3, 2-2) 5reb 4ast 4stl 0blk 3TO
McLemore ( B+ ) -- If you were to just look at the box score, you'd think Ben deserved an A. But the game, and he at times was just too sloppy. There were times when Ben lost the ball and got lucky because it bounce to one of his teammates. What he did well, was shoot the ball. He scored 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting going 2 for 3 from beyond the arc. He also rebounded well grabbing 5 boards. I'll give him this, he was active and for the most part, aggressive. The problem with Ben right now, is that when he gets aggressive, he also gets a little sloppy with the ball. His brain agrees to things his body can't perform right now. He only had 3 turnovers, but he easily could have had 6 or 7. He simply dodged the bullet a few times. but to be fair, he did have 4 steals, one in particular was special, when he ran, leaped in the air and intercepted a pass coming over the top of his head. Defensively it was a somewhat mixed bag. He would make a play that you'd expect a lock down defender to make, and then he would look lost, looking for someone to defend. Particularly in the first quarter when there were several sequences where he appeared to be guarding no one. But all in all, it was a good game for Ben, and the kind of game that you would like to expect from him on a nightly basis. --Baja
Stats: 33min 8pts (3-13, 1-3, 1-2) 5reb 7ast 1stl 0blk 2TO
McCallum ( ) -- just not smart. Recklessly raced at the rim, right into the teeth of the big Jazz interior defenders. Got what he deserved for doing so.
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Bench
Bench
Stats: 16min 4pts (1-3, 0-2, 2-2) 1reb 1ast 0stl 0blk 0TO
Stauskas ( C- ) -- I'm being a little kind with the grade since I found out after the fact that Nik was playing with back spasms, which eventually limited his minutes. He only took 3 shots in the game, and amazingly made the hardest of the three, when he closed out the first quarter with a one flat offense, drove into the lane, spun to his left and threw up a six foot, left handed up and under shot that kissed off the back board and went in. He missed his first shot of the night, a wide open three on a kick out from Cousins, and he missed a corner three coming off a pick. Nik's defense was hit and miss. He got back once on a fast break and made the initial stop. Good job there. But he got beat off screens and the dribble by Hood. Both Nik, and anyone else guarding Hood seemed to have trouble. Anyone who watched Hood in college knew he's very good off the dribble, and deceptive. He has a herky jerkyness about him that always has you leaning the wrong way. Anyway, sort of an inconclusive game as far as Nik goes. He did make some very nice passes that didn't result in baskets. He definitely has a little PG blood in him. --Baja
Stats: 32min 6pts (2-4, 0-0, 2-2) 9reb 2ast 0stl 1blk 2TO
Thompson ( ) -- perhaps after 520 or so games I've jsut finally run out of things to say about JT.
Stats: 26min 9pts (4-7, 1-3, 0-1) 0reb 0ast 2stl 0blk 1TO
Williams ( ) -- and while the numbers say you could just call this "The DWill", it was a little different in its details. He took more midrange jumpers than normal, hit two of them. There was not even 1 alley opp attempt, which is just shocking. In the first half he was 3 for 3 from the field with a midranger, a three, and a steal and breakout. That was almost all his production though. He came back in the second half, hit his first shot (one of the midrangers), but missed two threes down the stretch of the quarter and then totally disappeared. Per usual he had never appeared in the first place on the glass or as a passer, even inspiring a snarky comment from Karl on the lack of boardwork.
Stats: 15min 2pts (1-2, 0-1, 0-2) 4reb 1ast 0stl 1blk 3TO
Miller ( ) -- just nothing again. Hey, you want to know one reason for the most recent losing streak? Absolutely no PG play at all once our 40yr old PG began playing like a 40yr old PG. In the last 5 games Miller has scored 8 total points, notched 7 assists, and had 10 turnovers. The turnovers tonight weren't egregious taken as a whole. He had one bad one getting jumped bringing the ball up. A second that was a poor pass but on our standard attempt to get DWill an alley oop, and Dre redeemed himself partway on that one getting back to stop the resulting Jazz breakout. And a third on what was basically JT's bad hands. JT would also receive Miller's only assist, and that is the larger issue. Our reserves have gone back to being those deadly rally killers of most of the year, and part of it is that their floor general isn't floor generaling to any effect. About the best thing our backup PG did was rebound, and that's not great.
Boxscore
Stats: 30min 14pts (5-10, 1-3, 3-4) 5reb 0ast 1stl 0blk 2TO
Casspi ( ) -- we're going to have to start calling these games "The Omri". Ran the floor for easy leakouts, worked well with Cuz (meaning Omri kept moving and ran to spots and Cuz found him.) Hayward's awful night wasn't really Omri's doing -- only about half the shots were even taken against Omri, and Omri only notably challenged 3 of them -- but nonetheless, he outplayed the Jazz's best guy, so you'll take that anyday. Late in the game had an unfortunate hand in some of Hood's fireworks, as for some reason he and Williams were chasing around the little guy far too often.
Stats: 14min 6pts (3-6, 0-0, 0-0) 2reb 1ast 1stl 0blk 0TO
Landry ( ) -- and we're going to have to start calling spot starts like this "The Landry". One post, one spot up, one move without the ball. And there's your night. Missed a couple of other long jumpers, not much on the glass per usual -- this btw is why even when healthy Landry was an absolutely moronic choice to try to pair with Cousins. The one thing he does well is of virtually no value when he's out there next to the big guy. Also why Malone got our best use out of him as a Cuz interior scorer replacement, not supplement. Favors big numbers in limited minutes weren't as much of Carl's fault as you might have guess however. He did get spanked on one big postup where his minime stature issues were on full display. Got overpowered for one o-reb and finish. But otherwise most of Favors work against him came when Carl wisely or not stepped up to help against penetration.
Stats: 35min 26pts (11-22, 0-0, 4-9) 12reb 4ast 1stl 1blk 8TO
Cousins ( ) -- funny how desensitzed we've become so that the 26pt 12reb nights now are just ho hum, business as usual. Well business as usual with too many TOs forcing, and a continuation of this month's odd FT woes.
Stats: 38min 20pts (8-12, 2-3, 2-2) 5reb 4ast 4stl 0blk 3TO
McLemore ( B+ ) -- If you were to just look at the box score, you'd think Ben deserved an A. But the game, and he at times was just too sloppy. There were times when Ben lost the ball and got lucky because it bounce to one of his teammates. What he did well, was shoot the ball. He scored 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting going 2 for 3 from beyond the arc. He also rebounded well grabbing 5 boards. I'll give him this, he was active and for the most part, aggressive. The problem with Ben right now, is that when he gets aggressive, he also gets a little sloppy with the ball. His brain agrees to things his body can't perform right now. He only had 3 turnovers, but he easily could have had 6 or 7. He simply dodged the bullet a few times. but to be fair, he did have 4 steals, one in particular was special, when he ran, leaped in the air and intercepted a pass coming over the top of his head. Defensively it was a somewhat mixed bag. He would make a play that you'd expect a lock down defender to make, and then he would look lost, looking for someone to defend. Particularly in the first quarter when there were several sequences where he appeared to be guarding no one. But all in all, it was a good game for Ben, and the kind of game that you would like to expect from him on a nightly basis. --Baja
Stats: 33min 8pts (3-13, 1-3, 1-2) 5reb 7ast 1stl 0blk 2TO
McCallum ( ) -- just not smart. Recklessly raced at the rim, right into the teeth of the big Jazz interior defenders. Got what he deserved for doing so.
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Bench
Bench
Stats: 16min 4pts (1-3, 0-2, 2-2) 1reb 1ast 0stl 0blk 0TO
Stauskas ( C- ) -- I'm being a little kind with the grade since I found out after the fact that Nik was playing with back spasms, which eventually limited his minutes. He only took 3 shots in the game, and amazingly made the hardest of the three, when he closed out the first quarter with a one flat offense, drove into the lane, spun to his left and threw up a six foot, left handed up and under shot that kissed off the back board and went in. He missed his first shot of the night, a wide open three on a kick out from Cousins, and he missed a corner three coming off a pick. Nik's defense was hit and miss. He got back once on a fast break and made the initial stop. Good job there. But he got beat off screens and the dribble by Hood. Both Nik, and anyone else guarding Hood seemed to have trouble. Anyone who watched Hood in college knew he's very good off the dribble, and deceptive. He has a herky jerkyness about him that always has you leaning the wrong way. Anyway, sort of an inconclusive game as far as Nik goes. He did make some very nice passes that didn't result in baskets. He definitely has a little PG blood in him. --Baja
Stats: 32min 6pts (2-4, 0-0, 2-2) 9reb 2ast 0stl 1blk 2TO
Thompson ( ) -- perhaps after 520 or so games I've jsut finally run out of things to say about JT.
Stats: 26min 9pts (4-7, 1-3, 0-1) 0reb 0ast 2stl 0blk 1TO
Williams ( ) -- and while the numbers say you could just call this "The DWill", it was a little different in its details. He took more midrange jumpers than normal, hit two of them. There was not even 1 alley opp attempt, which is just shocking. In the first half he was 3 for 3 from the field with a midranger, a three, and a steal and breakout. That was almost all his production though. He came back in the second half, hit his first shot (one of the midrangers), but missed two threes down the stretch of the quarter and then totally disappeared. Per usual he had never appeared in the first place on the glass or as a passer, even inspiring a snarky comment from Karl on the lack of boardwork.
Stats: 15min 2pts (1-2, 0-1, 0-2) 4reb 1ast 0stl 1blk 3TO
Miller ( ) -- just nothing again. Hey, you want to know one reason for the most recent losing streak? Absolutely no PG play at all once our 40yr old PG began playing like a 40yr old PG. In the last 5 games Miller has scored 8 total points, notched 7 assists, and had 10 turnovers. The turnovers tonight weren't egregious taken as a whole. He had one bad one getting jumped bringing the ball up. A second that was a poor pass but on our standard attempt to get DWill an alley oop, and Dre redeemed himself partway on that one getting back to stop the resulting Jazz breakout. And a third on what was basically JT's bad hands. JT would also receive Miller's only assist, and that is the larger issue. Our reserves have gone back to being those deadly rally killers of most of the year, and part of it is that their floor general isn't floor generaling to any effect. About the best thing our backup PG did was rebound, and that's not great.
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