FVV is an incredibly impactful defensive player despite his size

He can stop the opposing PG and he makes key steals and plays on both ends.

 

This has been a issue that has concerned me all year and it's part of why I think we're likely to get exposed in the playoffs. I actually do think it is kind of sustainable if your entire team is 20 years old. Really really young teams have more energy and can afford to play like this, they can play harder night to night. We also care more about the regular season than some of the older guys who are coasting until things get serious in the playoffs.

But regardless, the bigger problem is that this edge goes away in the playoffs. Right now we have a really good record because every game is the rockets at 100% and the other team playing at like 80% (or whatever number you want to choose to represent regular season coasting from vets with playoff experience). In the playoffs both teams are going 100% all the time, and when that happens, I'm not so sure our team can match up. I would not be surprised at all to see the rockets lose in round 1 this year.

 

Aany idea when he returns? Need Adams and Tari to be at full health as well.

 

I think this week.

 

He is ok, just really smart.

DD

 

We had lots of clutch finishes in those wins before Fred went out. The defense was important, but what I see a lot of now, compared to then, is chaos and bad decisions on our own possessions in the final minutes.

Fred is smart and savvy with a cool head, and he's a leader. When he's off the court, we sorely miss those qualities. And in the final minutes, the difference is quite stark.

 

You know I was just playing when I said you shouldn't shoot so many threes.

 

Yes this is true. But also this has been known. IMO the goal this season was only returning to the playoffs, making our young guys look good, and figuring out who we want to keep. I strongly doubt the FO or Ime has ever thought we would win a playoff series this year.

Playoff success requires a pure high end talent advantage + fit. We don't have that talent on the roster yet (excluding Amen), but we've spent this year burnishing the assets we'll use to acquire that talent. That's what this season's wins are for.

 

He's an adequate defender at best.
Upgrading him with size, athleticism, and shooting will do wonders for us.

 

Not sure about that. In fact there a running theme about Fred getting cte in the final minutes on Rockets chop shop. Seems like people are romanticizing Fred's contributions and pumping him up tp be more than what he is. Fred has actually had multiple awful moments at the end of games.

He will definitely help, but this isnt going to turn into a #2 seed worthy team just because he returns.

Rockets regression has more to do with other factors.

Remember Fred was on this same team last year and we missed the playoffs completely. Fred has actually been worse this year. The jump this year had more to do with growth from Amen, actually having Tari, Adams, Jalen was playing well....

 

I posted this in another thread.

We have two 5-man lineups that played more than 200 minutes. The starting lineup with Jabari and the starting lineup with Amen.

The Jabari lineup has a DefRtg of 103.8.
The Amen lineup has a DefRtg of 117.8.

You can't tell me Amen is 14 points worse than Jabari on defense. My guess is, it's a combination of defense having already dropped off when Amen joined the starting lineup and some fit issues with Amen on defense.

It also shows you that these with/without analyses don't always tell us the whole story.

 

What's really alarming to me is:

is Udoka the only person in the world who hasn't looked into this? Is he going to throw these guys under the bus for obvious reasons that he could have prevented when the time comes? If it's so likely we are in that position, is it reasonable for them to stand pat at the deadline and then blame the kids for not being good shooters - something they've had 3 deadlines to address?

Did Stone and Udoka take a minute to go "it's possible we're doing all this for a first round exit, should we acquire 1 or 2 bench shooters at least so that they lift us and in an emergency we can even start one?"

Stone and Udoka strike me as exactly the type of duo a Don Nelson or a Rudy T would scalp in the first round. They don't inspire tactical confidence. Kerr and Harden worry me.

Someone earlier shared the records of a few teams who were very rebounding dependent. It was not good, their rebounding edge shrank easily.

The Grizzlies have come up with an actual creative idea for this: they will cut minutes on their whole roster so that they have a stamina edge over their opponents (that Finnish coach they signed pioneered it). Their identity makes sense. Everyone goes full speed all the time, starters will be used less than league average, bench will be used more than anyone else in the league. It makes sense.

My concern is these guys come out after the playoffs and say we struggled because the players lack "it". It honestly sometimes feel like these guys have given up on the offense long ago and they are confusing uninspired offensive coaching with star quality. It sometimes feels like Udoka blames the players for some things that he's responsible for. When coaches like Udoka and MDA are overplaying their players on the basis that practices are easy, they are being ignorant. It has bitten teams - including us - in the ass multiple times. That's not the same thing. All teams practices are easier because it was determined the efficacy of hard practices is low. They're not owed more minutes than other coaches. All the rest in the world won't make it healthy to play big minutes for 82 tightly packed games.

I don't know if @Nook was speculating or reporting it, but he said Udoka is in this "I don't have a superstar and no more hills can be climbed without one" kind of mentality. That was uber-disappointing to hear. That's the exact opposite of the reason I wanted to hire Ime. There are plenty of coaches who can get their team to try hard on defense and let a superstar coach the offense. That's not what his Pop taught him.

 

It's not about Fred's defense itself, its about the structure he gives to the team. With him on the court our team has more of an idea as to what to do and with him off the court its more helter skelter chaos.

 

Does this lineup include fred for both?

 

I am disappointed in his lack of IQ Coaching on offense. I had no idea that Ime Udoka is close to Jeff Van Gundy/Tom Thibodeau on offense/defense than Rick Adelman, Mike D'Antoni 7 Seconds or Less.

Jeff Van Gundy, Tom Thibodeau ran their players into the ground with extreme heavy minutes that that causes injuries and ineffective on defense that causes 40 point quarters and Ime uses small rotations, without giving playing time to Cam Whitmore, Reed Sheppard, Nate Williams, NFaly Dante give them a opportunity.

I don't think Assistant Coaches have any Offensive IQ either, Royale Ivey ain't helping. The Young Assistants are just pickup basketball players.

 

Yup. Especially after seeing how talented Mazzulla is offensively - a key part of Ime's staff in Boston. We're going to see Ime without such a person and that's making me nervous.

 

If the Starting Rotation is exhausted, What is the Point of having a 15 man Roster.

Does Ime Udoka even pay any attention to the bench players and give those players a opportunity. Almost 65% season is done and I haven't seen what NFaly Dante can do in spot minutes. That is one player that is really needed as a lob threat, Alley oop dunker, Rebounder, Shot Blocker for the rotation.

Over prioritizing Steven Adams (Health Limited)
Jock Landale (Not Athletic) is not helping Team this Year.

NFaly Dante is the one player that should play more and above Jock Landale.

 

OKC Head Coach Mark Daigneault, Chip England was hired from the Spurs (Fixed Kawhi Leonard Shooting Form)
Their Assistants are all professional Coaches that can be Head Coaches.

 

I agree with this. Fred is important to this team, because of a lack of depth, not because he is some kind of defensive savant or superior PG. He would be an excellent backup PG for this team next year at 20-25M. We need him this year as an additional outside shooter and someone that can slow down the kaos when the youngsters start panicing. When he gets back, Dillon should come off the bench and FVV should play mostly as a PG on defense and off the ball on offense for most of the game.