100% agree. But if we can't bench Ty (which was my assumption), then let MT finish the games! Get him 30 minutes as 6 man playing the 1 and 2 spot
Thorton sitting there like, all these scrubs getting paid way more than me and I took the min to come here to be carried.
I tend to agree. His role was already murky and it's even more unclear w/ him, Harden & Thornton spending most of their on the court together. I feel like McHale and Morey talked so much about how his ability to break down the defense and find the open man would open up the game for everybody else, but we just don't see it much.
Starting lineup: Thornton, Harden, Ariza, DMo, Howard Bench: Ty, PBev, Brewer, Jones, Capela Reserves: Jet, KJ, Harrell and Dekker Still sounds pretty good, and if everyone meshes better this way, then why not.
The problem is, Harden is a better PG than Lawson. So we don't need a PG next to Harden, we need Beverley. He has always been the perfect fit. Ariza at PF + Thornton + Harden + Lawson is a terrible terrible depressing defensive team. Bill Russell couldn't cover for those 4. There's just no chance that can be a legitimate line up playing big minutes. There are no numbers to support it. There's no logic to support it. Now, McHale is extending Howard's minutes past the 30 minute mark to force a stupid idea to work, thinking Howard can cover for those 4. He can't. No one can. We need a defender on both sides of Harden who can hit a 3, that's Beverley and Ariza at PG and SF. We need a big man who can patrol the paint, Howard and Capela are doing a wonderful job at that. Throw anyone at the 4, even Thornton or Brewer or Jones. It's fine. Preferably Harrell, with all his rookie mistakes. It's fine. As long as Ariza and Beverley are defending two of the best PG/SG/SF and Howard/Capela are cleaning up behind them we're solid. We can still get 45 points from Howard/Harden on a nightly basis. Lawson can be Lawson off the bench. This team's biggest problem is defense right now, and it's not necessarily defensive effort. They're just such a ****ty defensive unit starting that it's impossible to cover up, there aren't as many defensive rebounds to run breaks, we can't go on a decent run, etc. We don't miss anyone. We got 2nd seed in the West with sporadic appearances from D-Mo, T Jones and Howard. We have more than that now. We have Capela too. We have Lawson. We lost Josh Smith. We should be winning games, this is poor coaching. McHale tends to come through eventually, but we can't really afford for this to drag on any longer.
Fool's gold. Not saying he is not good. He might get us some wins by his hot streaks, but our glaring problem right now is lack of size and defense. He is contributing to both.
I actually like Thornton off the bench. That 2nd squad needs some offense badly. Instant offense when the starters aren't getting it done.
The problem is that Harden gets a free pass. He is the worst defender on the team, and he is a far less efficient passer than Ty Lawson, who is so much better at running the offense than James, who consistently takes terrible shots and throws the ball all over the gym. SELFISH intentions. Let Ty run the show and facilitate and watch our team explode.
Nice post, and I'll add something, something that's bugging the hell out of me this morning. Morey should have kept Chuck Hayes. If ever we needed him, it was last night.
It's up to McHale and Harden to get the best out of Ty. I agree that Ty needs to come off the bench and once they realize indeed that Harden is not going to be a SG, they can put him and Beverley indeed back together. Ty & Thornton can be our spark off the bench that we badly need. It's so obvious what needs to happen, but McHale always needs time to catch up.
Won't make a difference. Bev's defense has slipped over the last 18 months or so. He's not the same great defender he was 2 seasons ago. So, no matter where he plays, starting or off the bench, we're not going to get that same initial defensive thrust from him on the perimeter. Mr. 94 feet no longer exists.
a couple of bad games and Thornton's a DNP while Brewer continues to be trash every single game and gets minutes.
Yup...not one single minute so far in this game. Clearly the teams second best scorer and he rides the bench because he had two bad games. Eff this coach
