So

[Derek Bodner]

So someone tell me again why mo hasn't been fired?

Because you don't fire your coach after the first 5 games?

Because you don't fire your coach after a great last third of the season to get them in the playoffs?

Timing's everything.  If Mo was going to be fired it had to have been done right when Stefanski got here.  He has to do something now in order to be fired.  Going 2-3 isn't it.

[jemagee]

WHere's Al Davis when you need him.

Because you don't fire your coach after a great last third of the season to get them in the playoffs?

Yes a great third of a season - and they still finished under 500 so how bloody terrible were they the first 2/3 of the season - with the same coach?

Where's Al Davis when you need him

If Mo was going to be fired it had to have been done right when Stefanski got here.

And he should have been - keeping him made no sense

And after two such atrocious losses - the hawks and heat - i don't see why he shouldn't at least be 'this close' to being fired - those are embarssing losses - to a team expected to contend from day one it's completely unacceptable and falls squarely on the shoulders of the coach

[Derek Bodner]

1) As I said (numerous times), timing.  it should have happened after the failures, not after the successes.  Afterall, if he was fired after the end of last season, what was stefanski expecting?  A championship?

2) The Hawks are a pretty good team.  Took Boston to 7 games last year.  Undefeated this year.  The Heat could make the playoffs.  Bad losses?  Sure.  Not fire-able offenses at this point.

[Skates]

I have not looked closely at the schedule, but I presume the team will head out on its epic west coast swing in late December and/or early January.  If they still aren't playing well by then I imagine Mo will go before or as a result of that trip.  Much though I am chagrined by him this year, Dabods is right about the timing issue.  If he loses the team in the locker room then all bets are off, otherwise he gets at least a month and a half to turn it around before he gets canned.

[jemagee]

The 'took the celtics to 7 games' things as a justification for the hawks being a good team is kind of comical to me when you look at the difference between the 3 games they won and the four games they got BITCH SLAPPED in

I'm sorry - but based on the hawks game and the heat game - does it seem like mo hasn't lost the team already?

[Skates]

If the team keeps getting hammered I won't argue with you about Mo going sooner rather than later.  I harken back to the Davis/Greenburg ouster after one year by Croce.  It was unconventional to do that after only one year, but it clearly needed done.  In my own mind I will give them about two more weeks, but the system, or lack thereof, looks so bad on offense and defense that I am not hopeful for a big turnaround without a coaching change.  I would seriously entertain/promote a three way trade with Harrington to the Bulls, Hinrich here and Miller to the Warriors.

[jemagee]

I would seriously entertain/promote a three way trade with Harrington to the Bulls, Hinrich here and Miller to the Warriors.

Rumors of the bulls interest in harrington is supposedly over exagerrated and what are the warriors motivations for miller?  Purely contract space?

[jemagee]

Nice to see Mo got em up to give 100% after that embarassment in Miami last night?

[DuckyNinja]

I can sum up this team's problem in three words, and it has nothing to do with Cheeks.

They.  Can't.  Shoot.

That has nothing to do with Cheeks.  When they're missing 4 footers consistently, that's not Cheeks.  This is just brutal.

[DuckyNinja]

Also, Andre Miller is toast.  I'm now going to become Sports Guy and refer to him as Andre Miller's expiring contract.

[jemagee]

If only they had moved him when he still had value as a player

It doesn't so much suck that he's 5 for 21 right now as much as it sucks that he's taken 21 shots

[DuckyNinja]

If only they had moved him when he still had value as a player

It doesn't so much suck that he's 5 for 21 right now as much as it sucks that he's taken 21 shots

It doesn't so much suck that he's taken 21 shots as much as it sucks that Willie Green has been a much better PG so far this season.

[Derek Bodner]

Miller's defense has been terrible (dare I pun, indefensible) as well.  Absolutely brutal.

And Dalembert's help defense is terribly overrated.  I'd guess a good portion of his blocked shots come defending his own man.  He doesn't defend drivers to the hoop well at all.

I actually think this might have been Thad's most impressive game.  His shot just wasn't falling early (even though they all seemed to have a chance), but he showed a nice variety of moves and shots.  It seems like no matter what position his body's contorted in, shots always have a chance to go in.  His touch and body control are amazing.

[tk76]

I thought that Miller's solid 15ft jumer and Iguodala's slashing and hopefully improving jumper would be enough to work off of Brand.  I appear to be very wrong.

 And as I posted at RalGM- with a conventional lineup of Sam and Brand they seem to lose there ability to create mismatches and get out and run like last year.  You could see that running team was still there when they went samll with Thad at PF- but it disappeared when the had Brand at PF and slowed down.

Even worse, Iguodala only looks good when the team runs.  This is another area where I was wrong.  I really thought he had added more to his game to where he could be an asset in the half court.  I though he looked bad against the Pistons because he lacked other weapons- like Brand.  Apparently he just cannot play in a conventional, inside/outside offense.

Is this all just a temporary problem that can be fixed with practice- or is Ed spending 160M on two pieces that just don't belong on the same team?

[Derek Bodner]

Brand can play in a running game.  The first step to a fast break is always a rebound and blocked shot/turnover.  You don't need 5 guys sprinting down the court for an effective fast break, and having Iguodala, Thad and Dalembert to fill the lanes is plenty.

What's really killing our fast break right now is:
1) We're not forcing turnovers
2) We're not blocking shots.

Dalembert's blocks are way down.  Brand's are almost non-existent.  Young's getting 1.2 steals per 48 minutes, he was getting 2.3 per 48 last year. 

We're just not forcing turnovers.  And I do think that will come.

If I'm worried about fits, I'm mainly worried about Miller (a HORRIBLE pick and roll pg, and pick and roll's are brand's best play), and Dalembert (who's really clogging up the paint offensively).