My only issue with Vogel last night was the lineup without AD, Russ, and Melo. I get it we're really thin with injuries, but you have to have someone you can give the ball to that has at least a chance at getting a bucket. This is a team full of new players that he'd never pick out of a lineup and the FO is being cheap on their attempts to give him a bandaid until everyone is healthy. He's without half of his rotational or starting players. We have the most injuries in the league to players expected to play and it's not even close. You have to keep in mind that his starting lineup and lineup construction took a hard right turn after Ariza and THT went out. You can debate on what you think Ariza has left. But THT was expected to make a galactic leap from everyone in the organization (personally I think they're a year off on their prediction), so he was going to have a huge role on this ball club.
THT was expected to be a 30mpg player, i think. nunn and ariza were likely penciled in for 20+. lebron is lebron. this stuff matters. vogel can do better, but not a LOT better.
It’s not Frank’s fault LeBron and AD brought in a turnover machine who refuses to play defense and can’t shoot. It’s not Frank’s fault KCP, Caruso, and Kuz were replaced with guys who are bad defenders. It’s not Frank’s fault Nunn, THT, and Ariza are injured. It is the COACHING STAFF’S fault our offense mainly relies on individual talent and wastes a lot of time with basic passing the rock around the the three point line until someone chucks. Very little cutting and off ball movement.
I feel for Frank right now. He’s trying to build a puzzle while missing key pieces. Most of this season’s defensive problems could have been solved if we had just resigned Caruso. All of the ways were getting killed every game Caruso was very good at defending and he would have changed the math on each play as you didn’t need to help him all the time and he could guard point of attack. I don’t buy into the notion that we decided we didn’t want Caruso anymore. That’s not what happened per reports and what Rob said. But Rob made the same mistake he made with Dwight the season before. Told Caruso we wanted to resign him, then told him to wait… NBA players with good market value aren’t going to wait to see what you can offer them. I hope Rob learned his lesson this season although I doubt we’d be looking this bad with Nunn and THT in the rotation.
If AD and LeBron didn’t go down last season, I think we would have gone Back to Back. Everyone would have praised Frank then, just like they did the previous season when we were healthy.
i'm going to be surprised if kidd's still coaching dallas next year, tbh. i don't even know how they have a winning record right now with the way he's messed up their system. oh wait, he has luka.
Couldn’t agree more. I REFUSE to let Rob, Lebron and AD get off the hook for giving Vogel this crap defensive roster to coach.
Good job getting the team ready. He had them engaged nearly the entire game and committed at least on half court D. The effort that was lacking against Portland was there tonight.
He didn’t have a lot of choice since Rondo got booted by the idiot refs. And then no Lebron or Nunn either. Westbrook really needs to get his act together. That fourth quarter was garbage.
Look, we are injured, Dwight fouled out, he did what he could, not gonna be too harsh. That play for the last shot though, that’s not a play, come on. Giving the ball to Russ and saying “make something happen” is LAZY. And on the other end when the Heat need to score Spoelstra draws up a great play to get Herro wide open, just doesn’t fall. If you have zero creativity offensively, fine, but go hire someone who does then, someone who can draw up a last second play. Someone who knows basic math says that Russell Westbrook isn’t the guy you want taking a last second guarded 3. Melo, Monk, hell I’d rather have AD shoot it, come on.
