Jackpotting Around Podcast: Episode 49 - Walker Kessler Injury Fallout and Listener Mailbag

[SoberasHotRod]

I think the issue becomes with the seemingly arbitrary nature to Hardy's leash for certain players. I'm sure like all of us he has his pet peeves. I also don't necessarily get the narrative that Brice wasn't playing hard. All his activity stats clear Svi's. He may not have executed something crucial to the game plan or something... and that landed him with a couple DNPs. How is he supposed to be better at executing the game plan without some nba minutes? He was awful when he came back... so after a few games of playing he found a groove again. I'm just not sure you can point to that and say "see it worked".

I just think there is a balance. Like Svi shouldn't be third on the team in minutes, but he should be in the rotation if you are trying to play competent basketball. If the tough love was the DNPs and then he's more liberal from here on out with Brice... then I'm 100% fine with it and get it. If he continues to have the short leash... I think its more about winning games and calling that development.

I just don't want to wait until March to get the development tank minutes in. Cody/Brice/Taylor (when healthy) need to play every game for multiple reasons.

By my eyes and memory, Brice was not getting back in transition and not moving his feet well enough on defense and that's when he got benched. He got a few DNPs and then was given another chance fairly quickly and played much harder. It isn't a matter of playing well, as in making baskets, it's a matter of playing hard.

If this wasn't the case and my eyes and memory are having issues then I don't really have a point, so my apologies.

 

[KqWIN]

I think the issue becomes with the seemingly arbitrary nature to Hardy's leash for certain players. I'm sure like all of us he has his pet peeves. I also don't necessarily get the narrative that Brice wasn't playing hard. All his activity stats clear Svi's. He may not have executed something crucial to the game plan or something... and that landed him with a couple DNPs. How is he supposed to be better at executing the game plan without some nba minutes? He was awful when he came back... so after a few games of playing he found a groove again. I'm just not sure you can point to that and say "see it worked".

I just think there is a balance. Like Svi shouldn't be third on the team in minutes, but he should be in the rotation if you are trying to play competent basketball. If the tough love was the DNPs and then he's more liberal from here on out with Brice... then I'm 100% fine with it and get it. If he continues to have the short leash... I think its more about winning games and calling that development.

I just don't want to wait until March to get the development tank minutes in. Cody/Brice/Taylor (when healthy) need to play every game for multiple reasons.

Brice represents a short leash and it just goes back to being able to project any narrative you want onto the situation. You can say it worked because he's pretty good or you can say he just got done dirty. Personally, I don't think playing hard was really ever Brice's issue. His problems are physical and BBIQ/awareness related. Just from his body language he seems like a guy takes making mistakes very hard. And by no means do I think he's worse than the other prospects on this team and I'd go as far as to say he's pretty good in terms of the hustle stuff. But he does has limitations with his body and decision making.

But Brice is just one part of this btw. Walt is probably the best prospect in terms of "playing the right way" and he now has no minutes. If I'm just looking at how prospects have been placed in Hardy's priority on the whole, I dislike it from a development perspective though I can at least see the other side of the argument. When you add in the tanking considerations this just becomes a no brainer and I really dislike how Hardy is running things.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

By my eyes and memory, Brice was not getting back in transition and not moving his feet well enough on defense and that's when he got benched. He got a few DNPs and then was given another chance fairly quickly and played much harder. It isn't a matter of playing well, as in making baskets, it's a matter of playing hard.

If this wasn't the case and my eyes and memory are having issues then I don't really have a point, so my apologies.

IDK honestly. I didn't see much of a difference. The last game he definitely made some key plays and it showed but I think we might be filling in blanks to make it make sense.

I think he was playing hard but might have missed elements of the game plan... I could maybe see it being either but I guess I don't get that if the coach thinks one guys is playing hard an another guy isn't, then shouldn't it show in the activity stats... Brice clears Svi by a lot when it comes to reb/stocks. I get there is more to it than that but I didn't see Brice doing some of the lazy stuff he did last year.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Brice represents a short leash and it just goes back to being able to project any narrative you want onto the situation. You can say it worked because he's pretty good or you can say he just got done dirty. Personally, I don't think playing hard was really ever Brice's issue. His problems are physical and BBIQ/awareness related. Just from his body language he seems like a guy takes making mistakes very hard. And by no means do I think he's worse than the other prospects on this team and I'd go as far as to say he's pretty good in terms of the hustle stuff. But he does has limitations with his body and decision making.

But Brice is just one part of this btw. Walt is probably the best prospect in terms of "playing the right way" and he now has no minutes. If I'm just looking at how prospects have been placed in Hardy's priority on the whole, I dislike it from a development perspective though I can at least see the other side of the argument. When you add in the tanking considerations this just becomes a no brainer and I really dislike how Hardy is running things.

One thing to keep in mind. I think Baby Ainge is not the fan of tanking that Daddy Ainge is... so Will may not be factoring that in nearly as strongly as he should... and that is more on the FO imo. Just something I heard at the Best Buy parking lot.

 

[KqWIN]

One thing to keep in mind. I think Baby Ainge is not the fan of tanking that Daddy Ainge is... so Will may not be factoring that in nearly as strongly as he should... and that is more on the FO imo. Just something I heard at the Best Buy parking lot.

To be clear, I think the tank/no tank situation is a FO thing. I don't blame Hardy for wanting to win or coaching to win, the burden should be on the FO to hand out that directive and from there Hardy needs to follow up. When you leave it up to the coach, of course he's going to prioritize the W. Hardy is no different than every other coach who has existed in that he prefers vets and wants to win.

So while I dislike what he's doing with the rotation, I think it is the responsibility of the FO to get him in alignment with what's best for the franchise.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

To be clear, I think the tank/no tank situation is a FO thing. I don't blame Hardy for wanting to win or coaching to win, the burden should be on the FO to hand out that directive and from there Hardy needs to follow up. When you leave it up to the coach, of course he's going to prioritize the W. Hardy is no different than every other coach who has existed in that he prefers vets and wants to win.

So while I dislike what he's doing with the rotation, I think it is the responsibility of the FO to get him in alignment with what's best for the franchise.

Yeah... just thought I'd add some context to why I think the way I do on Hardy. If the FO isn't applying pressure to lose then this is kind of what I would expect the rotations to look like. I mean Lauri is playing 36 minutes a night... that's not for development purposes.