Our problem is that we gave up too much for Conley, losing toughness and rim protection -- i.e. Crowder and Favors. We have obvious holes now that can be exposed. Yes, we have added some real offensive weapons in Bogey and JC, but our defense is porous and soft. This is where we need help, and I think a guy like Tucker could be another 3 and D we could develop like Royce and be even better. While Conley adds something, at the same time he takes away from other players like Jingles, Mudiay, and JC. He also takes away the Rudy-Jingles connection by taking the ball out of Joe's hands. Conley needs to go, pronto. It seems, however, that we are stuck with him, and probably a first-round exit.
So, what are our options? I think we should put Mike back on the bench and play Mudiay, Tucker, and Brantley some minutes. Niang is good in spot minutes for 3-point shooting but look what happened last night -- how many wide-open 3's did he miss. Enough to have kept us in pace with Portland and maybe even win the game. It's obvious we are not going far into the playoffs with the team as currently constructed so we should start developing guys who have potential for improvement like the aforementioned. And we have to find another rim protector. Maybe Faves would resign next year, or look for a young big with a lot of upside. Let's sign Ekpe for the rest of the year once his season in China ends. He would be a big help to spell Rudy. Why did we let him go and sign Ed? A big mistake in my opinion. We have plenty of 3-point shooting. And of course, we need to unload Mike after this year. He is a bad fit, and while a better player than Rubio, I have to admit now that Rubio despite his poor shooting was a better fit. This is reality and we have to accept it and move forward.
