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Trade deadline discussion

I don’t think system is saving this team. Not soon enough anyways. Even if Quin is guilty for molding these defensive habits…we’re too far gone.

I’ve never been one of those guys who talks about needing tough guys or whatever…but I do think getting a player who is a grinder will go a long way. We definitely need some outside influence on this team. Even if we had someone like EG….he’s not a superstar defender…but that guy is tough as hell when it’s time to compete so hopefully that rubs off on guys. Mike, Bogey, Gay, and Joe are all good vets. But they’re also all geezers and can’t bring the toughness to a team anymore.

Rudy alone isn’t enough on the court, but off the court as well. His mentality towards the game needs to be majority. Need that special Heat culture where Butler was welcomed. Instead we have that Timberwolves culture where a Rudy/Butler type obsession is seen as a distraction or too demanding.
Who is “EG”?
 
Jingles and Clarkson(along with any other bench player) should be shopped aggressively. We should also fire Quin. This team needs a shake up.
 
I do think Donovan has been much better defensively this year and has picked up the steals/deflections a bit. Mike is great at getting in front and has picked up his activity there too... only issue is bigger guards can get in the middle and body him a bit.

Bojan is capable of ramping up his defense when needed maybe not great over a 7 game series but still useful. Royce is solid but needs to pick it way up if he is going to continue to be the "stopper". Gay gives us a secondary rim protector and big rebounding forward. Our small ball has been pitiful and it hasn't helped the offense out at all... which is really the whole point of small ball. Without Hassan and Rudy in the middle the defense is just... yikes.

We still just need a disruptor or "lockdown" perimeter guy. I feel confident on bigger wings but guys like Curry, Booker, Ja, we are going to get cooked. I think Smart is basically the perfect guy to fill the role... I wish we would have snaked Pat Bev away from the Clips this offseason. As annoying as he is he would be amazing for us off the bench and give us the ******* we lack. Forrest has been good on defense but the offense is just too bad... I don't think he's as good as either of those guys on defense and the offense will make him more and more unplayable as the postseason progresses.

Last year we were 4th defensively. This year we are 12th. But you’re telling me Mike and Don have been better?
 
I think just about the only way we get in on a good deal is sliding in on a 3-4 team trade and snaking a guy like Smart, Melton... I just don't think a first plus Joe is what those teams are looking for... but if it is part of an asset grab for a bigger deal... Dame, Ben Simmons, Grant... then I can see us landing something worthwhile.

Grant and Cade for Don.

Get er done.
 
Or is it the system and way they’re taught to defend? “Just funnel players to Rudy/Hassan.” In other words, don’t do ****.
Both? Chicken and egg kind of thing there.
 
Last year we were 4th defensively. This year we are 12th. But you’re telling me Mike and Don have been better?
They have been... Donovan was bad last year... both have been more active with their hands and getting more steals. Royce has been way worse this year. We also just slid from 5th to 12th because Rudy missed games. Going from bad, in Don's case, to below average... is improvement. It isn't every night though and there has been some regression.

Last night was primarily Royce getting blown by and Hassan being garbage. Mike, Don, and JC did their normal dying on screens. The reason there were no rotations was because Hassan decided not to move like at all.... I honestly think he is still concussed or this may be the normal fading Hassan does.

If Royce was up to his normal level I think our defense would be slightly better than last year. Still not good enough to get to the finals but good enough to sneak into the conference finals with some injury luck.

The issue is the decisions made in prior years brought us to a spot where we were really good... great even... but you have to be exceptional to win the title. I don't know if this group or any iteration of this group can get there, but we have not been willing to sacrifice some of the good for something that could be better (or worse). I think Ainge will make those changes... if there is enough left to trade to get something done.
 
They have been... Donovan was bad last year... both have been more active with their hands and getting more steals. Royce has been way worse this year. We also just slid from 5th to 12th because Rudy missed games. Going from bad, in Don's case, to below average... is improvement. It isn't every night though and there has been some regression.

Last night was primarily Royce getting blown by and Hassan being garbage. Mike, Don, and JC did their normal dying on screens. The reason there were no rotations was because Hassan decided not to move like at all.... I honestly think he is still concussed or this may be the normal fading Hassan does.

If Royce was up to his normal level I think our defense would be slightly better than last year. Still not good enough to get to the finals but good enough to sneak into the conference finals with some injury luck.

The issue is the decisions made in prior years brought us to a spot where we were really good... great even... but you have to be exceptional to win the title. I don't know if this group or any iteration of this group can get there, but we have not been willing to sacrifice some of the good for something that could be better (or worse). I think Ainge will make those changes... if there is enough left to trade to get something done.
The thing with Royce though, is that if he actually does have legitimate knee tendinitis and it wasnt just a fib so he could sit without a fine, I get why his D has slid recently. That **** makes you play much much slower than you would normally.

And he's probably stuck with it all season unless he takes a month off.
 
I still don't understand the injured list thing. Why deactivate a player at all? Why not just have everyone available and DNP-CD those who are resting or injured or whatever?
 
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