QC Thundercats
04-22-2010, 12:49 AM
This is a characteristic that is often times hard to discern during the regular season, due to various circumstances. Yet, while it is unquantifiable, you can identify who has it in spades, and who needs a transplant.
The playoffs is when everything is stripped away, when your weaknesses will be exposed and exploited repeatedly, and when your true colors show. Now, the way we come back from huge deficits instead of getting blown out by 30 shows that in general, we are a team with heart. And one or two players is not the sole reason for us losing to the defending East champions.
But its getting to the point where I'm getting pissed off watching the games while having a huge hole in the lineup in regards to heart. Nobody can ever question Jack's heart, EVER – though he makes mistakes, you know he will never give up. Same with Crash – even when his offense is off, he will chase anybody down for a block, or come up with defensive stops to keep the game close. I’m sure you guys know who I’m referring to, but I never expected a playoff veteran who’s been through many battles to act sooo scared in a big game. In 82 minutes, our “savvy” veteran PF starter has made only 5 shots total, attempted 0 free throws, grabbed 11 rebounds, coughed it up 3.5 times per game, and is having a complete negative effect offensively and defensively. Impressive stuff.
Tyrus Thomas does not have the talent level, vision, IQ, or experience of our starting PF. But one thing you can never question about him is his heart. He goes all out all the time, and whether he makes a good play or not, he’s trying his hardest, and he wants to win above all else. If you extrapolate his stats over the 82 minutes our heartless wonder has played, Thomas would be averaging 12 points and 14 rebounds. You take a player with heart and put him in a competitive environment, he will make plays that add up, either in blocks, steals, tipped passes, charges taken, and it puts the opponent on notice that you will not be punked. I would take Stephen Graham at PF over the incumbent. I would take Derrick Brown over our incumbent. I would rather have DJ start and push Crash to PF rather than the status quo.
In fact, I would not mind at all if this player sat on the bench the rest of the series. Sure he may make a nice play here or there that only he can make. But its not worth it at the expense of the team. Yes, we are not a championship caliber club by any means, but you expect someone with that much talent to contribute enough where we could actually be competitive throughout a game, instead of having to make up for his lack of production and ineffectiveness. What better way to enforce Larry Brown’s mantra of playing the right way then to put somebody in with heart.
While I am completely frustrated and am venting now, we’ve seen this characteristic all season, and now that one of our main weaknesses on the team has been exposed, we need to rectify this in the offseason.
The playoffs is when everything is stripped away, when your weaknesses will be exposed and exploited repeatedly, and when your true colors show. Now, the way we come back from huge deficits instead of getting blown out by 30 shows that in general, we are a team with heart. And one or two players is not the sole reason for us losing to the defending East champions.
But its getting to the point where I'm getting pissed off watching the games while having a huge hole in the lineup in regards to heart. Nobody can ever question Jack's heart, EVER – though he makes mistakes, you know he will never give up. Same with Crash – even when his offense is off, he will chase anybody down for a block, or come up with defensive stops to keep the game close. I’m sure you guys know who I’m referring to, but I never expected a playoff veteran who’s been through many battles to act sooo scared in a big game. In 82 minutes, our “savvy” veteran PF starter has made only 5 shots total, attempted 0 free throws, grabbed 11 rebounds, coughed it up 3.5 times per game, and is having a complete negative effect offensively and defensively. Impressive stuff.
Tyrus Thomas does not have the talent level, vision, IQ, or experience of our starting PF. But one thing you can never question about him is his heart. He goes all out all the time, and whether he makes a good play or not, he’s trying his hardest, and he wants to win above all else. If you extrapolate his stats over the 82 minutes our heartless wonder has played, Thomas would be averaging 12 points and 14 rebounds. You take a player with heart and put him in a competitive environment, he will make plays that add up, either in blocks, steals, tipped passes, charges taken, and it puts the opponent on notice that you will not be punked. I would take Stephen Graham at PF over the incumbent. I would take Derrick Brown over our incumbent. I would rather have DJ start and push Crash to PF rather than the status quo.
In fact, I would not mind at all if this player sat on the bench the rest of the series. Sure he may make a nice play here or there that only he can make. But its not worth it at the expense of the team. Yes, we are not a championship caliber club by any means, but you expect someone with that much talent to contribute enough where we could actually be competitive throughout a game, instead of having to make up for his lack of production and ineffectiveness. What better way to enforce Larry Brown’s mantra of playing the right way then to put somebody in with heart.
While I am completely frustrated and am venting now, we’ve seen this characteristic all season, and now that one of our main weaknesses on the team has been exposed, we need to rectify this in the offseason.