What I find most interesting about Doc's latest comments pertaining to O'Bryant is the timing of the comment and something that is being overlooked within those comments.
By most accounts POB gave an okay reckoning of himself in his brief garbage time minutes against the worst scrubs a very mediocre team had to offer. That's not my account but by most he did okay, better. Well then why does Doc pull out this very obvious criticism of the kid after he just had a decentlittle outing? Is it because he wants to motivate the guy? Wouldn't throwing out a goodword about him in the media praising his play in the game be a better way of motivating him? Doesn't Doc always prasie players who have good games? So then why after what some seem to think is a good game is Doc being so highly critical?
Me, I think it's because he sees it the way I do and that POB didn't play that well the other night and/or he wants to temper the furvor that can sometimes be created when one player goes down and suddenly the media and fandom falls in love with the backup, or in this case, the backup's backup, and starts making his life miserable over stupid questions and assertions about why he isn't playing the back up. It happens all the time. Because of the timing of the comment(while Perk is hurt and out and after POB played) I think the message Doc was sending was to the media and not O'Bryant. I think he was saying "I'm not putting this kid in simply because he's the back up, the starter is hurt and because he's the biggest guy we have. So don't even bother asking e questions about him because he's not going to play."
And when of the main reasons he's not playing comes from the part of the quote I see alot of people overlooking. Namely this:
What we need him to do, we need him to do it all the time.
It's consistency. Consistency builds trust and trusting in a player that he will consistently do the right things at the right times in the right ways is what earns playing time. Doc is HUGE about this. It is why he held Gomes, Al, Perk and Rondo back. The weren't consistently doing what they were being taught and what was expected of them.
People look back and say, well if so and so didn't get hurt then Doc would never have used them. They looked good before that but Doc didn't notice. I don't buy that. Doc used them when they consistently showed him what they could and should do. Then they started getting regular minutes. With Gomes Doc had another choice and could have played Green at the position. He gave the position to Gomes because he was consistently bringing the right stuff. With Rondo that first year he had other choices. When he pulled Rondo the first time it was because he was doing what he needed to consistently. When it was obvious that Doc needed another option, Doc once again had two choices at the point and chose Rondo because of......once again.....consistency.
POB just is not doing the same things well all the time in practice, walk arounds and games over and over again. One decent game doesn't change the fact that he's not bringing it the right way all the time in every aspect that he can demonstrate to the coaching staff that he can. And that is why POB sits. He may have shown flashes and is big but flashes doesn't earn playing time in Doc's world.
Doing what you have to do and what is expected out of you over and over and over again does get you playing time. Obviously this isn't happening with O'Bryant otherwise he would be playing/
