Yah, I know, the players have been playing like dogs since Xmas. Doc's coaching abilities outside of the realm of (over-respecting? or is it fearing? or is it pandering to his veterans?) being a player's coach and the occasional good play call out of time-outs (which have become fewer and farther between, especially with those stupid, ineffective Pierce or Rondo iso's at the end of quarters) stink, especially regarding rotations and in-game strategies and adjustments. And Danny didn't make any significant moves at the trade deadline (I still like the Nate move, but only as a complimentary one and not the only one) to cash in on Ray's contract. While all these things on the surface seem to be the causes of our team's current sad state now and into the future, I think they are actually the result of Wyc & Co.'s posture and business decisions about this team. Let me explain.

How many times from Doc's from Danny's and from Wyc's mouth have the words "I Like This Team!!!!" spewed? From whence do these words come? WYC. Doc has been saying them since Christmas because he has to. Not because Wyc literally tells him to say them, but because he knew that the team that he had at Christmas was most likely the team he was going to war in the playoffs with, so what else could he say?

Danny said those words many times prior to the trade deadline and subsequent to his inaction at the deadline. Again, Why? Some will say it was GM-speak for "No, we're not desperate" so as to not be dealing from a position of weakness before the deadline and covering his butt after the deadline for not making a deal. Danny's position (really Wyc's)before the deadline was that they wanted a young player and expirings for Ray's expiring contract and that they were not interested in taking on any even mildly offensive contracts, and they held to that stance.  In no blankin' universe that I know of, not even in pre-2008 Chris Wallace land, could they have gotten a deal like that. So Wyc sent Danny to war with blanks in his gun "hoping" someone would give up the store. The result: no Butler, no Haywood, no Jamison, no Ty Thomas, no Hinrich, no Salmons, no Hakeem Warrick, no nothing, and this team needed something.

The something it needed was a message to the team, the veteran's especially, that no one was safe: if you play like a chump with a lack of effort, you're gonna get treated like a chump.

This lack of effort has been going on since after the Xmas game in Orlando. A change needed to be made and new blood needed to be infused into our team to shake it up. And by not doing this, this sent the message loud and clear to all, especially those dogging it and who infected others with the same lack of urgency, that the status quo was OK. Great blankin' move, Wyc, because the status quo is not OK.

But it is OK for you Wyc, despite your disgusted look and protestations to the contrary now. You created this situation because you "Like our team" because it was and still is financially expedient to spew that rhetoric, or so you thought. The fans may be angry now, but you kept the pink hats happy by keeping This 3 together, and those who bought season's for this year have already paid for them and their playoff strips. Hopefully for our sake, not yours, you won't be reimbursing those patrons for their tix for the second round and beyond.

And, by the way, Wyc, I hope that you don't still "Like this team" so much that you won't spend the full MLE on reinforcements. Your message of "I Like This Team" forced upon Danny and Doc has further eroded the credibility of the team and their public postures that, I thought reached their lowpoint during the KG injury reports last season. But, I understand. It's all about the bottom line. Keep the public thinking KG is coming back, and there is still hope and they will still spend money. If Doc and Danny spew your party line of "I Like This Team", some people will keep spending the money.....because they want to believe...... and hope is all fans really have.......

Quote from: clover on April 10, 2010, 07:14:38 PM

I don't like the Nate move: Bill Walker would have been the perfect Pierce backup and possible eventual replacement to be grooming for next year.  I'd rather have seen Ray moved for a full-sized player with a future.

Not cashing Ray's expiring in brought back too many "what could have been "  and missed opportunity bad memories of the past 25 years: the Oden/Durant draft (although I wouldn't trade 17 for both Oden and Durant), the Pitino jinxed Duncan draft (Billups/ Mercer who?) and Reggie and Lenny.

The team only looks good on paper because of the reputation of the Big 3.  If you look at the roster only in terms of production and efficiency it looks like a solid, perhaps even pretty good team, but nowhere close to a great one.