Less Baby, more Harangody?

[Roy H.]

Big Baby is struggling a little bit right now (34.3% over his last 5 games), and seems to be pressing.  Today, especially, he made terrible mental decisions on both ends of the court, and his lapses on both offense and defense really hurt.

Harangody wasn't much better in terms of production, but he was making smarter decisions on both ends.  He was a +19 today, despite only having two points.

BBD is clearly a better player right now, but with him slumping, does it make sense to take some of his minutes and re-distribute them, perhaps to JO and/or Harangody?  I think I'd give this a try, especially on nights when BBD is slumping.  Baby is a player who seems to get down on himself mentally, and when he's in a funk he rarely bounces back.  On nights like that, I think Doc would be better off limiting his minutes.

[Who]

Harangody should only get court time when there is a non-offensive threat that he can check defensively.

Otherwise, his defensive weaknesses will cost the team more than he adds with his shooting/rebounding.

In other words, he's a situational bench player and shouldn't be used in any other capacity.

[Bankshot]

Overreaction.  Aren't players allowed to have bad games? Baby just had a terrible game, both physically and mentally.  Like he took a bunch of stupid pills before the game. This is probably why Doc likes to keep him on the 2nd unit.  He thought he was KG today.  I wouldn't read too much into it though.

[dpaps]

Overreaction.  Aren't players allowed to have bad games? Baby just had a terrible game, both physically and mentally.  Like he took a bunch of stupid pills before the game. This is probably why Doc likes to keep him on the 2nd unit.  He thought he was KG today.  I wouldn't read too much into it though.

Agree with this. Now if Baby continues to play the way he did today, he should definitely have his minutes reduced. But he's been great all season for us. Hopefully today was the anomaly.

[Roy H.]

Overreaction.  Aren't players allowed to have bad games? Baby just had a terrible game, both physically and mentally.  Like he took a bunch of stupid pills before the game. This is probably why Doc likes to keep him on the 2nd unit.  He thought he was KG today.  I wouldn't read too much into it though.

At this point he's had five sub-par shooting games in a row and is pressing.  Getting him a little more rest might not be the worst thing in the world.  I'm not saying that Luke should start in place of him, but sitting BBD when he's playing like crap wouldn't be a bad idea.

[Roy H.]

Overreaction.  Aren't players allowed to have bad games? Baby just had a terrible game, both physically and mentally.  Like he took a bunch of stupid pills before the game. This is probably why Doc likes to keep him on the 2nd unit.  He thought he was KG today.  I wouldn't read too much into it though.

Agree with this. Now if Baby continues to play the way he did today, he should definitely have his minutes reduced. But he's been great all season for us. Hopefully today was the anomaly.

Like I said, he's shot 34% over the past five games.  He's in a slump right now, and today was just a huge manifestation of that.  When he's struggling, BBD needs some bench time to gather himself.  I think giving JO and Harangody more minutes, and BBD less time, would be good for all involved.

[snively]

Big Baby is struggling a little bit right now (34.3% over his last 5 games), and seems to be pressing.  Today, especially, he made terrible mental decisions on both ends of the court, and his lapses on both offense and defense really hurt.

Harangody wasn't much better in terms of production, but he was making smarter decisions on both ends.  He was a +19 today, despite only having two points.

BBD is clearly a better player right now, but with him slumping, does it make sense to take some of his minutes and re-distribute them, perhaps to JO and/or Harangody?  I think I'd give this a try, especially on nights when BBD is slumping.  Baby is a player who seems to get down on himself mentally, and when he's in a funk he rarely bounces back.  On nights like that, I think Doc would be better off limiting his minutes.

Gody is far too easy to post-up or face-up and he's not good enough offensively to make up for it yet.

I do like his hustle though.  He made for a nice pairing with Jermaine, as Jermaine was able to provide additional protection in the paint and Gody hustled enough to at least be in position for the rebounding when JO went to challenge a shot.

[mgent]

YES!

There is no way Baby should have gone back in that game.  He needs to learn how to pass.  No reason for him to be taking more shots than Paul and Ray.

Stupid game all around by Baby finished off by a beyond stupid 3. (and did you see him begging for another one on the last shot)

[Roy H.]

Gody is far too easy to post-up or face-up and he's not good enough offensively to make up for it yet.

That's the conventional wisdom, but he did a heck of a job against Okafor today.  As I said in the game thread, Harangody reminds me a bit of a cross between Scal and Powe.  I think you can always find minutes for guys like that.

When guys are playing "hero ball", I think Doc needs to be willing to put somebody else in for them.  Doc was clearly angry with BBD, and didn't have good things to say about his play in his press conference, but he put him right back into the game.  Sometimes, it makes more sense to play the less-talented but more focused guy, and I'd like to see Doc do that a bit more when BBD is slumping.

[snively]

Gody is far too easy to post-up or face-up and he's not good enough offensively to make up for it yet.

That's the conventional wisdom, but he did a heck of a job against Okafor today.  As I said in the game thread, Harangody reminds me a bit of a cross between Scal and Powe.  I think you can always find minutes for guys like that.

Scal and Powe were not as vulnerable defensively as Gody is.  Scal was an excellent defensive player against power 3s/quick 4s: his quick feet and positioning made him a much more effective defender than Gody.  Powe had very long arms and more athleticism than Gody, making his challenges much more effective.

I do think he's a hybrid of the two in rebounding/shooting, but his defense has a ways to go.

[Change]

Overreaction.

Harangody shouldn't be playing right now. He is like the 7th big on depth chart. There is a reason for that. Next to KG, BBD has been our most consistent big. Baby will fine. He needs to adjust to being a starter.

[thirstyboots18]

Gody is far too easy to post-up or face-up and he's not good enough offensively to make up for it yet.

That's the conventional wisdom, but he did a heck of a job against Okafor today.  As I said in the game thread, Harangody reminds me a bit of a cross between Scal and Powe.  I think you can always find minutes for guys like that.

When guys are playing "hero ball", I think Doc needs to be willing to put somebody else in for them.  Doc was clearly angry with BBD, and didn't have good things to say about his play in his press conference, but he put him right back into the game.  Sometimes, it makes more sense to play the less-talented but more focused guy, and I'd like to see Doc do that a bit more when BBD is slumping.

Oh boy, do I agree with this one, Roy!  And Marquis was the spark that started the turn around. I think he should have been in there to protect and extend the lead, too.  Luke did a good job today.  Davis has to learn that being a leader (which he says he is) does not meant saving the team by himself, it means helping the team win together.  I cringed when he hoisted that three....

[LooseCannon]

Overreaction.

Harangody shouldn't be playing right now. He is like the 7th big on depth chart. There is a reason for that. Next to KG, BBD has been our most consistent big. Baby will fine. He needs to adjust to being a starter.

Maybe he is better off remaining in his "first big off the bench" role and someone else should be the nominal starter at PF while KG is out in the same way that Erden started when Los Dos O'Neals were injured.  It can be Harangody, Jermaine, or even an Erden experiment.  If Scal were on this team, I'd start him and have him play maybe 10-12 minutes.

If BBD gets a big raise on his next contract, he will probably feel that his shots per game need to rise at a similar rate.

[xmuscularghandix]

Glen Davis' immaturity down the stretch was disturbing. First he takes the three with time left on the clock, then he give West an open look on the other end.

When the last play breaks down instead of trying to run a two man game with 10 seconds left, he just hangs at the three and screams to Ray for the ball... Ray misses the shot. But then after all that Glen Davis doesn't even foul to keep the game going. He just pouts about not getting the ball and lets New Orleans run out the clock... followed by a tantrum as he exits.

Grow up.

[Asijs]

JO in starting five!