jbk1234 wrote:toooskies wrote:jbk1234 wrote:
He's also an underwhelming rebounder for a guy who's built like a middle linebacker. He probably could've helped get a body on Randle, Toppin, Hart, etc. but in terms of actually securing the ball, he kind of sucks.
My point wasn't to argue the merits of Lamar Stevens playing. I'm just saying he was the guy getting the backup PF minutes until he very abruptly wasn't.
The playoffs obviously didn't go as expected, but the Cavs definitely didn't stick to the rotations and game plans that got us to the playoffs in the first place. We liked LeVert off the bench in the regular season but took his offense away from bench units in the playoffs, leaving them rudderless.
I've been as critical as anyone of JBB but the truth is that Okoro was bad as a starter and LeVert was flat out awful coming off the bench in Game 1. The one thing that LeVert brings is that he can still beat his man off the dribble and the Knicks were just resting Brunson on defense in Game 1. The reality is that a big part of winning in the postseason is adjusting to matchup issues and how the other team is defending you. Aaron Gordon is normally a 4th or 5th option on Denver, but they just fed him on those back cuts all game long because the Heat tried to hide smaller defenders on him. If LeVert made an effort to get that 12 footer going it could've been effective over Brunson and with Robinson playing drop coverage, but you're kind of asking Garland and Mitchell to space for him while he's doing it so that's a mixed bag.
I really think Okoro is more of a natural 2 than a 3. I like him as a part of a three guard rotation so long as we're starting Garland and Mitchell. LeVert is a problematic fit with the starters for obvious reasons. Cedi isn't a starter. I'm not convinced that More Okoro and Stevens changes the outcome of a single game let alone the series. I think a stretch big as part of a three man rotation with Allen and Mobley would've helped a lot.
I'm pretty high on Wantabe as a primary target with the MLE as he can play SF or a small ball stretch 4.
It's fine to come to the conclusion that you're not going to trust Okoro in the playoffs so he shouldn't start. But then he shouldn't have been starting in game 1. Nor should he have been the starter at any point where you'd think you're going to pull him.
You need to believe that your role players are going to recover from a bad night or two. And if they don't, well, the other options are probably going to be worse.
You shouldn't be starting Wade in games 78-82 and then only give him seven minutes in the playoffs. I don't care if he was bad in game 1, so was Rubio but you didn't go benching him.
You shouldn't trust Stevens to play 20 minutes a game post-ASB and then not even try him in the playoffs. He'd have been a much better blitz-and-recover big than, say, Allen. He at least could have given him a breather if we're not going to keep our bigs close to the paint.
Nor should you leapfrog all those guys with Danny Green, who played only 90 minutes in the regular season (most of those with deep bench guys), just because you can't seem to trust the guys you were going with.
Okoro quietly had very good games in games 3-5, and adjusting away from him was probably a bad thing. LeVert was also good, but we need to adjust by subbing Mitchell or Garland out on their bad nights and putting LeVert in. Or benching Rubio.
What we tried to do to adjust was so poorly managed. It has really made me question whether JBB is actually good at managing players.
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