Woodson has to trust Mario with more minutes vs. Miami this weekend...

[HAWKS1986]

It's a gamble, but the 17 minutes that Mo Evans played need to be given to Mario West-- right now.

Speedy isn't available, Law is hurt. Bibby can't keep up with Wade and Flip has some trouble as well. So Mario at 6'4 is really the only one left who has the defensive skills to slow Wade down. Ultimately, the last line of defense--literally and figuratively.

West is not an offensive weapon, but he brings the energy and effort and has SIX FOULS if needed.

[exodus]

I agree. West is the perfect guy to bring off the bench and guard Wade. Considering how he played after Law went down i was sure he would get some time against Wade. Woody's stupidity gets exposed once again.

[DrReality]

Especially if they get the momentum going in their favor. Maybe he could slow it down.

[MaceCase]

If Mario had any semblance of a jump shot I'd be for it but Mario is not some other-worldly defensive talent viable enough to stop a super-star like Wade while allowing us to forgive the obvious 5 on 4 the heat would be treated to on defense each time down.

[Brotha2ThaNite]

I TOTALLY AGREE!

WE HAVE 6 GOOD FOULS SETTING ON THE BENCH

It is so funny how the media keeps saying we have no offense too

WOODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :brick wall:

[buckeye242424]

I TOTALLY AGREE!

WE HAVE 6 GOOD FOULS SETTING ON THE BENCH

It is so funny how the media keeps saying we have no offense too

WOODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :brick wall:

Wade will shoot right over Mario, just like he did to any other G/F that guarded him. Doesn't mean I don't think he should play. We lacked energy. He has energy.

[Brotha2ThaNite]

Wade will shoot right over Mario, just like he did to any other G/F that guarded him. Doesn't mean I don't think he should play. We lacked energy. He has energy.

Wade shot over them because they play off of him.

We all know Mario do not believe in playing more then 2inches off the player he is playing defense on.

[Cwell]

If Mario had any semblance of a jump shot I'd be for it but Mario is not some other-worldly defensive talent viable enough to stop a super-star like Wade while allowing us to forgive the obvious 5 on 4 the heat would be treated to on defense each time down.

this post makes ZERO sense. first of all NOBODY stops a player like Wade but West can surely slow him down and def. do a wayyyyyy better job than anybody else on the roster except maybe Acie,who is hurt right now. His on ball defense is top notch and disrupts anybody he faces,he doesn't back down from any superstar either. As far as the offensive comment, Flip surely hasn't had any resemblence of a jump shot or any shot so far this series either. I'd take the upgrade on defense and in the hustle department over bad defense AND bad offense any day.

[DJlaysitup]

It's a gamble, but the 17 minutes that Mo Evans played need to be given to Mario West-- right now.

Speedy isn't available, Law is hurt. Bibby can't keep up with Wade and Flip has some trouble as well. So Mario at 6'4 is really the only one left who has the defensive skills to slow Wade down. Ultimately, the last line of defense--literally and figuratively.

West is not an offensive weapon, but he brings the energy and effort and has SIX FOULS if needed.

I agree H...let Mario get in Wade's shorts for 10-15 minutes. Take him off his game. While Mario is no offensive threat (except on the occasional hustle play - stickback dunk), he can make Wade work more than he wants.

I dunno...it could go either way. Mario could foul out in no time. Still, I agree that it's worth a try....plus, he brings max energy.

[mattlanta]

Mario provides a lot of energy off the bench, he hustles his *ss off, and he is a great defender. By no means will he shut Wade down, but we could have definitely used him last night.

[AtLaS]

If Mario had any semblance of a jump shot I'd be for it but Mario is not some other-worldly defensive talent viable enough to stop a super-star like Wade while allowing us to forgive the obvious 5 on 4 the heat would be treated to on defense each time down.

I don't see why this matters considering all we do is run ISO's anyway...

[MaceCase]

I don't see why this matters considering all we do is run ISO's anyway...

Precisely and you're gonna have whomever's guarding Mario coming in to double the ball no matter where he is on the court because 1) he cant shoot 2) he has no handle to penetrate and 3) he's niether tall enough or big enough for post players to worry bout him consistently out-rebounding them or scoring over them. There's a reason why he's only a situational defender.

[HAWKS1986]

Wade will shoot right over Mario, just like he did to any other G/F that guarded him. Doesn't mean I don't think he should play. We lacked energy. He has energy.

Wade can shoot over anybody, but Mario plays a tighter type of defense and his style sends a more aggressive message to Wade or whoever.

If Mario had played the final four minutes of the second quarter instead of the final 40 seconds (after the damage was done), that Miami momentum would have been minimized.

Each possession is important and Woodson was too slow to realize what was going on.

[HAWKS1986]

I agree H...let Mario get in Wade's shorts for 10-15 minutes. Take him off his game. While Mario is no offensive threat (except on the occasional hustle play - stickback dunk), he can make Wade work more than he wants.

I dunno...it could go either way. Mario could foul out in no time. Still, I agree that it's worth a try....plus, he brings max energy.

It's not likely Mario will foul out in 17 minutes, but his energy is needed on the court not from the standpoint of slowing down Wade exclusively, but helping to keep his teammates motivated and having them play up to their ability...

West may not be a classic NBA starter who plays 35-40 minutes, but his example of hustle and energy could 'flip the switch' for someone such as Murray or help others play up their potential.

If Mario is diving on the floor, tipping passes, getting in player's faces on defense (ala Rodman or Manu or others), it can get contagious and change the tenor of the game..

[DJlaysitup]

Precisely and you're gonna have whomever's guarding Mario coming in to double the ball no matter where he is on the court because 1) he cant shoot 2) he has no handle to penetrate and 3) he's niether tall enough or big enough for post players to worry bout him consistently out-rebounding them or scoring over them. There's a reason why he's only a situational defender.

Well that's a pretty good point MacC....Dang reality :kickcan:

Maybe? I Dunno?......I guess we better play our best guys against their best guys and hope it works out.

Edited April 24, 2009 by DJlaysitup

[Popeye]

We could not make a STOP the whole game, crowd is chanting DEFENSE as loud as you can and we still can't make a freaking STOP... We desperately needed energy boost DEFENSIVELY the whole game and WHAT DOES WOODSON DO? He plays FLIP who can't make a basket for 35 minutes and gets exposed by WADE...

MARIO feeds of off crowd and he plays DEFENSE brings ENERGY and HUSTLES, but Woody apparently forgot about him..... We needed MARIO early to set the tone and get the crowd involved, but Woody doesn't trust him for some reason.....

What is the reason?? I don't f***ing NO!

[DJlaysitup]

Mo and Flip are showing themselves to be exactly what they are and why we got them so cheap. Don't get me wrong - they both helped in the regular season - just don't count on them much in the playoffs. They came cheap for a reason.

Nothing against the ASG in this case as far as keeping JChillz....he went for the money....but he would be MUCH better for us right now.

[MaceCase]

I understand guys here just wan't to see Woody do something, ANYTHING to light a fire under the team but the cons of Mario far outweigh his pros. Wade has single handedly carried his team into the postseason as a 5 seed seeing every single defense known to man short of the hack a shaq...Mario is not going to stress him. Mario might hound him on offense but Wade is just going to catch his breath right back on D guarding Mario. Because Mario is not a threat Wade is just going to be doing what he does best, roaming playing help defense, watching the passing lanes for steals, stripping the ball from post players and getting weak side blocks. If you thought those dagger threes were heart breaking how do you think the crowd down in Miami is going to react to Wade stealing a pass leading to a open court jam or turning a seemingly open layup into a rejection? Not saying that these can only happen because of Mario but atleast Mo and Flip can keep their defenders honest due to the threat of the long ball or drive. Having both play under their abilities is frustrating but its better than foolishly hoping someone plays over theirs.