It happened again.

[Gray Mule]

[Gray Mule]

SLEEPWALK!!

Beaten again while we slept.

Nice game until then.

[Spiral]

I felt not having a point guard hurt us. Donta was bringing the ball up the floor and doing an ok job for the most part. But when the chips were on the line, he threw an entry pass that was picked off at a crucial time. Still, we had a chance to win. Walker had a good look, he just looked a little off balance when he let it go.

[macdaddy]

Maybe I missed something. I was fast forwarding through a lot. Where was Smoove? why was Donta at point instead of Diaw. I think we're tanking. You are on the verge of putting away a decent team and you are going to let your 2nd round pick who just got into a game a few weeks ago run the offense?

[TheDude]

i was thinking the same thing but i didn't see the game so i couldn' tell you.

[Lascar78]

I agree. Either we tanked, or Woody is a HORRIBLE coach. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Donta come out at the very end. Sure enough, he dribbles out of control and turns it over. Sure enough he lets Carmelo hit a game winner without even putting his arms up. WTF?

Now of course Walker's AIRBALL didn't exactly help either (I can't believe no one is mentionning it), but at least the ball was in our best player's hands. Once again, he showed me he should have the ball in the post, not on the perimeter. Especially in key situations. Diaw's throw away pass was bad too when he finally got back in, but the game was pretty much over. We needed a miracle and didn't get it.

I guess after seeing this I hope we are tanking. Because other wise it seriously makes me question woody. It also will help us get a better pick obviously.

[macdaddy]

Its very strange. Sometimes I feel like he forgets to make substitutions, but tanking is a much better explanation. The problem is we are going to have to have Ekezie play point to stay worse than Charlotte.

Walker's airball was bad but that's what happens when you don't have a solid point bringing the ball up. Your scorers don't get the ball where they need it.

[Dakin]

maybe because boris diaw is a terrible point gaurd. Donta was doing a much better job handling the ball.

[Diesel]

Honestly, I think Walker thought that he would get the foul on that errant shot. There was some bump on that play and it almost knocked Walker down, but the Refs would let them be physical I suppose and not call a nick nack foul....

[emeans]

terrible refereeing during the last two minutes cost us this game. Not Walker, not Donte and not Woody.

Those were very crucial misses and turnover.

The Refs were terrible the entire game. They missed Smooths block off of their guards head out of bounds. They missed several fouls and they called palming several times which is unheard of. Plus Denver should have gotten a technical foul for calling a timeout they didn't have.

TERRIBLE REFS!!! Choking at the FT line in crunch time killed us again.

[macdaddy]

The refs may have been terrible, but the question is still why is Donta who has been at the end of the bench most of the year bringing the ball up in crunch time? You may think Diaw sux but Ivey is sitting on the bench too. And why is our best rebounder (and one of the few players who have shown some clutch play this year) no where to be found at the end of the game?

I'm not knocking Donta. He's just not who I want to have the ball when it counts. Did Smoove foul out or something? With Harrington out he's obviously our 2nd best player and by far the best rebounder and defender. Why would he sit at the most important part of the game?

I like Woody but you have to say these are some questionable decisions I tank...I mean think.

[Lascar78]

Quote:

---

Donta was doing a much better job handling the ball.

---

That statement is so far from the truth I don't know how to respond.

[smithrules]

Why did he have smoove out. I could see if it wasn't the end of the game, but come on whats up with that. Smoove was playing good. He blocked five shoots and changed a couple more. The last play i remember seeing him make a good pass to royal ivey. I think woody was scolding him for the pass though. Maybe woody thought it was to risky. I don't know what to say, Woody must be trying to get us the #1 draft pick.

[Dakin]

lascar, diaw is not a much better ball handler than donta smith. Neither one is a point gaurd. Please respond.

woodson might have taken jsmith out because of a couple defensive mistakes he made that gave up some easy baskets.

[Dakin]

one of donta's 2 turnovers was a perfect pass that delk couldn't handle. it was a huge turnover but not donta's fault. He also had four assists.

[Lascar78]

handles are not just measured by turnovers. Most turnovers happen on passes anyhow. Even when he's on the floor, Donta rarely touches the ball, and it is even more rare for him to dribble alot. Diaw can handle the ball appropriately against anyone, including point guards. Donta can not. There are no stats to quantify this. But from everything I've seen from both Diaw and Donta, there is no doubt in my mind that I'd rather have the ball in Diaw's hands to set up a key play in the clutch, and I would rather have Diaw playing D.

Diaw is a point forward, make of that what you will. He won't lose any defenders with a crossover, but he won't have it stolen from him very often no matter who the defender is. The bottom line is Diaw has much better handles in the sense that he is more dependable.

There was no reason for Donta to be out there in the clutch. It was a pretty big game for us in front of a near sell out crowd. You don't pull the better players out of the game because they made a mistake or two. We didn't take Walker out after he airballed a clutch shot. If we were trying to win the game, either Smith or Diaw should have been in there instead of Donta. He is a 2nd rounder rookie and it showed.

[macdaddy]

Well said Lascar. Diaw's claim to fame is ball handling whether you agree with it or not. Donta is not on the team to run the offense. Certainly not when it counts.

No one is blaming Donta for the loss. I blame Woody for playing him out of position. If you want to let these guys learn on the job the why not let Ivey learn the point rather that Donta since that's his position.

[Dakin]

just wondering? do either of you guys even watch the games? donta smith is a very very good ball handler. coupled with his defense and rebounding and his ability to get to the basket i'd much rather see him on the floor than ivey or especially diaw.

[Dakin]

"He is a 2nd rounder rookie and it showed. "

how did it show? He played just as well as diaw.

[Traceman]

I thought he did just fine at PG for the most part, save his ill-advised attempt to drive the lane at the end of the game where he turned it over. But even then, at least he turned it over being aggressive. Considering the few minutes he has played all season, particularly at PG, I was pleased with his effort. He only had 2 TOs in 26 minutes. Besides, how is he supposed to learn how to play in the clutch if he is never in the game in key situations?

The bottom line for me is that I want to see Donta get a chance to play some PG to see if he can possibly do it off the bench on a regular basis. I think he has the skills, he just needs the experience. Seeing what we have in the young guys is FAR more important to me than winning at this point in this season. We are 10-40 for goodness sakes! There are no "big games." As long as we are competitive and the young guys show improvement, I'll be happy. While winning might give the young guys some confidence, more than likely, all it will do is lessen our chances of getting the #1 overall pick.