Why So Much Panic?

Because we have seen this shite before ... like every fricking year.

You're going to get torched for this, but you're totally right. please make sure to bookmark this post to bump it in March when everyone is standing up and getting crunk over the 5 seed pels.

I mean, look at the trail blazers, they were top of the conference a few weeks ago, now they're the 8th seed. The west is a tight, long race. Just focus on winning the next game.

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There is certainly cause for concern

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There is for sure some things to be concerned about, but there are numerous threads about blowing it up, trading AD, firing coaches, etc. We are nowhere near that level, especially not in December.

We did have a 10 game win streak at the end of last season, but we also had a 4 game losing streak at the end of the season (including one to the Thunder and one to the Blazers who we were fighting for seeding with). We finished last season 10-8, after the 10 game win streak, we weren't necessarily lighting the world on fire going into our playoff push.

Solo doesn’t get those minutes if Niko plays last night. Missing 2 starters against the (currently) top team in a stacked west and losing by 3 doesn’t make me panic.

Now, lose the next 2 w/ Niko back in the lineup (hopefully) and I’ll get worried.

The big hole they dig themselves early in games into is pretty concerning. Is that on the players, Uncle Al or both?

Yes....Elfrid will help a lot if everyone else is healthy too because it gives you enough depth to not have to play bad guys. But the bad assumption that is constantly made is that we will remain fully healthy.

History says another main guy or two will get hurt. At which point people will say, "once Moore and Randle get back, we will be fine."

Your team can't be a below .500 team just because you are down one rotation piece

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People would have said the same thing about QPon and peak Norris Cole several years ago

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I could see this being the best case scenario.

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if Randle really is a better fit than Niko

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Niko appears to be a great fit next to AD, Randle on the other hand..

what's concerning to me is the fact that we are 12-13, with Jrue not missing any games and playing pretty well, and AD only missing a handful of games.

There are a lot of teams in disarray right now in the West. Rockets/Spurs/Jazz are all sucking it up just like the Pels. Blazers have lost 8 of their last 11. Hell even the Warriors have a pretty crappy record, they are 6-8 in their last 14.

Clippers/Lakers/Kings/Mavs/Grizzlies are playing great basketball and exceeding expectations.

Point is, while so many teams are struggling right now, we are struggling too, even though our best players aren't hurt. Every day we lose to shitty teams, we tighten that margin of error for later in the season to make the playoffs. We had a pretty easy stretch over the last 10 or so games, and we lost games to teams like the Heat, Knicks and Wizards and Wolves. We shouldn't be 12-13 right now.

I doubt the Kings/Mavs/Grizz keep it up, and i doubt the Rockets/Spurs/Jazz/Blazers stay this mediocre.

When it's all said and done, the 2nd to last team in teh west might have a better record than playoff teams in the east. We might miss the playoffs, by a game or two, and we can look back to the this time as to why we missed out.

And it's AD's fault we are 12-13. We are only as good as he wants us to be.

All part of Dells plan.
Suck just enough so that their pick has some value.

Only problem is the rest of the West got the same memo.

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Because we have seen this shite before ... like every fricking year.

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Like last year when we finished strong and swept Portland?

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And we went on an unreal run at the end of the season to get into the playoffs. To think that we could easily reciprocate that again is foolish.

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We went 27-14 in the 2nd half of the season.

It's not crazy to think if this squad can stay healthy that they can do something similar, winning 25 or so in the 2nd half.