re: Zion's effort and fitness

It’s not about basketball with Zion. It’s about his conditioning. It’s on him. Charles Barkley was right about this. I don’t know what Zion’s ideal weight is, but it’s not 300 lbs.

I think you are making a big deal about a non issue. He would have definitely played 32+ minutes tonight if the game wasn’t in hand for Portland. I just think your focus should be that this team has started another season with the exact same plan as last year.

Did this game plan look Zion centric? How many screens did Zion set for BI after the early one when AD went crazy on the broadcast? How many screens were set for Zion? How many times did Zion bring the ball up and initiate the offense when Ingram was on the court with him? Why didn’t we try to go small at all in the second half? Where were any 2 man actions with Zion and Hawk? Or Zion and CJ? It is coaching malpractice to sit Zion in the corner for entire possessions. It’s the same stuff we saw to start last year. Why in the hell is this our plan again? We generate minimal open 3’s, we played with no pace, and couldn’t rebound. Those are the main issues with this team.

You’ve got another challenger. Go debate him.

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He would have definitely played 32+ minutes tonight

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Like I said above, even if he checks back in, he showed from the tip that his fitness and effort weren't there.

[quote]It is coaching malpractice to sit Zion in the corner for entire possessions. It’s the same stuff we saw to start last year. Why in the hell is this our plan again? We generate minimal open 3’s, we played with no pace, and couldn’t rebound. Those are the main issues with this team.

I agree with all of this, but I think it's just as much as it's on Zion as it is on Willie. Zion's lack of availability over the years likely plays a part in this and if he's loafing around they aren't going to call as many sets for him. That's wrong because you should try and force feed him regardless, but Zion has to show that he wants it.

I agree with that to an extent. Rebounding is usually purely effort based.

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Zion played half assed until Willie finally realized the ball needs to be in the hands of the best player.

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It's a chicken/egg thing.

Is Willie parking Zion in the corner because he's half-assing it or is Zion half-assing it because Willie is parking him in the corner?

Either way, it's a question we shouldn't be asking under any circumstance when it comes to the head coach and the franchise cornerstone.

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I’m just grateful that in year 6 he can play a back to back without much hullabaloo.

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We had a day off..

The he has to prove it excuse went out the window years ago. We gave him a max contract. Build the damn team to maximize your best player. Coach the team to maximize your best player. It was so obvious that the plan at the beginning of last year was a failure. Why in the hell have we come out with that same plan for the last two games? When Zion played in the preseason games the offense looked completely different than it did the last two games against Portland? Why is that? I would argue that is because we are trying to thread a needle by allowing Ingram to start games as the primary guy. Since he can’t coexist as an off ball guy they feel they have to do this. I would argue that is the biggest reason Zion comes out at the five minute mark of the first qtr. he is so much more aggressive when he comes back in for Ingram. I blame the organization as a whole for setting this team up to fail…again.

Keeping this team in purgatory with a system and personnel that they know doesn’t work is asinine. Griff failed this offseason. On top of keeping the ill fitting stars together he allowed the roster to have gaping holes. You and I both know there will be no accountability for that but it should be called out.