Does Ime change the starting 5 after the all-star break?

I was voted Most Optimistic in high school so I voted yes

 

I’m not down on Jabari in the slightest. But when Ime says we are the softest team in the league - he is in part referring to Jabari’s current inability to play solid defense against bigger players.

It wouldn’t impact his minutes in the long run either. Jeff is a role player at the end of his career. Jabari is at the beginning of a promising career. We’ve been getting off to bad starts and the second unit has been bringing energy. Jeff is a big part of that energy.

It’s about making the kids earn their minutes and hone their craft.

 

Man I sure do hope so. Jalen needs to see garbage time minutes now

 

We're not benching Jalen...it would worsen his trade value more...our team needs to get healthy. It's pointless to make the play-in or even the playoffs this year with this roster just to get bumped out the 1st round. This season was more of finding our new identity as a team under Udoka and decide which players will be our core moving into the future.

 

Spoiler

 

I think that ship sailed already. Other teams can watch every second of these games. We aren’t gonna trick anyone into valuing Jalen differently because he gets to keep starting.

 

You keep bringing this up -- were you president of the optimism club?

 

I’m only trying to impress you, specifically. So glad you noticed.

 

Did you get a letter jacket for your optimism nerd?

 

He held the high office of Optimist Prime

 

Not many people know this

 

In the Optimism Club they called me Numero Uno

 

i wouldnt do nothing too crazy... no sense in taking our assets' perceived values before the off season...

 

I am surprised that there are more yes than no. The only player that has a chance of being replaced is green for cam or amen and I don’t think it is happening. And ime would be right in that too. Cam would look just as bad as green when he gets the starting job.

what I am hoping is cutting down of green minutes. I will be disappointed with Ime if green gets the same usage and minutes. At least cut on the 3 pt attempts. Something’s gotta change with the way green is used but I don’t think he is losing his starting spot.

 

I don't think he will change the starters YET, but I do think Jalen's leash will be even shorter than it has been. And that's a good thing. It's usually pretty obvious early on which Jalen is going to show up on a given night. If it's bad Jalen, you sit his ass down, but if he's hot, coach should let it ride. The problem though is that you can't do that forever. Jalen has to learn to become more consistent, and if he can't do that, you've got to bench him. I think they will try very hard to drive that lesson home during what is left of this season.

 

I would be shocked if Cam looked as bad as Green, should he get the nod. I would also be shocked if there were no growing pains at all for Cam or the team were that to happen.
Jaylen Green is shooting 23.5% from 3 over the last 20 games.... on almost 7 attempts. I mean I know the goal for this year is growth and improvement and not but big oof.

 

He has to change but he will not yet.

 

Aren't the first opponents the Pels, Suns and OKC ?

Good luck with rotations against those.

 

I think he probably should but he won’t till a little later in the season.

I think people are not factoring in how much easier it will make Udoka and Stone’s life for Jalen to figure it out. That’s why they’ve been patient with him. Frankly Jalen hasn’t deserved this much patience but he may still get some more.

 

I don't think this is the fear about benching Jalen though.

The fear is that he'll pout about it or demand to be traded. These two things then makes it that much harder to deal him because at first the team is just dealing with him as a player. You can sell teams on his potential still, there will be teams willing to outbid others because they believe they can fix him...but it becomes harder to fix him if the entire time you benched him he was pouting and being a baby about it.

Or if he demands a trade then you know negotiating with the Rockets that they HAVE to get rid of him.

With that said I don't see any long term gain with benching him. Either he pulls it together and the Rockets improve or he doesn't. I doubt we make the play-ins either way unless he turns into prime Kobe or something and then at that point you're not trading him any ways.

I just don't see the benefit right now in benching him and I think Ime's comments was more general than people are making it. I think Ime was threatening every starter that if we continue to start games wrong he's going to be forced to look at who should and shouldn't start.

At the end of the day benching Jalen isn't going to get us in the play-ins and it risks him pouting and making it difficult so I don't see the benefit to doing it. Cam/Amen are going to get their minutes if they play well and will be hungry to work harder this off season to get a starting spot too.