Re: Through The Storm: A St. Louis Story
2017 Trade Deadline Deals
2017 Trade Deadline Deals
-
Re: Through The Storm: A St. Louis Story
Lemme just go figure out how OKC is ahead of the Warriors with Russell only.NCAAF/NCAAB Alabama Crimson Tide
NBA: Hawks
NFL: Falcons
NASCAR: Ryan BlaneyComment
-
Comment
-
Comment
-
Re: Through The Storm: A St. Louis Story
Ch. 16
The trade deadline passed without us making a deal and that was by design. I didn’t want to deal anyone, even Gordon who was continuing to moan a little about his role. Dudley wanted a few more minutes, too, and since we were already 22-32, ten games under .500, I didn’t see a point in trading our vets. True, both could have fetched us something from a contender, but the offers weren’t there … at best, I could grab some seconds. No one was quite desperate enough for our guys, so we kept them.
I did get calls about two other players: Mickey and Young. It was just as easy to say no to them, too, but it was easier because of how the two had become fan favorites. Outside the arena, people were selling things with these guys face on it. Mickey had him a shirt with Mickey Mouse ears on his head and Joe Young was being called "Mighty Joe Young" and had his face pasted onto a giant gorilla.
They were poorly done, but the fans had gotten attached to these guys. That was a good thing in my mind and good will with the fans was crucial at such an early stage.
The night of the 26th we took on the Pelicans and two nights before we had beaten the Magic in a close game in Orlando. NOLA had made a huge trade to get Anthony Davis — out for the rest of the month with an injured shoulder — some much needed help. Holiday and Evans, along with a top-10 protected 1st was shipped to the Suns for Bledsoe and Warren. NOLA was desperate to show Davis that they weren’t resting on their laurels, that they weren’t going to wait around for a draft pick to develop around him.
That was a risky trade, but one I approved of. Had I been in that position, I would have done the same; keeping Davis in a good frame of mind and showing him that winning now was important had to be priority number one.
The Pelicans came into the game with things looking up and Bledsoe performed up to his billing; the trade had really lit a fire under him and his chemistry with Jamal Murray was electric. The two poured gasoline on our defense, lit a match, and torched us. Repeatedly. Over and over. We allowed far too many triples and both our teams traded the lead back and forth over the course of first half, then a good bit of the 3rd too.
It was then when we finally began to break away as our triples began to fall and Delly got into a rhythm. His defense on Bledsoe was shoddy that night but his passing and shot selection were on point.
He was making everyone on the team better; Lauvergne, Thon, Dedmon, all our bigs benefited from that passing and that was the game Delly showed me he could be more than a pest on defense. He wasn’t the most efficient guard, he wasn’t the fastest or the strongest, but he could pass the ball and hit the triple.
That’s all we needed. McHale kept our rotations tight in the second half and we got away with a win. Had Anthony Davis been there, that would have been a loss, but luckily the Brow was down and would be the rest of the month.
Comment
-
Re: Through The Storm: A St. Louis Story
Ch. 17
After winning against the Pelicans, we flew down to San Antonio to have the Spurs blow our doors off.
Again. It was getting old watching the team lose in embarrassing fashion and fan support at the arena was waning. Feb. 26th we welcomed the 30-28 Kings into town and Sacramento, somehow, was holding onto the final playoff seed. They had a legitimate chance of making noise in the post-season but first had to get past us.
I wish I could say they had a tough time, but the bigs the Kings had — Cousins specifically — just bullied us. They shut down the paint, they forced us to jack up way too many shots from outside and there was no answer from anyone on our team. Oh, sure, we had guys try, but there’s a difference between trying and winning.
We just tried that night. We were slow on our rotations, slow on our reads, slow in general, and it seemed like the grind of the season was finally getting to us … no longer were we this young, youthful, plucky expansion team. Now were just a group of guys who wanted to get to the offseason so we could enjoy some margaritas and beautiful women.
Personally, I had willed myself to move on after that game. We were 24-34 and there wasn’t going to be any postseason magic for us; I had to focus my sights on the draft. That and free agency was where we were going to get better … the on the court product was going to improve and have some good nights, but there were only a few months before the draft hit.
I needed to be ready. Picking Thon in 2016 was a no-brainer to me, any bum could have made that pick, but 2017 was rife with potential and there were plenty of guys who could serve us well. We were likely to be in the top-10 and this pick I need to get right.
If I messed it up, it could set us back years.
Comment
-
Re: Through The Storm: A St. Louis Story
rookie Maker is so good maybe try him in starting lineup!!!
Ch. 17
After winning against the Pelicans, we flew down to San Antonio to have the Spurs blow our doors off.
Again. It was getting old watching the team lose in embarrassing fashion and fan support at the arena was waning. Feb. 26th we welcomed the 30-28 Kings into town and Sacramento, somehow, was holding onto the final playoff seed. They had a legitimate chance of making noise in the post-season but first had to get past us.
I wish I could say they had a tough time, but the bigs the Kings had — Cousins specifically — just bullied us. They shut down the paint, they forced us to jack up way too many shots from outside and there was no answer from anyone on our team. Oh, sure, we had guys try, but there’s a difference between trying and winning.
We just tried that night. We were slow on our rotations, slow on our reads, slow in general, and it seemed like the grind of the season was finally getting to us … no longer were we this young, youthful, plucky expansion team. Now were just a group of guys who wanted to get to the offseason so we could enjoy some margaritas and beautiful women.
Personally, I had willed myself to move on after that game. We were 24-34 and there wasn’t going to be any postseason magic for us; I had to focus my sights on the draft. That and free agency was where we were going to get better … the on the court product was going to improve and have some good nights, but there were only a few months before the draft hit.
I needed to be ready. Picking Thon in 2016 was a no-brainer to me, any bum could have made that pick, but 2017 was rife with potential and there were plenty of guys who could serve us well. We were likely to be in the top-10 and this pick I need to get right.
If I messed it up, it could set us back years.
Comment
-
Re: Through The Storm: A St. Louis Story
He is in my starting lineup, but he fouled out this game -- Cousins was absolutely eating his soul in the post. Boogie outweighs him by a good bit and it showed here, these were the first post-bruisers he's played against and he had no answer.
Might need to send him to bulk up in the offseason.Comment
-
Re: Through The Storm: A St. Louis Story
Well, of course I had to read through it all last night, and of course I plan to keep doing so!Comment
-
Re: Through The Storm: A St. Louis Story
Yep, he need more work up in offseason
Wysłane z mojego Elephone P8000 przy użyciu TapatalkaComment
-
Comment
-
Re: Through The Storm: A St. Louis Story
Ch. 18
The last game I went to that year was a home affair against the Rockets, who were 32-33 and struggling with James Harden out. We weren’t much better — at 26-36, we were threatening to only about half-a-dozen teams, tops. That game I watched our team have a great performance, one so good that the game was over by halftime.
I remember Delon Wright and Delly the most. The two were feeling it from deep and absolutely blasting Houston with their triples. Thon was blocking Al Jefferson so hard the older man was falling to the floor.
I spent most of that game talking with our yes-man GM, Graves. He was in a particularly grouchy mood as he was trying to quit smoking, so he was chewing that damned nicotine gum.
“We need to take the best player available,” he said while smacking away. “That draft is loaded and we’ll be in the top-ten, but we got to be smart.”
“Even if it’s Giles?”
He kept smacking away at that gum. “Even if it’s Giles. He could form a great frontline with Thon.”
“We just agreed to an extension with Lauvergne earlier in the year, he’s our big at the five.”
Smack, smack, smack. “He’s soft. I’ve seen marshmallows tougher than him.”
“He can stretch the floor and he eats boards. His defense can be improved. McHale’s done a good job with him already.”
Smack. “Dedmon’s better. Good defender, good height, good muscle mass. We need an anchor down there so Thon can stretch the floor, spread things out.”
“I swear to God if you don’t stop smacking your gum, I will *ucking break your jaw.”
He finally stopped smacking, but glared at me like a little *itch. “I think we need to bench our starters and play our young’ins.”
“Tank?” I scoffed at the very idea. “*uck that, we play to win. We’re not good enough to win, but we need to believe we are. We bench our main guys, we send a message that a draft pick is more important than winning.”
“Long-term, it is.” Graves spit out his gum and took a swig of his beer. “You need to get this fanciful idea out of your head that this *hit’s about culture. It ain’t, it’s about winning by any means necessary. Some guys get that, some guys don’t. You think Riley gives two *hits about all the draft picks he traded away for Dragic? I guarantee you he doesn’t. You got to be bold in this league or you stay at the bottom.”
“There’s a right way and a wrong way to build a team.”
He laughed. “It’s ironic that you’re so moral here when you ain’t in other areas.”
“No one’s a saint, Graves. Especially now.”
We kept circling back around the idea of tanking or not. I wouldn’t budge and though Graves made some good arguments, I told him to let McHale do as he pleased.
McHale played our starters till the end of the year. We finished 32-50, in a tie for the 5th worst record in the league.
Comment
-
Re: Through The Storm: A St. Louis Story
2016-17 Team Awards
Comment
Comment