Cowbell Rings (and Clangs)

Seems like forever since I've been able to post a Simmons link. He logs in with a nice rant on the Cowbell blog of his, ripping Doc apart for his work last night. He makes a lot of good points (most of which have already been made by posters here - well done!). He also makes some head scratching points that don't really add up.

I think Simmons tends to drift into his own mini group-think on some subjects. He's convinced himself that Doc is the new Grady Little, so he'll throw everything and the kitchen sink in a column to make that point. Lets look at his bullets.

1. Doesn't call enough time outs to stop runs - true, I was wondering the same thing.

2. Didn't play the bench enough - also true, to an extent. I also wish that the second unit got a little more time to prove their worth last night. On the other hand, I can see why a coach would default to his trusted veterans in a tight game. That's what they are paid to do and they put us in position to win that game. Simmons neglects to mention that those starters got us the lead in the 3rd quarter. Also, he offers the effect of energizing the crowd as reason to play the rookies. I shudder to think what kind of spinless coach would actually do anything based on the reactions of the crowd.

3. Maybe Paul and Antoine were tired, but they are pros who are used to playing the whole game. That's no excuse. Besides, with Paul going to the line ever 5 seconds in the 3rd, what more rest do you really need? Reggie played 39 minutes and knocked down the game winner. If Paul's last second (open) 3 goes a few inches over and finds the net, we aren't talking about this. We're talking about how clutch Paul is and how one almost got away from us. These things happen. Bad defense killed us in the 4th, not tired legs.

4. Small ball - totally agree. We should be dictating the matchups, not the other way around.

5. Allen did a great job on Miller in game one. Why not let him try it again? When that didn't work, it was Davis, who can be a shut-down defender. Miller was just better. Agree that the free-flowing offense of the first 3 quarters going to iso/pick-n-roll is a trasishamockery. However, the point that seems to be missing in all of this is the spacing and positioning of players on defense. It doesn't matter who is on the court if your defense allows the opposition wide open 3's.

All in all, it was good to finally get some reasons why Simmons hates Doc so much. I just don't happen to agree with all his reasons. Doc has a ways to go before he's the next Red (or even KC Jones). However, I also think he has a ways to go before he's the next Grady.

Update: Doc and Walker answer some of these questions.