11-27-2019, 08:54 AM
(11-27-2019, 05:02 AM)Branduil Wrote: I don't care what plus/minus says, we need a better starter than Powell. A bruising PF type like Favors or Thompson would be perfect.
Tbh, I'm not sure Carlisle really buys this plus-minus defense of Powell, even as he is saying it. Usually, if he really wants to defend a player, he will argue a list of things that the player does well and the team needs. With questions about Powell's PT or starting status, it's often just a citation of his plus-minus prowess. Individual plus-minus is not generally regarded by basketball statisticians as a particularly reliable statistic, as it contains such a vast amount of noise. But Cuban has a history of being intrigued by it, and the organization as a whole is quite analytics-oriented. So, I think there is an element of parroting a company line, as a polite way of avoiding getting into performance details that he doesn't want to share with the media.
Bruisers have a history of not being especially effective in Carlisle's systems. But I agree that, at a minimum, they need a full-size center who can also move around well. I would not be opposed to keeping Powell around, but ideally, he would come off the bench, where he actually might provide an impactful punch.