THE CRUCIFIX: Cato: Wood isn't thrilled w/ his role...Will depart in the summer

[burekemde]

I don't think we outsiders have a clue. And I would suggest that inside the team, they probably ALL have a pretty good idea of why Wood is not getting more play.

I see those who travel with the team - beat writers (not the bloggers and national media who cast opinions from afar) - and they obliquely say that there is a reason Wood has been bouncing from team to team throughout his career.

I am reminded of when I played the game many moons ago. I don't recall this happening regularly on every team, but one team (several seasons) I played on a team with an INCREDIBLY talented player who just drove us nuts. He was a big man, could be dominant, and we knew he was coming, and were eager for him to be on our team because he could make us better. But once on the team, he was incredibly frustrating, because he could be so unfocused, immature, distracted. One game great, and another one it was like his head was elsewhere. The same thing in practices, where he would at times be goofy and playful and we couldn't get things done.. It drove the coaches and the rest of the team completely nuts, because he (and we) were so much better when we could get his head on straight. In some games, we did much better when he sat, because he was just a guy.

He's a good guy. Still a good friend. Mostly has grown out of the lack of maturity and focus, yet has retained his joyfulness. But back then, it was an ongoing frustrating task of trying to get him to contribute up to his potential. I wonder if that's part of what Wood brings to the table.

This is hard to see from tape if there is some immaturity. Could be true. He looks impact player, and a very consistent one. He has probably been our per minute most consistent player, outside of Luka.

Could be that the team knows a whole a lot more. Could also be that the team over-interprets things and the coaches do not make the right decisions. Has happened before.

I think however that on defensive side there are a few clues he doesnt know defensive assignments/scheme. Two instances. One with Luka in recent game where Luka looked like redirecting him to the proper place. And one of previous games there was something with McGee if i recall.

However with Woods offensive talent, the coaches need to get the defensive schemes to suit his talent and to mesh that with rest of the starting lineup. They had tape of wood before, and should know exactly what kind of player and style of defensive he would fit in.

Ultimately it falls on the team, not on Wood. He seems to produce, and he impresses quiet a lot. Fans can also see a lot, and despite not knowing the intricate details of x's and o's and lots of private things in team meetings and trainings, there is just plenty of stuff you can extract from games. It is immediately clear that Wood is the second best player on this team, by a large margin. The coaches should be happy getting the most talented players on the planet, and design the schemes to match their productivity. Eapecially given how well Luka and Wood seem to play on offense, you would believe there must be ideas from coaches to make a great defense as well with Wood.