THJ apology thread

[Kammrath]

WCS simply has more trouble understanding the details of his role in the offense/defense than other players

Imagine if we could get DP's mind into WCS's body?

[ClutchDirk]

Imagine if we could get DP's mind into WCS's body?

https://media.giphy.com/media/4VBMKtNpJW2Xe/giphy.gif

[KillerLeft]

Imagine if we could get DP's mind into WCS's body?

That would be a borderline all-star, I think.

[StepBackJay]

I don't know if THJ's performance warrants an apology thread when it came from a benching which is what most of the anti-THJ group wanted (myself included). He is still the key piece that needs to get upgraded on this team. If THJ had blown us away in the starting lineup I think it would have been a different situation. He is still very inconsistent, that hasn't changed.

[dirkfansince1998]

I don't know if THJ's performance warrants an apology thread when it came from a benching which is what most of the anti-THJ group wanted (myself included). He is still the key piece that needs to get upgraded on this team. If THJ had blown us away in the starting lineup I think it would have been a different situation. He is still very inconsistent, that hasn't changed.

And he has been better than Richardson but I guess that doesn´t fit the narrative. Based on the small sample size we have THJ was not the weak link. Just the favorit punching bag of disappointed Mavs fans.
@"DanSchwartzman" posted the numbers in another thread. Luka-THJ is looking really good. Luka-Richardson not so much. Doesn´t matter if he starts or comes from the bench. He played 31 minutes in the last game. Most of them with Luka.

[Benskix2]

That would be a borderline all-star, I think.

Did blowing out his achilles make him smarter?

[KillerLeft]

Did blowing out his achilles make him smarter?

No, being smart made him smart. Do you not think Powell is a super smart player???

[Benskix2]

No, being smart made him smart. Do you not think Powell is a super smart player???

Absolutely not.  I've always thought the exact opposite, that he had the athletic tools and that lack of awareness on the court, specifically on defense and in positioning for rebounds, is what has held him back.  He sounds smart when he talks, but I don't recall many high BBIQ plays from DP.

[KillerLeft]

He sounds smart when he talks, but I don't recall many high BBIQ plays from DP.

I’ll grant you that he’s not a sevant when it comes to ALL aspects of basketball, but I think it’s pretty obvious that his screen and roll game is based on an incredibly high-level mental approach.

Sorry, I thought that was a universally accepted concept.

[Benskix2]

It isn't, and I accept your apology.

[StepBackJay]

And he has been better than Richardson but I guess that doesn´t fit the narrative. Based on the small sample size we have THJ was not the weak link. Just the favorit punching bag of disappointed Mavs fans.
@"DanSchwartzman" posted the numbers in another thread. Luka-THJ is looking really good. Luka-Richardson not so much. Doesn´t matter if he starts or comes from the bench. He played 31 minutes in the last game. Most of them with Luka.

THJ is a chucker and bad defensive player. He got hot off the bench, that's fine with me let's keep him there. J Rich has looked really good and like a fit next to Luka. I don't know what universe you are living in but I am not going to be joining you there any time soon.

[BigDirk41]

And that´s exactly what I mean. The same applies for anyone not named Brunson and maybe Luka. Why focus on THJ? Burke is playing like he once again wants to be out of the league by the end of the season. DFS and Richardson cannot make a shot. WCS had games where he looked like a rookie and played with zero energy.

That´s the usual reddit/twitter narrative. Just lazy. Blame one guy and once he is gone and the problem is still not fixed find a new scapegoat.

I haven't blamed THJ for the start to the season, but I'll play along. My biggest frustration has been Luka coming in out of shape. He's finally coming around and I personally think he's the biggest reason for our slow start. He's the leader of the team and he wasn't performing up to his insane standards. 

That being said until last night THJ hasn't done his job at a high level. He was benched in part due to that. He responded in a big way and congrats to him. That's what a true pro should do. You can defend THJ all you want. He's always going to be a streaky player. When he's on, he's a flame thrower. When he's cold, he's a garbage player. I personally like THJ on this team, but I think he needs to he upgraded for us to take the next step. 

You seem to be personally attacking everyone that doesn't agree with you. I'm not sure what good that's going to do for you or anyone on this board.

[StepBackJay]

I don't want THJ on this team taking shots that matter, especially in the playoffs. He is fine as a streaky shooter but he should be a bench guy and not paid 19 million dollars. His deal was so bad that NYK gave us KP to eat his deal lol.

[dirkfansince1998]

I don't want THJ on this team taking shots that matter, especially in the playoffs. He is fine as a streaky shooter but he should be a bench guy and not paid 19 million dollars. His deal was so bad that NYK gave us KP to eat his deal lol. Last season THJ ranked 67th in RPM, 68th in Raptor. Not really sure if that is a bench player.

 

We all know that his contract was bad. Doesn´t matter now because he is an expiring. Not to mention that he had by far the best season of his career last year. Guys that shoot nearly 40% from 3 on high volume do not grow on trees.

THJ is a chucker and bad defensive player. He got hot off the bench, that's fine with me let's keep him there. J Rich has looked really good and like a fit next to Luka. I don't know what universe you are living in but I am not going to be joining you there any time soon.

In my universe (reality) we don´t have a single boxscore or impact number that has Richardson ahead of THJ.

Boxscore:

THJ 17/4/2 45.2% FG 40.7% from 3 59% TS

Richardson 14/3/2 42.5% FG 32.6% from 3  55.4% TS

Advanced boxscore:

THJ 112 O-Rating / 108 D-Rating, 16.5 PER , +1.8 BPM

Richardson 109 O-Rating / 110 D-Rating, 11.6 PER, -2.8 BPM

+/-:

THJ On/Off -4.1, On court +1.7, Offense/Defense rating -2.3/+1.7

Richardson On/Off -10.3, On court -0.3 Offense/Defense rating -4.3/+5.9

Two-man combination with Doncic:

THJ +9.7

Richardson +2.2



Feel free to search for a single metric that has Richardsons ahead of THJ. Feel free to join me in reality when you aren´t able to find something.

[dirkfansince1998]

I haven't blamed THJ for the start to the season, but I'll play along. My biggest frustration has been Luka coming in out of shape. He's finally coming around and I personally think he's the biggest reason for our slow start. He's the leader of the team and he wasn't performing up to his insane standards. 

That being said until last night THJ hasn't done his job at a high level. He was benched in part due to that. He responded in a big way and congrats to him. That's what a true pro should do. You can defend THJ all you want. He's always going to be a streaky player. When he's on, he's a flame thrower. When he's cold, he's a garbage player. I personally like THJ on this team, but I think he needs to he upgraded for us to take the next step. 

You seem to be personally attacking everyone that doesn't agree with you. I'm not sure what good that's going to do for you or anyone on this board.

No one has done his job (maybe Brunson). My question is really simple. Why is THJ singled out? Why are DFS, Richardson or Burke getting a free pass even though their shooting numbers are worse?
Of course THJ is a streaky player. Most shooters are. Duncan Robinson went 1/8 when the Mavs played against the Heat. Steph Curry started the season with consecutive 2/10 performances. Overall THJs shooting is a big positive for the Mavs.

My response is always based on the way I am adressed. If someone is trying to troll/bait me or responds in a snarky way I am going to return the favor. Maybe not the best way to deal with it but I can only take so much BS.

[StepBackJay]

So we are going to play games with a tiny sample size? At any rate I have watched every game this year and THJ has played well in 2 of them from what I can remember, this game where he shot lights out and the Clippers game where the Mavs offense was red hot and everything was going in.

Other games I have seen him dribbling around looking for his shot. I like him a lot better when he isn't hunting for his own offense. I watched the highlights again today and most of his shots were good shots so go figure they go in.

This idea that THJ is better than J Rich is crazy. No GM in the league would pick THJ over J Rich. J Rich is very likely to get a big deal this summer, THJ is unlikely to get a big deal. I thought THJ had a good season last year and I do think he will probably have a pretty good year if everyone else is healthy. Where you see his flaws are when you are down a KP and THJ has to carry the load. He has shown throughout his career that he is not a guy who is going to be efficient if you have to rely on him as your first or second option.

I also think he has bricked some big shots in key moments so I have concerns about that. It might have been the Bulls game where the Mavs were actually close in the 4th despite not playing well and THJ was throwing up bricks. THJ is a guy that needs to be upgraded to a more reliable scorer and playmaker. He will have good nights and that's fine, I think he is an okay player that benefits from being on a great offense that can cover up a lot of his warts. That being said Mavs need to move on from him this year.

---

If THJ would stick to spot-up shooting or pump fakes and drives to the basket, I think I could live with the streakiness. It's the fact that he reverts to shot-hunting THJ too often, especially with KP out that makes me crazy. And I don't want to pay him on a new deal. The beauty of his deal right now is that its been a sunk cost since he got here. Mavs have to find a better player next year (or sooner).

[dirkfansince1998]

So we are going to play games with a tiny sample size? At any rate I have watched every game this year and THJ has played well in 2 of them from what I can remember, this game where he shot lights out and the Clippers game where the Mavs offense was red hot and everything was going in.

Other games I have seen him dribbling around looking for his shot. I like him a lot better when he isn't hunting for his own offense. I watched the highlights again today and most of his shots were good shots so go figure they go in.

This idea that THJ is better than J Rich is crazy. No GM in the league would pick THJ over J Rich. J Rich is very likely to get a big deal this summer, THJ is unlikely to get a big deal. I thought THJ had a good season last year and I do think he will probably have a pretty good year if everyone else is healthy. Where you see his flaws are when you are down a KP and THJ has to carry the load. He has shown throughout his career that he is not a guy who is going to be efficient if you have to rely on him as your first or second option.

I also think he has bricked some big shots in key moments so I have concerns about that. It might have been the Bulls game where the Mavs were actually close in the 4th despite not playing well and THJ was throwing up bricks. THJ is a guy that needs to be upgraded to a more reliable scorer and playmaker. He will have good nights and that's fine, I think he is an okay player that benefits from being on a great offense that can cover up a lot of his warts. That being said Mavs need to move on from him this year.

Again. If the sample size is big enough to identify THJ as the weak link in the lineup that needs to be traded it is big enough to do the same with any other player. We are talking about this season. Not any projections. Richardson hasn´t been better and bricked more shots. I hope that he improves but if he continues to struggle on offense he won´t get paid in the summer.
Why are we punishing THJ because he cannot be a 2nd or 3rd option but ignore that Richardson has been even worse in the same role.
Can we at least question why THJ is the one that needs to go? We need shooting as well. Upgrade Richardson and get a guy that can defend but is a better playmaker.

I am not even saying that THJ is the better player. This thread is me holding up the mirror and trying to figure out why he is the scapegoat when other guys are clearly playing worse.

[pompelmo]

I don't want THJ on this team taking shots that matter, especially in the playoffs. He is fine as a streaky shooter but he should be a bench guy and not paid 19 million dollars. His deal was so bad that NYK gave us KP to eat his deal lol.

Happy with the win, but if we are going to rely on Tim to go 8/10 from three with a hand on his face for a win every time, that is not a fundamentally sound team. 

We all know that is not sustainable. If he can put a string of similar performances, that's a different story.

[Jason Terry]

 

We all know that his contract was bad. Doesn´t matter now because he is an expiring. Not to mention that he had by far the best season of his career last year. Guys that shoot nearly 40% from 3 on high volume do not grow on trees.



In my universe (reality) we don´t have a single boxscore or impact number that has Richardson ahead of THJ.

Boxscore:

THJ 17/4/2 45.2% FG 40.7% from 3 59% TS

Richardson 14/3/2 42.5% FG 32.6% from 3  55.4% TS

Advanced boxscore:

THJ 112 O-Rating / 108 D-Rating, 16.5 PER , +1.8 BPM

Richardson 109 O-Rating / 110 D-Rating, 11.6 PER, -2.8 BPM

+/-:

THJ On/Off -4.1, On court +1.7, Offense/Defense rating -2.3/+1.7

Richardson On/Off -10.3, On court -0.3 Offense/Defense rating -4.3/+5.9

Two-man combination with Doncic:

THJ +9.7

Richardson +2.2



Feel free to search for a single metric that has Richardsons ahead of THJ. Feel free to join me in reality when you aren´t able to find something.

There just isn’t a reliable way to measure defense through stats. Especially for guards. Defensive rating for instance. Last year Marcus Smart and Ben Simmons were all NBA first team defense. Smart finished 86th and Simmons 61st out of all players in defensive rating. Giannis and AD were 3 and 14. Historically the metric has the same flaw. Overall though the advanced metrics are more useful with at least 20 or 30 games into the season. 

I get your point though about Hardaway. He’s a solution not a problem. Both players belong IMO

[StepBackJay]

Again. If the sample size is big enough to identify THJ as the weak link in the lineup that needs to be traded it is big enough to do the same with any other player. We are talking about this season. Not any projections. Richardson hasn´t been better and bricked more shots. I hope that he improves but if he continues to struggle on offense he won´t get paid in the summer.
Why are we punishing THJ because he cannot be a 2nd or 3rd option but ignore that Richardson has been even worse in the same role.
Can we at least question why THJ is the one that needs to go? We need shooting as well. Upgrade Richardson and get a guy that can defend but is a better playmaker.

I am not even saying that THJ is the better player. This thread is me holding up the mirror and trying to figure out why he is the scapegoat when other guys are clearly playing worse.

THJ has a whole career you can look at. I have seen enough btwn this year and last year to make my own conclusions. I was pro-THJ last year and I do think he will settle into a good year here. But he's a guy you need to upgrade. Powell you can't really upgrade, I think J Rich is a much better fit as a true 3D guy next to Luka. And J Rich doesn't have to shoot well every night to have an impact. Nights when THJ isn't shooting well he is garbage. I like that you are indignant in defense of THJ the night after he goes 8/10 but lets see you come here and defense him the next time he goes 1/9. I don't think we will have to wait that long, especially with KP out. Again my position isn't that we shouldn't play THJ at all, its that he is the guy to upgrade on this roster. Mavs need a true playmaker/scorer in that spot to get to the next level.