OT: UConn Alums in the NBA Playoffs

[Stainmaster]

Currently it looks as if we will have one or two of our Huskies vying for a ring this year, Villanueva for sure with Dallas and J. Lamb with OKC if they can overtake New Orleans for the final spot in the West. I recognize that neither team has a real shot of going all the way, but if my Nets don't make it I will definitely be rooting for either of the two of them to win their first title.

 

[UC990411]

Currently it looks as if we will have one or two of our Huskies vying for a ring this year, Villanueva for sure with Dallas and J. Lamb with OKC if they can overtake New Orleans for the final spot in the West. I recognize that neither team has a real shot of going all the way, but if my Nets don't make it I will definitely be rooting for either of the two of them to win their first title.

We've fallen a long ways in this regard too....

 

[UConnSwag11]

We've fallen a long ways in this regard too....

since ollie came to uconn as an assistant coach and head coach, kemba, drummond, lamb, bazz, daniels, and now hopefully boat have been drafted... it's not uconns fault spolestra and mainly brooks are not using bazz and lamb or trading them... or dummond got drafted to the pistons and kemba to the hornets, they're very good players on shltty teams.

 

[champs99and04]

It is a depressing time for UConn alumni in the NBA. Lamb never gets off the bench and Chuck is a ninth man type (though I'm happy he found a role, it looked like he was on his way out of the league last year).

Barring a major upset we're looking at being completely shut out of the final eight.

 

[superjohn]

OKC isn't making it. I've come to really dislike that team all because of Scott Brooks, the guy is a disaster of a coach.

 

[Walker11]

OKC isn't making it. I've come to really dislike that team all because of Scott Brooks, the guy is a disaster of a coach.

They were my favorite team for a few years until I realized I only liked the idea of them. And that is all because of Brooks.

 

[champs99and04]

I don't think you can blame Brooks for what has happened in OKC. Their last three teams have been derailed by injuries. And the James Harden trade will go down as one of the worst ever. They could have won half a dozen titles, easy, with Steve Lavin coaching them.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Shabazz has been injured for a while, but yeah he hadn't played much anyway this year

 

[superjohn]

I don't think you can blame Brooks for what has happened in OKC. Their last three teams have been derailed by injuries. And the James Harden trade will go down as one of the worst ever. They could have won half a dozen titles, easy, with Steve Lavin coaching them.

And OKC is just dumb enough to think this way. They will keep Brooks, stay stagnant for another year, Durant will get the hell out of dodge and 10 years from now bozos will be talking about what they could have been. If they had any sense Brooks would have been long gone by now.

 

[Walker11]

I don't think you can blame Brooks for what has happened in OKC. Their last three teams have been derailed by injuries. And the James Harden trade will go down as one of the worst ever. They could have won half a dozen titles, easy, with Steve Lavin coaching them.

Presti certainly deserves a lot of blame. They have had terrible luck. And Brooks still sucks. They rate well in the regular season w/ the offensive metrics but running a pure ISO offense is inexusable in the playoffs. And the dude has never been able to find a consistent rotation. The whole Andre Roberson thing is absurd as well.

 

[champs99and04]

And OKC is just dumb enough to think this way. They will keep Brooks, stay stagnant for another year, Durant will get the hell out of dodge and 10 years from now bozos will be talking about what they could have been. If they had any sense Brooks would have been long gone by now.

Presti certainly deserves a lot of blame. They have had terrible luck. And Brooks still sucks. They rate well in the regular season w/ the offensive metrics but running a pure ISO offense is inexusable in the playoffs. And the dude has never been able to find a consistent rotation. The whole Andre Roberson thing is absurd as well.

I don't think Brooks is a good coach, but I also don't think he is as bad as some portray him to be. I wouldn't blame OKC for trying to upgrade, but for the most part their roster has been a disjointed mess over the last few years around the big three, the inexplicable Dion Waiters trade being the latest example.

If the biggest complaint about a coach is that his offense is stagnant, I can live with that when I have two of the best six or seven players in the NBA. Defensively, they've been pretty stout with all their cogs in place - ever since Ibaka went down and Kanter inherited the bulk of the minutes in the front court, it has been a disaster.

Not saying Brooks doesn't deserve blame. I think he would be viewed in a much different light, though, if this franchise wasn't so snake-bitten as of late.

 

[Stainmaster]

I don't think Brooks is a good coach, but I also don't think he is as bad as some portray him to be. I wouldn't blame OKC for trying to upgrade, but for the most part their roster has been a disjointed mess over the last few years around the big three, the inexplicable Dion Waiters trade being the latest example.

If the biggest complaint about a coach is that his offense is stagnant, I can live with that when I have two of the best six or seven players in the NBA. Defensively, they've been pretty stout with all their cogs in place - ever since Ibaka went down and Kanter inherited the bulk of the minutes in the front court, it has been a disaster.

Not saying Brooks doesn't deserve blame. I think he would be viewed in a much different light, though, if this franchise wasn't so snake-bitten as of late.

There's also a substantial contingent of our fanbase that places the blame on Brooks for Lamb's NBA career stagnating. I could be wrong, but I think that plays into the bad rap he gets here.

 

[BUConn10]

I personally think Brooks has a personal issue with Lamb. Jeremy hasnt been flawless by any stretch of the imagination, yet even OKC fans have said that in the once in a blue moon chance JL does see the floor for garbage minutes, he really shoots the ball from deep well and racks up points very quickly. The reason I think its personal between Brooks and Lamb is that I read that the OKC locker room was really torn between the "cliques". Apparently Reggie Jackson was a real locker room cancer and had Lamb and Perry Jones on his side with Westbrook and Ibaka not liking their behavior. Anyone remember the video of Lamb giving out high-fives to teammates during a timeout and pulling his hand away from Westbrook, causing WB to turn around and give him a mean glare? Pretty dumb of those three to go up against the de facto team leaders but it is what it is, its the only explanation for a team who traded away an MVP caliber player for an unproven lottery pick out of HOU, and then proceed to never, ever play him.

 

[Stainmaster]

I personally think Brooks has a personal issue with Lamb. Jeremy hasnt been flawless by any stretch of the imagination, yet even OKC fans have said that in the once in a blue moon chance JL does see the floor for garbage minutes, he really shoots the ball from deep well and racks up points very quickly. The reason I think its personal between Brooks and Lamb is that I read that the OKC locker room was really torn between the "cliques". Apparently Reggie Jackson was a real locker room cancer and had Lamb and Perry Jones on his side with Westbrook and Ibaka not liking their behavior. Anyone remember the video of Lamb giving out high-fives to teammates during a timeout and pulling his hand away from Westbrook, causing WB to turn around and give him a mean glare? Pretty dumb of those three to go up against the de facto team leaders but it is what it is, its the only explanation for a team who traded away an MVP caliber player for an unproven lottery pick out of HOU, and then proceed to never, ever play him.

Do we have any solid proof of this?

 

[BUConn10]

Do we have any solid proof of this?

Ill try to find what I was reading, will post when I do.

Edit: faster than I thought. Here it is.

http://espn.go.com/blog/okc-thunder/post/_/id/324/jacksons-okc-exit-a-long-time-coming

 

[champs99and04]

There's also a substantial contingent of our fanbase that places the blame on Brooks for Lamb's NBA career stagnating. I could be wrong, but I think that plays into the bad rap he gets here.

Yes, and I think @BUHusky10 is probably correct regarding Brooks and Lamb. I'm not sure it's personal, necessarily, but it has been clear for a while now that Brooks just isn't a fan of Lamb as a player.

Honestly, with respect to Lamb, Presti's staunch refusal to trade him irritates me more than Brooks not playing him. If Brooks doesn't like him, fine, but I have to think there are teams around the league who would be happy to play him 20+ minutes. Bringing in Dion Waiters was basically as definitive a statement you are going to get that OKC does not believe in Lamb, so if that's the case I just don't know why they hold onto him.

 

[Stainmaster]

Yes, and I think @BUHusky10 is probably correct regarding Brooks and Lamb. I'm not sure it's personal, necessarily, but it has been clear for a while now that Brooks just isn't a fan of Lamb as a player.

Honestly, with respect to Lamb, Presti's staunch refusal to trade him irritates me more than Brooks not playing him. If Brooks doesn't like him, fine, but I have to think there are teams around the league who would be happy to play him 20+ minutes. Bringing in Dion Waiters was basically as definitive a statement you are going to get that OKC does not believe in Lamb, so if that's the case I just don't know why they hold onto him.

I agree with your point about Presti. As much as being on a team like the 76ers is every player's worst nightmare, a guy like Lamb could easily be a #2/#3 option on that squad.

 

[aceboon]

Somewhat related to the thread since the convo has steered towards OKC/Lamb, here is a pretty good read on JLamb's situation from February that still applies today by Jonathan Tjarks. Tjarks is one of the best basketball writers out there for those not up on him. I still have hope for Lamb being a dbl figure scorer somwehere once he liberated from OKC.

http://patternofbasketball.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-next-danny-green.html?m=1

 

[James]

Somewhat related to the thread since the convo has steered towards OKC/Lamb, here is a pretty good read on JLamb's situation from February that still applies today by Jonathan Tjarks. Tjarks is one of the best basketball writers out there for those not up on him. I still have hope for Lamb being a dbl figure scorer somwehere once he liberated from OKC.

http://patternofbasketball.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-next-danny-green.html?m=1

great stuff. especially that ryan McDonough quote at the start. I really hoped he got moved to the pistons with reggie, and have the opportunity to be coached by SVG.

 

[selles]

Somewhat related to the thread since the convo has steered towards OKC/Lamb, here is a pretty good read on JLamb's situation from February that still applies today by Jonathan Tjarks. Tjarks is one of the best basketball writers out there for those not up on him. I still have hope for Lamb being a dbl figure scorer somwehere once he liberated from OKC.

http://patternofbasketball.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-next-danny-green.html?m=1

"Scott Brooks reminds me a lot of Avery Johnson in that he seems to be constantly searching for ways to justify his own playing career in the way he handles his rotation."

Ouch.