I do generally think Vinny has done a good job of holding them responsible to earn minutes but not pulling the Skiles thing of forgetting about them on the bench. It was highly frustrating at the time to watch a less competitive lineup (hello, Aaron! and woohoo, smallball!) on the court while Ty or Joakim sat, but if it works like it seems it might be working to teach them the level of dedication necessary then it will be a huge benefit in the long run.

On the other hand, and I do realize I’ve just done it here, but I wish Tyrus and Joakim weren’t getting so lumped together that it’s almost like they’re one entity at times. This used to bug me about “the core” as well – it’s convenient to speak of people as a group, but it’s too easy to lose specifics of each individual’s situation and play. This quote puts out and reinforces the idea that Tyrus, up until recently, hadn’t been putting in extra work, and we know from the offseason that’s not the case.

the way they are running the floor in the last three games, we’re going to win a lot more games.

It will really help us tonight. Transition will isolate Yao’s effectiveness.

Vinny discovers frontcourt by accident. Someone re-smash Gooden’s groin!