Zero-sum blame game isn't just my experimental jazz-fusion project, it's the idea that because there are many people to blame, nobody deserves to be singled out.
I don't believe in that.
So, even though Ben Gordon was invisible, Ben Wallace was 'the dead body' (credit to BullHockey for that one, although I'll give Wallace some praise for keeping Bynum from doing too much), and Hinrich rediscovered his love of turnovers, this will be yet another rant on Skiles.
It'll be a shorter one, because it's just more of the same: completely arbitrary lineup tinkering. I actually thought he suppressed that instinct in the first half, as instead of going to Adrian Griffin after both Hinrich and Duhon were benched with foul trouble, he instead moved Deng to guard in a lineup with Nocioni and Thomas.
Thomas was putting in another good game, but in his only meaningful minute of 2nd half play he was poked in the eye and had to leave with 3:39 left in the third quarter, replaced by Nocioni. Two minutes later Wallace came out for Aaron Gray. That's right, a Gray-Nocioni frontcourt.
I was leaving comments during the game and when I saw that Gray had stayed in to start the 4th, wrote: Skiles will coach with two hands around his own neck.
And that's what happened. The Gray-Noc frontcourt stayed out there over half of the 4th, as Tyrus had apparently the worst eye-poke of all time (although he came back (only) after Noc sprained his ankle, so it's not like he wasn't available), and Skiles also hasn't been reading David Thorpe's emails, as Noah received a DNP.
The results of that frontcourt expiriment could've been worse, which (as the gameflow isn't up so it's by hand) I believe was a -3. But just watching that team out there (substantial Duhon time during that stretch as well) was knowing that they were in no danger of actually taking the lead.
And it's just confirmation that there is no plan. And worse yet, instead of a 'stick with the plan' plan we get 'see what sticks'. And nothing sticks, it stinks. (take that, blog contest organizers)
I'd love to follow a team that didn't have such a willingness (bordering on desire) to be undermatched.