In Defense of the Auto-Bench
Anyone watching the Timberwolves-Clippers game?
KAT was left in the game by the TWolves coach only to pick up his 4th foul in the 2nd quarter!!!
Who knows how much impact he’ll have in the 3rd but this would be ugly if Russell and Edwards didn’t show up big for them.
Gotta trust your coaching instincts even in these big games.
April 13th, 2022 at 12:41 AM ^
Narrator: Russell and Edwards did, in fact, show up big for them.
Finch deserves Coach of the Year, btw.
April 13th, 2022 at 10:47 AM ^
Second on Finch for CotY. The Timberwolves turnaround has been pretty remarkable this year, with basically the exact same roster as last year. Maybe Pat Bev really does make that much of a difference? I highly doubt he's really worth 20ish wins by himself.
Peak MGoBlog right there.
Interesting auto-bench note: women's coaches are WAY less likely to auto-bench.
Is there any difference in the rate of fouling out in men's vs women's basketball? That might inform a discrepancy in the auto-bench rate.
There are many sides to this coin...it is a roll of the dice in every direction.
Not auto-benching you maximize the number of minutes your player can get. Points/minutes in the second quarter don't count any less than those in the 3rd/4th.
The only reason to auto-bench someone is if they are your best FT shooter and you want to ensure they are on the floor the last minute for intentional fouls.
I agree it's overdone - though you can always find examples for both arguments .
Also think bringing the player back in after a long sit may make them more prone to a quick foul.
JMO
Agreed. I think we tend to focus on the bs foul call on Burke’s block of Siva in the 2013 national title game, but what about the fact that Spike played 28 mins in that game but Burke, the national player of the year, played only 26? Yes, Spike was out of this world hot in the 1st half, but when Burke was benched in the 1st half with 11 mins to go we were up by 5 points. When the half ended, we were up by only 1. We probably should’ve brought back in Burke once Louisville cut our 12 point lead down to 6 with a few mins to go in the half. But alas, Burke stayed on the bench until the beginning of the 2nd half. Burke wouldn’t pick up his 3rd foul of the game (on the clean block of Siva) until there were 5 mins left in the game.
early in the game is one thing.... but it always puzzles me when in the 4th qtr a player gets benched with 4 fouls..... if he's going to foul out, does it matter that much if he fouls out with 6 minutes to go in the game, or 4??
April 13th, 2022 at 10:45 AM ^
I watched that whole game, and I think you're making the argument backwards. With how Towns was playing (rather recklessly) and being officiated (which is a whole different discussion, I honestly think Towns gets one of the worst whistles in the league because he whines so much), he was clearly going to foul out no matter what. Why not maximize the minutes you get from him?
Interestingly enough, his 6th foul with just under 8 minutes left was the turning point in the game. The Timberwolves went on a 13-2 run and never looked back.
April 13th, 2022 at 12:41 PM ^
The auto bench is dumb imo. I don't know the actual statistics but it seems like that team is usually down the rest if that half or the remainder of that half. They have to constantly fight back. When the player does get back they have lost their rhythm and always seem to be less of a factor than normal.
Especially in the NBA, they should let the stars play through trouble in the regular season. You can teach or work on being smart during that time, plus who cares if Giannis fouls out in the 17th game of the season.
Someone like Seth Curry could be 5 for 5 from 3 6 minutes into the 1st and gets called for his 3rd foul and you font see him until the start of the 3rd quarter. Probably ends the game 5 for 10 when he hd a chance to go off
The refs can only bench players when they have their 5 or 6th (NBA) any other benching from fouls is up to the coach. I tend to lean on “You going to sit big minutes if you get your 4th, otherwise go play”
April 17th, 2022 at 11:31 AM ^
I like auto bench in college. Like Jon B was always using it. I think younger players benefit from the mental “cool off” period after a foul to avoid the tendency to over compensate or make a mental error i:e turnover, bad shot choice etc. I guess with upperclassman with the experience to not fall victim to that stuff and where the game stands at the time it should be flexible.