Hoops Snowflakes thread

On floor play and record indicates he’s more like Brian Ellerbe

You have nailed it.  Except Tommy didn't have anger issues.

I literally cringe to read about any game I don't watch to see if the post game includes an incident with a referee or opposing coach.

If anyone thinks it is not going to happen in the future you are kidding yourselves.  This from a guy who grew up in the same era as Fab 5.  Boggled how the "dad" of the Fab 5 has turned into a piece of dynamite who will blow up any moment and our enabler Warde is good with it. 

You don't get consolation prizes for close loses particularly when they are self inflicted with a lack of effort on defense and rebounding, and the offensive end devolving into bad iso ball on crucial possessions over and over again. They aren't losing because of flukes, they are losing because the things they don't do well throughout the game get magnified even more late in close games.

Dude, Florida is not a Sweet 16 team. They aren’t even a good team. 

the username matches the number of excuses afforded Howard. It’s really impressive. This Board has blind allegiance for sure. Very blind.

Exactly one guy that can bring the ball up the court 

We got about six small power forwards tweeners that we can put all on the court at the same time with Llewellyn. Who needs any 1 or 2 guards???

If you can enjoy the same consistent ways to fail game after game then I gotta hand it to you, you have steel in your spine. I am ok with off nights shooting, other team is just better, a lucky bounce, wrong end of the officiating stick, etc. but what I can’t watch is poor fundamentals, turnovers, poor defensive effort, lack of rebounding, hero ball, poor timeout management, etc. Props to you for being able to see a silver lining here!

Oh, please. If doesn’t win games. Anyway, Florida could say how they’d have controlled the entire game if Dug hadn’t started out so hot. Or if they made their last shot of regulation. 

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas.

I think Florida missed 10+ free throws and about the same number of layups. Once sequence saw them blow three straight 2 on1 fast breaks (or a clear man advantage), so maybe that made 3 at the end of the first half evens things out a bit on the unlucky side.

Thank you for saying this!! When last season ended I was convinced that the only way Juwan could turn this around was by making major changes on his staff (i.e. AT LEAST two new assistants). When no changes were made, I feared that we would get to this point. The chemistry with this staff has been off for at least 2 years now, it just doesn't generate the juice we need and doesn't put kids in the best position to win games. If he didn't make any changes last year, I highly doubt that he will make changes now (while I do love coach Howard, it is clear to me that he is extremely stubborn and headstrong). Coach B had to humble himself MULTIPLE times throughout his career, Harbaugh does it nearly every season. Stagnation rarely leads to success

Your "lived and died" phrasing is cringey (even if unintentional) since Juwan seems to have been busy this off season trying not to become a fatality statistic.  

I wonder if the lack of improvement year to year is coaching related or roster continuity related.  I also wonder if "continuity" is now a quaint, antiquated ideal.  I do know that fundamental skills have gone the way of the buggy whip.

I don't know about making staff changes, but I would wager it is highly unusual to keep a staff together for, is this the fourth year? I am willing to chalk last year up to a bad roster of no clutch shooters, a young PG, no wing defense, a team whose best player really didn't fit anymore. I think that's more on Howard, than the assistant coaches. This team seems to have more to work with, but it has struggled..again, a lot down the stretch of games. Maybe new blood would be good. 

But, I've watched some (not all) of the last 2 games with Howard back in charge, and it seems like a different bench. During game action, nobody appears to be talking to him. He stands about 10 feet away from the bench. I know he's always done that, but if I remember correctly the other assistants would frequently consult with him during game action. I can't say that I've seen the assistants even get up from their seats to interact with the players during game action. That seems contrary to how things used to be, as well. I think the impact of Howard's surgery, the uncertainty of him coming back (being an assistant for a handful of games) and now the incident with Sanderson has really put this team (players and staff) in a vulnerable position. I'm not convinced that Howard's leadership is 100% unquestioned. Personally, I'd like to see him take convalescent leave the rest of the year and let Martelli have a go with this roster. It might not be necessary for his long-term health, but it might be best for the team and for his mental well-being.