We have no answer other than launching up 3s. Make a damn adjustment!
I just erased my original statement of, "We do not make adjustments" because I'm trying not to cheapen my argument with exaggeration. But, for the most part, we do not make adjustments. It's getting old. EVERY game against even a halfway decent team, the other team sets the tone. The other team sets the tempo. We have to adjust to their players. We have to adjust to their strengths. We don't "get them to play our game" because we don't have a game. We have no identity and I'm beginning to think it's because we have no leader.
I'll say it again... I have been a Paulsen guy because I appreciate what has happened and what I thought was happening. But I was wrong. If you are actually watching these games this season, and you do not see that there is a coaching problem, I just don't know what to say to you. Cue the people who think "positive" means "lying," "blind," or "stupid" to tell us that it's not Coach's fault our 3's aren't falling, it's not Coach's fault Bona's are, etc., etc., etc. I'd rather be realistic. You can be positive, but still admit you were wrong when things suck.
If we aren't recruiting shooters in this modern era of basketball, if we are recruiting them but can't land any of them, if we land them but they get to us and forget how to shoot, etc., at what point are we allowed to put this on the person at the top? We got the wrong assistants? He hired them. Got the wrong players? He signed them. Don't make in-game adjustments? Whose job is that?
Why are we able to build a big lead, and then get blown out? Because other coaches see how we built the lead, adjust, and we just do not counter. It's maddening to watch.
You can make a list of everything that's going wrong and someone can jump on and say why it's not DP's fault. You can also look at all of the things that are out of his control, and if the haters can jump on and say why it is his fault. There is a small predictable core of posters who you know what they're going to say. But watch, one by one, all of the moderate, optimistic realists change their tune about this coach.
We cannot have THIS MANY problems and have them not be the head coach's "fault." Enough B.S. These kids have no quit in them and are playing their hearts out. But they need to be told what to do and how to do it. I'm not even necessarily a "Fire Dave Paulsen" guy. Sure as hell not mid-season, and maybe even not at the end. But do not extend him and when the time comes, if there is not a meaningful post-season appearance that is at least competitive, do not renew him. He got us back to almost-respectable. He has not shown me any reason to believe he is the guy that can take the next step.
This is NOT an overreaction to wins and losses, so spare me the "our record keeps getting better," "we consistently exceed expectations," "you're just frustrated that the rebuild takes longer than you hoped." This is my so-so basketball mind watching games, watching the trajectory, and being honest about what I actually see. There is such a thing as "the eye test" and we fail.
I've been relegated to watching almost all of our game son TV, which allows the benefit of hearing supposedly unbiased commentary, watching replays, rewinding things and rewatching it, and it's less emotional. Whenever I see us play live, and win, I get all hyped up about the team because we have some really talented and fun players. When I watch us on TV, win or lose, I see some glaring deficiencies in nearly every single aspect of the program. It's disheartening. I think my once-a-season or once-a-month long frustrated post is about to become once-a-week...
