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Season Exit GM Interview
SEASON EXIT - PRESS CONFERENCE
GM Digeze of the Charlotte Hornets sat down in front of the press at the conclusion of the NLL Season. Digeze has always stated that this would be the final season his Hornet's would be on the outside looking in at Playoff time. The following is a summary from the conference.
Revisiting the Pre-Season Goals
Reporter - We sat down in this exact same spot at the start of the season and discussed the goals and expectations, both on a team level as well as some individual growth targets for specific players. Now that your season has concluded, can you comment on the end results?
GM Digga - Absolutely. While others certainly try, we feel like nobody else better understands this team and what we are capable of than our own front office staff. This is emphasised when we go back and break down our preseason goals. We stated back then that the Playoffs were not the be all and end all, we're all about steady and patient growth. I did say the Playoffs would be a nice bonus but to improve our record on the previous season and continue an upward trajectory was more important than panicking and trying to force the process. The team did improve it's record and I'm confident we will again next season as well. In that pre-season meeting I also said I'd like the team to lead the league in blocked shots (they did), for Elfrid to be top-3 in the league in assists (finished 1st) and for Kristaps to be top-5 in the league in Blocks (finished 1st). Our final goal was to finish with a positive record in division matchups but we finished with a push, going .500.
Player Performance
Reporter - Can you just give a quick summary on how you felt the key members of your roster performed this season?
GM Digga - Sure, obviously we're a young team so our major issue is usually consistency. I thought Porzingis had an outstanding season. He ranked 3rd overall amongst PF's in the league which is outstanding for his age. Turner had some growing pains. He has shown the ability to add a 3-point shot to his arsenal but showed zero tendency to attempt them in game this season. Elfrid doesn't get a lot of love but it was his pass first mentality that helped other players to shine on the roster. Gary Harris had a hard time transferring his big improvement this season into our 2k league...he subsequently saw a lot of bench time but we're expecting big things from him next year. Our rookies, Ingram, Thon, Jamal and Dejounte Murray all showed enough glimpses to get us really excited about the outlook for this team moving forward.
Coaching Adjustments
Reporter - Do you feel like the coaching staff reacted appropriately in making roster adjustments throughout the year?
GM Digga - I believe they did a good job of reacting to our own players difficulties. We lost a staggering amount of games by 1-2 points this year. I know Elfrid found himself in a reduced role later in the season after struggling with late free throws to clinch games. It's something he's working on for next season. The coaching staff also wasn't afraid to hold Gary Harris back while he wasn't yet ready to translate his ability in practise to his ability in our 2k league. It didn't take long to discover the way players are 'rated' by outside forces doesn't necessarily translate to in game performance.
Final Week
Reporter - There was some speculation in the media about your team "tanking" in the final week of the season. Mathematically you had a shot at the Playoffs and didn't put forward your best possible lineup, care to respond?
GM Digga - It's disappointing to read those sort of comments in the media. I can assure you that not one outlet bothered to seek us out for direct comment so any accusation you read was sensationalism. Unfortunately, by the final week of the season most teams already have their positions in the league sorted. Interest naturally turns to any final playoff clinches to entertain us as we momentarily disregard the fact that the teams are in the bottom half of the conference for a reason and likely cannon fodder when the attention turns back to serious games. Sometimes you have to look at the term 'mathematically' and then combine it with a little common sense. We lost TWO games to Washington in Week 19 while we were at full strength which handed them the tiebreaker. 'Mathematcally', to reach the Playoffs we were required to go 4-0 in Week 20 (something we were unable to achieve the entire season) AND the Wizards were required to go 0-4 in Week 20 (something they had not done the entire season). In addtion to this, the Wizards were 12-5 since the Klay/Melo trade. "Mathematically", you can win lotto if you enter it this week, personally, I save my $15 every week and end up better than 99.999999999% of people that bet on lotto. While outsiders may be looking for a fairytale, we made an assessment into what would have the most benefit to the team. The verdict was that increased playing time for Reed and Wood, two players who could still be influenced when it comes to resigning based on mpg, as well as getting a look at Thon Maker in full control without being hampered by Zinger and Turner would be more beneficial to the team. Thon responded by putting up 26.8ppg, 13.3rpg, 1.3apg, 1.5spg and 2bpg to really give management a positive outlook looking ahead. What we will confirm for you is that our final week roster had absolutely nothing to do with the draft, thanks for asking.
The Draft
Reporter - While we're on the draft, we're approaching that time of year again. What are your plans?
GM Digga - That's a lazy question for a reporter, you just expect me to divulge all our plans? Ok, we'll be putting forward a list in the next couple of days of players we'll be open to moving this offseason. We do have the 13th Pick and have never been afraid to reach for players we believe in. We currently own 5 2nd Round picks too, we're always interesting in moving into the first half of the first round using various player/pick combos.
Last Words
Reporter - Thank you for your time, do you have any last words?
GM Digga - I just wanted to reiterate to our fan base that we understand your patience can be tested at times, please understand that the front office is always trying to make decisions that are in the best interests of the franchise achieving an extended period as a force in this league. We feel that this organisation will be rewarded for it's long term commitment and we're confident that we'll continue to see progress.
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GM Digeze of the Charlotte Hornets sat down in front of the press at the conclusion of the NLL Season. Digeze has always stated that this would be the final season his Hornet's would be on the outside looking in at Playoff time. The following is a summary from the conference.
Revisiting the Pre-Season Goals Reporter - We sat down in this exact same spot at the start of the season and discussed the goals and expectations, both on a team level as well as some individual growth targets for specific players. Now that your season has concluded, can you comment on the end results? GM Digga - Absolutely. While others certainly try, we feel like nobody else better understands this team and what we are capable of than our own front office staff. This is emphasised when we go back and break down our preseason goals. We stated back then that the Playoffs were not the be all and end all, we're all about steady and patient growth. I did say the Playoffs would be a nice bonus but to improve our record on the previous season and continue an upward trajectory was more important than panicking and trying to force the process. The team did improve it's record and I'm confident we will again next season as well. In that pre-season meeting I also said I'd like the team to lead the league in blocked shots (they did), for Elfrid to be top-3 in the league in assists (finished 1st) and for Kristaps to be top-5 in the league in Blocks (finished 1st). Our final goal was to finish with a positive record in division matchups but we finished with a push, going .500. Player Performance Reporter - Can you just give a quick summary on how you felt the key members of your roster performed this season? GM Digga - Sure, obviously we're a young team so our major issue is usually consistency. I thought Porzingis had an outstanding season. He ranked 3rd overall amongst PF's in the league which is outstanding for his age. Turner had some growing pains. He has shown the ability to add a 3-point shot to his arsenal but showed zero tendency to attempt them in game this season. Elfrid doesn't get a lot of love but it was his pass first mentality that helped other players to shine on the roster. Gary Harris had a hard time transferring his big improvement this season into our 2k league...he subsequently saw a lot of bench time but we're expecting big things from him next year. Our rookies, Ingram, Thon, Jamal and Dejounte Murray all showed enough glimpses to get us really excited about the outlook for this team moving forward. Coaching Adjustments Reporter - Do you feel like the coaching staff reacted appropriately in making roster adjustments throughout the year? GM Digga - I believe they did a good job of reacting to our own players difficulties. We lost a staggering amount of games by 1-2 points this year. I know Elfrid found himself in a reduced role later in the season after struggling with late free throws to clinch games. It's something he's working on for next season. The coaching staff also wasn't afraid to hold Gary Harris back while he wasn't yet ready to translate his ability in practise to his ability in our 2k league. It didn't take long to discover the way players are 'rated' by outside forces doesn't necessarily translate to in game performance. Final Week Reporter - There was some speculation in the media about your team "tanking" in the final week of the season. Mathematically you had a shot at the Playoffs and didn't put forward your best possible lineup, care to respond? GM Digga - It's disappointing to read those sort of comments in the media. I can assure you that not one outlet bothered to seek us out for direct comment so any accusation you read was sensationalism. Unfortunately, by the final week of the season most teams already have their positions in the league sorted. Interest naturally turns to any final playoff clinches to entertain us as we momentarily disregard the fact that the teams are in the bottom half of the conference for a reason and likely cannon fodder when the attention turns back to serious games. Sometimes you have to look at the term 'mathematically' and then combine it with a little common sense. We lost TWO games to Washington in Week 19 while we were at full strength which handed them the tiebreaker. 'Mathematcally', to reach the Playoffs we were required to go 4-0 in Week 20 (something we were unable to achieve the entire season) AND the Wizards were required to go 0-4 in Week 20 (something they had not done the entire season). In addtion to this, the Wizards were 12-5 since the Klay/Melo trade. "Mathematically", you can win lotto if you enter it this week, personally, I save my $15 every week and end up better than 99.999999999% of people that bet on lotto. While outsiders may be looking for a fairytale, we made an assessment into what would have the most benefit to the team. The verdict was that increased playing time for Reed and Wood, two players who could still be influenced when it comes to resigning based on mpg, as well as getting a look at Thon Maker in full control without being hampered by Zinger and Turner would be more beneficial to the team. Thon responded by putting up 26.8ppg, 13.3rpg, 1.3apg, 1.5spg and 2bpg to really give management a positive outlook looking ahead. What we will confirm for you is that our final week roster had absolutely nothing to do with the draft, thanks for asking. The Draft Reporter - While we're on the draft, we're approaching that time of year again. What are your plans? GM Digga - That's a lazy question for a reporter, you just expect me to divulge all our plans? Ok, we'll be putting forward a list in the next couple of days of players we'll be open to moving this offseason. We do have the 13th Pick and have never been afraid to reach for players we believe in. We currently own 5 2nd Round picks too, we're always interesting in moving into the first half of the first round using various player/pick combos. Last Words Reporter - Thank you for your time, do you have any last words? GM Digga - I just wanted to reiterate to our fan base that we understand your patience can be tested at times, please understand that the front office is always trying to make decisions that are in the best interests of the franchise achieving an extended period as a force in this league. We feel that this organisation will be rewarded for it's long term commitment and we're confident that we'll continue to see progress. | |||
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