Speaker 1: We're gonna spend ten minutes right now with i May Joka,
Rockets coach. It's always fun to talk to him after
big Victoris are good runs of things and a little
more difficult when you have a disappointing loss.
Speaker 2: You may thank you for the time. How do you
want to explain last night?
Speaker 1: That had to be a very frustrating night for you
and the entire squad going against that Golden State team.
They came together and put together fifty three minutes of
good basketball in a game that came down to a
literally the last couple of seconds.
Speaker 3: You know, been a problem with us this year, I
think is playing up and down to the level well
competition and not a good trend obviously, but.
Speaker 4: Had our chances.
Speaker 3: A lot of areas that have heard us in the
past really came out to hurt us last night. And
giving up you know, eighteen offensive rebounds to that team
is way too high, and then the turnovers as usual.
You know, I'm scoring twenty four points off for our
eighteen points off, our eighteen turnovers is way too high.
And so you know, had some good looks in this
in the fourth quarter, defended a high enough level, holding
them to one on one in regulation that if we
make some those shots, it obviously masks that. But the
areas that have hurt us a lot of times have
heard us last night as well.
Speaker 2: Yeah, unfortunately too, they got to the paint sixty points.
Speaker 1: That's got to be way too high a number for
your squad, I'm assuming, right, Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, you look at the team they
had out there and some of the players that you know,
they've had injuries and guys have been extra aggressive Podzemski, Milton,
and you can't let certain role players get get that
loose and have that much of an impact just because
some starters are out and so point paint points way
too high. You know. Offensive rebound is a big part
of that, and when we don't defensive rebound at a high,
high enough level, that always comes back to bite us.
Speaker 1: Give me an update if you can. Look, Jabari had
an off shooting night. I don't know if the ankle's
still bothering him. You you used a lot of guys
for a lot of minutes yesterday.
Speaker 2: Where are you right now?
Speaker 1: And I don't know if you've had a chance of
Gaboy troops are just kind of going through text ruads,
but how is Jabari feeling right now?
Speaker 4: He definitely had some soreness.
Speaker 3: You know that that the ankle is not gonna be
one hundred percent after you know, a game or two.
Speaker 4: But you know, he had some really good looks as well.
Speaker 3: I think, uh, he'll be better as games go on,
and so we'll get some guys we'll get going back tonight,
you know, expand the rotation a little bit with the.
Speaker 4: Back to back and get a spark from some other people.
Speaker 3: But I expect Alpering and Jabari and everybody to be better.
Speaker 4: Than they were last night.
Speaker 5: Rocketed coach Imidoka was here on a Sports Talk seven
ninety read Shepherd was a bright spot for you, and
really I was impressed by the versatility of the offense,
with his passing, with the pull up shots. I mean,
have you seen him make a right handed running hook
shot like he did in the game too.
Speaker 3: He's had a few this year where he's got into
his right hand. This is a little sleeping.
Speaker 4: Hook, a high layup, whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 3: But I think he's expanding his game and it's scared
to see him take this jump in the second year
and something we're gonna need just a different look for us.
He adds another dimension to us out of obviously the
shooting is there, but handling in the pick and roll
and starting to make those reads like you mentioned in
the pocket and skid passes, and so great to see
him take the step that he's taking.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I played a lot of minutes for you as well.
Play it all of overtime. What is it like for
you as a coach weighing thriving in that bench role
and possibly being inserted into the starting lineup or being
good where he is.
Speaker 4: For us? I mean, Reid is great in both roles.
Speaker 3: He's started at times this year and has come off
the bench majority of the time. But I think he's
he's good in both. You know, whether you take it
to last year or even Kentucky. You know him and
Dillingham's you know, didn't didn't start and play with the
starting lineup at all of Kentucky and they go number
three and number eight in the league and so in
the draft, and so those guys are, you know, very
good at whatever role. I think we've had a rotating
ft fifth starter most of the year, and you know,
we're still trying to zero in on what's going to
work best for him going into the playoffs, and Reid
is definitely in consideration for that, Steven at times when
he was here, and Josh early in.
Speaker 4: The year Atari.
Speaker 3: So based on what you need defensive, defensively or offensively,
it's good to have those options.
Speaker 1: Emay, you are a smart man for avoarding social media.
Your fan base, including people that call this show, have
been frankly fixated on why Reid does not start. And
my philosophy has been, and it's always been this way,
no matter who the player is, regard it's off, it's reader,
somebody else, it's about who finishes as compared to who
necessarily starts. But my number one argument has been I
love a six man I think six man and scoring
fifteen seventeen points a game, which Reid has now become
accustomed to, is needed, and you just don't have the
link with your bench with the injuries that.
Speaker 2: You had even before the start of the season.
Speaker 1: So when you consistently hear that, you get still questioned
about it on occasion, What is your general response tobit?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean people see the scoring in the highlight
plays and then trying to get fixated with that, but
there's a balance to a team, and whether you're looking
at it from a defensive standpoint with the starting lineup
or an offensive standpoint, you know you lose certain things
with Fred being out and Dylan being gone, and so
we want to replace that and maintain your identity as
far as that. And then to your point, Fred being
gone this year and our two main handlers being out
there together at the start of the game, I'm in
and Read it's easier to stager those guys, but definitely
a consideration for us, And like I said, he started
at times, but I'll take it to a guy like
Manu Ginobli, who is obviously who I've been around, played with, coach,
and whether it's Jamaal Crawford, Lou Williams, all those guys
are valuable for that specific reason.
Speaker 4: And Read is fine with whatever.
Speaker 3: And so if Reid was as concerned as the rest
of the world, I don't think he'd.
Speaker 4: Be where he's at right now. And so we'll look
at everything.
Speaker 3: And then to your point, as always since I've been here,
I think whoever finishes and who's playing well is going
to be in there at the end.
Speaker 4: And that's honestly more important to us.
Speaker 1: Got a scrappy Portland team coming in tonight and then
San Antonio on Sunday. So this is, uh, we knew
this stretch was coming up. You got Denver next week.
This is we're down about twenty games or so. The
standings are changing. What's the mindset right now with your
squad is we now officially can can start really watching
the scoreboard here between now and the end of the
regular season.
Speaker 3: Be consistent, that's the main thing, and play the way
we play regardless of the opponent. You know, we want
to be healthy and playing your best basketball this time
of the year and going into the playoffs, and that
hasn't met us lately, and so getting back to that,
we still have time to do it.
Speaker 4: But the talk is ticking and you need to zero
in on that and.
Speaker 3: Get our focus and in the right places. And so
for us, I think zeroing in on those things and
being a consistent offensive, defensive team. You know, that's something
that we've had ups and downs with this year, and
it's it's reflective in some of our wins and losses.
And so the more you can be solid in those areas,
I think it gives us a great chance. We know
who we are as far as that, but the ups
and downs is frustrating at times.