Take Brandon LaFell. Why would Cincinnati consider playing him over Ross? Let’s assume that he is far better than Ross and would lead to more wins. This, in the midst of a losing season, is an entirely bad thing. Winning these pointless games in a season that will have the same result by playing Lafell produces two long term results:
- Cincinnati will end up with a worse draft pick due to winning meaningless games, and
- Ross loses out on valuable experience, in order to give minutes to a 31-year-old who became a free agent at the end of the season.
I cannot stress enough how bothered I am by the thought of sitting out a rookie in favor of a 31-year-old upcoming free agent. Unless your team is a playoff contender who is competing for a championship, play the young guy.
I am very excited to see a coach work with Ross who doesn’t view him with an odd level of scorn. Ross is no doubt going to be in part a product of his circumstances, but those circumstances have drastically changed for the better.
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