Defensive Coach Doug Christie?

[east_sac]

Was listening to an interview Doug gave to KHTK and he indicated he would be interested in coaching. After watching how our guards defend, it would certainly help to have someone like Doug out there teaching these guys how to move and stay in front of their man so the bigs don't have to come off and help and subsequently leave their guy open for a dunk or short jumper...

Our backcourt really need some serious help on the fundimentals of defense and Doug could certainly help on that front.

Thoughts?

 

[arwen undomiel]

If our backcourt truly wants to learn, I'd at least explore the idea, but just because DC could play D doesn't mean he can teach it.

 

[NoBonus]

If our backcourt truly wants to learn, I'd at least explore the idea, but just because DC could play D doesn't mean he can teach it.

True, but if SAR is our big man coach... DC seems like a reasonable coach for the development of young guards and small forwards.

 

[fnordius]

I tentatively like the idea. Our players might have tuned out Rick, and Muss, and Reggie, and Natt, but Jackie'd never let 'em get away with that ****.

 

[NoBonus]

I tentatively like the idea. Our players might have tuned out Rick, and Muss, and Reggie, and Natt, but Jackie'd never let 'em get away with that ****.

Wow! I forgot about Jackie!

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

I think one of the reasons DC was a great individual defender was because he didn't have to work very hard on offense. This is not the case for Salmons and Martin and Garcia, as we rely on their scoring ability to reduce the number of times we get blown out.

Other than that, his gifts were length and athleticism, desire, and maybe then savvy.

He can't teach length, and desire will come when the team isn't just playing for lottery position.

 

[Kevin_Martin_23]

This would be awesome.

 

[kennadog]

Other than that, his gifts were length and athleticism, desire, and maybe then savvy.

He can't teach length, and desire will come when the team isn't just playing for lottery position.

That's a chicken/egg situation, though. I would argue that they will play for lottery position, until they decide to be passionate about being the best defenders they can be.

DC would tell you he became passionate about defense, when he learned that was what was going to get him on the court, even though he was a very good scorer coming into the league.

 

[jthompson1]

I think one of the reasons DC was a great individual defender was because he didn't have to work very hard on offense. This is not the case for Salmons and Martin and Garcia, as we rely on their scoring ability to reduce the number of times we get blown out.

Other than that, his gifts were length and athleticism, desire, and maybe then savvy.

He can't teach length, and desire will come when the team isn't just playing for lottery position.

well put!

 

[Sac.1989]

If our backcourt truly wants to learn, I'd at least explore the idea, but just because DC could play D doesn't mean he can teach it.

theres a good write up about this by Voisin (in the Bee's Kings Blog) who states that Doug is indeed exceptional at explaining things and would make a very good coach

 

[east_sac]

I think that Insomniacs assesment short changes the fact that Doug was a very good defensive player. I think that one of the reasons he was a very good defender was because he had very good fundimentals on defense. He knew where to be on defense how to rotate, how to help, and how to stay in front of his defender. I think he had great footwork on defense. I think if Christie could teach those fundimentals to our guards it would help this team out tremendously.

I think Doug has the resume that will bring a great deal of credibility as a very good defensive player. Bring him on as a special assistant, like Coachie and if it works make him an full blown assistant. We really need someone to teach defense on this team, and right now there is absolutely no one doing that, or no one that the players want to listen to.

 

[Aenadin]

I wouldnt mind having Christie teach the young ones about defense but they had the chance to learn from a guy like artest for the past three years and i dont see any improvement from some of the guys.... perhaps artest wasnt teaching at all or i dont know

i would like to have bowen and christie teach these kids to play D and for the bigs would like to have Dikembe aboard..

wonder what if we had a staff like this

C-webb/Vlade as head coach... his assistants would be christie,Bobby Jackson, Corliss,

those guys are the type who command respect

 

[Bricklayer]

Thing is we already have a guy who was a defensive specialist on our coaching staff right now. Randy Brown was a very good defender, first with us, and then picking up several rings with MJ in Chicago. But whatever he's been saying obviously hasn't been very effective. Meanwhile maybe the hottest commodoity in the NBA as a defensive coach is Boston's Tom Thibodeau (who we had a chance to hire instead of Theus BTW), and yet he never played a game in the NBA.

Have no objection to giving Doug a try and have heard worse ideas (as long as the wife doesn't demand to show up to all the practices to keep an eye on him), but just being a good defender as a player doesn't necessarily mean it will automatically translate. Nor does it mean our lazy weenies will necessarily listen.

 

[NewMonkey]

I think Doug is great, but you can't teach heart. Our guys just aren't good defenders and will never be good defenders. That doesn't mean they can't improve, but they're not going to go from the worst in the league to anything more than average. The problem is not the coaching.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

I think Doug is great, but you can't teach heart. Our guys just aren't good defenders and will never be good defenders. That doesn't mean they can't improve, but they're not going to go from the worst in the league to anything more than average. The problem is not the coaching.

Sure you can teach heart, haven't you seen "Stand and Deliver"? You got to have the ganas!

That's a chicken/egg situation, though. I would argue that they will play for lottery position, until they decide to be passionate about being the best defenders they can be.

DC would tell you he became passionate about defense, when he learned that was what was going to get him on the court, even though he was a very good scorer coming into the league.

Among our wing players, we have: Salmons, who's probably already our best defender; Garcia, who does have defensive passion; and Martin.

So let us be clear, the player who would have the most to gain from emulating Christie is Martin. Martin also happens to be the #1 option on offense, whereas Christie was our #5 option on offense in the good old days. So while Christie had every reason to put his energy and passion into defense, threatening to reduce Martin's role is an empty threat.

I do agree with you that there's a chicken/egg problem. The way to break this cycle is to bring in someone that provides leadership on defense. I personally think this is the role of a player, and not an assistant coach. Ron Ron did it for half a year, by offering a vision of making the playoffs. But currently, the management of the team is signaling rebuild and youth development. Our team is crappy by design.

 

[mac]

i would like to have bowen and christie teach these kids to play D and for the bigs would like to have Dikembe aboard..

No Bowen thank you. As good as his defense is I'd rather not see Kevin Martin jumping around with flying kicks

 

[ZZE916]

Do it NOW! How can it hurt?

 

[FakeInjury]

I would much rather have C-Webb, Barkley, or Kevin Johnson before DC13 in any situation....but if those three are unavailable, DC is a good plan C. He could probably make more money as a player still, so it probably a wash.

 

[Widowmaker2k]

I would much rather have C-Webb, Barkley, or Kevin Johnson before DC13 in any situation....but if those three are unavailable, DC is a good plan C. He could probably make more money as a player still, so it probably a wash.

Barkley? As in Charles Barkley? And...I think Kevin Johnson is pretty busy already.

 

[VF21]

Let's see... We have Kevin Johnson working to get a new arena for the Kings. C-Webb is going to go to New York and ensure we get the #1 draft pick. Personally, I think Doug would be great as a defensive coach AND heart specialist.

Hrm... Things may actually be looking better than I thought.



P.S. And don't forget...We have Mateen Cleaves as "swagger" expert.

 

[Spike]

P.S. And don't forget...We have Mateen Cleaves as "swagger" expert.

The world needs ditch diggers, too...and towel-wavers. Everyone has a role in our eco-sphere, from the mighty megaladon, down to the dung beetle. To ignore the dung beetle is to ignore the future of our survival as a species, nay, a planet!






I think that's my useless post for the week. I would like to see Christie as a mentor, as he understands the 'small things' that help a team to victory. Very few of our players seem to understand the small things. As for Mateen, well, refer to my previous paragraph.

 

[nbrans]

How about we focus on getting some defensive players rather than trying to relive the glory days.

 

[kingsfan101]

How about we focus on getting some defensive players rather than trying to relive the glory days.

Or even better. Bench the guys who are not giving effort on the defensive end, and play those who are, even if it results in blowouts.

Strategy carries risk though. Are we willing to bite the bullet?

 

[VF21]

Are we ready to bite the bullet? The way some people are whining right now, an out-and-out strip the roster rebuild would send them over the cliffs like lemmings.

And Spike? My comment about Mateen wasn't mean-spirited. During his speech in honor of Chris Webber, he used the phrase...something to the effect that back then we had swagger. I loved the comment, as it showed that even the 13th guy on the roster was proud and confident.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

Or even better. Bench the guys who are not giving effort on the defensive end, and play those who are, even if it results in blowouts.

Strategy carries risk though. Are we willing to bite the bullet?

If I'm a 20ppg scorer, and the coach benches me because I don't play defense, and the team gets blown out every game hence, I'm not going to develop a passion for defense. I'm instead going to develop the opinion that the coach is a jackass.

 

[hrdboild]

Everyone talks about Doug's defense, but what about his passing ability? On that 2002 team Mike played off the ball a lot and Doug was the one who initiated the offense. I loved watching him laser in a perfectly timed pass in just the right spot for an open layup. If Doug is interested in coaching, this is the best news I've heard in awhile. Get him to take Kevin under his wing and show him how to play defense and how to run an offense smartly and efficiently. That's what's missing from his game right now, and I get the impression he has the right work ethic to thrive under good coaching. Doug was always a class-act. I'd love to have him in the organization.

Kevin doesn't need to be benched. He just needs someone in his ear telling him what he's doing right and what he's doing wrong and what he needs to work on. And that goes for the rest of these guys too.

 

[Spike]

And Spike? My comment about Mateen wasn't mean-spirited. During his speech in honor of Chris Webber, he used the phrase...something to the effect that back then we had swagger. I loved the comment, as it showed that even the 13th guy on the roster was proud and confident.

My response wasn't meant to be either - the internet has a funny way of making things sound different than their intent. There are tens of thousands of people who would have loved to be the 13th person on that team. I'm with you.

 

[kingsfan101]

If I'm a 20ppg scorer, and the coach benches me because I don't play defense, and the team gets blown out every game hence, I'm not going to develop a passion for defense. I'm instead going to develop the opinion that the coach is a jackass.

And that's the risk. Ideally, one would hope that such player shall understand that effort at the defensive end is required of all players, and playing time shall be earned by showing passion at that end.

For this, the coach needs to have a towering personality though, and have complete support of management. Else, players are likely to tune him out quickly, and he shall soon be looking for employment elsewhere.

 

[NewMonkey]

Are we ready to bite the bullet? The way some people are whining right now, an out-and-out strip the roster rebuild would send them over the cliffs like lemmings.

If my calculations are correct, the Kings are 4-25 in their last 29 games. Playing at that pace all season would result in 13 wins. It can't get any worse.

 

[VF21]

Actually, there's a lot more to "worse" than mere statistics. We are - knock on wood - not facing open hostility in the locker room, players who have just tuned out and don't even bother to phone it in, etc.

I don't ever challenge "worse"...