How to Improve the Defense?

[Kingster]

Kingster,
Your assessment is the most logical so far in explaining the Kings" dismal interior defense. I agree with the lack of intensity by Cousins and Sleepy Salmons. Thompson is more perplexing because the effor is there. You are correct that his results are average when it comes to defense.

In your opinion will Cousins continue to be a liability on defense? Can a strong PF make up for some his weaknesses?

I wish I had the crystal ball for that. My own view is that despite Cousins' rather earthbound nature as a player, he can still be at least average on defense. If you watched Cousins at the beginning of the year, or in past years, he showed an above average ability to anticipate on defense. That allowed him to take charges. I think he led the league for a while in charges taken if I'm not mistaken. So, he's shown some ability in that area, but his defensive performance is very sporadic. Maybe he gets frustrated with the refs and decides not to play D? Maybe he has disagreements with the coach and decides to vent by defensive laziness? Maybe he just got discouraged by losing and just doesn't feel like it? Regardless of the specific answers to those questions, it's all about his mental toughness, or lack thereof, the ability to perservere through frustration and dissapointment and have poise under pressure. To my mind, Cousins is a high ceiling, low basement player. It's very difficult to know how he's going to turn out, but I'm not an optimist for the near term because he just hasn't shown in his performance that he's turning anything around, or that he acknowledges he has the anger management issues, which he obviously has. If you don't acknowledge the problem, it's pretty difficult to find the solution.

As far as the power forward point, yes, if Cousins were to turn the corner with his mental outlook, yes, by all means the ideal pf would be a guy, who among other things, could come from the weak side and block shots. As others have said, just clone Ibaka and that would be ideal. It's a challenge to get somebody like that, but I think the greater challenge is still for Cousins to deal with his mental/emotional issues.

 

[Darth Divac]

As others have said, just clone Ibaka and that would be ideal.

Gorgui Dieng.

 

[The_Jamal]

Are there any stats that confirm Cousins is a below average defender and a liability? He is by no means a lock down defender but I have never thought of him as a liability or a bad defender. As many people have said our inability to get through a screen, leading to a switch, leading to a mismatch or open dunk when no one switches is the main reason for the terrible points allowed in the paint number. That has far more to do with the team defense problems and philosophy we follow than with the post players.

Cousins biggest problem is effort on the defensive end. It's clear as day when he's going 100% defensively and when he's not. That might have to do something with our team defensive philosophy, but I see that as being the biggest hurdle for him to overcome.

 

[bajaden]

we still have lost 3/4 of our games due to not contesting the three. and that is a fact

No! That is your opinion! It may in fact be true, but you've hardly proved your point.

 

[bajaden]

please pull up stats where teams have made more than 15 threes on us...i bet there is alot of games

Mi amigo,your the one that made the statement, so don't as the Capt to help prove your point. Do your own homework.

 

[bajaden]

Kingster,
Your assessment is the most logical so far in explaining the Kings" dismal interior defense. I agree with the lack of intensity by Cousins and Sleepy Salmons. Thompson is more perplexing because the effor is there. You are correct that his results are average when it comes to defense.

In your opinion will Cousins continue to be a liability on defense? Can a strong PF make up for some his weaknesses?

I think Cousins will struggle until he makes peace with the ref's. There are games when he'll come out at the beginning and he'll be aggressive on defense. Not necessarily smart at times, but at least aggressive. But then he picks up a quick foul, and fears if the gets another foul he's on the bench. So he starts playing matator defense. If you notice, there are games where he seems to coast in the first half, and maybe pick up only one foul, but in the second half, he's suddenly once again, more aggressive on defense because he knows he has some fouls to burn.

Now I'll give him that he gets called for a lot of cheap fouls. But a lot of that is due to his reputation. So he needs to start mending fences. I do think a good head coach that can teach good team defense will go a long way toward helping Cousins and the rest of the team. I wonder how much film work anyone on the team does. I know Douglas and Patterson both have said they study their opponents. Its a lot easier to defend someone when you know where he likes to shoot from. Whether he likes driving to his right, or his left. Its also nice to know where your help is and turn your man into your help.

Every PG in the NBA can be picked. Some fight through better than others. The question is, are you going to become a spectator, or are you going to be a part of deciding what your willing to give up. I see a lot of indecision on the part of IT, and I blame a lot of it on coaching. He should know what he's susposed to do. The last thing I want to see is Cousins out on the perimeter isolated on Chris Paul, or Derick Rose. All to often, thats what happens. At that point, the team is in trouble defensively.

 

[Spike]

People talk about interior defense, but really, it isn't that guards are dropping off passes to the block or elbow and then the PF/C players are wreaking havoc. It's often the guards penetrating causing the interior d to leave their man in order to cover up for the guards. Much of it comes from poorly defending pick and rolls, but also packing in the paint leaves guards wide open, giving either an easy shot or a drive to the lane where everyone has to scramble.

I really think it's scheme, because several of our players are fairly good one on one defenders, but the book on how to attack the Kings was written early in the season, and Smart never did anything about it, other than give people like James Johnson the green light.

So really, it's all bad on a team level, but I think we have enough individual talent to change that with adequate coaching. I'm curious to see what the offseason will bring.

 

[Padrino]

People talk about interior defense, but really, it isn't that guards are dropping off passes to the block or elbow and then the PF/C players are wreaking havoc. It's often the guards penetrating causing the interior d to leave their man in order to cover up for the guards. Much of it comes from poorly defending pick and rolls, but also packing in the paint leaves guards wide open, giving either an easy shot or a drive to the lane where everyone has to scramble.

I really think it's scheme, because several of our players are fairly good one on one defenders, but the book on how to attack the Kings was written early in the season, and Smart never did anything about it, other than give people like James Johnson the green light.

So really, it's all bad on a team level, but I think we have enough individual talent to change that with adequate coaching. I'm curious to see what the offseason will bring.

indeed. cause and effect, friends. you can't examine the kings' frontcourt defensive issues without first examining the kings' backcourt defensive issues, because they are directly tied up with one another...

 

[Npliam]

People talk about interior defense, but really, it isn't that guards are dropping off passes to the block or elbow and then the PF/C players are wreaking havoc. It's often the guards penetrating causing the interior d to leave their man in order to cover up for the guards. Much of it comes from poorly defending pick and rolls, but also packing in the paint leaves guards wide open, giving either an easy shot or a drive to the lane where everyone has to scramble.

I really think it's scheme, because several of our players are fairly good one on one defenders, but the book on how to attack the Kings was written early in the season, and Smart never did anything about it, other than give people like James Johnson the green light.

So really, it's all bad on a team level, but I think we have enough individual talent to change that with adequate coaching. I'm curious to see what the offseason will bring.

This happens to every team. Every team has guards that can get into the paint. It is up to the Bigs to rotate and then rotate to help the helper. I really don't think this team will be any better defensively until Demarcus gets better at defense.

 

[Telemachus]

This happens to every team. Every team has guards that can get into the paint. It is up to the Bigs to rotate and then rotate to help the helper. I really don't think this team will be any better defensively until Demarcus gets better at defense.

The problem is that too many times when the bigs rotate to help, our guards remain spectators out on the perimeter (effectively leaving our bigs hanging out to dry). IT is the biggest offender in this regard, but I have seen Thornton and Fredette do it as well. Another problem is that when a C/PF rotates to help the guard, someone has to help by rotating to cover his man. This didn't happen very often for the Kings this year. I lost count how many times JT or Cousins rotated to help cut off penetration only to have their man roll to the basket for an uncontested layup. When that happens too many times, the bigs start hesitating before rotating out, which leads to dumb fouls.

 

[KingsFanGER]

We have no players, that put all their effort and pride in defense, besides Douglas, Hayes and Aldrich. All the other guys on the Kings roster are mainly offensive minded and hesitate to play lock-down defense. They fear they may struggle on offense, cause they exhausted themselves on the defensive end of the floor. The Kings need 2 more players that are defensive contributors - 1 PG to stop the dribble penetration, 3 point-shooting and pick and roll and 1 shotblocking, high energy PF/C.

Thompson, Thomas and Thornton are way too weak defensively.
Thompson cant block a shot to save his life and gets easily overpowered by many PF in the league.
Thomas is unable to fight through screens and is a missmatch vs any athletic, big PG.
Thornton cant defend any athletic SG and doesnt put any effort in defense.

The Kings should get rid off all 3 and try to sign some players, who focus on defense and play off the ball on offense, wether it's through FA/Draft or Trades.
Players who would fit well are for example: Eric Bledsoe (Game 1 vs Memphis he absolutely destroyed the Grizzlies PG's on defense), Cory Joseph (very good man defender, tough and with a good size for a PG), Kirk Hinrich, Matt Barnes, Ronnie Brewer, DeShawn Stevenson, Bismack Biyombo (great shotblocker, defensive minded strong PF), Tyler Hansbrough (not a shotblocker but an extremely aggressive post defender and great rebounder, who mainly plays off the ball), Ed Davis, Elton Brand (aging but still a very good defender)

Maybe there is a chance the Kings can aquire 1 or 2 of these players. It would greatly benefit our defense in my opinion.

 

[ppine]

I hear from a lot people that are willing to deflect all criticism of cousins, including his defensive liabilities. To believe that the Kings' interior defense is weak because of the guard play is farfetched and dangerous.

 

[Spike]

To believe that the Kings' interior defense is weak because of the guard play is farfetched and dangerous.

Farfetched? Dangerous?
Tell me why. Go ahead.

There's proof, game after game, of guards having career nights against our team. We've pointed out that guards breaking down the defense causes interior men to move out of position. It's there. If you want to absolve IT for his deficiencies, that's on you, but the proof is in the tape. Good defensive teams have plans for how to defend the pick and roll. We don't defend it well, and that's just one example. Cousins of course has his share of blame, but as I've said before, it isn't that guards are dumping off the ball down low and we're getting pounded. Cousins is a good one on one defender. Ditto Thompson.

There's nothing farfetched about it, and there certainly isn't anything dangerous with it, unless the danger is that IT is replaced by someone who can, with greater consistency, stay in front of his man, as well as find a coach who knows the concept of team defense.

 

[Padrino]

I hear from a lot people that are willing to deflect all criticism of cousins, including his defensive liabilities. To believe that the Kings' interior defense is weak because of the guard play is farfetched and dangerous.

incorrect. it's not deflection. he's a defensive liability. most are willing to acknowledge this. his footwork on that side of the ball must improve. but he's also a potential 20/10 franchise center. if isaiah thomas, for example, was a potential 20/10 franchise guard, then you could likewise file some of those deficiencies under "needs improvement" and call it a day. but since thomas' defensive weaknesses (as well as those of john salmons and jason thompson) only exacerbate the team's frontcourt defensive problems, it makes the most sense to acquire defensively-minded talent to shore up those weaknesses. the point is, you're sure as **** not getting anywhere in this league by pivoting your roster adjustments around inferior talents like isaiah thomas. you pivot further moves around your best talent. end of story...

 

[Kingster]

This happens to every team. Every team has guards that can get into the paint. It is up to the Bigs to rotate and then rotate to help the helper. I really don't think this team will be any better defensively until Demarcus gets better at defense.

Exactly. Not only that, the Kings interior defense is attacked oftentimes by the pass, not the dribble.

 

[bajaden]

Exactly. Not only that, the Kings interior defense is attacked oftentimes by the pass, not the dribble.

We are one of the worse teams in the NBA at defending the pick and roll. All people on this fourm see is the end result, and not what caused that end result. To blame all of it on Cousins is pure nonsense. To give our guards a free pass, as though they're not responsible for any of it is also pure nonsense. According to some on this fourm, not you, its Cousins job to defend his own man in the post, stop any and all penetration by the other teams perimeter players, and also defend the pick an roll by stopping the ball, and then somehow get back and defend his own man that he left to stop the ball. You'd better find superman for that job!

I'll say it again, its team defense that wins games. Its a miracle that Cousins defense on the pick and roll improves greatly when Patterson is at the PF position. Must be a Kentucky thing. I'm not excusing Cousins. He has a long way to go, but until everyone is on the same page and doing their job properly, its very difficult to completely assess the problem.

 

[VF21]

We are one of the worse teams in the NBA at defending the pick and roll. All people on this fourm see is the end result, and not what caused that end result. To blame all of it on Cousins is pure nonsense. To give our guards a free pass, as though they're not responsible for any of it is also pure nonsense. According to some on this fourm, not you, its Cousins job to defend his own man in the post, stop any and all penetration by the other teams perimeter players, and also defend the pick an roll by stopping the ball, and then somehow get back and defend his own man that he left to stop the ball. You'd better find superman for that job!

I'll say it again, its team defense that wins games. Its a miracle that Cousins defense on the pick and roll improves greatly when Patterson is at the PF position. Must be a Kentucky thing. I'm not excusing Cousins. He has a long way to go, but until everyone is on the same page and doing their job properly, its very difficult to completely assess the problem.

I do not mean to sound flippant, but you cannot defend what you do not understand and, based on the last year, it's PAINFULLY obvious that our team has no clue whatsoever about the pick and roll, what it is and how it is run, WHEN it should be run or anything else remotely connected to one of the most basic plays in the game.

 

[ppine]

Nobody makes it to the NBA without understanding basic offensive moves like a pick and roll. This is turning into an academic exercise written by people that know a lot less about this sport than the people on the Kings' team playing it. We are all a little bit too sure of ourselves. Basketball is a very mental game, and the level of competition in the NBA is staggering. Just watching the speed from courtside is awe inspiring. If we are going to have a constructive discussion, please refrain from the hyperbole.

 

[Spike]

Nobody makes it to the NBA without understanding basic offensive moves like a pick and roll. This is turning into an academic exercise written by people that know a lot less about this sport than the people on the Kings' team playing it. We are all a little bit too sure of ourselves. Basketball is a very mental game, and the level of competition in the NBA is staggering. Just watching the speed from courtside is awe inspiring. If we are going to have a constructive discussion, please refrain from the hyperbole.

You'd be pretty surprised about people's level of expertise on this board. This is one of the better NBA boards (hell, boards in general) for that very reason. We're all not "weekend warriors", and I'll just leave it at that.
Speed has nothing to do with the ability to review/analyze/criticize the implementation and defense of the pick and roll. If you've coached it, played it, lived it at any level other than the YMCA (and probably if you have), you know it. At this point in time, I think it's fair to say that several posters here could have done a better job than Smart simply by focusing on the fundamentals and simple rotations. (How do you like that for hyperbole? )It doesn't have to be rocket surgery just because you see the players on TV or in person.

 

[Chupacabra]

What i think ive realized about this teams long lasting defensive woes is that defensive players wont necessarily fix the problem. What this team needs is a change in philosophy. That can only happen by replacing management and coaches. Of course, some good defensive players would help.

 

[mac]

What i think ive realized about this teams long lasting defensive woes is that defensive players wont necessarily fix the problem. What this team needs is a change in philosophy. That can only happen by replacing management and coaches. Of course, some good defensive players would help.

Hard to completely agree with you. I think that coaches and management set the direction for the team, and realistically speaking, no coach tells his guys not to play defense. You are right that it is a change in philosophy that is most important, but I think that is brought about by defensive-minded players. Look at what Garnett did to Boston's defense. The coaches stayed the same, but having a veteran leader emphasize defense is what got the whole team buying into the philosophy that Doc Rivers had been preaching all along. Same thing can be said for Tyson Chandler and the Knicks.

Of course we all know that it really is a combination of both players and coaches, but my personal take is that players get the team playing decent D, and good coaches build on that to get the team playing outstanding D.

 

[bajaden]

Nobody makes it to the NBA without understanding basic offensive moves like a pick and roll. This is turning into an academic exercise written by people that know a lot less about this sport than the people on the Kings' team playing it. We are all a little bit too sure of ourselves. Basketball is a very mental game, and the level of competition in the NBA is staggering. Just watching the speed from courtside is awe inspiring. If we are going to have a constructive discussion, please refrain from the hyperbole.

You are turning into a condesending arrogant a$$. I've been watching NBA basketball for over 50 years. I think I know what a pick an roll is. You want to have a disscussion? Fine! But when you first try and diminish the credibility of the person your having the discussion with, then I'm done with you. Just as some want to attack a persons ability to spell, instead of their ideas.

 

[bajaden]

Hard to completely agree with you. I think that coaches and management set the direction for the team, and realistically speaking, no coach tells his guys not to play defense. You are right that it is a change in philosophy that is most important, but I think that is brought about by defensive-minded players. Look at what Garnett did to Boston's defense. The coaches stayed the same, but having a veteran leader emphasize defense is what got the whole team buying into the philosophy that Doc Rivers had been preaching all along. Same thing can be said for Tyson Chandler and the Knicks.

Of course we all know that it really is a combination of both players and coaches, but my personal take is that players get the team playing decent D, and good coaches build on that to get the team playing outstanding D.

I sort of agree with you, but not completely. I'm a firm believer that everything starts at the top. The GM, and then the coach have to set the standard and the tone how the team is going to play. I've said for a long time that this team has no idenity. Look at the change in the 49'ers, and all they did for the most part was change head coaches. Now I grant you that its up to the players to learn and execute the system. And thats where the GM has to come in. Its his job to put together the right pieces. None of that has happened at any level on the Kings, and I'm not going to get into a discussion of whether the Maloofs were meddling or tying Petries hands. At this point, I don't care. I only care about the results. And they stink!

Old Pinion said that every player that comes into the NBA knows how to run the pick and roll. Well maybe thats true to some extent, but if he's capable of opening his eyes, he'd see that IT has no idea how to use a pick properly. Neither does Thornton, or to some extent Evans. To make matters worse, very few of our bigs are good at setting, and holding picks. So when you put the two together, its a discription for disastor. There is a distinct difference between knowing, and executing.

Defending the pick and roll is a team defense situation. If your guard can't fight through the screen, then someone has to give up his man to cover the ball, which means someone has to cover his man, which means players have to rotate. If one player doesn't do his job properly, then it usually leads to at minimun, an open shot, and at worse, and easy basket. When a team like the Spurs runs a player with the ball off 2 and sometimes 3 screens, and has another player without the ball running behind him off the same screens, or cutting baseline, the Kings become totally befuddled, and usually it leaves someone under the basket having to make a decision of whether to leave the basket to cover an open perimeter player, or stay at home and defend the basket. Either way, someone has an open shot. Just ask Bonner!

 

[Spike]

Also take into consideration that Someone like Evans likely never really had to master the pick and roll, as he's always been able to go one on one against anyone defensively/offensively until entering the league, but that deviates from the point at hand.

 

[Telemachus]

I sort of agree with you, but not completely. I'm a firm believer that everything starts at the top. The GM, and then the coach have to set the standard and the tone how the team is going to play. I've said for a long time that this team has no idenity. Look at the change in the 49'ers, and all they did for the most part was change head coaches. Now I grant you that its up to the players to learn and execute the system. And thats where the GM has to come in. Its his job to put together the right pieces. None of that has happened at any level on the Kings, and I'm not going to get into a discussion of whether the Maloofs were meddling or tying Petries hands. At this point, I don't care. I only care about the results. And they stink!

Old Pinion said that every player that comes into the NBA knows how to run the pick and roll. Well maybe thats true to some extent, but if he's capable of opening his eyes, he'd see that IT has no idea how to use a pick properly. Neither does Thornton, or to some extent Evans. To make matters worse, very few of our bigs are good at setting, and holding picks. So when you put the two together, its a discription for disastor. There is a distinct difference between knowing, and executing.

Defending the pick and roll is a team defense situation. If your guard can't fight through the screen, then someone has to give up his man to cover the ball, which means someone has to cover his man, which means players have to rotate. If one player doesn't do his job properly, then it usually leads to at minimun, an open shot, and at worse, and easy basket. When a team like the Spurs runs a player with the ball off 2 and sometimes 3 screens, and has another player without the ball running behind him off the same screens, or cutting baseline, the Kings become totally befuddled, and usually it leaves someone under the basket having to make a decision of whether to leave the basket to cover an open perimeter player, or stay at home and defend the basket. Either way, someone has an open shot. Just ask Bonner!

I think a lot of the problems come down to coaching (or the lack thereof), but we can't take the blame off the players either. ultimately, it comes down to focus and desire. I remember back in the Kings' hayday, Vlade was completely different on defense in big games than he was in games against bad teams (where he mainly turned it up in the 4th quarter). When he would "show" up top, sometimes it was barely a feint and other times he would almost drive the PG back to the half court line. When boxing out he would often rely on his size to get the rebound, while other times it seemed like he could box out one half of the key. My point being that Vlade knew how to play defense and box out, but chose when to do it.

The Kings current team doesn't have the luxury of taking plays off on defense (just not good enough). When you throw in the fact that many of them don't seem to understand the many of the fundamentals, that only adds to the problems. Good coaching would solve a lot of the Kings problems. But they need a coach who is a good teacher AND willing to force players to play the way he wants them to, even if that means pulling them out of the game to let them know how they screwed up (then putting them back in - until they lose that right).

 

[ppine]

Somebody buy Kingster a beer.
Bajaden,
Anyone that is offended because I think they know less than the Kings' players is a fool. They are professionals .......in the ............NBA.
Maybe you can be the next guest speaker at the next Kings off-season seminar on the pick and roll.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Nobody makes it to the NBA without understanding basic offensive moves like a pick and roll. This is turning into an academic exercise written by people that know a lot less about this sport than the people on the Kings' team playing it. We are all a little bit too sure of ourselves. Basketball is a very mental game, and the level of competition in the NBA is staggering. Just watching the speed from courtside is awe inspiring. If we are going to have a constructive discussion, please refrain from the hyperbole.

ppine, the reason why you're wrong has nothing to do with your opinion of the posters here, and everything to do with your opinion of the basketball players; you grossly overestimate their intellect. I don't think as many as one in fifteen finished college, and many of them (e.g., Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo, Deshawn Stevenson, Josh Smith, JR Smith) needed "help," vis-a-vis grade fixing, just to graduate high school. More to the point, however, Spike had it exactly right when he said:

Also take into consideration that Someone like Evans likely never really had to master the pick and roll, as he's always been able to go one on one against anyone defensively/offensively until entering the league...

This statement is true, and applies not only to Evans, but to nearly every elite guard in the league who 1) didn't play and/or didn't stay in college, 2) was always the best player on his team in high school/college, or 3) never played with a quality big man before going pro.

If you're an Anfernee Hardaway, or a Derrick Rose, or a Russell Westbrook, or a Tyreke Evans, or a Kyrie Irving, and you were always the biggest/strongest/fastest/most athletic player on the floor, your high school coach's "offense" probably consisted of the 1-4 and the fast break, you didn't learn the pick and roll, because you had no need to learn the pick and roll. If you're a big without a jumper, whether you're talking about top-level bigs like Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum, mid-level bigs like Larry Sanders and JaVale McGee, or low-level bigs like Tyrus Thomas and Ryan Hollins, you didn't have to learn how to play the pick and roll: they were able to catch the ball in the post, and then just turn around and dunk on people. I would bet you a week's pay that Andrew Bynum had no idea how to play the pick and roll, until after he got the lakers.

Sometimes, as in the cases of Westbrook and Irving, they go on to a college where they have to learn to play within a system, and/or with other talented players, and they learn the pick and roll then. Sometimes, like with a Rose or a Mayo, they don't learn until they get to the pros. And some players, like Evans, have yet to be taught. He played, almost exclusively, the 1-4 in high school, he played the 1-4 his one year at Memphis, and his first year in the league, what did Westphal run for him? Oh, guess what, the 1-4. Exactly why do you assume that everybody in the NBA knows how to play the pick and roll. It's a very basic basketball play, but it's not an essential basketball play. It's not like dribbling: you don't actually have to know how to pick and roll in order to be an effective basketball player. In fact, there may not be any one basketball skill that you absolutely have to know in order to be an effective basketball player.

And furthermore, even if you do learn how to play the pick and roll, that doesn't mean that 1) you know how to defend it, or 2) are capable of teaching other people how to play/defend it. I think, having played for Bob Knight, and learning from Gregg Popovich and Don Nelson, that Keith Smart knows how to run/play the pick and roll, but his track record shows that he's apparently not capable of teaching that skill to other people.

Do I think that everybody in the NBA knows how to run the pick and roll, just because they're in the NBA? Absolutely not. Not only do I not believe that, I think that the very idea is patently ridiculous. Do I think that the ones who don't know how to run it are too "stupid" to learn it? No, I don't believe that, either. What I do believe is that, with maybe one or two exceptions, the players on the Kings don't know how to, and haven't been taught to. I think we can all agree that we'd like to see that changed, starting next season.

 

[ESP47]

We need is a coach who knows how to coach defense. Forcing your guards to leave 3 point shooters wide open to pointlessly double team big men out on the wing is the first thing that needs to change. This coaching style set forth by Keith Smart was absolutely infuriating to watch.

Play to our strengths. We have Douglas, Hayes and Evans as our best 3 defenders who play a lot of minutes. Don't worry about them and let them cover their man. How often did we see Thornton or Thomas pointlessly go double team a guy Hayes had on lock down? Douglas and Hayes are defensive beasts. Evans is a good defender when he wants to be one. We have other guys like Patterson and Aldrich who can play good defense in short spurts. Johnson is one of our best defenders but he's so bad on offense that he's too much of a liability.

Get our guards on the same page. Learn how to defend the pick and roll. Learn how to play help defense when help defense is needed. Don't help on a guy Hayes has covered. Don't help on a bench PF who scores 4 points a game. Don't leave Vince Carter, Steve Novak, Danny Green, and Klay Thompson open beyond the arc to help in the paint unless it's really needed. These guys shoot 40% from 3 on the year. Which means they shoot at a much higher percentage than that when unguarded. I'd rather take my chances on the same percentage shot being taken from the paint because at least that's just a two pointer.

We need a big man shot blocker. I like Aldrich but he gets exposed when playing more than a few minutes at a time. We need someone who can come in and play 15-20 minutes of rim guarding defense a game. Thompson and Cousins are big bodies, but that's about all they are when it comes to defense. Hayes and Patterson are good defenders but undersized. It's tough because if we're going to replace Thompson you're obviously going to want it to be with a better player but there just aren't many available right now. What Thompson lacks on the defensive side, he brings it with consistency on the other side of the ball.

 

[Bricklayer]

Add:
1) defensive minded coach (JVG!)
2) shotblocking starting quality big next to Cousins
3) defensive stud/captain/lockdown guy at SF or PG -- almost surely SF.

Carry the offense with Cousins, Reke, a 6th man (Thornton or IT). Perhaps have one 12th man gunner for emergencies/injuries.

Retain one of Thompson or Patterson, not both.

Retain one of IT or Thornton, not both.

Structure:

C- star (Cousins)
PF- defense/shotblocking (either as a PF or a C. note Dalembert is back as a FA this summer)
SF- defense/lockdown/captain (toughest -- note its possible both Iggy and AK47 might be on the market again this summer)
SG- star w/ defense (Evans)
PG- smart, runs show, not defensive liability. (examples: Hinrich, Jack, Harris)

6th- offense/3rd guard (IT or Thornton)
7th- 3rd big (Thompson or Patterson)
8th and onward = all defense. Of current personnel, Douglas, Salmons, Hayes or Aldrich could be retained. Look up FAs this summer like Barnes and O'Neal.

That's the structure. And oh noes! Not enough offense!! Yeah right, tell that to the Bulls or Memphis or OKC or just whoever. Its not rocket science. You want a good defensive team, hire a defensive coach and swap out offensive personnel for defensive personnel.

 

[bajaden]

Somebody buy Kingster a beer.
Bajaden,
Anyone that is offended because I think they know less than the Kings' players is a fool. They are professionals .......in the ............NBA.
Maybe you can be the next guest speaker at the next Kings off-season seminar on the pick and roll.

I'm not offended! There's nothing you can do or say that can offend me because I have no respect for you or your opinion. You lost that when you started denigrating the intelligence of many of the posters on this fourm. I never said that I was more intelligent or knowledgable than you, or anyone else, even though in some cases it may be true. Everyone is smarter than someone else in some area of life, even if its how to clean a fish properly. To be honest, the most ignorant people I know are many times the most arrogant and condesending. The idea of possibly being wrong is too repulsive to them.

As to the pick and roll. I never said I know more about the pick and roll than a professional player does. My point is, knowlegge doesn't always equate to execution. That was the gist of my compaint about the the Kings. They're execution is terrible. So either they have no desire to use the knowledge they have, or no one has pointed out the finer points of how to execute the pick and roll properly. Its not rocket science! Nor does it take a genius to see the difference between the execution of the Spurs for example, and the Kings.

By the way, I'd be happy to buy Kingster a cervesa. He's an amigo! Even if we don't agree on everything, we do have mutual respect for one another.