I presume any of you that want to can access the radio show today on 1140. I heard most of the interview and was again impressed by M alone. He certainly seems to stay on theme - defense, hard work, hustle, and an impatience with losing. His team hasn't scored a point yet but he is impressing me but we can't be sure I'm not a dimwit. I'd be interested in other reactions.
Michael Malone interview on Napear show today
- Thread starter pshn80
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I heard a good chunk of it and tend to agree with you. Seems like he has a coaching plan. Now only if we had a personnel plan......
Kingsfan23
All-Star
Yeah, in a way I feel for him. A young, coveted coach who seems like he has so much of a drive to win and play hard nosed, smart basketball, who may just have a subpar roster for the length of his contract.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
I did listen to the interview. The part that struck me was when he said that he had several conversations with Kings players, the gist of which was: You were 4th in the league in fast break points on offense, but last in the league in points allowed in fast break points. How come you were so fast getting down the floor on offense, but so slow getting back on defense? That's blunt, tough talk from the new coach. If guys don't want to buy-in, they'll be sitting on the bench.
HndsmCelt
Hall of Famer
Good,the rule needs to be if you don't run... you sit. If you don't defend... you don't shoot.
Well we all know the answer to that. 3 reasons - 1) differing amounts of effort. 2) Our guys were always leaking out before a defensive play was completed. Nobody does that on the other end (hmm we have not yet scored, I better start running back to protect the basket!). And 3) Pace. If the nature of your fast break points is from guys leaking out and just pushing the pace, as opposed to say creating TOs then you are naturally going to give up a good number of fast break points the other way because your defense isn't set either.
In fact, 6 of the top 10 teams (Denver, Houston, Atlanta, Sac, OKC, DAL, CHA, LAC, GS, Utah) in fast break pts/gm place bottom 11 in fast break points allowed/ game, of which only Houston and GS were playoff teams and very well known for their run and gun styles. The other 4 were all playoff teams and conversely were in the top 11 in fast break points allowed/ game. Of these 4 teams, 3 were in the top 10 in opp TO/ game. We were 15th in that category, notably highest of the 6 teams that were in the top 10 scored, bottom 11 allowed categories.
My take away from this? Defense first, and if that opens up fast break opportunities then take it. Run and gun rarely works.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
The Kings didn't run and gun last year. They never ran off made baskets and their breaks were pretty controlled, except maybe when Tyreke was running them, and then it was usually damn the torpedos full speed ahead. They ran off rebounds and turnovers when they could get them. They just need to get back on defense, period. In general, they were a lazy team last year. Sometimes they played hard, sometimes they didn't. They were very haphazard in their effort.
PS Houston, GS, OKC and the LAC were playoff teams last year.
I love it. The one thing in common with the elite coaches in the game is they dont accept anything other than 100% effort and hustle and 100% buying in to what they are telling you to do on the floor. If you don't want to be a spot-up 3pt shooter and focus on defense, then they go find someone who will. DeJaun Balir for Pop is a good example of this. Seemingly a productive player, he didn't buy into Pop's coaching and he found himself out of the rotation.
yes, of which only GS and Houston were bottom 11 in fast break points allowed. They were also eliminated in the 1st round and are known as run and gun teams. Clippers, Denver, Hawks, Thunder were top 11 in fb points allowed, and Hawks Clips and Nuggets were top 10 in opp TO. Sorry for bad phrasing.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I'll tell you Mac, if I thought Running and gunning would get us into the playoffs, I'd be fine with it. At least for a while till I got tired of being eliminated in the first round. Please god, at least let us head in the right direction. How hard can it be to improve from being at the bottom on defense. Yeah, you need talent, but defense is mostly about effort. Tim Duncan is hardly an athletic juggernaut, especially at his current age, but he's still an excellent defender. He doesn't now, nor did he ever have a 40 inch vertical, yet he still gets his share of blocked shots. He knows positioning, and rotations. He also has very good technique. He doesn't bite on pump fakes. He holds position, and doesn't over react to drop steps. If your willing to learn, and willing to put out the effort, you can be a good defender. And I'm the champion of bad phrasing! No apology necessary...
Heck, you could probably make an argument about Duncan being a top 5 Defensive player ever and maybe even the best. And as you said, he did it without having the crazy athleticism of a Hakeem, Shaq, etc. But his footwork, positioning and defensive IQ have given him a huge edge over everyone he's played against
It was plain as day that a lot of our defensive issues came from a lack of effort and communication, not a lack of talent, especially with regards to Boogie. We'd see him absolutely shut-down Howard one night and then get dominated the next 4 games by much lesser C's. How many times did IT get caught on screens and not hustle off it to cover the roller? Or Tyreke double off his man to give the other team a wide-open 3? Or Thornton over-reach for a steal and lead to a wide-open lay-up? I think a lot of us will marvel at how much better our "terrible defensive team" will be if Malone can install any sort of communication with these guys. And every sign points to him doing so.
"Run and Gun" and "defense" are terms that can be associated with each other btw. Clippers were 4th in the NBA in OPPG and 8th in Def Rtg. Warriors were 19th in OPPG and 14th in Def RTG. Heck, the 2 NBA finals teams were much better in transition than they were in half-court sets. Spurs had the 6th fastest pace this year and clearly were 4th in scoring. Heat were also a much better team when they got out an ran. That whole team is built for speed in the open court.
Point is, our issue was not that we played too fast offensively, but we didn't play any defense. The days of slow-walk it up basketball are over. A majority of the successful teams are superior defensive clubs that have an elite #1 option, are stacked with elite 3pt shooters, and can run opponents into the ground
You are right that the whole point is to have both pace and defense. The problem is that is a lot easier said than done, and as I mentioned 6 of the top 10 fastbreak scoring teams are also in the bottom 10/11 in terms of giving up fastbreak points the other way. As mentioned earlier, Miami (who you would instinctively think would be one of the top fast break teams) was 20th in that regard, while we were 4th! On the other hand, they were one of the top teams in preventing fast break points while we were dead last. And my intention in bringing up OPP TO was to say that the majority of good fast-paced teams start it off with good defense as opposed to simply leaking out like we do. Starting off with defense and taking easy baskets when they are available works. Just telling the team to run, then trying to play defense doesn't, which is what I felt Keith Smart did. I don't disagree that we were lazy, and of course am glad to hear Malone say this. But I feel that the problem (of us being last in fast break points allowed) was not entirely about effort - part of it was also the coaching and the style that Smart emphasized.
But all that said, I still disagree with you in terms of what style really wins championships. You are right in saying that the 2 NBA finals teams were much better in transition than they were in half court sets, yet when they met each other for 7 games it was largely half court execution that won each team their respective games. LeBron in the post or pick and roll, Parker running pick and rolls and getting Danny Green open 3s. Both teams played too good defense to allow the other easy fast break opportunities, and when Miami did get wide open dunks it was off of forcing turnovers.
Baja - I too am sick of us losing and just making the playoffs would be wonderful. But I don't want us to end up being stuck in the 1st round year after year, not collecting high draft picks and then blowing up the team again after 5 years. Let's aim high, and since we are overhauling the team now we might as well build towards a style that has consistently won championships.
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Absolutely. But that's largely based around who your #1 option is. There's a huge difference from LeBron and Tony Parker to say Marc Gasol and Paul George. Indy and Memphis are both brilliant teams, but they won't be able to take the next step unless Marc and Paul can develop into legit #1 type players. I think the basis of every championship team lies within your defense, your 3pt shooting, and how strong your #1 option is. Coaching as well, but most teams haven't come close to the level of buffoonery we've experienced the last 7 years. However you procure those 3 items can obviously vary but those are the 3 key factors to a championship quality team to me.
The "fast-paced" (Run and gun describes more of Nelly- Junk ball to me) style that has developed over the last few years really can be attributed to the old-age stars (Duncan, Kobe, Shaq, KG, Kidd etc) all getting old where the majority of these player's primes happened when the big man still mattered. These guys passed the torch the new athletic breed of stars who love to be in transition has taken over (Bron, Wade, Howard, Cp3, Griffin etc). All those guys CAN excel in the half-court, but their's no doubt they really shine in transition. That's not to say a dominant defense, or a half-court offense is vitally important, but I do think the priorities in the NBA has changed the last 2 or 3 years.
And that's the other thing has well. You hit it right on the head. We had no direction with Smart in addition to having no on-court leadership from our players. We were all amazed by Ppat's ability to play within a team and his team defense when he in reality is an average NBA defender on an NBA-wide scale. All season, our defense was a just clusterstorm of non-communication and player's not playing as individuals and not as a unit. Give us Thibs and we're probably sitting around the 14th-15th ranked defense with the talent level we had last year.
I do hope Malone can incorporate some of that same mentality. Everything points to him being able to do so. Also, I think a real benefit to the guys we went and got this off-season is that they CAN be on-floor leaders. They can direct traffic, They will call someone out when they miss an assignment. To me, it's such a thrill watching a guy like Duncan be an extension of Pop on the floor. It happened all throughout the finals where he was essentially coaching on the floor about what they did wrong or even just gave them a look and the player knew what he did wrong. I don't expect that level of leadership from Carl Landry or Vasquez obviously, but those kind of players on the floor (who actually play minutes) are invaluable.
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bajaden
Hall of Famer
mac said:
I get what your saying. We don't want to become the next Atlanta, stuck for eternity as the 6th or 7th seed. It doesn't have to be that way. The Hawks thought they had all the pieces in place and went all in. They were wrong, and as a result, they had little or no flexibility. I prefer small steps that first get you into the playoffs, and then additions that plug holes you only see in top competition. It takes good management, and its not as easy as some think. The GM has to always be thinking 3 or 4 years down the road. I know you know this, so I don't mean to belabor you with it.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
I think Malone is going to have a playing style consistent with his talent on the floor. I would expect nothing more of any other good coach. If you would hypothetically have the fastest team in the NBA and one in which there were three players that could run at full speed and hit 3 pointers at a 47% clip, then a good coach is going to run and gun like hell every chance he can get. If you have a slow team without those attributes, then the coach is going to slow things down. The style is determined by the talent, which is determined by the GM. Pop is a perfect example. He changed his style to fit the team, not the other way around.
One thing that is never mentioned about this slow-mo and fast break style argument is that the mere threat of a great fast break causes the opposing team to forego going for offensive rebounds so they can get back on defense. If you don't have a legit fast break threat, chances are the other team is going to be crashing the offensive boards a lot more and getting opportunities they wouldn't otherwise have. So yeah, there may not be as many fast break opportunities in playoff basketball, but that doesn't mean that effect of the threat of the fast break isn't felt on the basketball floor and can ultimately contribute to a win.
King Baller
All-Star
I seem to remember the Kings playing pretty good defense for a few games at the very beginning of last season. Then it stopped due to the ridiculous rotation pattern and probably locker room strife that was out of control. Then it was business as usual
I seem to remember the Kings playing pretty good defense for a few games at the very beginning of last season. Then it stopped due to the ridiculous rotation pattern and probably locker room strife that was out of control. Then it was business as usual
I also think it was a case of our players having to expend too much energy individually. The best defensive teams don't have every single one of their players draped over the opposition and at the same time playing the passing lanes like we tried to do. They basically have good communication and team defense that funnels the offense toward their rim protector or taking away their primary options.
Hadlowe
Starter
Good defensive teams are also able to switch up their defense. Having Brooks and Thomas at point meant we couldn't run a zone at anyone with a SG or SF who could knock down threes (which means we couldn't run zone on 28 teams in the league). Instead, we got killed all day long by high PnR offensive sets by trying to make Cousins guard the ballhandler while Thomas or Thornton covered the roll man. So far, I see nothing in personnel that will allow us to improve that. Unless Malone is just a Thibodeau-level defensive savant (probably not as Golden State was mediocre defensively last year, and New Orleans was nothing to write home about while he was there), our personnel is a huge problem on defense.
There is no combination of backcourt and frontcourt personnel on this roster that makes us anything but a basement team defensively. The best hope is that McCallum and McLemore are quick learners as they are the only guards that have the physical tools necessary to play defense at their positions. Pair them with Mbah and you may be able to protect Cousins in the paint. With Vasquez, Thornton, and Thomas as the primary three guards, we maybe improve to 26th or 27th worst defense. Maybe.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Of course the other side of that argument is that if you grab more offensive rebounds, the other team doesn't have as many opportunities to fast break. Sort of a chicken or egg thing... I agree with you on the type of offense you run is determined by the talent you have. Hard to be a fast break team with five slow guys on the court. Regardless of whether your a fast break team or not, you still have to have an efficient halfcourt game if your going to win a championship. I can't remember the last time a pure fast break team won a championship. Even the showtime Lakers were a very good halfcourt team.
randymoss1881
Starter
I don't know what you consider elite defensive coaching but whatever it is malone is elite. He is known as the coach that got lebron to play defense before that lebron was average he was also the defensive coordinator. In new orleans he trimmed the oppenets ooh by 8.7 and the leapfrogged 17 teams in defensive rating.
In golden state they went from 26th to 14th in defense. The rebounding went from 28th to 1st, opponent field goal shooting 20th to 3rd. That is a strong résumé when you can change 3 teams cultures.
The warriors line up was
Curry
Thompson
Barnes
Lee
Bogut
They don't have 1 player outside of bogut who is above average on defense. If we could get players that are above average on defense we will be a top 10 defense in 2 years time. Alson some top teams in defense had lee, boozer, ZBo starting at power foward cousins will be better than all those guys on defense so cousins won't be a big problem on defense for us.
PS. I truly believe we will get asik this year (Patterson,Thompson, Isaiah)
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