Our Defense is Straight up Terrible
- Thread starter miltonap
- Start date
The Golden Era team didn't have many poor defenders. Not great ones, but not poor either.
Bibby-below average
Christie-all-nba defender
Peja-average(underated in prime)
Webb-above average
Vlade-above average(defender Shaq better then most)
BJax-above average
Hedo-below average
Pollard-above average
Barry-average(scrappy,hustled to no end)
Wallace-didn't play much, but became all-nba defender
Funderburke-average(didn't hurt on that end, solid vet)
We also had a few vets for a year at a time, who were average to above average defenders, and tough, expereinced vets. Completely different makeup then what we currently have. Combine that with our core group playing together for years, and you see why they developed into one of the better defensive team in the league, and at the top of the list in opponent fg%.
Bibby-below average
Christie-all-nba defender
Peja-average(underated in prime)
Webb-above average
Vlade-above average(defender Shaq better then most)
BJax-above average
Hedo-below average
Pollard-above average
Barry-average(scrappy,hustled to no end)
Wallace-didn't play much, but became all-nba defender
Funderburke-average(didn't hurt on that end, solid vet)
We also had a few vets for a year at a time, who were average to above average defenders, and tough, expereinced vets. Completely different makeup then what we currently have. Combine that with our core group playing together for years, and you see why they developed into one of the better defensive team in the league, and at the top of the list in opponent fg%.
Actually Tyreke is averaging 5.5 assists this year to Beno's 4.7 assists, so it appears that Tyreke is our best assist guard, without Beno on the floor, and a better outside shooter to pass the ball to in Thornton, his assists may even go up. Don't know until you try.. Taylor is 6'5". Doesn't look like it with his short neck..
Hmm...I never looked at the stats. I just assumed Thornton was smaller because of his speedy play, whereas Beno seems taller. Don't ask me why that makes sense - it just does. So in that sense, I guess you're right. I still think Thornton is better suited off the bench than next to Tyreke, but that's a discussion for another time.
I agree with most of what you say. The key to defending the pick and roll is usually the center or the PF. If they make the proper push it allows the switch to be completed, and in some cases the switch back. If anyone wanted to see a textbook example just go back and watch some games with Scott Pollard. Where Beno is sometimes at fault, is not so much by getting beat off the dribble, but by not forcing the other player to go in the direction he wants. He doesn't cheat appropiately at times. Its like the old saying, when on the wing, never give them the baseline. Always make them go into the teeth of the defense. So at the top of the key, the basic rule is, take away the most direct line to the basket. Thats what Beno doesn't do at times. He's not the only culprit though.
Beno is by no means the biggest problem on defense, but he is a problem. And the problem is symptomatic of the team as a whole. He's competent at the position but he doesn't do anything to make other guards uncomfortable. And what he gives the team on offense, most nights, doesn't counteract his limitations. His mid-range game and craftiness around the basket are assets to the team, and would be on any team, but if you're not a first or second option, your value in a rotation goes down dramatically when you're not playing a role defensively.
Not everyone out there needs to be a defensive stopper, but you need to do something well. Doug Christie wasn't the best man-to-man defender, for example, but he made it difficult for other teams to run their plays because he played the proper angle on the passing lanes to make it difficult for his match up to get the ball. Even if you can just take away one option for the offense, like Donte does with his length, you're forcing the other team to alter their strategy and that's going to result, more often than not, in more favorable opponent shooting percentages.
Tyreke is a good on-the-ball defender because he's got quick hands and good timing going for steals. He sometimes over commits though and let's his man get by him as a result. His long arms also help him to play the passing lanes. But then he doesn't have the best lateral quickness either so he can be beat by faster guards. So the second guard should be able to match up with smaller, quicker players or have enough length and awareness to play the passing lanes. Beno does neither well. Thornton is slightly bigger and a little better in the passing lanes. Either one of them would be acceptable off the bench, but our perimeter defense will always be a weakness with that rotation. We badly need another guard who's an above-average defender. Hopefully with some decent size as well. Garcia has the length to play that role, but he's being played at SF right now instead which, sadly, makes our lineup even smaller.
Not everyone out there needs to be a defensive stopper, but you need to do something well. Doug Christie wasn't the best man-to-man defender, for example, but he made it difficult for other teams to run their plays because he played the proper angle on the passing lanes to make it difficult for his match up to get the ball. Even if you can just take away one option for the offense, like Donte does with his length, you're forcing the other team to alter their strategy and that's going to result, more often than not, in more favorable opponent shooting percentages.
Tyreke is a good on-the-ball defender because he's got quick hands and good timing going for steals. He sometimes over commits though and let's his man get by him as a result. His long arms also help him to play the passing lanes. But then he doesn't have the best lateral quickness either so he can be beat by faster guards. So the second guard should be able to match up with smaller, quicker players or have enough length and awareness to play the passing lanes. Beno does neither well. Thornton is slightly bigger and a little better in the passing lanes. Either one of them would be acceptable off the bench, but our perimeter defense will always be a weakness with that rotation. We badly need another guard who's an above-average defender. Hopefully with some decent size as well. Garcia has the length to play that role, but he's being played at SF right now instead which, sadly, makes our lineup even smaller.
In my book Tyreke is not in the same distributer league as Beno despite the numbers. Tyreke's job has the emphasis on scoring while Beno moves himself and the ball. Beno is my call. I won't look for Tyreke to be my point guard on a team. We've done it a lot because we had to but put the ball in Beno's hands and start teaching Tyreke how to be effective without the ball as much as he has it now.
Oftentimes i think our players get confused. It seems they think good defense is equal to good individual defense. That might be true in 1on1 situations, but in the half court its a full on 5 on 5, and you better work to defend as team. I think a big factor to this would be consistent rotations. The more our team plays with the same rotations, the more they know of each other's defensive tendencies -- when to help, when not to help, and everything in between. For example, you wouldnt want to help out on the guy that Dalembert is defending becuase Sammy is a great defender. But if you see Beno up against a quick guard, you better keep your eyes peeled for the open lanes in the paint.
With Tyreke being out of the rotation, and Cisco for the past several weeks, i have a feeling our team's just starting to get comfortable with the new rotations. I hope we get better. When Tyreke is back, were going to have to readjust, but Tyreke is a good individual defender, so our defense as a whole should improve.
With Tyreke being out of the rotation, and Cisco for the past several weeks, i have a feeling our team's just starting to get comfortable with the new rotations. I hope we get better. When Tyreke is back, were going to have to readjust, but Tyreke is a good individual defender, so our defense as a whole should improve.