Why we need a shotblocker and this Kenny/Reef frontline DOESN'T work
- Thread starter BMiller52
- Start date
Since we have no big's who can protect the rim with any consistency (and no Miller is not the defensive jauggernaut that we have been missing) Coach Muss needs to emphasize our perimeter defense. Bibby especially needs to start playing off his man a step or two and force whomever he is defending to shot over the top. I can handle someone hitting jumpers, but the penetration Bibby allows on nearly every play his man drives is going to have devastating effects on this years Kings. I really, really wish BIbby would put forth the same effort on D as he does on offense. At least show some effort on D fellas....if you lose that way atleast I can handle it. But this jack-a-shot from 17 feet and not getting back on D to prevent easy transition baskets is unacceptable.
First of all, before Reef let them get to the rim, they had already passed by our backcourts. Second of all, Corliss didn't help much, and actually took away an offensive option in Reef. I would have played Reef at the center, Ron at PF, Martin as SF, Garcia at SG, and Bibby at PG. That way, we would have both the defensive upgrade and the offensive stability. Reef wasn't doing well in the first half, but he was doing okay in the second when Ron was there to help out. I just don't understand why EM didn't see that.
BMiller.....I have to somewhat disagree with some of your points. While it is true that Reef does not play good help-side defense, he does excel at straight up man defense. You cannot blame the bigs for everything tonight. It is hard to play good D when it is a certainty that Bibby will allow his man a free lane to the bucket. This also contributed to the stigma from last year that Miller is a terrible defender. He is not great, but he is average. Bibby really needs to play off his man a little and force him to shoot over the top. But when the p.g. penetrates to the paint on any possession he so chooses, it makes life miserable for our big men.
A shotblocker will simply not make that much of a difference if our guards consistently allow their defensive assignments to barrel full steam down our throats. More than likely any shotblocker would have fouled out rather quickly tonight or died of exhaustion from covering Bibby's man every time down the floor.
Using the new rules as an excuse for allowing their guards to penetrate unchecked into the heart of our defense does not fly with me. There are 30 other p.g. in the league who are adjusting to the rules. Every night (exaggeration, I know) guards seem to have career nights against our backcourt and it never hurts our teams pride (well, maybe Artest's pride was hurt).
Bibby was playing the 2nd night of a back to back with a busted up hand. Of course he isn't going to be as good defensively and we already knew he's not a good defender. But other guards are doing great for their teams too. The rules make it hard for guards to play D. Billups has been getting destroyed too, coincidentally when one of their shotblockers leaves
Brick said it in another thread but our 1, 2, and 3 win us the game. Our 4 and 5 lose it for us. But I'm sure you're going to tell me our 2 and 4/5 man(whichever one Reef plays at the time) win it for us.
Brick said it in another thread but our 1, 2, and 3 win us the game. Our 4 and 5 lose it for us. But I'm sure you're going to tell me our 2 and 4/5 man(whichever one Reef plays at the time) win it for us.
I would blame the easy transition points on our offensive scheme tonight rather than our frontcourt. And as I said above, a shotblocker really helps on most teams (and would help us somewhat) but nobody can compensate for what I have seen the last two nights on defense.
Regarding Brad Miller, I do not think you remember how flat-footed he really is. He does not use his 7'0 frame like he should and IMO he would not have made much of a difference on the defensive end. We could have used his offense because we were perimeter oriented and Brad can help to open that up.
Regarding Brad Miller, I do not think you remember how flat-footed he really is. He does not use his 7'0 frame like he should and IMO he would not have made much of a difference on the defensive end. We could have used his offense because we were perimeter oriented and Brad can help to open that up.
I don't think Miller would have made that much of a diffence. And please stop making up exuse for our permenter D they bascilly allowed them to come in and attack our big men. If we are going to blame our bigs for not stoping the penations, we got to blame the guard for letting them get to the whole so easy.
In the 2 and a half games we played with Brad, the other team scored 92, 88, and 49 in a half. Since then we've had:
81(at home), 86(at home), 92(at home), 111(at home), and 115(on the road). We can only play good D at home without a 7 footer and the last 2 games teams have really started exploiting our midget front line and Ron's back has been out of wack. Also you have to consider that Brad's foot was messing with his movement. If you followed the Kings when he first got here, you'd know he was a decent defender. Atleast much better than Kenny/SAR.
kenndog....I would say that there are probably around 7-8 very good defenders at the p.g. spot; however, you do not have to be a good defender, just play smart defense. If you know that your man is quicker then get off him a step. It would not surprise me if we ran some zone at some point this season.
I also agree that our backcourt is the strength of this team (I am including Artest as part of the backcourt); however, our frontcourt has, for the most part done what the coach has asked. They are not really involved on offense so obviously their point production is down: Kt has rebounded very well so far (though he has had 3 games which make you scratch your head) and Reef has scored well enough considering his number of shots and is starting to board better over the past 4 games. Are they great, NO. But they play their part and help the team every single game. I will hold off opinion on Miller until he gets healthy and enters the rotation again.
With regards to Miller, does anyone think perhaps all those Olympic practices have worn him down. He is a big boy with lots of weight and people like that really need to get off the court during the offseason.
I also agree that our backcourt is the strength of this team (I am including Artest as part of the backcourt); however, our frontcourt has, for the most part done what the coach has asked. They are not really involved on offense so obviously their point production is down: Kt has rebounded very well so far (though he has had 3 games which make you scratch your head) and Reef has scored well enough considering his number of shots and is starting to board better over the past 4 games. Are they great, NO. But they play their part and help the team every single game. I will hold off opinion on Miller until he gets healthy and enters the rotation again.
With regards to Miller, does anyone think perhaps all those Olympic practices have worn him down. He is a big boy with lots of weight and people like that really need to get off the court during the offseason.
BMiller....I never once said Brad was a poor defender. All I said is that he is flatfooted and not quick enough to make much of a difference when our guards are imitating the matador. When he is in man defense against a true center, Brad holds his own. We simply have no good help-side defenders down low.
The problem lies in the fact that Golden State probably ran 10 half-court sets all night. If we can slow teams down a little and force them into their half-court offense, we are an above average man-on-man defensive team. We simply struggle when it starts going up and down the courts with neither team taking 10 seconds off the 24 second clock.