Reinventing the game

[tom bisson <tbisson@doe.state.vt.us>]

There have been some responses to my suggestion that a trapping/pressing
defense may not work in the NBA due to the higher level of athleticism
and skill of NBA players. Let me be clear - I HOPE IT WORKS, but I'm
skeptical.

Let me be clear about another thing. I DON'T like low post isolation
basketball, but the current rules defining legal and illegal defenses
encourage it. I also think that playing an isolation game helps preserve
players over the course of a season and over the course of a game. Many
teams don't have depth and this style saves stamina and fouls while
preventing other teams from fast breaking against them. And, let's face
it, a good offensive player should be able to score consistently when
guarded one-on-one near the basket. Isolation and clear-outs is ugly
basketball but it creates a positive situation for the offense and teams
should focus on winning - not aesthetics. Until they change the rules,
expect to see this style.

I really hope Pitino's Kentucky style is successful in the NBA because
it is far more entertaining. I do know, however, that as skill and
athletic level of players and teams go up, it becomes harder and harder
to succeed using pressure tactics. In high school, for instance, one or
two quick good ball handling guards will destroy almost any press.
Kentucky saw this happen to them last year against Arizona at the
college level. What NBA team doesn't have quickness and skills?  

If Pitino can design - and the players can execute - a press
successfully in the NBA, it will be THE basketball story. It's a good
story just to watch the experiment tried and I'm rooting for its
success. The question is, can Pitino re-invent the game (like John
Wooden did) and will the Kentucky strategy be the way to do it?

- - tom bisson