Decade of decadance

[Kim Malo]

At 08:53 AM 4/13/2007, Ryan, Patrick S Maj RES USAFR 439 MSG wrote:
>I'm curious, do you think it's the individual defense, the team defense or
>both? I ask because I agree wholeheartedly on the defensive aspect being the
>key to making this team better on the whole, but at the same time question
>exactly "how".

How? Focus. Making playing defense a focus rather than an incidental 
or optional. That's more the issue than particular techniques or 
schemes. Beyond that it's both, but probably team first, since that 
can cover for individual mistakes. And even with the guys who do play 
D - Kendrick is very guilty of this - there are too many unnecessary 
or ill-advised switches and doubles that do things like leaving the 
wrong guys exposed or set up idiotic matchups like a guard on a center.

>My gut says that Al is passable man on man both at the forward and center
>spot, but as soon as he's asked to cover both his man and the myriad guards
>who get into the paint at will against this team; it then is HIS man that is
>getting the dunk off the dish, foul shots, easy follow up rebound when in
>fact it was the SG/PG/SF who actually broke the defense not Al's assignment.
>
>
>I'm not saying Al is Rodman or Cooper; but manned up in the post against the
>post players (Ming/Curry/etc) or at the elbow against the driver/shooters
>(Bosh/O'Neal/Okur) I think he's at least meeting his +/- most nights
>comparing his stats to his opponent over the course of a season.  Now
>against the real beef - yeah he's toast - he'll never cover Shaq or Howard
>that well, but who exactly does??? That's why Doc starts Perk against those
>guys most times.

And I think you're very wrong about that. His defense has improved, 
and even improved over the course of the season, but the only reason 
his +/- comes out well is because of how high his + is. It's 
emphatically not just guarding Shaq that's the issue. Compare him vs 
Perk playing Eddie Curry, who is talented but not THAT good and who 
has eaten us alive when Al's guarding him. Perk causes Curry clear 
problems just with things like bodying him up and not letting him 
easily have his way and get where he wants to on the court - that 
last one is key to Curry being able to dominate or not. Al 
practically puts out a welcome mat. He's too often late in 
responding, not physical enough and not smart enough on D. Probably 
in part because he's playing now for a coach who isn't good at 
coaching D while in high school he didn't have to worry about it. He 
was much more imposing physically than his competition there and 
could do it on that intimidation alone without trying, while I doubt 
if they were really worried about his playing it. The less physically 
gifted - especially on offense - Perk OTOH has likely always made his 
mark at least in part by stopping the other guys.
Kim