- May 9, 2005
- 10,219
- 1,671
Teams are about to accidentally double-team Oden and leave Lebron wide open in the paint. Decoy strategy, I see what you're doing Miami
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Official 2013 NBA Offseason Thread
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by durantula,
- Start date
- Status
Teams are about to accidentally double-team Oden and leave Lebron wide open in the paint. Decoy strategy, I see what you're doing Miami
- Jun 1, 2008
- 38,406
- 7,519
Seth Curry isn't an NBA player, I liked him a lot at Duke though.
He should go to Europe.
He should go to Europe.
- Jul 14, 2007
- 15,049
- 1,854
This was a pity signing because he didn't get drafted and it's Steph's bro
- Jul 14, 2007
- 15,049
- 1,854
[COLOR=#red]The Clippers’ defensive gamble
[/COLOR]
View media item 550883
After an impressive offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers have established themselves as one of the handful of teams with realistic championship aspirations heading into the 2013-14 season.
The general benchmark for contention is that a team must rank in the top 10 of both offensive and defensive efficiency; it’s simply too difficult to survive four grueling playoff rounds with a significant flaw on either end of the floor.
Over the past two seasons, the Clippers have produced at a top-five level offensively but fell short on the defensive end. They ranked 18th in defensive efficiency two seasons ago and just made the cut at ninth last season but were 21st after Feb. 1.
Their defensive shortcomings have resulted in them essentially being swept out of the past two postseasons, as the San Antonio Spurs (110.3 offensive rating) and Memphis Grizzlies (109.7 offensive rating) scored at extremely efficient rates in their respective eliminations of the Clippers.
To shore up the defense, the Clippers went through a great deal of effort to acquire coach Doc Rivers. The challenge of improving a shaky defense will be far greater than merely implementing his lauded strongside defensive system, though.
Not only does the Clippers’ roster not match the typical profile of a defensive stalwart, but the team also is clearly invested in the risky proposition that Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan will make tremendous defensive strides under Rivers' guidance.
Which brings us to the most intriguing non-Griffin storyline surrounding the Clippers’ 2013-14 season: Can Rivers and his system turn a relatively average group of defenders into an elite defensive unit?
Rivers’ pedigree suggests his presence alone will make the Clippers a better defensive team -- his Big Three-era Boston squads never ranked lower than sixth in defensive efficiency and finished in the top two on four occasions -- but it’s unclear to what extent he’ll have an impact.
More important, Griffin and Jordan have yet to learn a coherent defensive system, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that each player has plenty of room to grow defensively. Rivers’ coaching style suggests he’ll get along better with both players than the old regime did, making the adjustment process easier for the young bigs.
Still, there are considerable drawbacks to the gamble of relying on inexperienced and unproven young big men to command a championship-level defense.
Though Rivers’ system has thrived with two franchises -- in Boston, under Rivers, and in Chicago, under Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau -- it featured elite defensive big men in both cases.
Despite his physical gifts, Jordan has yet to consistently show he can anchor a defense the way Kevin Garnett did in Boston or Joakim Noah does in Chicago. It’s telling that in four of Jordan’s five seasons the Clippers have posted a better defensive rating with him on the bench. He has the length and athleticism to be a defensive game-changer, but he has yet to master the nuances and understand the patience that defensive rotations demand.
Rivers will try to squeeze every ounce of potential out of Jordan, of course, and building up his confidence through public displays of support -- last month, Rivers claimed Jordan should be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate this season -- is a good place to start.
Nonetheless, it’s far from a given Jordan will produce at the rate the Clippers need him to, and if he doesn’t meet their expectations, the Clippers’ defense will struggle to remain above average because there simply aren’t any adequate replacement options behind him.
Griffin’s defensive struggles are well chronicled, and it’s obvious that’s the end of the floor he needs to improve the most. Chris Paul is a good on-ball defender when engaged and plays passing lanes beautifully, but point guards have less of an overall defensive impact than big men since they’re usually so far from the basket.
Matt Barnes and Jared Dudley are capable of defending most scoring wings suitably, but both function better as supplementary defensive pieces, not as the defensive focal point. With Eric Bledsoe’s departure, the Clippers don’t have a premier lockdown defender on the perimeter.
The defense of their backup big men, Ryan Hollins and Byron Mullens, raises even more questions. Hollins (hustle, physical play, screen-setting) and Mullens (sneaky athleticism, long-range shooting) present unique skills that will help L.A.’s bench at times, but neither is the defender or the rebounder that Rivers’ system covets.
It seems as if the Clippers are still missing that third piece that can function in a larger bench role, though it’s unclear whom they could sign (Lamar Odom?). Ideally, the Clippers find a backup big man through free agency or trade that’s a better player and fit capable of soaking up 15 to 20 minutes a night, which would leave the rest of the backup minutes to Hollins and Mullens, depending on the matchup.
In the meantime, to make up for their lack of depth, Griffin or Jordan will likely have to be on the floor at all times, and the Clippers will have no choice but to experiment with Barnes or Dudley at small ball power forward for 10 or so minutes a night.
Rivers has traditionally refrained from using small lineups -- using them the past two seasons only because the Celtics lacked size -- so it’ll be interesting to see how much he uses that option.
The strength of last season’s Clippers defense came from the bench, though, as Barnes, Bledsoe, Odom and Ronny Turiaf were key cogs in an impressively disruptive second-unit defense. All but Barnes are gone, putting much more of a burden on the starting lineup to shoulder more of a defensive load.
That isn’t necessarily a beneficial trade-off, as the three-man lineup of Paul, Griffin and Jordan -- the foundation of the Clippers’ starting lineup and supposed core moving forward -- posted a 103.5 defensive rating last season, which would have tied for 16th-best in the league.
With limited financial means to make significant additions outside of re-signing their own free agents or striking a trade, the Clippers weren’t able to add a key defensive piece, and it may eventually cost them.
They’re rolling the dice and hoping that Griffin and Jordan have been in need of a system all along and that Rivers can coax the defensive potential he gushed about at his news conference in late June.
Regardless of the glitz of the roster, the high-octane offense and the sky-high expectations, the Clippers will go only as far as their defense takes them. Without a slew of good individual defenders, the Clippers will have to take a more team-centric approach and ensure the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That responsibility falls on Rivers, and it’s his greatest challenge yet.
Ultimately, the Clippers’ ability to foster an elite defensive unit -- and thus having a legitimate shot at contending for a championship -- will come down to the roster’s ability to comprehend and execute Rivers’ defensive system. Subtle improvements would help, but chances are the Clippers’ defense needs a major upgrade to compete with the likes of the Spurs and Thunder.
That, by and large, will be determined by Griffin and Jordan’s development as aware and precise defenders.
Time will tell if the gamble, and the time invested in the big men as the franchise’s interior duo, was worth it.
http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/clippers/post/_/id/4855/the-clippers-defensive-gamble
[/COLOR]
View media item 550883
After an impressive offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers have established themselves as one of the handful of teams with realistic championship aspirations heading into the 2013-14 season.
The general benchmark for contention is that a team must rank in the top 10 of both offensive and defensive efficiency; it’s simply too difficult to survive four grueling playoff rounds with a significant flaw on either end of the floor.
Over the past two seasons, the Clippers have produced at a top-five level offensively but fell short on the defensive end. They ranked 18th in defensive efficiency two seasons ago and just made the cut at ninth last season but were 21st after Feb. 1.
Their defensive shortcomings have resulted in them essentially being swept out of the past two postseasons, as the San Antonio Spurs (110.3 offensive rating) and Memphis Grizzlies (109.7 offensive rating) scored at extremely efficient rates in their respective eliminations of the Clippers.
To shore up the defense, the Clippers went through a great deal of effort to acquire coach Doc Rivers. The challenge of improving a shaky defense will be far greater than merely implementing his lauded strongside defensive system, though.
Not only does the Clippers’ roster not match the typical profile of a defensive stalwart, but the team also is clearly invested in the risky proposition that Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan will make tremendous defensive strides under Rivers' guidance.
Which brings us to the most intriguing non-Griffin storyline surrounding the Clippers’ 2013-14 season: Can Rivers and his system turn a relatively average group of defenders into an elite defensive unit?
Rivers’ pedigree suggests his presence alone will make the Clippers a better defensive team -- his Big Three-era Boston squads never ranked lower than sixth in defensive efficiency and finished in the top two on four occasions -- but it’s unclear to what extent he’ll have an impact.
More important, Griffin and Jordan have yet to learn a coherent defensive system, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that each player has plenty of room to grow defensively. Rivers’ coaching style suggests he’ll get along better with both players than the old regime did, making the adjustment process easier for the young bigs.
Still, there are considerable drawbacks to the gamble of relying on inexperienced and unproven young big men to command a championship-level defense.
Though Rivers’ system has thrived with two franchises -- in Boston, under Rivers, and in Chicago, under Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau -- it featured elite defensive big men in both cases.
Despite his physical gifts, Jordan has yet to consistently show he can anchor a defense the way Kevin Garnett did in Boston or Joakim Noah does in Chicago. It’s telling that in four of Jordan’s five seasons the Clippers have posted a better defensive rating with him on the bench. He has the length and athleticism to be a defensive game-changer, but he has yet to master the nuances and understand the patience that defensive rotations demand.
Rivers will try to squeeze every ounce of potential out of Jordan, of course, and building up his confidence through public displays of support -- last month, Rivers claimed Jordan should be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate this season -- is a good place to start.
Nonetheless, it’s far from a given Jordan will produce at the rate the Clippers need him to, and if he doesn’t meet their expectations, the Clippers’ defense will struggle to remain above average because there simply aren’t any adequate replacement options behind him.
Griffin’s defensive struggles are well chronicled, and it’s obvious that’s the end of the floor he needs to improve the most. Chris Paul is a good on-ball defender when engaged and plays passing lanes beautifully, but point guards have less of an overall defensive impact than big men since they’re usually so far from the basket.
Matt Barnes and Jared Dudley are capable of defending most scoring wings suitably, but both function better as supplementary defensive pieces, not as the defensive focal point. With Eric Bledsoe’s departure, the Clippers don’t have a premier lockdown defender on the perimeter.
The defense of their backup big men, Ryan Hollins and Byron Mullens, raises even more questions. Hollins (hustle, physical play, screen-setting) and Mullens (sneaky athleticism, long-range shooting) present unique skills that will help L.A.’s bench at times, but neither is the defender or the rebounder that Rivers’ system covets.
It seems as if the Clippers are still missing that third piece that can function in a larger bench role, though it’s unclear whom they could sign (Lamar Odom?). Ideally, the Clippers find a backup big man through free agency or trade that’s a better player and fit capable of soaking up 15 to 20 minutes a night, which would leave the rest of the backup minutes to Hollins and Mullens, depending on the matchup.
In the meantime, to make up for their lack of depth, Griffin or Jordan will likely have to be on the floor at all times, and the Clippers will have no choice but to experiment with Barnes or Dudley at small ball power forward for 10 or so minutes a night.
Rivers has traditionally refrained from using small lineups -- using them the past two seasons only because the Celtics lacked size -- so it’ll be interesting to see how much he uses that option.
The strength of last season’s Clippers defense came from the bench, though, as Barnes, Bledsoe, Odom and Ronny Turiaf were key cogs in an impressively disruptive second-unit defense. All but Barnes are gone, putting much more of a burden on the starting lineup to shoulder more of a defensive load.
That isn’t necessarily a beneficial trade-off, as the three-man lineup of Paul, Griffin and Jordan -- the foundation of the Clippers’ starting lineup and supposed core moving forward -- posted a 103.5 defensive rating last season, which would have tied for 16th-best in the league.
With limited financial means to make significant additions outside of re-signing their own free agents or striking a trade, the Clippers weren’t able to add a key defensive piece, and it may eventually cost them.
They’re rolling the dice and hoping that Griffin and Jordan have been in need of a system all along and that Rivers can coax the defensive potential he gushed about at his news conference in late June.
Regardless of the glitz of the roster, the high-octane offense and the sky-high expectations, the Clippers will go only as far as their defense takes them. Without a slew of good individual defenders, the Clippers will have to take a more team-centric approach and ensure the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That responsibility falls on Rivers, and it’s his greatest challenge yet.
Ultimately, the Clippers’ ability to foster an elite defensive unit -- and thus having a legitimate shot at contending for a championship -- will come down to the roster’s ability to comprehend and execute Rivers’ defensive system. Subtle improvements would help, but chances are the Clippers’ defense needs a major upgrade to compete with the likes of the Spurs and Thunder.
That, by and large, will be determined by Griffin and Jordan’s development as aware and precise defenders.
Time will tell if the gamble, and the time invested in the big men as the franchise’s interior duo, was worth it.
http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/clippers/post/_/id/4855/the-clippers-defensive-gamble
Last edited:
T0INE
formerly toine2983
- Dec 21, 2005
- 67,382
- 73,929
Preview
I'm pretty sure the Lakers are gonna debut their sleeved jerseys for the Christmas game against the Heat, which means that Miami will be getting sleeved jerseys as well.
- Jun 1, 2011
- 107,073
- 79,487
Teams are about to accidentally double-team Oden and leave Lebron wide open in the paint. Decoy strategy, I see what you're doing Miami
Man
- Apr 14, 2006
- 5,704
- 2,698
Welp_
Hope that HGH user list comes to light soon.
Source
Paul would try to eliminate floppin' fines...
Julius F. Wrek
Hope that HGH user list comes to light soon.
Source
Paul would try to eliminate floppin' fines...
Julius F. Wrek
$tacy
formerly willchamberlain
- Nov 24, 2012
- 26,247
- 25,193
cp3 gon cp3
- Jul 14, 2007
- 15,049
- 1,854
- Jul 3, 2012
- 12,744
- 2,371
It's crazy with Oden I just saw him in Miami at the airport the same day he signed the contract still walks with a limp...good dude though he was on my flight chopped it up a bit on some bball talk wish him well!
- Apr 16, 2005
- 16,096
- 16,846
via paypal or venmo is fine with me
mjshoefanatic
Banned
- Jul 7, 2004
- 9,355
- 361
Teams are about to accidentally double-team Oden and leave Lebron wide open in the paint. Decoy strategy, I see what you're doing Miami
Man
like father like son
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- Jan 30, 2010
- 25,849
- 46,800
Wilt was trash ? Russell overrated?
:x 
Your top 3 players probly mj, kobe, Lebron huh? ...unless u joking then its all good
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- Aug 2, 2006
- 34,149
- 29,493
Why would you want to know that? You really want the NBA discussion to descend into the cluster **** that the MLB has. Espeically for a drug that the majority of its benefits lie in injury recovery?
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- Jul 14, 2007
- 15,049
- 1,854
Wilt was trash ? Russell overrated?
Your top 3 players probly mj, kobe, Lebron huh?
Prove me wrong. Thats all...
black migo
Banned
- Feb 10, 2013
- 3,380
- 335
The seth curry signing is like what the knicks did with chris smith, just putting some money in the lil bros pocket then ship him to the d league
Wilt wasnt overrated but his numbers were because of the level of competition
Wilt wasnt overrated but his numbers were because of the level of competition
antidope
Supporter
- Jan 2, 2012
- 63,547
- 68,153
I will remember this thread when Seth is out of the floor doing work and dudes are the season thread like "That boy Seth is a problem
"
- Aug 11, 2012
- 55,528
- 147,160
I still maintain to this day that if Seth Curry stayed at Liberty, he would have averaged like 25ppg and easily would have been a frist rounder. Maybe lotto pick. Bad move going to Duke.
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- Jul 29, 2005
- 37,831
- 15,644
You must be a fan. Doc's first year as Celtic's coach, yeah he had GP, who was fresh off an '04 finals getting cooked by Chauncey Billips. He wasn't The Glove at that point anymore. Walker...well, we know what he was about, 3's and no D. So that leaves Pierce, who was the only real star at that point. So there you have that argument.
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- Jul 14, 2007
- 15,049
- 1,854
When Wilt Chamberlain entered the NBA in 1960, there were only four players in the league that were taller than 6'8...including him and Russell
sohoguy
Banned
- Feb 10, 2013
- 4,100
- 1,011
You just got to feel bad for oden, Could had been the next mutombo. Knees are the biggest downfall for sports players smh
- Jul 29, 2005
- 37,831
- 15,644
That Lebron and Oden pic...
. I been said they look too much alike.
The jury is still out on Seth. Yeah, he transferred to Duke, but, your most successful Dukies are Boozer and Deng. So then there's that. They're not bad, but they're the ceiling for Duke, nice role players.
The jury is still out on Seth. Yeah, he transferred to Duke, but, your most successful Dukies are Boozer and Deng. So then there's that. They're not bad, but they're the ceiling for Duke, nice role players.
- Jul 29, 2005
- 37,831
- 15,644
Damn Wilt Chamberlain slander??? Brb....
- Aug 2, 2006
- 34,149
- 29,493
yeah except for all these people.
2 Wilt Chamberlain*
3 Bob Pettit*
5 Bill Russell*
7 Clyde Lovellette*
8 Kenny Sears
10 Walter Dukes
12 Red Kerr
14 Larry Foust
15 Hub Reed
16 Phil Jordon
17 Ray Felix
18 Hub Reed
20 Connie Dierking
21 John Richter
22 Darrall Imhoff
23 Swede Halbrook
All 6-9 or taller. This has no idea what he's talking about.
- Dec 9, 2002
- 34,662
- 28,022
That boy cp3 bout to get impeached before his term even begins. He's making himself look like a fool trying to eliminate flopping fines. No one had a problem with the fines, except floppers of course. As with the other two issues, it seemes as if he's got other players in his ear telling him to address drug testing and dress code.
- Status
