<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Knicks Analyst:</div><div class="quote_post">So first he was average, now good? I thought he was average? I'm confused, Banks.</div>
I mean average. That's a careless typing mistake. Developing into a good player is what he was then.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Ok, he turned (average) Billups into NBA-defensive 2nd team quality defender. That means he can't make raw Crawford into an average-solid defender? What about the quick Marbury? He can't turn out to be a solid defender with Brown's help? The same question applys to Richardson. Larry Brown is a defensive mastermind, he can mold them into defenders, just you wait and see.</div>
Billups is a good defender, one of the best at PG in the NBA, but playing with good help defenders in Prince and the Wallaces inside, will help boost your credibility as a good defensive player. Not taking away anything from Billups, but being named to the 2nd team had alot to do with the players he was playing with and the defensive sucess of the team. Even though I consider him one of the best defensive PG's in the NBA, that doesn't say much because he wasn't even the best defensive PG on his team. Nonetheless, he was atleast 2 levels higher defensively (Pre-LB) than Marbury/Q/Crawford.
On the other hand, everyone can be defenders, but their are different type of defenders. You have to understand that none of these players are good defensive players. They may possess tools to be just below average defensive players, but watching all of these players play, it seems unlikely. The best defensive player I can see is Marbury. He has the quickness and work ethic (knowing that he's never been on a winning team in his career) to do whatever it takes to be the best defender he can be.
Q doesn't have the tools. He has slow mobility with his feet, and he just doesn't look like he wants to play defense. He's also stupid on defense too, because if you watched some Suns games last year, his man would be often left open on miss communication. Obviously this can be fixed, but someone who is not that quick on their feet in terms of mobility, especially at SG/SF, doesn't really have the tools to be average defenders.
If you honestly think LB can turn these players to average defenders (I can understand Marbury) then why won't he start Ariza? LB loves swingmen who can defender, like McKie and Prince. Ariza is already a good defender, so under LB he can be a very good defender, right? Why not start him over those one of those 3 players?
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I can see JYD or Ariza starting, but I feel like Isiah will push for LB to get those guys to work and get them to play some tougher D. I guess I have more faith in LB than you.</div>
You do, but I don't think he'll let the team suffer early on in the season by starting all of those 3, who are defensive liabilities. As I said, if they improve during the season, you
might see them start later close to the end of the year.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting MrJ:</div><div class="quote_post">What about Richard Hamilton? He was known as an awful defender just like Marbury, Crawford and Richardson and Larry Brown made him decent. Also, Brown said if you don't play defense, you won't play. When you factor that in, Marbury - who wants to play every minute of the game, will be motivated to play defense. Same thing applies for Crawford and Richardson. Brown, as KA said, is a defensive mastermind. He isn't regarded as the best defensive coach for anything.</div>
Hamilton was not an "awful" defensive player Pre-LB. He was below average and right now he's just decent, like you said. Coming out of college in his rookie year, he wasn't very good at all on defense, but like many rookies, he progressed by each game. You could actually see him
improving on D when MJ arrived and that continued anually.
I understand you guys being optimistic, but LB can't turn awful defenders to average defenders. I doubt really any coach can. He will make you a notch better if you are willing to (which you will have to in order to play) . If you recently in Detroit, Prince, who cracked playing time because of his defensive skills Pre-LB, turned into good defender to a very good one. He went a level higher. Same with Billups, same with Rip. In Philly, Eric Snow went up a level higher when he arrived from Seattle. Under LB, you'll be better defenensively, that's a given, but he won't turn awful defenders to average defenders.
