Lawrence Frank adopts Memphis' Offense

[kdub]

From Netsdaily.

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/nets/27584789.html

The Nets will have a new offense, which is said to have principles of the University of Memphis' dribble-drive attack.

The following is a really good read about what this offense is about, and goes into the history of its creation. I recommend reading it. The offense is named DDM (Drible-Drive-Motion) or AASAA (Attack-Attack-Skip-Attack-Attack).

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/grant_wahl/02/12/memphis0218/

Here are a few snippets:

Unlike Knight's classic motion offense (which is based on screens) or Pete Carril's Princeton-style offense (which is based on cuts), Walberg's attack was founded on dribble penetration. To Calipari, at least, it embodied two wholly unconventional notions. One, there were no screens, the better to create spacing for drives. Two, the post man ran to the weak side of the lane (instead of the ball side), leaving the ball handler an open driving path to the basket.

Because there were no screens and attackers were spaced so far apart, the formation opened yawning gaps for penetrators, as long as they had the talent to beat their defenders and the smarts to read defenses on the fly. "I wish I had chosen a fancier name than AASAA, but I wanted kids to understand that it was attack-attack-skip-attack-attack," says Walberg. "What am I trying to say? Get to the rim. It's basically here we come." All of Walberg's teams hear the same slogan (we like three-pointers, but we love layups), and shot charts reveal that the teams take almost no midrange jumpers.

His best player, a heady, relentless point guard named Chris Hernandez (who would later star at Stanford), was such a skilled dribble-penetrator that Walberg moved his post man to the weakside block, clearing two bodies from Hernandez's path to the basket. When Hernandez broke down his defender he had several options: 1) shoot an open layup, 2) pass to the post man (if his defender left him to stop Hernandez), or 3) kick the ball out to an open teammate on the perimeter (if his defender had sagged to help out on Hernandez). The open player could shoot a three-pointer, but if one wasn't available, the team would attack again.

In fact, Calipari says he now does far more coaching in practice than during games, when he used to bark out play calls nearly every trip down the court. "The biggest strength of this offense," Walberg says, "is I feel we're teaching kids how to play basketball instead of how to run plays."

Dribble-drive is tailor-made for today's high school and college teams, which favor speed in the absence of classic back-to-the-basket big men, but it isn't for everyone. It requires quick, smart and talented guards who have a feel for the game. (See: Memphis point guard Derrick Rose.) It requires agile big men who can shoot from the perimeter and race downcourt. It requires deep benches and three-point shooters who can punish sagging man-to-man defenses and the inevitable zones. Not least, it requires complete commitment from coaches, who have to give up the control that comes with offensive play-calling and conventional half-court defenses.

It's a very interesting offense, basically 4 perimeter players and 1 bigman, or 4 players who can drive and shoot the 3 well, and an athletic/mobile big man who can shoot and draw his man away from the lane. I'm sure Frank won't be using the offense in its entirety, but I like it.

 

[soul driver]

which ties together well with Hodge working hard on his jump shot and driving to the hoop he mentioned in his blog.
awesome. should be interesting to see this. could work well with Hayes, VC, DH, Brooke and maybe Yi on the floor or something.

 

[Netted]

I read that too. Boone will be limited to playing just center with Lopez unless he develops a jumpshot.

And CDR should thrive having played it in college.

 

[soul driver]

one of the beat writers mentioned that Boone has been working hard on a 15 (maybe 11 or 12, can't recall) foot shot.

 

[ace]

He has been working on a 15 foot jump shot. Boone told me.

 

[cpawfan]

Most of the roster doesn't have the ball skills to play this offense

 

[#1_War_Poet_ForLife]

He has been working on a 15 foot jump shot. Boone told me.

Yeah. At work today (I had to take the bus. My Cobalt broke down. Grr), I saw J-Bizzy at the basketball game thing. He looked mad good, and won a prize. And he took a Magic ball! WTF?? I said wassup, and he just ignored me. It hurt.

 

[User01]

I guess it makes sense having Yi as the starter and Anderson would work in it too, being perimeter-oriented 4s.

 

[BasX]

just make your free throws

 

[ghoti]

Most of the roster doesn't have the ball skills to play this offense

It suits Harris and Yi extremely well, and everyone else less well. The elements they use of this system will probably be to take advantage of Harris' strengths and cover up some of his weaknesses. He is tailor-made to play this way, and his game is not all that different than Derrick Rose, who was certainly successful running it.

A backcourt of Harris and CDR might emerge as something very effective if they can get into a rhythm with this stuff. Vince will need more rest this year, so anything to keep putting up points when he sits will be welcome. This kind of offense might help with that.

CDR would probably start if they went primarily to this system (which they won't).

 

[Dumpy]

It suits Harris and Yi extremely well, and everyone else less well. The elements they use of this system will probably be to take advantage of Harris' strengths and cover up some of his weaknesses. He is tailor-made to play this way, and his game is not all that different than Derrick Rose, who was certainly successful running it.

A backcourt of Harris and CDR might emerge as something very effective if they can get into a rhythm with this stuff. Vince will need more rest this year, so anything to keep putting up points when he sits will be welcome. This kind of offense might help with that.

CDR would probably start if they went primarily to this system (which they won't).

assume for the moment that Al I. has surpassed his usual level of journalistic effort and this is in fact true. Obviously, Frank is adjusting the offense to match the strenghts and weaknesses of the personnell--notably, as you say, Devin Harris. At what point will critics stop claiming that Coach Frank doesn't make adjustments, just runs the same plays over and over, and is generally a terrible coach? As we've said, this entire season has been about giving him what he wants. Let's see what he does with it.

 

[Dumpy]

p.s., it sounds like Ryan Anderson could also be a beast in this sort of system.

 

[SportsTicker]

Most of the roster doesn't have the ball skills to play this offense

totally agree...unless the roster changes.

 

[cpawfan]

It suits Harris and Yi extremely well, and everyone else less well. The elements they use of this system will probably be to take advantage of Harris' strengths and cover up some of his weaknesses. He is tailor-made to play this way, and his game is not all that different than Derrick Rose, who was certainly successful running it.

A backcourt of Harris and CDR might emerge as something very effective if they can get into a rhythm with this stuff. Vince will need more rest this year, so anything to keep putting up points when he sits will be welcome. This kind of offense might help with that.

CDR would probably start if they went primarily to this system (which they won't).

I disagree about Harris. Yes, he can drive, but he is very much a straight a head drive to the basket and then cycle it out the other side of the court. He isn't very good yet at being patient and probing a defense like Rose could.

 

[Freddyk14]

this sounds like a good offense that will really open things up for harris being as he is more of an offensive pg with that likes to drive.

 

[cpawfan]

Welcome to S2 Freddyk14

 

[ghoti]

I disagree about Harris. Yes, he can drive, but he is very much a straight a head drive to the basket and then cycle it out the other side of the court. He isn't very good yet at being patient and probing a defense like Rose could.

But that hasn't been a focus of his development. Certainly Dallas had no interest in this type of system and his short time with the Nets was more about the transition game and a lot of pick and roll and forcing mismatches with wing players in the post.

His skills really suit a system like this. I think he could pick this up very quickly and it might help his overall game as well. I know you think he's a poor distributor and he's been a little slow to make decisions, but he improved literally immediately after 160 pounds of Avery was removed from his back. I think he has presented a lot of evidence that he has much better instincts than he's been able to show and this is the type of play that can really keep him engaged and take his offense (which isn't terrible) to the next level.

 

[Universe]

This benifits the rookies the most as well, no? Brook as the big man down low while Ryan has the outside shot and the speed to beat his man while CDR played this way in college.

 

[jirohkanzaki]

haha...i wonder how hassell, stro and SWat are doing in practices...lol

at least boone positions himself well to get that angle for the pass for that free dunk...

we should have paid a lot of money for "la bomba" who has the "best runner in europe" or rudy fernandez who will excel at this as the shooter in the corner who will alternate as the attacker if the 1st attacker comes up empty...

 

[ffz]

Wow... you guys are really starving for good bball if you think Ryan Anderson can be a beast in any system. No knock on ryan anderson, but beast? He might be a scott padgett player if he works hard.

We'll see how long this system lasts. VC and Harris can penetrate, but i dont know how the lack of screens is going to work. Pick and roll is the hardest play to defend in the NBA.

 

[networks]

I think boone and Swilliams will get their opportunites. Frank's mentality is run the same play until the defense adapts. Then they will have to run a different play. So the Pick and roll with Boone and Swilliams may come into play here. Also they have to give Lopez and Yi touches in the post. Hopefully. Who knows with Frank. If he doesnt, these Boone will continue to Rebound and Swilliams will continue to block shots.

 

[jirohkanzaki]

Wow... you guys are really starving for good bball if you think Ryan Anderson can be a beast in any system. No knock on ryan anderson, but beast? He might be a scott padgett player if he works hard.

We'll see how long this system lasts. VC and Harris can penetrate, but i dont know how the lack of screens is going to work. Pick and roll is the hardest play to defend in the NBA.

thus far ryan has continued to humiliate doubters of his game...i hope it continues...at least we know he is a competitor and has the right attitude to continue to improve...stromile swift had vc-like natural gifts but what happened to him?

 

[cpawfan]

Wow... you guys are really starving for good bball if you think Ryan Anderson can be a beast in any system. No knock on ryan anderson, but beast? He might be a scott padgett player if he works hard.

We'll see how long this system lasts. VC and Harris can penetrate, but i dont know how the lack of screens is going to work. Pick and roll is the hardest play to defend in the NBA.

Ryan Anderson is already a better NBA player than Scott Padgett. That is a ridiculous comparison.

 

[ghoti]

The white player you have selected for comparison does not meet the minimum white player similarity requirements.

Please consult the White Player Comparison Database and try again.

 

[jirohkanzaki]

We'll see how long this system lasts. VC and Harris can penetrate, but i dont know how the lack of screens is going to work. Pick and roll is the hardest play to defend in the NBA.

The pick and roll is also one of the hardest to execute. You have to practice with your pick-and-roll partner hundreds of times to get the positioning and timing right. It also involves a skilled bigman and a smart playmaker you can decide when the pick and roll is good or is a blown one. That is why Stockton and Malone are the only ones to perfect it.

This new system however looks so simple it can be run by high schoolers to perfection so much unlike Frank's complicated Princeton offense hybrid where a play can branch out to multiple sub-plays depending on the situation which is why the Nets execute ever so slowly and tentatively and often results in a blown play and a VC iso.

 

[rory]

The white player you have selected for comparison does not meet the minimum white player similarity requirements.

Please consult the White Player Comparison Database and try again.

Keith Van Horn

 

[networks]

Keith Van Horn

I dont think he will be as good as KVH, but the I definitely think he is going to be better then Padgett.

To avoid getting fined by the White Player Comparison Committee (lol), I was even going to suggest a Pre Nets Rodney Rogers type of player.

 

[Dumpy]

I can't sit here and accurately predict what sort of player Ryan will be and eventually become, but I suspect that he will surprise a lot of people. He can shoot like the 2006-07 version of Boki Nachbar, but also has the instincts to be a decent rebounder. I will say this, though: He'll be more than the 21st-best rookie (or whenever it was that he was selected), even including Oden.

 

[Dumpy]

networks, get your own avatar--that one is mine.

 

[cpawfan]

networks, get your own avatar--that one is mine.

Just for that, I gave you an avatar