What should be done to improve our defense?

[maxiep]

Defense takes energy, commitment and grit. Those are three qualities we lack. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot that we had all the ingredients needed for a championship.

 

[mook]

Defense takes energy, commitment and grit. Those are three qualities we lack. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot that we had all the ingredients needed for a championship.

It also takes some experience. It takes being around opponents for several years so you no longer scout them so much as remember how you played them last time and the time before that.

How many times have you personally played hoops against somebody, thought they were pretty good, but you played them over and over and eventually figured out how to pretty much shut them down? I know I've experienced that several times.

Two of the five starters weren't in the NBA last year. Aren't pretty much all teams with so many young players bad defensively?

 

[B-Roy]

Effort, effort effort! That's what we need!

There's just no effort in guys like Outlaw, Sergio, and at times, Greg and Brandon. Yes Brandon.

 

[Reep]

It also takes some experience. It takes being around opponents for several years so you no longer scout them so much as remember how you played them last time and the time before that.

How many times have you personally played hoops against somebody, thought they were pretty good, but you played them over and over and eventually figured out how to pretty much shut them down? I know I've experienced that several times.

Two of the five starters weren't in the NBA last year. Aren't pretty much all teams with so many young players bad defensively?

It certainly takes the ability to be able to react, not think. Some do that more quickly than others, but usually it just takes lots of practice and experience.

 

[LittleAlex]

Two of the five starters weren't in the NBA last year. Aren't pretty much all teams with so many young players bad defensively?

That is the common claim. Do we have any proof it is true? What other teams had a low average age that Portland can be compared to historically?

This looks like a job for 82games!

 

[retroblazers]

i for one don't buy the old excuse that roy can't play tough D all game long because he has to save his energy for offense. that's just the homer glasses being warn by can do no wrong roy fans. I never noticed MJ, Pippen, Kobe, or any of those guys taking it easy on defense in order to save for their offense.

the truth is, even when broy was coming off the bench at UW, and playing second fiddle to Nate Robinson, he was still lazy on defense. he has all the ability to play good D, but he just doesn't have the passion for it yet.

Just ask Celtic fans, Pierce was good in the past, but it wasn't until this last year when he decided to focus on D that he took his game to the next level. Same with Lebron and DWade.

 

[tlongII]

Mostly we need a healthy Greg Oden. We also need him to play 25-35 mins/game. He takes up a lot of space and keeps Joel fresh when Prizzy's in the game. Other than that, we need experience. Our guys don't always recognize who the shooters are to rotate to imo. Guys like Bayless and Batum should learn this with experience. Not sure about Travis...

 

[Reep]

I never noticed MJ, Pippen, Kobe, or any of those guys taking it easy on defense in order to save for their offense.

Yes, but Jordan and Pippen had each other and Rodman/Cartwright/H. Grant/Purdue behind them. It was a team of solid defenders so they didn't need to work as hard individially.

Roy doesn't have that yet. Oden is not there yet. Bayless and Batum are getting there, but need the experience.

 

[hasoos]

To be fair, though, when your team's average age is 24, it's pretty hard not to concentrate on concepts only.

Who is going to be studying those charts?

Oden? He's too busy trying not to foul.

Aldridge? Roy? They're still trying to adjust to life as superstars.

Outlaw? Can that guy even read?

Batum? Hell, he's still learning the language and the NBA game.

Przybilla? Whatever he's doing, he should keep doing it.

Bayless? Hard to blame him for not studying every opponent so he can be ready for the 5.6 minutes he's on defense.

Sergio? Hah!

When you think about what Battier does to get ready for an opponent, and then you try to apply that strategy to our players, it becomes pretty obvious why we have such a bad defensive team.

Oh comon man I don't know about that. It's not like defense is Physical Chemistry, Vector Calc, or some other crazy ass hard topic. How much skill does it take to watch film and try to remember where a guy likes to go?

I think the hardest thing is, that Battier up above, has the coaches buy in as they provide him those material grids for him to study. That would be the hardest part.

 

[Minstrel]

I think the hardest thing is, that Battier up above, has the coaches buy in as they provide him those material grids for him to study. That would be the hardest part.

But Morey said that it wasn't productive to give that information to other players:

Before the game, Battier was given his special package of information. “He’s the only player we give it to,” Morey says. “We can give him this fire hose of data and let him sift. Most players are like golfers. You don’t want them swinging while they’re thinking.”

So, even for non-rookies, it doesn't seem like you can just throw information at them and get good results.

 

[mook]

i for one don't buy the old excuse that roy can't play tough D all game long because he has to save his energy for offense. that's just the homer glasses being warn by can do no wrong roy fans. I never noticed MJ, Pippen, Kobe, or any of those guys taking it easy on defense in order to save for their offense.

Actually, on a nightly basis I think Kobe does kind of mail it in a little on defense. He's a lot like Roy in that when he wants to he can be fantastic, but he doesn't really try that hard. If he really wanted to, Bryant could be a regular candidate for defensive player of the year.

It's not really fair to compare Roy to MJ and Pippen, two of the greatest perimeter defenders of all time. Defense was always one of Pippen's calling cards, and you can't blame Roy for not having as much in his tank as Jordan.

If you look at the majority of wing players in the NBA who average over 20 ppg, you generally don't get a list of the league's best perimeter defenders. And vice versa. Ron Artest has averaged more than 21 ppg only once in his career.

 

[Reep]

It's not like defense is Physical Chemistry, Vector Calc, or some other crazy ass hard topic.

Ah, Physical Chemistry . . .