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Bad Defense

I'd extend that to the team leadership in general. The 3 leaders of the team this season were Corbin, Mo and Al (at least by virtue of their respective roles). That 3-headed monster guarantees you a team with no defensive pride or intensity. Hopefully Favors and Hayward can step up to the plate and do the job those 3 couldn't.

True. I speak of 'positionless' basketball, but I always say 4 long athletic and skilled guys and a PG. The PG is the extension of the coach on the floor.

No coach. No leadership. Sub-par PG play. Hard to win a lot with that.
 
If only we had athletic wings who might have been able to play better defense since Mo, Randy, and Marvin couldn't defend a chair....
Actually, Marvin was a very good defender. Unfortunately, whoever he was matched up against was also a good defender, by default.

I don't think Randy is a bad defender either, but he shouldn't be playing extended minutes as the starting SG, trying to defend the typical starting NBA SG who is going to be several inches taller than him. He should be playing as a backup, guarding other backups. And like all our perimeter defenders, he is hurt by the lack of a solid help defender behind him most of the time. I'm also not convinced that Corbin's defensive scheme helps anyone look like a good defender.
 
I'm not as down on Corbin as others. Don't love him, but I think we'll get a much better idea who he is as a coach with a team he can build from the ground up. He was handed a roster that made it virtually impossible to establish an identity (bunch of vets on expiring contracts). The young guys played hungry and disciplined this season, and I think Ty did a good job letting them play a lot of their minutes together, and allowing them to fail from time to time (late game isos for Gordo, plenty of touches for Favors) without breaking their spirits. I'm not sure Gordo and Derrick were ready to be handed the reins at the start of the season, and making decisions that would destroy the locker room (benching the vets) could have had some negative longterm consequences (on both the young players and the organization). It's entirely possible Ty gets the young guys to play hard together next season and define themselves as a team. Or he could fall on his face...either way, 13/14 is the make or break season for Corbin, as I see it (unlike many others, I don't think canning him would have been the right decision, regardless of the financial ramifications).

I'm also still on board with re-signing Millsap, especially if David Locke is right about what the market will be for his services this summer (a little over $8mil per), provided he's willing to let Gordo and Derrick take on leadership roles.
 
I agree with GVC and PKM regarding coaching and leading players. But, someone needs to say this: we are desperately short of capable perimeter defenders. You've got to address that ASAP or it will be another year of very poor defense -- regardless of coach, system, and leadership.

If we can't get Schroeder at 14 (he looks like a capable defender), then I hope we spend #14 and #21 on perimeter-defense prospects who can shoot. We'll need these guys even if they are career role players.
 
I'm not as down on Corbin as others. Don't love him, but I think we'll get a much better idea who he is as a coach with a team he can build from the ground up. He was handed a roster that made it virtually impossible to establish an identity (bunch of vets on expiring contracts). The young guys played hungry and disciplined this season, and I think Ty did a good job letting them play a lot of their minutes together, and allowing them to fail from time to time (late game isos for Gordo, plenty of touches for Favors) without breaking their spirits. I'm not sure Gordo and Derrick were ready to be handed the reins at the start of the season, and making decisions that would destroy the locker room (benching the vets) could have had some negative longterm consequences (on both the young players and the organization). It's entirely possible Ty gets the young guys to play hard together next season and define themselves as a team. Or he could fall on his face...either way, 13/14 is the make or break season for Corbin, as I see it (unlike many others, I don't think canning him would have been the right decision, regardless of the financial ramifications).

I'm also still on board with re-signing Millsap, especially if David Locke is right about what the market will be for his services this summer (a little over $8mil per), provided he's willing to let Gordo and Derrick take on leadership roles.

Great post. You are really smart. Glad I got past the part where I thought you were a dick. Seriously, I hope Dennis Lindsay thinks like you in this post.
 
Defense is overrated, the best defense is a good Offense.

....your words have more truth to them than most people think! Like in the NFL, today's NBA rules cater big time to offensive players and penalize the defensive players and specialists. Offensively you can palm the ball, travel, double dribble, ticky tack fouls, you name it! The refs look the other way. Defensively no more hand checking, breath on the guy and it's a two shot foul for most of your superstars.......and then you guys want to take away the ONLY thing the defensive guy can do to slow up these rule violators, "flopping".....and still most teams struggle to score 100 points unless it's an NBA All Star game! Just shows to go ya......even with all the offensive advantages, most teams still can't shoot much better than 40%......and some guys can't even do that from the free throw line! Yeah, I know. I'm on another one of my anti-NBA rants!
 
I'm not as down on Corbin as others. Don't love him, but I think we'll get a much better idea who he is as a coach with a team he can build from the ground up. He was handed a roster that made it virtually impossible to establish an identity (bunch of vets on expiring contracts). The young guys played hungry and disciplined this season, and I think Ty did a good job letting them play a lot of their minutes together, and allowing them to fail from time to time (late game isos for Gordo, plenty of touches for Favors) without breaking their spirits. I'm not sure Gordo and Derrick were ready to be handed the reins at the start of the season, and making decisions that would destroy the locker room (benching the vets) could have had some negative longterm consequences (on both the young players and the organization). It's entirely possible Ty gets the young guys to play hard together next season and define themselves as a team. Or he could fall on his face...either way, 13/14 is the make or break season for Corbin, as I see it (unlike many others, I don't think canning him would have been the right decision, regardless of the financial ramifications).

Jeez. Some of us have been watching the Jazz for decades and have no interest in spending more years waiting for a piss-poor coach to "build his team from the ground up."
And I repectively disagree with your interpretation of the young'uns minutes. Corbin sucked.
 
I agree with GVC and PKM regarding coaching and leading players. But, someone needs to say this: we are desperately short of capable perimeter defenders. You've got to address that ASAP or it will be another year of very poor defense -- regardless of coach, system, and leadership.

If we can't get Schroeder at 14 (he looks like a capable defender), then I hope we spend #14 and #21 on perimeter-defense prospects who can shoot. We'll need these guys even if they are career role players.

I concur. I love good perimeter defensive players. Love 'em.
 
I agree with GVC and PKM regarding coaching and leading players. But, someone needs to say this: we are desperately short of capable perimeter defenders. You've got to address that ASAP or it will be another year of very poor defense -- regardless of coach, system, and leadership.

If we can't get Schroeder at 14 (he looks like a capable defender), then I hope we spend #14 and #21 on perimeter-defense prospects who can shoot. We'll need these guys even if they are career role players.
So if we had Thib, would we have been better defenders........? I think so.
 
So if we had Thib, would we have been better defenders........? I think so.

Absolutely we would be better defensively with Thib...but would we be great? I doubt it.

Coaching makes a difference, to a point. You still have to have talent.
 
Absolutely we would be better defensively with Thib...but would we be great? I doubt it.

Coaching makes a difference, to a point. You still have to have talent.

You also have to have good roster composition. We had too much talent in some spots, and no talent in others. Even if we had a decent point guard with Thibs, we would have been significantly better.
 
....your words have more truth to them than most people think! Like in the NFL, today's NBA rules cater big time to offensive players and penalize the defensive players and specialists. Offensively you can palm the ball, travel, double dribble, ticky tack fouls, you name it! The refs look the other way. Defensively no more hand checking, breath on the guy and it's a two shot foul for most of your superstars.......and then you guys want to take away the ONLY thing the defensive guy can do to slow up these rule violators, "flopping".....and still most teams struggle to score 100 points unless it's an NBA All Star game! Just shows to go ya......even with all the offensive advantages, most teams still can't shoot much better than 40%......and some guys can't even do that from the free throw line! Yeah, I know. I'm on another one of my anti-NBA rants!

I was totally kidding. The teams that do well in the playoffs can actually play defense. Most of the time they are also good offensively, but playing better than average defense is a must. Flopping needs to go, it is terrible and more akin to thespians than basketball players. I would be fine if more carrying, traveling calls were made as well, but they don't ruin my watching experience as much as flopping and their smirks after.
 
Not sure what you're 'saying.'

EDIT:
I was agreeing with you and GVC. Then, I added to those points a claim about our roster composition (we simply lack perimeter defenders) since it wasn't EMPHASIZED ENOUGH in your points.
 
EDIT:
I was agreeing with you and GVC. Then, I added to those points a claim about our roster composition (we simply lack perimeter defenders) since it wasn't EMPHASIZED ENOUGH in your points.

The silly part of this discussion is that Ty got in a pi$$ing contest with Roger Braille who is a good defensive player. He and mangement exiled him off the island and we missed the playoffs by a couple of games. A hard defensive player may have made that difference along with the DLeague dudes who didn't get a minute of PT.
 
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