Durrant & AK

[NUMBERICA]

Deron goes hard to the basket like neither do. Kobe's showing his age and Durant could shatter if he's bumped hard enough.

 

[vj_74]

I'm surprised that Sloan (or most other coaches) haven't taken this strategy much. Even though Harpring's not around, such pesky defense by committee isn't that hard to implement.

Yeah, Sloan has really not thought about getting physical at all on defense, in his entire life, right? I mean, he doesnt now what it means to demand his players to get physical, and frustrate the opponent. Just ask Harpring or Wesley Mathews, they'll tell you, how clueless Sloan is about demanding physical defense.

Get real. Look at the personnel we have.You cant change a guy like AK, its as simple as that. Has 10 years of playing under different coaches like Avery Johnson, Harris or Gentry or Porter made Nash or Nowitzki, "pesky" defenders?
They are who they are, beyond a point. Unfortunately half our team is like that. Only Millsap, Price, Bell and Deron to a certain extent can play that kind of defense.
Its easier to look like a great defensive coach when you have Artest and Kobe manning the perimeter and Bynum protecting the paint. When you have Miles and AK on the perimeter and Okur/Booz protecting the paint? Not so much.

 

[InGameStrategy]

Yeah, Sloan has really not thought about getting physical at all on defense, in his entire life, right? I mean, he doesnt now what it means to demand his players to get physical, and frustrate the opponent. Just ask Harpring or Wesley Mathews, they'll tell you, how clueless Sloan is about demanding physical defense.

Get real. Look at the personnel we have.You cant change a guy like AK, its as simple as that. Has 10 years of playing under different coaches like Avery Johnson, Harris or Gentry or Porter made Nash or Nowitzki, "pesky" defenders?
They are who they are, beyond a point. Unfortunately half our team is like that. Only Millsap, Price, Bell and Deron to a certain extent can play that kind of defense.
Its easier to look like a great defensive coach when you have Artest and Kobe manning the perimeter and Bynum protecting the paint. When you have Miles and AK on the perimeter and Okur/Booz protecting the paint? Not so much.

Thanks for walking into my argument. AK isn't going to be a body-up kind of guy--he does contribute to D in other way--but CJ could be with a little insistence. I'm optimistic that Elder Hayward will try to defend, Korver-style.

And it goes back to Boozer and Okur being the antithesis of physical defense, especially physical help defense--and Sloan not enforcing it. Watch those players step up their D when they are benched for a posession or two for letting an opponent drive at will. It's worth the "sacrifice" of sitting down a starter for a couple of minutes if they get the message that they are not entitled to their playing time if they don't produce on both ends of the court. Fes definitely was able to go in and deter the lanes, and KK2 probably was (although not intentionally :|).

 

[carolinajazz]

....lest we forget....the despite taking the Lakers to 7 games, Durant had a pretty pathetic series against them....which means somebody did something to knock him off his game! Don't remember what it was, but it can be done.