Got it. I know who Von Wafer is for us.

[JBcat]

Defense is a mindset and staying low and in front of your man.  Its not as skilled a thing as some would make it.   Its an internal desire and from what I read Bradley is the real deal on it.

I dunno. Getting a hand on a ball for a strip feels like a skill to be when I play ball. Some people (like TA) have an uncanny ability to get their hand on the ball when it is shown to them by the penetrator.

Timing blocks is definitely a skill.

Being able to stay in front of you man is definitely a skill and players vary greatly on that ability. Desire is a minor factor.

The NBA is so fast that players who lack these skills can fake it on desire. Instead, they are exposed.

Everything is a mindset when we are talking about premier athletes. They have to put in serious effort to be good at anything. But the mind isn't enough. Determination only goes so far.

The only argument to be made is that Wafer has those skills, but was too unmotivated to use them in the past. Considering Hou was a strong defensive team, I am skeptical of that.

I agree.  Eddie House had the mindset to play D but that doesn't mean he was very good at it. 

[Snakehead]

To me he is just filling that Michael Finley role from last year, but hopefully much more youthful and with more energy and he gives us more than Finley did.

[EDWARDO]

Defense is a mindset and staying low and in front of your man.  Its not as skilled a thing as some would make it.   Its an internal desire and from what I read Bradley is the real deal on it.

I dunno. Getting a hand on a ball for a strip feels like a skill to be when I play ball. Some people (like TA) have an uncanny ability to get their hand on the ball when it is shown to them by the penetrator.

Timing blocks is definitely a skill.

Being able to stay in front of you man is definitely a skill and players vary greatly on that ability. Desire is a minor factor.

The NBA is so fast that players who lack these skills can fake it on desire. Instead, they are exposed.

Everything is a mindset when we are talking about premier athletes. They have to put in serious effort to be good at anything. But the mind isn't enough. Determination only goes so far.

The only argument to be made is that Wafer has those skills, but was too unmotivated to use them in the past. Considering Hou was a strong defensive team, I am skeptical of that.

I agree.  Eddie House had the mindset to play D but that doesn't mean he was very good at it. 

I'm 90% into the Determination camp here. At my college, we practiced in t shirts that read "DEFENSE IS DESIRE", and I think that defense is MOSTLY about being really applying yourself to it.

That said, a guy like House or Scal that obvious athletic or size disadvantages is going to struggle, but if you are a great athlete, you don't need to be an ace pick pocket like Rondo or passing lane anticipator in order to be a very good defender. Wafer will either get it and apply himself and get it done or he won't (and as a result, wouldn't play much for us). He's got all the physical tools to be a good defender, maybe a very good defender. Let's see if he wants it.

There are the physical tools, which he has, then there is the awareness, intensity, application and understanding that this Celtis team is built on (our only GREAT athlete this past year was Rondo). That requires all guys on the same page. If Wafer doesn't get it, he'll be gone.

I think the JR Smith comparison is pretty good and I like the fact that this guy is really coming off the bottom and its a make or break year for him. He seems like he was a complete idiot in Houston and Greece. He's now been given a golden opportunity to turn it around. Let's see if he takes it.

[More Banners]

VW is the wildcard for us.  That's who he is.

IF he plays like a young athletic guard who can run, shoot, and move the ball while playing at least good team D, then a Nate/VW backcourt could be the most potent backup guard combo around, or close to it.  If Quisy is in rhythm and gets regular minutes too, with his versatility added to that mix, we're in good shape.  BBD is young and surprisingly mobile, too, so we have the potential for a very dynamic bench...and I guess if running the 3-4 man break doesn't work, they can pull the ball out and wait a few minutes for Shaq to catch up and run the half-court through the post?

[toinewalka]

A lot is being said about what D we are bringing off the bench, and I understand that it is nice to bring some stoppers off the bench to rest the starters, but our starters are actually very good defenders.  In the finals, we allowed the Lakers over 100 points only once in seven games, and over 90 in three (including the 100 point game) of the seven.

I think if anything, we need scoring off the bench.  We would go through stretches of digging in on D, but not being able to score AT ALL.  I think VW for this team is a guy that should come and and TRY TO SCORE.  He's not as good, but I consider him like Jason Terry. Come in and try to score, and if he doesn't have it that night, he'll sit back down.  He should just be energetic and aggressive.  That's what I would love to see out of him.