CB Draft 2011 Southeast Divison Press Conferences

[wdleehi]

WASHINGTON:


I really like Aldridge and Granger next to eachother, especially surrounded by guys who don't need the ball in their hands to contribute.

However, i think your scope on Felton is a bit off.  First off i don't think it's quite fair to give statistics in your introductory breakdown of your starters without giving the whole body of work - even with the qualifier that you provided.

Felton's numbers were extremely impressive during the first two months of the season, but from there, in December, January, and February (he wasn't traded until the end of feb), his shooting numbers fell to 41%/33%, 37%/29%, 42%/28% (fg/3pt).  You made the reference that his numbers fell when he was moved to DEN, but actually that's when he became a MUCH more efficent PG, shooting 42% and 47% from the field and 47% and 53% from distance, over the final two months, respectively.  He also drastically reduced his turnovers after the trade.

Now i'm not saying Felton wasn't a very good PG this past year, but it seems like Felton (similar to Amare) burnt out quickly after heavy playing time but then put it back together with a bit of a reduced role.  I know Dragic is a decent reserve, but without another gamer PG to help keep Felton's minutes in check, how am i to be sure that Felton will not burn out early and regress to the numbers he posted towards the end of his stay with NY?  And if you do reduce his minutes, is Dragic ready to play ~20 minutes a night for a championship contending team?

I wrote that late an in a confusing manner.  (I fixed it)

Amare's shooting % dropped.


One of the reason's I selected Felton was his per 48 minutes stats did not drop after the trade, he just got fewer minutes.  

I have two other PGs besides Felton.  West and Dragic.  Look at Dragic's numbers starting for Houston (really small sample, but still impressive)


I want Felton to initiate the offense and play strong defense, two things he has shown the ability to do at a high level in the past.  

[Roy H.]

Yoki:

What lessons did you learn as a rookie GM that you'll try to carry over to next year?

(Sorry, it's not really a question about your team, but I find it interesting to hear how rookies perceive the game.)

[Roy H.]

Bahku (South Beach):

Where does the leadership come from on your team?

Is your squad good enough on defense to compete in a 24 team league?

Why is your team significantly better than the "real" NJ Nets?

[Roy H.]

Washington:

I may be misremembering here, but I don't think any of your players other than Delonte have made it past the second round of the playoffs.  Has your team been playoff tested enough to compete?

[wdleehi]

Washington:

I may be misremembering here, but I don't think any of your players other than Delonte have made it past the second round of the playoffs.  Has your team been playoff tested enough to compete?

Battier this year

Gortat with Orlando

Dragic with Phoenix

Peja wit sac and Dallas

[wdleehi]

Washington:

If and when Delonte West goes down, is Avery Bradley capable of stepping up?  Or does Shane Battier take over all the backup SG minutes?

Perhaps he will have grown as a player.



But most likely I will just increase the number of minutes Felton, Fields, Dragic and Battier play.  All are under last years averages. 


I can also play Peja some minutes at SF allowing Battier more minutes at SG.

[Roy H.]

Washington:

I may be misremembering here, but I don't think any of your players other than Delonte have made it past the second round of the playoffs.  Has your team been playoff tested enough to compete?

Battier this year

Gortat with Orlando

Dragic with Phoenix

Peja wit sac and Dallas

Well, there you go (although Battier lost in the second round this year).  However, all those guys played a pretty small role on their successful teams.  Can they provide the necessary leadership?

[wdleehi]

Washington:

I may be misremembering here, but I don't think any of your players other than Delonte have made it past the second round of the playoffs.  Has your team been playoff tested enough to compete?

Battier this year

Gortat with Orlando

Dragic with Phoenix

Peja wit sac and Dallas

Well, there you go (although Battier lost in the second round this year).  However, all those guys played a pretty small role on their successful teams.  Can they provide the necessary leadership?

Leadership will start from the top.  That's why I chose JVG.  He in turn will lean on his two stars in Aldridge and Granger. 

Battier provides leadership of the bench. 

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Yoki:

What lessons did you learn as a rookie GM that you'll try to carry over to next year?

(Sorry, it's not really a question about your team, but I find it interesting to hear how rookies perceive the game.)

Well for one thing that the 6th, 7th and later rounds can still have good pieces. I was wrong when I thought that I won't have good enough depth when I did not have a 3rd and 4th and thought I had to get back to it. Ended up making bad decisions.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Yoki:

What lessons did you learn as a rookie GM that you'll try to carry over to next year?

(Sorry, it's not really a question about your team, but I find it interesting to hear how rookies perceive the game.)

Well for one thing that the 6th, 7th and later rounds can still have good pieces. I was wrong when I thought that I won't have good enough depth when I did not have a 3rd and 4th and thought I had to get back to it. Ending up making bad decisions.

[mgent]

@   


Battier and Peja are your most playoff-tested players.  Do you think you've got enough experience to make it deep into the playoffs?  How many minutes will you play Fields after his 1.8ppg in 17 minutes on 20% shooting performance?

[wdleehi]

@   


Battier and Peja are your most playoff-tested players.  Do you think you've got enough experience to make it deep into the playoffs?  How many minutes will you play Fields after his 1.8ppg in 17 minutes on 20% shooting performance?

Yes, I do feel I have enough experience.  And this year, I expect Aldridge to have a full time star next to him in the playoffs.  (has not happened the past two seasons)

I think Fields, the rookie, hit a wall his first year.  I expect him to play the way he did most the season into the playoffs.

[Bahku]

Bahku (South Beach):

Where does the leadership come from on your team?

I think there are primarily two types of leadership, the emotional/inspirational kind, and the physical kind. Our emotional leadership clearly comes from Melo ... he's the spark, the energy, the spirit, and the crunch-time, go-to guy. He's highly respected and feared by opponents, and admired by his team-mates.

Our physical leadership, (leadership distributing the ball, etc.), comes from Devin. He's a fantastic passer, quick down the floor, a fast first-step, very unselfish with the ball, and loves to help make his team-mates better players, and help them score.

While he may not be as vocal as some, he leads by example, and with the right energy around him, and a guy like Melo to reward and key off from, this is the type of team that will nurture his natural leadership ability, and bring that to the forefront.

This is an unselfish team on the whole, and much like the Celtics, they have different players who can lead at different times for various reasons. Paul Pierce is the captain of the C's, but he goes about it in a quiet way, and defers to other players for leadership, depending on the circumstances.

I see this Samurai team much the same way ... Devin is our "floor general", but Melo will obviously take the reins quite often, as will Bayless from time-to-time, Gibson, Turner, even Garcia has shown flashes of leadership.

I also am extremely optimistic about Jimmer Fredette, and I could easily see him emerging as the leader of this team ... he has never shied away from anything, and if any rookie from this class was destined for a leadership role, it's Jimmer.

The other answers in a bit ... I'm being interrupted.

(Although it seems some people have made up their minds already).

[indeedproceed]

I think Fields, the rookie, hit a wall his first year.  I expect him to play the way he did most the season into the playoffs.

I think Fields gets replaced and becomes a supersixthman.

[Bahku]

Bahku (South Beach):

Is your squad good enough on defense to compete in a 24 team league?

Yes, absolutely. If you'll check the stats and info supplied on my players, epsecially the younger ones which may not be as familiar, you'll see that my team isn't as weak on defense as some may think.

Effective defense depends more a the team than it does individual players, and when you have a working, tight chemistry and guys with the right tools, defense will develop as a natural result.


From my presser:

This is a young, fast, athletic team, a team that was built to run and shoot, and that's what we'll do. I have no illusions about our weakness in the defense department, but when a team can run the fast-break, the pick-and-roll, and move their feet as quickly as we can, our opponents will be out of breath by the end of the first half, making their attacks on the offensive end much less effective, and in turn our defensive strategies much more so.
 
 We will also keep our opponents on their heels when trying to run their own defenses, and render them ineffective as well. Tommy Heisnsohn is a huge proponent of the "up-tempo" game, and it's for the same reasons. During Tommy's nine seasons as coach of the Boston Celtics, he had a win/loss record of .619, was ranked first (team) for five seasons, made the playoffs six seasons, won the championship twice, and was named Coach of the Year in 72-73 ... not bad.
 
Tommy's primary focus was not defense, it was the run game, and you can see that it was extremely successful. Why? because when you've got your opponents on their heels, and don't give them the time to get into their defensive sets, even the best defensive clubs are going to struggle. Good defense is only effective when it has the time to be put in motion, and when a team is as fast, athletic, and explosive as we are, the ball is going to be through the net before our opponents even get back down the floor.
 
How does that help our defense? It gives us extra time to focus on the defensive end, (being young we need that extra focus), and it tires out our older, slower opponents, and hence undermines the effectiveness of their offensive plays. Tired legs have much more trouble putting the ball in the basket, and that's something we'll use to our advantage. With youth, speed, and athleticism in our corner, fatigue becomes our ally, and whatever the level of our opponents' defense, it crumbles in the wake of our fast-break attack.