NBA Season 2014-2015

[mr. dee]

It's Rondo's fault that Blazers had 15 pt lead.

[Kane3387]

Rondo, Ellis, Tyson, and Dirk were a combined 16-50. There you go. Make or miss league.

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

Watched Bucks-Warriors last night.  I don't know if it'll work - it was limited last night - but I can see what Kidd is going for with MCW and Greek Freak together.  That's one long, athletic perimeter.  Pair them with a knockdown shooter or two and a good interior defense and they could be pretty intimidating.

I have been amazed at how much they have been able to accomplish defensively.

2nd in defensive efficiency now.

This despite Larry Sanders only playing about 22mpg and playing less than half their games when he left the team. Zaza is no great shakes defensively. Nor is Henson. The PF position is been just a problematic. Jabari Parker was a weak defender. Ilyasova has been a bad man-to-man defender his entire career but a solid team defender. Jared Dudley playing out of position as PF. Or that Jonny O'Bryant guy.

It's amazing that they have accomplished so much on the defensive end of the floor without a true defensive anchor (once Sanders left) and while also having defensive problems at PF.

Almost all their defensive value is coming from the perimeter spots and their scrambling team defense. Using their quickness and length. A terrific defensive scheme revolving around a lot of zoning on strong side of the floor and trusting their long quick defensive guards / forwards to be able to recover in time when the ball switches sides. Also use their length to force a league leading 15.7% turnovers.

It's not like perimeter rotation is full of defensive talent either. They are playing guys like Bayless and OJ Mayo. Dudley is a good defender but a slow one (on perimeter) or badly undersized (at PF). It is incredible what Jason Kidd has managed to build defensively given the personnel he has at his disposal.

Giannis is the real star of their defense. His length and mobility on team defense is a nightmare for opposing teams. Middleton has been very good for Milwaukee as well. Brandon Knight was a very strong defensive PG but I think MCW has even more defensive upside than Knight had and is a perfect fit for Milwaukee's defensive system.

Jason Kidd deserves a huge amount of credit.

All of this. I would a million times over take what Milwaukee is trying to do over what the 76ers were. They are adding Parker, who was looking quite good, to a team that already has very very nice pieces. I think MCW is going to do a lot better there with actual NBA veterans telling him what he can and can't do and a coach that is not afraid to yank him for bad play. Kind of the polar opposite of philly.

Brett Brown is a good coach not some weak shrinking violet.  At the start of the 2nd half of one of our games with the Sixers, Sully beat their bigs down the court on two successive fast breaks.  With less than a minute gone, Brown called a timeout and chewed out Noel and the other big for letting it happen.  The Sixers are tanking so there is little reason to yank young players for bad play.  They aren't going to get better sitting on the bench.   

The Bucks are 1-4 since the MCW trade.  Maybe Kidd can eventually develop MCW into an efficient player but in the short term they've taken a step back.  The Bucks have better existing talent but the Sixers have better draft picks and cap space.  Their situations are different but I don't think either is significantly better than the other.  The T-wolves may actually be in the best shape except for them being in the West.

I 100% agree on Minnesota. They have the brightest group of young talent between Wiggins, Dieng and Lavine (Lavine actually looks like a player since all-star break). Throw in Rubio, Pek, Martin and a top 5 pick and they really have something. The cavs totally jump started the t-wolves rebuild with a massive overpay for Love.

As for Philly/Bucks that wasn't meant to be a dig on Brown. I also think he is a good coach, could possibly turn out to be a great coach. I more was referencing the situation you mentioned where Kidd has the ability to put in a Bayless, Mayo or other veteran if MCW is making boneheaded plays.

I do totally disagree with you about there not being a benefit to yanking a young player after bad plays. A coach can chew out a young player all he wants for a bad play, but if he gets to play 38 minutes no matter how many bad plays he makes he is probably not going to change (and will eventually tune out the chew outs). Now if a player makes a boneheaded plays and goes and sits on the bench for a half hour maybe he thinks a bit more about the play.

There are certainly occasions where benching a player could be effective and necessary.  I'd make a distinction between bad plays and bonehead plays.  Most of the time I think it is better to let players play through their mistakes.  MCW actually was actually pretty productive overall but was very inefficient.  Brown didn't have much success correcting MCW's issues but maybe Kidd can.  Trading MCW for the Lakers 1st was a no brainer with all the talented PGs around.  On the other hand, Noel has improved a lot from the beginning of the season and looks like a keeper or at least a good trade asset.

I like coaches playing young players through their mistakes / errors / missed shots.

What I do not like is coaches playing young players when they are not giving effort or playing without focus. Commitment is an absolute.

Mistakes I can live with. I think that is how you learn. By trying things and often by failing. By learning how to fix your mistakes / weaknesses and by learning what you can and cannot do at this level.

I do not watch the Sixers often but when I do watch them, I see good things happening. I think the coaching staff there is doing a good job. I really respect the defensive effort they are getting out of those guys and commitment to moving the ball and playing together as a team on offense. There is a framework for success that is being developed and instilled in the players.

Someone mentioned a SVG quote criticizing the Wizards a few years ago with that dreadful JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche, Nick Young team. Those guys did not play with effort + focus. They were not being held accountable or developed in a good manner. Those guys did not play as a team. They did not play with required levels with effort on defense. They were all out for themselves. Selfishness and immaturity were constants around that group. It was a toxic environment that made it increasingly difficult to develop their young talent.

Also, I think having a guy like Nerlens Noel is great for a young team. A young player who defines himself with his defense + rebounding. A tough competitor. Someone who helps his teammates. Someone who embodies the type of team identity you want to create (like Joakim Noah does in Chicago).

However, I think the most ardent Philadelphia supporters feel anything slightly negative about something happening on that teams is an attack on them. I didn't really think it was a point of contention that Philly could have handled MCW and his development a little bit better, but I guess I was wrong.
 

Eh, he was a bit of a different situation this year because we had an injury to our backup PG and there weren't many other options. Plenty of our guys have been benched this year for the things you mentioned. Overall though the team plays with pretty good effort.

[Kane3387]

Wes Matthews out for year. Torn Achilles.

Just reported on inside the NBA.

[Who]

Wes Matthews out for year. Torn Achilles.

Just reported on inside the NBA.

Good thing they got Afflalo. Blazers would be in trouble otherwise.

[tazzmaniac]

In other words, we don't give a **** if you don't help us win because none of you are going to be on the team when it's actually time to compete.

Not even close.  Player development is a key component of the Sixers plan regardless of whether the player stays in Philly or just ends up as a better trade asset.  The Sixers players know that if they give the effort that they'll get playing time.  Playing time means an opportunity to prove themselves.  That's all a young player trying to make it in the league can ask for.

are you here as a Philly fan? It's cool if you are, but if you are a Celtics fan this is a getting a little weird.

My primary interest in Philly is Embiid.  I'm a big fan from watching a bunch of his Kansas games.  I've also started following Noel's development.  I'm hoping Philly gets Okafor or Towns and that allows us to trade for Embiid (or Noel).  However, I also find the Philly tanking  strategy and all the responses to it quite interesting.  It is a rather audacious strategy. 

[tazzmaniac]

In other words, we don't give a **** if you don't help us win because none of you are going to be on the team when it's actually time to compete.

Not even close.  Player development is a key component of the Sixers plan regardless of whether the player stays in Philly or just ends up as a better trade asset. 

Then they should go back to the drawing board.

Noel is actually looking much improved from the beginning of the season.  He is actually fairly productive offensively now.  He's no longer a 5th wheel.  Compared to where they were at the beginning of the season, I'd say Noel has developed more than Smart or Young. 

[SparzWizard]

Wes Matthews out for year. Torn Achilles.

Just reported on inside the NBA.

The Western Conference landscape just shook with Wes Matthews out for the year. Gives a good chance for Clippers and Houston to gain home-court advantage in the first-rounds.

Portland is now a first-round fodder this postseason without Matthews, sadly to say.

[SHAQATTACK]

Rondo didn't play horrible against Blazers . But it's the same old story as when he arrived .

He just doesn't make a big difference either way.     He comes in,    they don't play Rondo style basketball . 

Mavs try and move the ball looking for a shot .   Never hold the ball.  So it gets passed to Rondo , who reluctantly shoots , mostly wide open shots because he doesn't draw heavy defense around the arc.

Dirk is key.   If he isn't putting up curry type of number scoring .   30 points a game ,   I don't see how the Mavs win with only games of 17 and 10' out of Dirk .    That's no Al Star production to beat LeBron.

Last 8 games Dirk is shooting 40 % .    He is playing like a very good player .   That's not gonna get it done.   He has to be great for Mavs to beat the top 12 teams in the league consistently .  Mavs mostly beating under .500 teams .   They look weak ,  no where near there normal output against a good team.   That's not gonna beat LeBron

Rondo is NOT the scoring punch punch Mavs needed.    He is only average at best what he brings to this team

[jpotter33]

Phoenix is doing their best to try and help us make a playoff push right now.

[SHAQATTACK]

Phoenix is doing their best to try and help us make a playoff push right now.

Go suns

[jpotter33]

That's a horrible call on Morris. He was clearly there for the charge.

[SHAQATTACK]

Washington just eked out a win over Heat ...wow.......

[mr. dee]

Now we need Dallas, SA and OKC to win every game in order to push back Clippers in the standings.

[Who]

Terrible possession by Monta Ellis.

He turned down Rondo 3 separate times. Didn't want to give up the ball. Ran a pick and roll. Got nothing. Had it top of the key. Choice between passing to Rondo and setting up shot or taking the shot himself. He forced a jumper off the dribble from 20 feet which was blocked by Draymond Green. Turnover.

Dribbled for 12 seconds. Refused to pass the ball to anyone. Created nothing. Then jacked up a bad shot which got shot. Frustration possession. Clearly not happy how little he has had of the ball on offense over last few minutes.