If Rubio

[AbeVigodaLive]

Can we give Ricky a break if he is shooting a higher percentage than his opponent? Ricky is currently shooting 39.2% and his defensive field goal percentage is 32.8%. That is tied for best in the league. I think that number solidifies him as a top 10 point guard.

Where does that stat come from? I mean Lillard went off for 34 on 14-25 shooting, so where does that fit in?

The source is the Miami Herald's Manny Navarro. I did misread it though. He is tied for 3rd in the L, not 1st. Still if we are going to asterisk Ricky's numbers because of one great game in L.A. we should treat a Lillard explosion as that. One game. Plus Ricky did not necessarily defend all of his 14 makes.

That's true. I think Lillard scored 9 straight in the 3rd with LaVine on him.

[alexftbl8181 [enjin:6648741]]

Can we give Ricky a break if he is shooting a higher percentage than his opponent? Ricky is currently shooting 39.2% and his defensive field goal percentage is 32.8%. That is tied for best in the league. I think that number solidifies him as a top 10 point guard.

Where does that stat come from? I mean Lillard went off for 34 on 14-25 shooting, so where does that fit in?

The source is the Miami Herald's Manny Navarro. I did misread it though. He is tied for 3rd in the L, not 1st. Still if we are going to asterisk Ricky's numbers because of one great game in L.A. we should treat a Lillard explosion as that. One game. Plus Ricky did not necessarily defend all of his 14 makes.

That's true. I think Lillard scored 9 straight in the 3rd with LaVine on him.

Regardless, Rubio is a fine defensive player, but it's not as big as some people think. They still had bad defenses when he was healthy for the whole year. Towns is the difference maker here. Even a guy like Curry is going to be affected more defensively by Towns then by Rubio. Coming off screens and picks, Rubio or most other point guards for that matter aren't really going to affect Curry's shot. If Curry's being shut down on the drives by Towns, then that's where the difference is

[Phenom]

Can we give Ricky a break if he is shooting a higher percentage than his opponent? Ricky is currently shooting 39.2% and his defensive field goal percentage is 32.8%. That is tied for best in the league. I think that number solidifies him as a top 10 point guard.

Where does that stat come from? I mean Lillard went off for 34 on 14-25 shooting, so where does that fit in?

The source is the Miami Herald's Manny Navarro. I did misread it though. He is tied for 3rd in the L, not 1st. Still if we are going to asterisk Ricky's numbers because of one great game in L.A. we should treat a Lillard explosion as that. One game. Plus Ricky did not necessarily defend all of his 14 makes.

That's true. I think Lillard scored 9 straight in the 3rd with LaVine on him.

Regardless, Rubio is a fine defensive player, but it's not as big as some people think. They still had bad defenses when he was healthy for the whole year. Towns is the difference maker here. Even a guy like Curry is going to be affected more defensively by Towns then by Rubio. Coming off screens and picks, Rubio or most other point guards for that matter aren't really going to affect Curry's shot. If Curry's being shut down on the drives by Towns, then that's where the difference is

Towns does give guys like Ricky the ability to be more aggressive on defense without the fear of giving up an automatic layup if they miss a step. This was on full display in Chicago. Ricky was an absolute terror. That said it isn't mutually exclusive. They are both top notch defensive players.

Edit. Also by your scenario I think the defensive field goal percentage would shift to Towns as he would be defending the shot. This isn't just cut and dry matchups that we see on paper.

[Monster]

Can we give Ricky a break if he is shooting a higher percentage than his opponent? Ricky is currently shooting 39.2% and his defensive field goal percentage is 32.8%. That is tied for best in the league. I think that number solidifies him as a top 10 point guard.

Where does that stat come from? I mean Lillard went off for 34 on 14-25 shooting, so where does that fit in?

The source is the Miami Herald's Manny Navarro. I did misread it though. He is tied for 3rd in the L, not 1st. Still if we are going to asterisk Ricky's numbers because of one great game in L.A. we should treat a Lillard explosion as that. One game. Plus Ricky did not necessarily defend all of his 14 makes.

That's true. I think Lillard scored 9 straight in the 3rd with LaVine on him.

Regardless, Rubio is a fine defensive player, but it's not as big as some people think. They still had bad defenses when he was healthy for the whole year. Towns is the difference maker here. Even a guy like Curry is going to be affected more defensively by Towns then by Rubio. Coming off screens and picks, Rubio or most other point guards for that matter aren't really going to affect Curry's shot. If Curry's being shut down on the drives by Towns, then that's where the difference is

Great point Rubio or any on ball defender can only do so much. The other defender has to do something. In some cases I have seen the Wolves bigs actually stay with the screener so not only does the defender have to get around the screener but they have to navigate around the other defender too. I've seen more progress in that area the last couple of games and this year the bigs have certainly done more to defend in general on those type do plays.

[60WinTim]

Sam deserves some credit for the improved defense. He clearly installed a different defensive philosophy, as seen in the first day of training camp. And he clearly has put an emphasis on defense compared to recent predecessors. Kudos to Sam.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Defense is the hardest thing to assign "credit" to various players. But I think we can all agree that a) Rubio is a very good defender, and b) Towns is a very good defender by rookie standards, and perhaps even by veteran Starting Center standards.....More data needed on part b), but he has been really promising early.

[Monster]

Defense is the hardest thing to assign "credit" to various players. But I think we can all agree that a) Rubio is a very good defender, and b) Towns is a very good defender by rookie standards, and perhaps even by veteran Starting Center standards.....More data needed on part b), but he has been really promising early.

If you are ever curious about what went wrong on defense last year you can put Flip's zone defense DVDs on your Christmas list.

http://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/p/Basketball/Flip-Saunders-Match-Up-Zone-Defense-and-Special-Drills-Part-I-II_BD-02687.html


with Flip Saunders,
former Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA) Head Coach
Through years of development, Flip Saunders has designed one of the NBA's most feared defenses. Coach Saunders unpacks his successful match-up zone defense. He begins his presentation by detailing the benefits of this type of defense. His reasons include its ability to develop player's communication on the floor, stopping great scorers, great scoring teams, employing man defense principles, difficult to scout and can be used with big and small teams. His general match up rules are: Never leave the dribbler, never let the offense penetrate by dribble or pass, encourage ball to corners, switching cutters and contest all perimeter shots. Triangles are the basis of player position in Saunders' 1-2-2 match-up zone. The basic rule is the farther your man is away from the ball, the flatter the triangle. Position is based on the ball and the position of your man at a given time. Strategy against the overload and pick and roll are demonstrated also. In Part II, Coach Saunders breaks down the 1-2-2 match-up zone defense in parts. Teaching slides while the ball is passed on the perimeter helps players guard all situations. As the ball is passed, each alignment, stunt and slide is analyzed by Saunders. Another segment breaks down the pick & roll and its coverage. The match-up is a successful zone that can be played aggressively without fouling a lot. Therefore, you can play good defense while keeping the opponent off of the foul line. Questions are answered from the clinic participants while Saunders discusses and illustrates on the floor with players. Use this presentation to implement the match-up into your program.
96 minutes. 2006.