Frachise worst defense

[bleedspeed]

speaking of professionalism

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2015/01/02/joel-anthony-detroit-pistons/21181491/

[SameOldNudityDrew]

I completely agree that this team needs a respected player who can motivate his teammates. Love had a chance to be that guy, but he just wasn't. But KG is NOT that guy. While we have a connection to KG as fans, none of the players have connections to KG as a player. He'd have the authority he deserves as a 17 or 18 year veteran (crazy!) but he's fading fast as a player which does impact his authority like it or not and his time as a Wolf wouldn't mean much to the players we have. Plus, he's gotten to be even more of an a*hole since leaving. Frankly, I think KG would have a more negative impact on the team than anything. He's just such an abrasive, alienating presence.

I actually thought Brewer offered a little bit positive encouragement by example, since he so clearly gave a ton of effort (despite his flaws). Thad has not quite been the motivating vet we were hoping for here (though I really think some of you guys are being WAY too hard on Thad). Turiaf was a good cheerleader, but he's gone too.

So who could be that guy? Rubio. Anybody else notice how often you see him standing on the sideline cheering while he's been injured? I'm really impressed with how invested he is in this team, actually. I do think his foreignness and his high-pitched voice probably hurt him a little in terms of earning guys respect (be honest, guys would be quicker to give respect to a guy who grew up on the streets of south side Chicago, carried himself like a Russell Crowe character, and had the voice of James Earl Jones), but he's a good player, he's central to what happens on the floor when he can play, and he seems to really get into it. This is another reason why I think it'll be a big help to have Rubio back.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Bleed, You are absolutely right that defensive leadership needs to come from players. It should become a culture that makes it difficult for any one player to slack off. But the coach sets the initial tone by what they emphasize in practices and how they handle in-game mistakes. And Flip and his staff have clearly failed in this regard.

We know that Rubio is a "tone setter" by the way he plays defense. But when you are as bad as we are, one guy can only do so much. So I expect improvement when he's back healthy, but I doubt it's enough to take us out of the bottom 2 or 3 teams.

Flip the GM talks a good game about getting two-way players, but so far his roster is filled mostly with zero-way players (meaning they don't do anything well) or one-way offensive players. And this isn't just an interior size issue. We have breakdowns all over the place.

[bleedspeed]

Q - I think Flip the GM has shown that he values offense. Everyone he signed was know for Offense. I really think this team needs some defensive first players to play with the kids.

[TheGrey08]

I completely agree that this team needs a respected player who can motivate his teammates. Love had a chance to be that guy, but he just wasn't. But KG is NOT that guy. While we have a connection to KG as fans, none of the players have connections to KG as a player. He'd have the authority he deserves as a 17 or 18 year veteran (crazy!) but he's fading fast as a player which does impact his authority like it or not and his time as a Wolf wouldn't mean much to the players we have. Plus, he's gotten to be even more of an a*hole since leaving. Frankly, I think KG would have a more negative impact on the team than anything. He's just such an abrasive, alienating presence.

I actually thought Brewer offered a little bit positive encouragement by example, since he so clearly gave a ton of effort (despite his flaws). Thad has not quite been the motivating vet we were hoping for here (though I really think some of you guys are being WAY too hard on Thad). Turiaf was a good cheerleader, but he's gone too.

So who could be that guy? Rubio. Anybody else notice how often you see him standing on the sideline cheering while he's been injured? I'm really impressed with how invested he is in this team, actually. I do think his foreignness and his high-pitched voice probably hurt him a little in terms of earning guys respect (be honest, guys would be quicker to give respect to a guy who grew up on the streets of south side Chicago, carried himself like a Russell Crowe character, and had the voice of James Earl Jones), but he's a good player, he's central to what happens on the floor when he can play, and he seems to really get into it. This is another reason why I think it'll be a big help to have Rubio back.

Cheerleading on the bench is always a good thing, but that's not what is lacking. It's that leadership/coach on the floor type role. Rubio is the only one that has a chance to be that guy currently b/c he has that fire. A guy that can holds teammates accountable on the court, demands effort, leads by example, cheers on teammates, etc.

[TheGrey08]

Q - I think Flip the GM has shown that he values offense. Everyone he signed was know for Offense. I really think this team needs some defensive first players to play with the kids.

A defense first player, that commands effort, leads by example, etc. Hmm can we think of any of those?

[thedoper]

We need Rodman.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

We're not getting any better. Here is a list of teams since the 1946-47 season that have allowed opponents to shoot at an effective FG% of 54% or greater: http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/tsl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&type=opp_totals&lg_id=NBA&year_min=&year_max=&franch_id=&c1stat=opp_efg_pct&c1comp=gt&c1val=.540&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=wins

It's us and the 1985 22-win Golden State Warriors. And we're worse than they were.

In a normal franchise, someone would be fired for this. We literally are the historically worst team in NBA history at preventing made shots when you factor in the 3-point line, which has been in existence for 35 years now.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

But Q, we were told that Sam Mitchell was going to come in and improve our defense! We have a lot of old players on this team that can't keep up with younger teams on D. Oh wait, that's not true.

[Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]]

As much as a "team leader" wouldn't hurt, it is not the reason we stink. While scheme, and coaches can certainly enable a group of guys, defense it seems is most often about heart, effort and a lot about the success of your offense. Some of the issues are clearly around the current core of guys that are playing. Missing vets like Rubio, Martin and Pek (although the last 2 are not known for defense), has turned this season upside down. Until they get those guys back, nothing will change....we are simply out-manned and outgunned from the time of tipoff every night. It's funny about Wiggins....I think most of us thought he would be a plus on defense and flounder a bit offensively. But his recent play has been the exact opposite....strong offensively and very poor defensively. Many folks on here defend his defensive play by saying he always plays against the other teams bets wing, which is true part of the time. But the reality is that I haven't seen him consistently play solid, fundamental defense on anyone. Great "athletic" plays here and there, but nothing consistent of a guy expected to be a + defender. This can, and most likely, will be learned along the way....but he is certainly a part of the problem at this point in his young career.