Jeff Bzdelik as possibly our defensive AC - Thoughts?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bzdelik says &quot;like coach d'Antoni said, we need to turn the page (on last season). Talking about Harden &amp; teams defense. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rockets?src=hash">#Rockets</a></p>&mdash; Adam Wexler (@awexlerKPRC) <a href="https://twitter.com/awexlerKPRC/status/738090029327601665">June 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
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It worked in NY. The defense was fine when they brought in Woodson. It was top 5-10 depending on what metrics you are looking at prior to Mike D resigning. The offense is what was terrible and that had a lot to do with Melo not working in Mike's scheme.

 

I don't know if this is true or not, given the mid-season change. It is true that season the Knicks did well defensively. But they sucked under Mike D that year... so they finally played well defensively, only to suck offensively?

In the years where they were good offensively, they sucked defensively.

I don't like the MDA hire, but its hard to argue against bringing in defensive minded assistants. MDA has been hired. Have to move past that. So the next logical step is to bring in as solid defensive assistant as you can find.

Is Bzdelik that? Got me. People can certainly point to stats that say he is, and stats that seem to question that. At this point, only time will tell.

 

Bzdelik > D Antoni.

 

You can check the mid season stats up until the day Mike resigned. If I remember correctly, the defensive rating was actually better prior to him resigning.

But yes they were terrible, yes the offense, and that definitely matters as well. But when Lin was running what Mike D wanted the Knicks weren't a bad team under him that year.

I don't like the Mike D hire but I do disagree with the idea that defensive assistants can't help him because they have in the past. We just have to hope the offense can thrive at the same time.

 

As an assistant. He has a horrible track record as HC.

 

Rockets new defensive coach Jeff Bzdelik on the criticism directed toward James Harden's defense: "He can defend as all of them can when they want to and that goes back to everybody needs to be committed and there needs to be a trust."

 

I'm like 90% sure that he'll be better than the coaches we had last year, but I'm not sure he's a guy that gets you over any humps.

In other news, Durantula looked aggravated in game 7 against the Warriors. Maybe he's ready for some high quality help like Harden. Both players would benefit from playing alongside the other.

 

I agree with this. Harden's biggest problem on defense is that he doesn't stick with his man because he doesn't trust his teammates. Thats a big problem with Harden hopefully that changes this year.

 

I already like him

 

everybody needs to be committed......

If James is comitten everybody will be committed.....because you can then have the required discipline guys who won't D up. Without James being committed defensively, as we seen this past season, there is no accountability defensively to commitment. Can't enforce bending guys that don't D up when the leader doesn't and you don't hold him accountable.

Ummmmmmmm, lol, Harden doesn't stick with his man because he wants to speed the game up and go the other way. His lack of D effort has had nothing to do with lack of trust. It's had everything to do with immaturity and selfishness.

 

Just realized, we got another J.B. in charge of the defense! :grin:

[rQUOTEr]Q&A with JB

While Mike D’Antoni was officially named new coach of the Houston Rockets, he brought Jeff Bzdelik and Roy Rogers -- two defensive-minded coaches -- to help. Last season, Houston finished as the sixth-worst defense in the league by allowing 106.4 points per game and opponents shot 45.9 percent against them, slightly above the league average of 45.2 percent.

We chatted with Bzdelik on Wednesday about how he can improve the Rockets' defense.

What attracted you to this job?

Bzdelik: First of all, I’m going to echo everything Mike said and Mr. [Leslie] Alexander and Daryl [Morey], everybody is aligned as to how to play, I like playing that way. Mike is brilliant enough to say, "Houston has won and they got a great player (James Harden) and other really really good players." Everybody is committed and that’s a great thing so, it’s just a great opportunity and Houston is a great city to live in. It really is all those things. When the opportunity was presented to me, it was a no-brainer for my wife and I.

How do you improve defensively in general?

Bzdelik: We have competitive guys who want to win, if you look at the last 10 NBA championship teams, nine of them have finished both in the top 10 in offense and defense, so they know unless they’re really not walking the talk; you've got to be committed on both ends. When players are really comfortable offensively and feel really good, that feeds into their defensive energy in a positive way. When they’re sideways offensively they can be sideways defensively, very easily. Unfortunately it shouldn’t be that way, but it is that way.

What’s your main philosophy on defense?

Bzdelik: All five guys have to be committed. It takes all five guys to get a stop. The goal is to have teams take tough, contested twos outside the paint and inside the arc. In order to do that, you have to have great defensive transition because we can’t be one-way runners. Take away easy baskets so they can’t get a coast-to-coast layup; they can’t get a layup off one pass or two passes. They got to have more than two passes and get that ball swung from one side to the other side and players clearly have to know the scheme and be held accountable, as we are held accountable by all of you.

James Harden took a lot of heat from the media for his defensive play. Is he a better defender than what we think?

Bzdelik: He can defend, as all of them can when they want to, and that goes back to everybody needs to be committed and there needs to be a trust. You can be selfish on defense like you can be selfish on offense by not being where you’re supposed to be to help your teammate or communicate.

Can Clint Capela be the anchor on defense?

Bzdelik: He’s got a chance to be really special because he plays with great energy. He’s light on his feet, he seems intelligent and he can guard multiple positions.[/rQUOTEr]

 

Is there any word on Rex joining this staff?

Is there anything on the relationship MDA has with the hired coaches?

How many more are to be hired?

 

Take your time and watch him when the camera turns to him asking for answers, it's when he doesn't have the canned answers he starts to *****can players. I am not rooting FOR this, but it has been his MO and I watched it for four years when he was HC.

 

So he's been hired. Just saw him on the news.

 

It worked with Steve Kerr with Ron Adams so why not here?

 

LOL your posts lately have been mr. know-it-all like and you're very incorrect on most. This is completely asinine, to think Harden doesn't play defense because he doesn't trust his teammates. He doesn't, because he actually doesn't care enough and thinks others will cover for him.

 

Rex Chapman? Rex Walters? This is confusing me because one is an ex-con ex-nba player and the other was fired from USF who played in the NBA. I'm not sure either of these would be helpful. Were you thinking it's one of these two Rexs?

 

I think he's talking about Rex Kalamian. Assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors

 

In the Morey podcast thread that Dr of Dunk started, Morey says "we feel great about adding Jeff and Roy to this staff", or something like that. No mention of other names.