This is the argument i had all summer and posters didn't believe. All they wanted to do is talk about the lockdown-ness of shane and how chuck is a elite defender also. I may seem like all i want is 7ft athletic guy and thats not the only way a team can be good defensively, but when you take yao out, deke is a better defender anyway. Then, they take him out also and start a 6'6 guy like hayes, the defense is going to be bad. Top that off and the only have 1 or 2 offensive players who can do things by themslves and there you have it. A team sliding into the lott which is where they were going to be anyway.
When you said rated, I think most people thought you meant defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possession). Defensive rating is a better indicator of good defense than defensive FG%.
Nobody here will believe us. They'll just say it's Adelman is an offense-only coach and that we don't need a 7ft defensive presence.
Yao is not a shot blocker but man is he a shot intimidator, having a 7'6" guy at the rim is a huge deterent. Yao covered up for tons of mistakes on the perimeter.... Now, without Yao, we are screwed once teams get by our first line of defense and with the new rules where carrying is not only allowed but encouraged, it is impossible to stay in front of your man all game long. DD
DaDakota, Yao is 6th in total blocks and 7th in blocks per game, last year. http://www.nba.com/statistics/playe...itScope=GAME&qualified=Y&yearsExp=-1&splitDD= I think that qualifies as a shot blocker. He's a much better shot blocker than we can get through draft, free agency or trade.
No shot-blocker in the middle is probably the biggest factor. But there are others. People need to realize that Aaron Brooks, contrary to what Bill and Matt say, is a BAD defender. Alston was much more solid on that end. The Rockets are also playing more new guys, and more young guys this year. That will always have a negative impact on your defense.
At that time, lots of people thought without Yao we are a better team. Even for now, many people still doubt if Yao can fit the team when he comes back. If Yao comes back healthy, why does he needs to fit a team struggling on both ends?
A wise coach fits his team philosophy around his greatest players, not the other way around. This is irrespective to whether he is a slow, yet dominant big man like Yao or a dominant, facilitating wing like McTraded. So when/if Yao comes back, we will undoubtedly have more growing pains (aka chemistry problems) while adjusting to his playstyle. This will happen on both sides of the court, mind you. As for the piece I wrote back in August foretelling this experience, there were many who thought we'd still be a top defensive team and many who believed a "block" is just a "stat". Now that they've seen the layup drills against us, though, the truth is exposed. No one fears going into the paint against us. Whether a charge is statistically better than a block is irrelevant. What is relevant is the frequency and efficacy with which opponents attack the rim, especially once they have achieved success. I don't need stats to tell me that teams are coming into our "paint village" and raping and plundering our women. Someone...Hilton? (Are you man enough?)...has to protect this house!
I tend do disagree with you on this. He's not a bad defender, he's llike everyone else on the court that are used to funneling to the middle. Despite some of his stats, I've never viewed adelman as a coach that constantly preaches defense and holds players accountable for lapses like JVG. The major,major problem is when teams have no fear of attacking the rim, its a dominoe effect on everyone. Shane and trevor both look subpar defensively because hayes is at the rim. I'm not blaming this fall purely on hayes, but most players don't even see him when they go to the rim. Throw in scola who is another invisible defensive player and now you have a hole in the dam. I don't care how high you can jump, when a 7ft er is at the basket and he has his arms up, players are far more aware than a guy 6-5 with short arms waiting on a charge. I'm not saying armstrong is the savior, but I bet you guys will tend to change or alter their shot than when chuck is in the lineup.
I specifically asked him years back when he was taking questions at Chron.com. He said the best way to measure defense is points allows per possession.
We are lost on D... Get out rebounded, hustle, and zero on the block shot meter. We can't keep anyone in front of us on D. Granger, TJ Ford, Collison. Please give AB some help, we're asking him to score plus play D through pic n roll's. This very difficult, he needs Temple to step up and give him more of a break. We need lowry back quick.
Also we played on the highest gear all year long, and the players got to be tired. Best teams are saving their best efforts to the playoffs without worring about wins. Lakers is a good example. Phil Jackson sometimes can tolerate players playing carelessly, and he always use a 12-man rotation. Because he doesn't really care about regular season, save for a few important ones. This way players save their energy and emotions for the big time. That's the luxry Houston doesn't have though. We have to play all out to have a chance at playoff.
I totally agree what you said in this post and in the summer. But unluckily, very few people here have such a deep basketball understanding like you.
yeah those games where the score was 80 to 81 (us losing). yeah that was fun basketball. watching us struggle to score 80 pts a game. That will never win a title in the NBA. Yes, you need some defense and the ability to get key stops, but not JUST DEFENSE. Got to be able to score in this league to win. And don't judge this teams defense this year with no Yao in the paint. Not a fair comparison.
