Why not? We could try playing an aggressive, scrambling style defense that attempts to put two men on the ball at almost all times. Maybe run traps everywhere on the court, switching constantly when the ball is passed. We should at least try it. We now have Yao guarding the middle and Eddie Griffin to help cover some ground. Almost everyone on the team can run, jump, and get agressive. Everyone but Mo Taylor and Glen rice. But when those two slow mo's go the bench it's a perfect time to start trapping. When it's least expected. The majority of NBA teams play straight up and let the clock be their pressure. Why should we? We need to get out and run and with Steve Francis and I think we could have a great trapping defense. We certainly have two guys who can stop the damage if it breaks down.
I agree, to some extent I think the 8 sec rule has yet to be exploited to it's fullest. When a big man gets a rebound in a bad position, he should be trapped immediately!
Let's see, we have a logjam at SF and PF, arguably the 2 most important positions used to trap... We also have a decent backup PG in Moochie, and Cato, as bad as he sucks, is a decent backup C. All we need is a SG. The thing is, that Mobley probably won't need to put as much effort offensively as he had to this year, meaning that he could afford to expend more energy defensively. You're logic doesn't work. In fact, that's WHY we should use it. I've been saying all along for the last 2 years, the Rockets need to employ either a trap, or more full court pressure from the guards. Our basic standard defense is piss poor as is. Making any changes couldn't really hurt. Rudy "I'm too stubborn to change" T. probably will stick with a basic "fold like a cheap tent" half-court defense that has been bad for the last 4 years or so. If Maddox is able to play SG (he supposedly is a very good defender), then there really is no excuse to not play a trapping defense. Griffin is the type of player who would thrive as a "show" defender, ala Robert Horry. Griffin is pretty nimble on his feet, so he could go around harrasing smaller guards with his long arms.
Trapping a big man? Uh, that is much easier said than done. Seeing how the big man can just pass the ball over the defense... The trapping defense works when you force a shorter player ie. a guard, near the corners of the court, and you have taller defenders that make it tough for the guard to pass over. If any team, not just the Rockets, attempted to trap a big man after a rebound, the other team has a fast break in a jiffy.
Ideally, I'd like to see the Rockets play a full court man-to-man defense. Having a guy on the opposing PG, would burn 2-3 seconds off of the 24 sec clock, since the opposing PG would need more time to bring the ball up. These 2-3 seconds often times are the difference between giving up a good shot, and giving up a forced shot because of the shot clock. After the other team crosses half court, is when I would employ the trap... Use the half-court line or the 2 corners as a 3rd defender. I would have EG run at the man with the ball, and he would be the 2nd guy guarding the guard who crossed the ball across half court. Ming's shotblocking skills would be useful, in the event that the the trap gets beaten, and Ming could at least be a "goalie" of sorts. If the trap is executed properly, it would force the other team to use possibly 2 PGs at the same time, or to go to a 3-guard lineup. In other words, we would be forcing the other team to change their personnel to a lineup that is unorthodox. Any time you can take a team out of their comfort level, good things will happen.
I see what you are saying, but you only have to stop that outlet pass for 8 seconds... Just wait for the other team to get lazy The trap would best be used during doldrums, when only one guard comes back for the ball. Yes big guys can pass over the trap but the idea is to force cross court passes. I think Boki would make a nice free safety. Yes, pressing the ball in the backcourt will do wonders for our defense; forcing turnovers is something that MUST be done this year
A trap is useful for the first quarter until the other team adjusts to it. After that, it's layup city. A trap can work on a limited basis for possibly 4 or 5 possessions per game, but NBA guards are simply too good and quick to fall for it during a whole game. If a trapping defense worked consistently, then Rick Pitino would still have an NBA job...
I have been calling for that since I realized how deep the team was going to be. I wanted to match the trapping with an equally aggressive point guard play for 48 minutes, based on Wink, Mooch and Brown playing the point. The plan also included Mobley, OT and Wink doing time at the 2. That is a five guard rotation of very young legs and speed with and without the ball. Mix that in with Tmo, KT, EG, Cato and Ming we should by all means be the most aggresive team defensively. Our fg%and assist numbers should all go up.
This team is ideal for trapping, it has depth, size, speed and athletic ability. What enhances a trapping defense is shot-blocking, and we have 3 shot-blockers making the trap that much more lethal. And it speed up the tempo of the game, and this team is much better in a fast pace game then a half-court game. But if the team is forced into a half-court game we would have Ming, Rice, Griffin and guys like KT and Nachbar to bail us out. I remember about 2 years ago when Rudy threw a press on Miami and absolutely devastated them. Pressing and trapping defenses is the keys to success, I think, for this team.
I don't like the trap for this team. Pulling Eddie and Yao away from the basket gives up our advantage. Stay with the block party. Steve Cat & Nachbar will funnell their players inside and it's all good. For once, the matador d works for us.
Agreed with one exception. I think it would be most effective when the opposing team goes to their backup point guard.
Traps arn't nearly as effective in the NBA as they are in highschool and college simply because the players are much more athletic. If not executed perfectly, it gives up layups and dunks.
Seattle was playing a trapping defense, they were playing a zone...only it wasn't SUPPOSED to be legal back then...
Rudy has stated many times that he does not like to play a trapping defense. I wish that they would trap. It is the perfect way to take advantage of a complacent opponent with a double digit lead in the third or fourth peroid.
Count me in the camp of pro-trap proponents. IMHO, the trap not being as effective in the pros is not due to athleticism (the defenders are equally as athletic). The primary reason is that at some point a mismatch is created and then recognized. For example, you couldn't trap very successfully with a unit of Steve, Cat, Rice, MoT and Yao or Cato...sooner or later Rice's lack of mobility (and MoT's to an extent) would be exploited. You may be able to have short-term success with Steve, Cat, Boki, KT, and Yao or EG. But this unit may have trouble putting up points. It's tough to find 5 players who are very capable on both ends of the floor. Another factor that I see which impedes the successful use of trapping defenses - most players expend the bulk of their energy on offense while most teams only go 8 deep in their rotations. It's not a coincidence that a player trying to earn more minutes will play some solid D. They know they are only in for a short time so they expend energy on both O & D.
We never had an advantage... As for EG, I think he's more useful as a help defender, than shot blocker. He might block/alter 5 shots a game, but he can disrupt an entire offense with helping out on D, on 75% of the other team's possesion. People here get all worked up about our new shotblocking presence with Ming and EG, the problem is that shotblocking doesn't help on every possesion. If you want to talk about playing to our advantages... Also, what helps with turning up the notch on defense, is that it can trigger fastbreaks, something is to OUR ADVANTAGE... The only problem I have with a trapping defense, is that we won't have guys in prime position to rebound... Also, if we're going to funnel the opposing guards to Ming, that will mean Ming fouls out in the 2nd quarter. Funneling guys to the basket is not good defense. Funneling guys to the corners of the court is. Trapping is funneling guys towards the corners. Also if we funnel guys toward Ming, invariably, we will have 3 to 4 guys guarding the PG or whoever is being funneled. That means the other team will have open shooters out the wazoo. The last thing you want to do defensively is to allow penetration, no matter who your shotblockers are. Ideally, I'd like to see the Rockets play tough perimeter defense and protect Ming from fouling out. The matador defense never works, unless you are playing streetball with no foul outs.
