He also switched onto Ja a couple of other times throughout the game and got handled easier than any of our other perimeter defenders. If anyone is trying to argue that Ant is a decent to good defender right now, they've got their homer glasses on. I'm not saying that he can't become average but to think that he's going to be good enough that him and Dame aren't a defensive liability is very hopeful. I don't think we should bank on hopeful thinking. We should get a great look at what these two can do together at the end of this season. Decisions should be made on how we proceed and should be dictated by what we see. Again, let me point out that it took no time for good defenders and team players to mesh to the point that we could win all of the last four.
That's what I noticed too. He also got called for at least one phantom foul on Ja. Of course, Ant couldn't buy a call either. I have faith Ant can learn to defend he has the tools.
Yes, but guys who haven't worked a ton on defense (Ant and Dame) will need time to develop their defensive skills. They both have the ability. It's about effort and learning subtle things. I have faith in them and I certainly think you test that faith for at least half a season and I personally believe with two great talents you give them a full year. Lots of teams take until after mid-season to gel, especially on defense. This is Ant's first season under Chaunce and Dame has missed quite a bit of this season and had lackadaisical defenders around him that weren't exactly inspiring injured dame to give 110% on defense.
Are they "hiding" him or is Chauncey just smart enough to have his best defenders on the other team's best scorers. That doesn't mean Ant can't play D.
He's like a spider. When he gets into a defensive crouch and he's all arms and legs and he moves so well laterally ... he's a candidate to be overpowered by guys like Anthony Edwards, but he's built quite a bit like Ja, just a little smaller. I like his chances defending more finesse-oriented guards. I think the book on his defense hasn't been written yet.
It just means he's the weakest defender and I think it would be fair to say from what we've seen from Dame in the past that he'll be an even weaker defender than Ant but I don't care about my amateur prognostications, I care about what we see when Dame comes back.
You could say the same about Ja. He wasn’t guarding Ant either. The coaches just want to protect their stars from getting into foul trouble.
Are you sure? I thought Ja guarded Ant quite a bit when the Grizz were trying to fight back in the second half.
I think someone people miss sometimes, too, is that your best offensive player isn't often asked to cover the best offensive player on the other team because of a) fatigue affecting their offense and b) potential to get into foul problems. It's not always ability as much as practicality and prudence.
Maybe you're right. I just saw Ja picking him up a lot in the last 16 minutes and the Blazers were setting a screen forcing Jones to try to check him. I don't think Memphis wanted Jones trying to guard Ant. Jones tries, but he's limited, and it shows against elite scorers.
Just looked at the highlight package, Williams was the primary defender and Ja and Jones split the rest.
What I know is that they are two smallish, ball dominant guards who have been poor at defense. I know from six years of experience that those attributes are not a combination for high level success. If they show at least hints of their redundancies not being problematic during the time they play together this season, then I won't be on the trade Dame this off season bus. However, if they look like they are less than the some of their parts on offense and a big defensive liability, I will want the team to trade Dame. It's crazy to me that I'm even saying that because Dame is my favorite player to ever play the game but putting him in a better situation for his success and giving us a better chance at a title will make sense to me if these two don't look like a good match. Even if that's just over ten games. The reason why I would be what others might see as hasty is because having watched both of them a lot they don't look like a good match. Ant and CJ aren't the same player but almost seven years ago when Olshey came out and said that Dame and CJ were going to be our starting back court going forward I was really disheartened. I just couldn't see how their games would be complementary. I just look at Dame's game and Ant's and I don't see a good match... I don't see why anyone would. When we have a guy in Hart that is obviously a great match with Ant and we have a guy in Dame that has huge trade value around the league, I don't understand why we would drag the situation out. Give it a chance for sure but taking a bunch of time trying to make it into something it shows itself not to be wouldn't be the wisest decision in my opinion.
Yeah, I don't need to look at the highlight package, I watched the whole game and Ja was taking Ant a lot. Ant was only taking Ja when he was switched onto him. I was thinking about it the whole game. I was impressed that Ja was taking on our biggest offensive threat because most teams don't do that.
First of all there's no argument to be had that Ja has been a better defender during his career than Dame and Ant have been. Secondly and way more importantly Ja is surrounded by defensive stalwarts and we're talking about putting Dame and Ant together. These conversations make me feel like I'm on crazy pills because I've been having them for six fucking years. Dame needs at least a Hart level defender next to him in the back court in order for that defensive back court to make sense... that's not Ant. I don't really care about what level of defender Ant needs because Dame isn't it. Like I said, these are just me projecting what I see, we haven't seen it yet but if it plays out the way I think it will this season, there is no reason to lose games while Dame's trade value diminishes trying to change it.
Right but Ja took Ant straight up on a number of plays and Ant only had Ja when the switch dictated it, if I'm remembering correcting but again it doesn't matter. If you're arguing that Ant has shown himself to be as good of a defender as Ja at this point I feel like you're wrong. However not even that matters because even if Ant is a Ja level defender Dame needs a much much better defender than that next to him. He needs guys like Ja has or a guy like we have in Hart in order for him not to be an unacceptable defensive liability. I don't think Ant is that by any means. If he is then I'll be overjoyed to have them both here together. Like I've said, I'm in wait and see mode but I'm not going to be in wait and see mode after this season (assuming Dame doesn't have any setbacks). I'll have seen at least a glimpse of what these two can do together and will either be ready to see more or want to get the most we can for Dame.
And we should keep both of them. So CJ didn't work with Dame. So what. CJ is not Simons. And Simons is not CJ.
I know you're fully invested in this narrative about how Dame and Ant can't work...because defense can you explain to me how it was that Portland ranked 8th in the NBA in defense in 2017-18...WHEN...the starting back court was Dame & CJ combining for 73 minutes a game? If Dame/CJ = Dame/Ant = shit defense...how did Dame/CJ lead the Blazers to the 8th best defense in the league? And that's with the Stotts defense. Is Billups a better defensive coach than Stotts? I get that you're skeptical, that's fine. But you really seem insistent that it can't work and that's simply not a known
