It's all well and good to say you want to run, but running is usually predicated on getting stops, the other alternative is running out of the bottom of the net and that doesn't usually lead to any kind of result other than a mountain of losses unless everybody on your team can shoot the long-ball. So I guess I'm ambivalent about how they play over the next couple of seasons as they rebuild and try and cobble something together. Whatever happens it will be far more important to tailor their style to whomever turns out to be their best players beyond Lillard (and Lillard himself).
as PtldPlatypus stated the team USA dame was quite capable of getting stops and young master plumlee was also an iteragral part of and willing participant in that defensive scheme. just saying 2/5's of a defensive /running lineup are on the roster. aminu is also best known for his defensive chops and our very own m.lenard did a more than satisfactory rendition of a low post defender against marc gausol during the Memphis series
This, along with watching the young guys develop, is what I'm most looking forward to next season. I have serious doubts about Stotts, so it'll be very interesting to see how much the offense/defense changes now that he has an entirely new roster. This is his shot to change my opinion of him.
mine too though I believe having a starting lineup where 3/5's aren't auditioning for their next payday would help. dame being the unquestioned leader and tone setter will make a huge differerance in players buying in too IMHO
+> From your excellent prospective I come to the conclusion that Stotts was not adaptable and unable to be creative. One thing for sure, if he cannot succeed to a .500 record or better he is on his way outta here.
Since we lost four starters the wholesale blame will squarely be on Stotts' shoulders. Many threads about him will be posted once September comes along.
+> College players buy into the coaches plan. NBA players buy into investment portfolios. That may have been Rick Petinos MO in Boston and it did not last.
The good thing is we aren't finished yet this summer. I would like to assume that Olshey is far from finished.
+> Another thought I had with that would be Jordans' departure for larger endorsements. That is how he made mega bucks in a Bulls uni. Staying in the second city got him first rate pay.
Unfortunately I think Stotts will get a "pass" because of the roster overhaul. He'll have the built-in excuse of not being given any dependable players, and so nobody has any expectations that he gets wins out of the team. This change saved his job, IMO. And from what I've seen, that's not a good thing. Hopefully Olshey is shrewd enough to measure Stotts' coaching abilities by HOW the team plays and how the players develop - if there aren't positive indicators for both factors we need to bring in a coach who can lay down some fundamentals. Personally, I think this roster has some good pieces and that the team can be competitive most nights. However, in order for that to happen the coach needs to have a strong understanding for the game and be able to communicate that to his players in a way that they're able to understand and execute. Hopefully Stotts can do that, and he was merely hamstrung by having to kowtow to LMA's ego - but I don't think that's the case. And again, I'll be interested to see what our offense and defense looks like in December.
+> Good view. The Defense was a key issue with our instant loss to Memphis. Olshey has to put the pressure on Stotts. Its like employee review and in the sports game your out because you did not meet the GM and/or owners' directive. So many times I administered a self inflicted head wound slap on our lack of D in that series.
