Game Thread GAME# 26: BLAZERS @ NUGGETS - DECEMBER 12, 2019 - THURSDAY, 7:30 PM, TNT

We can criticize the personnel precisely because they seem incapable of doing fundamental basketball things. It is not normally the job of an NBA head coach to teach veterans like Whiteside, Baze, Melo, CJ and Dame how to box out, or how to rotate. Yeah there are some young guys getting minutes and you expect them to screw up here and there, but the fact that all these vets seem to have no clue is way more than just a coaching problem it's a personnel problem. They basically have a shot blocker in Hassan, 2 guys who play defense about once every 10 possessions, one guy who's gotten better but still isn't a great defender, and a guy who gambles a ton, the personnel is just not one for a good defense. I've always hated Stott's defensive schemes, but it's so bad this year, it's literally the worst I think I've ever seen the Blazers play defense and that's saying a lot... The players deserve a lot of blame for that as does the coach, because at some point when you're ball watching, or swinging your arms at guys instead of moving your feet, when they pass to Harris in the corner and NO ONE moves they all just turn around and go oh guess he's gonna shoot that TWICE, that isn't just the coach, that's players who look to have given up on defense. Yeah, a new coach may come in and yell at them good for not playing a lick of defense but at the end of the day if you're stuck with a bunch of guys who don't care about defense or just aren't good at it you'll get the results of crappy defense. The coach deserves criticism for schemes, the players deserve criticism for either a.) not knowing the fundamentals or b.) being unwilling to actually do them.

Lionel Hollins coached the grit n grind grizzlies went to brooklyn and couldn't get them to guard anyone. Pop coached some of the best defenses ever and can't get this group in SAS to play good defense. A change of coaching may help, it may not, I know for sure the personnel is somewhat to blame.

 

Generally, I agree with your statement. The effort to defend HAS to come from the players.... and right now, we don't have that.

But I completely disagree with the stance that the head coach doesn't have to "teach" the veterans. I believe it was Vince Lombardi who would start every season with his team starting at the fundamentals and providing major focus on the basics. The fundamentals and basics items get a lot of lip service, but most people gloss over them. It's absolutely a coaches job to teach the basics... and keep doing so.

It's the 'little details' that make a huge difference. I've never been impressed with Stotts' focus on the details (or lack thereof).

 

The NFL and the NBA are very, very different sports. Yes, they should practice defense, rotations, boxing out and I mentioned earlier it looks like theyve never practiced it, but at the same time were 20+ games into the season now and they still seem clueless on the "basics", these are NBA vets, not NFL players(who generally have way shorter careers), these are guys who should know that stuff. Also the amount of "practice" time because of CBA's has gone down a lot from what it was 50 years ago, professionals are expected to work on their games year-round this day and age. It's not excusing Stotts from blame, I'm saying they all deserve blame.

 

Didn’t really think that game was embarrassing at all?

 

You can teach it all you want if they arent capable of doing it though. Do you think Pops or Hollins all of a sudden stopped teaching defense? My guess is the talent / personnel just changed it wasnt that they decided defense wasnt important or got amnesia.

 

Why is Mario playing over Nas and Trent ffs

 

Well Trent sucks, but I agree about Nas.

 

the lack of execution of the fundamentals is precisely why we should be analyzing and criticizing the players and the coaches though. It's their job to do those things and collectively they aren't. Now, who receives "more blame" who knows, but they all look terrible. We can't analyze them as players because they can't do basic basketball stuff, but we can judge the coaching because the players can't do basic basketball things, that doesn't make sense. It is the collective job of all them to do it. The analysis is your failing at your job if you aren't doing the fundamentals of your job, not well I guess we don't know if you can play defense because the fundamentals aren't there, WE KNOW the fundamentals either aren't there (a failure of players (either talent and/or desire) and coach), or they aren't willing to do it (a failure of players and coach). No matter how you squeeze it's a collective failure and not just on Stotts or on the player.

 

Do you remember watching film with your team and getting ridiculed or chewed out if you blew a rotation or got caught ball watching while your guy moved and you didn't notice? That gets most players to be super focused so they don't get called out in a film session in front of the whole team. The fact that those things are happening numerous times a game by just about everyone on the team leads me to believe those guys aren't being held accountable when they make those mistakes. Maybe that's unfair but seeing a guy play defense in a position where he isn't helping on ball but isn't close enough to his man to recover time and time again isn't talent to me.

 

Yeah, of course, I remember that you started watching film in like JV HS games... The thing is it was on me as a player to do it, it was on leaders of the team to call other players out, it was on the coaches too, but the team "leaders" were usually more effective at it because those are the guys you're playing with. It is not just on the coach to call that stuff out. Dame's a leader shouldn't he be holding them accountable too? Do you think Pop had to hold guys accountable 100% by himself or that if they weren't performing Duncan, Parker, etc weren't getting on guys? That's my point yes the coaching's been bad, the players are bad, it's a group failure.

Which reading between the lines it seems like the sentiment is well it's all on Stotts and I'd agree some of it is, but the whole team looking absolutely drunk every time the other team has the ball is not just Stotts or a bad scheme.
Part of talent IMO is BBIQ and not a single starter seems to have good defensive instincts, baze and WS make the most highlight plays but they're out of position a lot... Dame's worked hard to be better defensively and he is, but he's not a naturally talented defender.

 

I've heard legendary stories about Pop chewing out Tim Duncan (who is one of the most fundamentally sound players in the history of the NBA). Timmy has said that at first he was like who is this guy to be yelling at me but he quickly learned that if he was held accountable the same as the rest of the team that they had no excuse not to listen.

 

Im aware that pops yelled at tim duncan, but the point is Duncan held other players accountable too. In fact most of the time if a player on your team is telling you off for not doing things right it hits harder than a coach, obviously there are exceptions.

 

Do you really believe that all of their defensive failures is coaching and not being held accountable? Maybe that's not a fair way to phrase that question. You know that I hate Stott's defensive schemes because we've discussed it. Just at this point, I think it's beyond just a bad scheme (which they still have) you don't get this epically bad at defense IMO with it just being on "one" of them, which to me it's a collective failure. I also think just on a talent / defensive bbiq standpoint the cabinets are pretty bare the only thing I wish they'd do is to play Little more minutes as I think he's probably the last guy left with a lot of defensive upside.

 

I've been saying this for 7 years now. Defensive schemes need to be a flexible thing. If you take Nurk out of the equation this team has had the same defensive problems year after year and that is with Harkless and Aminu. Heck, even last year with Nurk too they went through a stretch at the beginning of the season where they were last in the NBA at defending the 3. How do you explain that if it's just this year's lack of talent? Defense needs to be adjusted both game to game and in-game to account for it's effectiveness. The fact that Stotts runs the same defensive philosophies regardless of how it's doing or the team they're playing or the players on his team is completely baffling to me.

The lack of effort is the most concerning to me. If you lack the talent to win or play good defense at the very least I want to feel like at least they're trying their best and leaving it all on the court. Other than Little, I haven't had that feeling about any other player consistently this season. Where's the scrap? Why are they not fighting for rebounds? This seems like a team that still thinks they can win just by showing up. If they don't have the talent then fine but there isn't one game this year where I felt like they left it all on the floor and just didn't have the personnel. Even if it's true that the injuries and roster are the problem then that makes the lack of effort even more puzzling. You can make up for a lack of talent by hustling and doing all the little things. It's just not happening this year. I feel like they just think it will turn around because that's how it's been in previous seasons.

 

Like to see Dame

I agree that Dame should be the spoken conduit to the team even if he feels Terry isnt vocal enough.
And if Dame or CJ are not hustling and communicating then its for sure Terry's responsibility to admonish them.
Ive always thought the team takes on the defensive attitude of their leader (s).

When we played OKC I didn't understand why Dame and Ant were giving CP the left lane to the hoop unless they were hoping HW would be there to BS. I know you maybe want to make a player go left or right depending on their strength but it doesn't mean you slack off which both did several times. Paul had several clear paths to left of hoop.

 

Honestly, I don't think I've ever felt the way about the Blazers defense as I do right now. It is pathetic and even when the other team misses shots they give up offensive rebounds. It's infuriating. The thing is the stretch wasn't like 25 games with no hope in sight last year when they had more talent defensively (Nurk) and they had better rebounders too. I'd agree the scheme needs adjusted based on talent.

I'd agree for the most part with your second paragraph. I just want to see them look like they're trying that's all I want. I know they aren't good at defense, but they could at least try.

I saw Will Barton out muscle one of our bigs (was it Whiteside or Skal?) last night for another offensive rebound that's not coaching that's toughness and it led directly to a layup.

 

I mean I'd rather see Trent play rather than a guy in his 5th year that still can't do jack shit.

But yes Nas should have that spot clearly. I don't get why Stotts just fucking went backwards. he had Nas over Mario figured out but I guess when you're a fucking clown then it doesn't change.
Finally tries out Skal at PF and at the same time regresses with Mario over Nas. I guess he didn't want to challenge his terrible coach status by doing only a good move. (Actually it's probably him not wanting to play Nas at SF for no reason at all)

 

Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner! He's completely right here.