McMillan's offense is taken from Detroit and San Antonio. Strictly half-court with no flow at all. Keep in mind he's running this offense, heavy on X's and O's, with the youngest team in the NBA. In his last year in Seattle he ran an uptemo offense and that team scored over 100 ppg and was second in the League in offense. The offense he runs now wont win you a lot of games.
I said: Keep in mind he's running this offense, heavy on X's and O's, with the youngest team in the NBA. Our offense isn't as good as San Antonio or Detroit, but it's just as slow paced. So far this season we had to make a comeback in the fourth. We luckily came out with 3 wins in those games but that wont happen every time this season. We start out REALLY slow and have an uphill battle in the second half. The offense is slow, predictable, and flat out boring. Bottom line: Our offense is offensive.
Usually fast breaks are created off of defensive rebounds passed out, turnovers, and tip-outs. We do none of those things very well. Nor is Blake very good at finding cutters with his passes. I only mind the offense when we continue to settle for jumpers, instead of attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. The best teams show the ability to run both uptempo and half court.
Yup. The hope is that Oden is a dominant defensive presence and rebounder... that would help all of the aspects of starting fast breaks that you mentioned. Keeping the other team's offense out of the paint and settling for jumpers and there will be more long rebounds too. And if the guys know Greg's got the boards, they can leak out a bit earlier too... no more rebounding by committee. McMillan can only work with what he's got and they've had a very different group of guys then he had the one year in Seattle. As you mentioned, Blake is not a fast break PG... heck Brandon really isn't a fast break type SG either. Neither Travis or Martell have that great a handle at the 3. But Rudy and Greg on the other hand, those guys seem much more the type to push the pace. We'll see... STOMP
Sergio | Rudy | Batum | Aldridge | Oden would be a SICKKKKKKKK fast break lineup... no? And that lineup isn't all that uncommon.
Batum has been pretty solid for a rookie on the fastbreak. Sergio is pretty mediocre on the break this season. I'm holding out hope that Bayless can be the PG that can get this team some more fastbreak points in the near future. He's got the mindset to attack the rim that Blake and Sergio lack.
I never understood why the 2nd unit wasn't allowed to be "up-tempo"??? We have more than enough horses...open the gates Nate!!!
We need to find some time for Bayless. I know many like Sergio on this board, I can't stand his game. He can't run a structured team offense, can't play defense, can't shoot. He knows it and wants out. With Bayless we would get better on ball defense, and run more.
I'm not sure some of the second-unit players know how to be uptempo very well. (Outlaw and Frye come to mind) I know Sergio and Rudy know how, and it looks like Batum does, but he's not on the second unit right now. As legendary of a teacher Nate is, I'm not sure he's really teaching up-tempo play. I'm curious if any reporters have seen signs of it in practice. The team looks confused when they go up-tempo. Could be the players, or could be the teaching. Hard to say.
McMillan does NOT let his teams run. He's got a long history of slowing the pace of games as a head coach, and I don't think that we're going to see him change any time soon. Ed O.
