<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Rasheed Wallace, never one to shy away from a bold view, has (not surprisingly) a bold view on zone defense. "I don't like zone," he said. "It's terrible." Like it or not, he and the rest of the Pistons are going to have to learn to live with a little more zone in their lives. Pistons coach Flip Saunders said Wednesday he wants to use his zone about 10 to 15% more this season. It still won't be the main, possession-to-possession defense, but it should pop out more often than last season. The reasons are twofold. First, Saunders has always been a believer in the zone's effectiveness, and his team is strong on defensive fundamentals. But the biggest reason is that, in today's evolving NBA climate, it works. Recent rule changes more or less removed clutching and grabbing near the perimeter. And last season, referees strictly enforced the new rules, especially when superstars such as Dwyane Wade or LeBron James were in the fray. In the postseason, those two were nearly untouchable. Wade alone set numerous records for free throws in the Finals, including attempting 97, hitting 75 and scoring 21 points in one game off free throws. The quick-whistle climate is why a zone defense, which doesn't involve much in the way of contact, is becoming more important. "The league has changed with the way the rules are," Saunders said. "When you can't touch guys, it's pretty impossible to sit and guard guys in a man situation. ... But for some reason in our league, when you say 'zone,' those four letters are the worst four letters you can say in the NBA." The problem is pride. A man-to-man defense does what the name implies -- it pits two men against each other. It is a me-against-you mentality, and NBA players enjoy that. "Man-to-man, that instills pride," Wallace said. "If my man is sitting up there scoring 30 points, I'm like, 'All right, hold up.' You take pride in it. If you get scored on two or three times in a row, you say, 'All right, he's not going to do this again.' "But that zone, zone you can blame other people. 'Oh, you didn't get to this spot -- I was out here, you didn't get there, blah blah blah.' But that man? Ain't nobody to blame but yourself." Wallace said he also doesn't appreciate the reasons zones are becoming more effective. He called the NBA's crackdown on hand-checking violators -- especially against superstars -- the "red shirt quarterback" theory. "They're trying to protect their moneymakers," he said.</div> Source
I understand what Sheed is saying, as playing in Zone defenses before myself, I know what its like blaming other players and what not for mistakes that may have been caused by myself, but in saying that, its a very effective defense. I'd rather play man to man aswell, but a Zone isnt as tiring.
Of all the teams in the League, you'd figure the Pistons would be the best suited to play zone for extended periods. They've been playing with each other for a few seasons now, they've got greath length, quickness, and defensive fundamentals. Sheed's got to swallow his pride and do what's best for the team. What good is shutting down your man, if the opposing team's guards are driving the lane and drawing fouls every play?
