Distressing Defensive Trend

[spectre]

I posted Bill Ingrams' answer to my question from his chat today and he also feels we need a starting center...

Larry in Blowing Rock, NC:
Good morning Bill...my Bobcats are off to a "typical" slow Larry Brown stat...do you see this as a slow start are do we have real problems at the Point Guard and Center positions?

Bill Ingram:
Augustin is playing better than anyone expected, and it's good to see. The real need is, as you mention, at center. Nazr's a good back-up center, and Diop isn't bad in spot minutes. But you have to have a starter, and right now the Bobcats don't.

Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Chat.asp?C...#ixzz14izGzLLG

Cool BRNC...you made the big time!

Good point Beagle on getting steals.

This year - 26th in steals (5.7)
Last year - 8th in steals (7.7)

Wasn't Felton & Jax ranked fairly high in that category?

Good catch Beagle!

BTW...that hoopdata link is da bomb.

[Ampsportsduo]

Far be it from me to be the wet blanket, but look at the opponents in the first 3 games. A 2nd tier team out west (Dallas), a playoff team in the east and one of the most balanced attacks (Milwaukee), and a team that should be contending for the 8th spot if they stay healthy (Indy). In the second set of three it was a two lottery teams and a Magic team that was missing their starting PG. Not saying that the D hasn't improved some, but the schedule may have helped. Looking at the stats, DET and NJ were right at their season averages from the field, only the Magic were lower (by 4%).

[spectre]

In regards to the wet blanket's post:

It's really just too small a sample size to tell anything definitively. Then too there are some things that take away from the generic statistic (like some guy going off hitting 8 of 10 3s when he normally shoots mid 30s just as an example)...which is why you have to watch the games.

I'd think we'd need to have something like 30 games under our belt before we could really see any trend.

I do think that if we could bring down those TO numbers to a halfway decent number we could probably get a better handle on where we're trending defensively.

[Ampsportsduo]

In regards to the wet blanket's post:

It's really just too small a sample size to tell anything definitively.

I don't disagree, but for Ricky to trot out the FG%s as proof that defense isn't a concern is frustrating, nay wrong, when teams have shot at their average against us and primary scorers have been getting off.

[spectre]

I don't disagree, but for Ricky to trot out the FG%s as proof that defense isn't a concern is frustrating, nay wrong, when teams have shot at their average against us and primary scorers have been getting off.

But it's Ricky!

Found this on the Raps' forum in regards to Kleiza in reference to an Insider article:

But Kleiza really looks horrible out there. Not surprisingly, he has the third worst turnover ratio among small forwards (other's in the bottom 10 for TO ratio include Deng, Lebron Durant and Wallace, FWIW).

Not shocking to us of course...just reiterating that we have to take care of that ball.

[BRNC]

Well...we had three less TOs than SA tonight and still have an "L" to show for it...leaving Manu open to take 3s killed us and I do see that as a defensive lapse...everyone in the league knows the guy will kill you if he gets open looks...

[TheBeagle]

Well...we had three less TOs than SA tonight and still have an "L" to show for it...leaving Manu open to take 3s killed us and I do see that as a defensive lapse...everyone in the league knows the guy will kill you if he gets open looks...

Screw Manu; it was that fucking Curly Neal or whatever the hell his name is that did us in. Our 2 guards murdered us with their offensive defense.....but at least Henderson was knocking down his shots, unlike Jack after the first 6 minutes...

Interior defense I am damn happy with considering our roster, but yeah, like tonight showed us, perimeter defense is fucking abysmal.

[BRNC]

I know Teej went off on Hendo but with Hendo at +6 and Jack at -11 during their respective floor times makes it kinda difficult to put it on Hendo...Hendo made a bad play or two that I saw but I can't put this on him...his over-all play was better than Jack...

Jack is still hurting the team with his high TOs and not (seemingly) having his head in the game (IMO)...but our over-all perimeter defense was poor in this game...giving 3pt shooters open looks is not the way to win games...

[teej]

I know Teej went off on Hendo but with Hendo at +6 and Jack at -11 during their respective floor times makes it kinda difficult to put it on Hendo...Hendo made a bad play or two that I saw but I can't put this on him...his over-all play was better than Jack...

Jack is still hurting the team with his high TOs and not (seemingly) having his head in the game (IMO)...but our over-all perimeter defense was poor in this game...giving 3pt shooters open looks is not the way to win games...

At least 4 if not all 5 of Neal's threes came on Hendo, and all 7 Neal was wide open. I understand our centers aren't great defensively, but Hendo can't help that like he's trying to. He needs to stay on his man. Trust me, Jack was terrible too, but at least he didn't leave his man WIDE OPEN. I was talking with Amp about this during the game, and we both could've had open shots on Hendo, that's how bad it was. Neal and George Hill were the only ones consistently open. Manu was open several times, but that's more because of the inside-outside offense with Duncan versus poor defense.

The +/- is because mostly Jack was playing against Manu, Timmy and TP. Hendo was playing against Splitter, Hill and Neal. Also, even though Hendo was 3-7 to Jack's 4-13, Jack hit 3 3's and, had he gotten a call or two, would've had 10 fta's and had a line more like 4-10. Not great, but better.

[TheBeagle]

At least 4 if not all 5 of Neal's threes came on Hendo, and all 7 Neal was wide open. I understand our centers aren't great defensively, but Hendo can't help that like he's trying to. He needs to stay on his man. Trust me, Jack was terrible too, but at least he didn't leave his man WIDE OPEN. I was talking with Amp about this during the game, and we both could've had open shots on Hendo, that's how bad it was. Neal and George Hill were the only ones consistently open. Manu was open several times, but that's more because of the inside-outside offense with Duncan versus poor defense.

The +/- is because mostly Jack was playing against Manu, Timmy and TP. Hendo was playing against Splitter, Hill and Neal. Also, even though Hendo was 3-7 to Jack's 4-13, Jack hit 3 3's and, had he gotten a call or two, would've had 10 fta's and had a line more like 4-10. Not great, but better.

The quote I highlighted is the key to the whole thing. When you have shooters camping behind the arc, DO NOT help on a drive. We'll have some combination of Gana, GW, or Tyrus out there to either contest the drive, or, if he dishes inside, come from the weak side and challenge that shot, if not block it. If you stay with your man on the perimeter, there is no other option than for the offense to take it inside where interior help defenders await, or for the campers to get off the line to help the driver as an outlet, either of which is preferable to leaving a man wide blessed open.

As for the +/- difference, Jack's TOs and uninspired play played the more prominent role than what lineup was out there, though I agree that it was a factor, just not the main one.

As an aside, this has been a really good thread, guys!