Atlanta Hawks: Larry Drew ditching switches
L.D. probably wouldn't consider this a 'switchable switch.'
(Checking in from a Miami holiday weekend filled with beaches, BBQ and . . . beverages)
We’ve heard about L.D.’s offensive philosophies but what about D? The short answer to what I know is the No. 1 question: Atlanta’s base defense under Drew will not feature switching on all (or most) screens.
But what he hopes to accomplish goes beyond Xs and Os and lineups. L.D. said he wants to develop a true defensive disposition for a team known more for finesse.
“Playing defense, it can be ugly sometimes,” Drew said. “Sometimes guys don’t like to do the ugly stuff, the dirty work stuff. Good defensive teams, their mindset is to go into games and outwork you. They don’t care how they do it. They do whatever it takes to shut you down. They have that aggressive mentality, where each game they go into it thinking ‘I am going lock in on my guy.’ and that works its way to the rest of the guys. You have to have that team concept and that aggressive mentality.”
A fanatical devotion to shutting down opponents is a trait of all true contenders. Atlanta’s lack of that quality has to rank at least alongside strategy and personnel as a major reason the Hawks have been a middling defensive team.
The Hawks ranked 13th in defensive efficiency last season, 11th in 2008-09 and 13th in ‘07-08. They were 24th in defensive rebounding rate in ‘09-10, 24th in ‘08-09 and 26th in ‘07-08. Atlanta’s rank in opponent true shooting percentage was 19th last season, eighth in ‘08-09 and 18th in ‘07-08. You can keep going down the list of ways to measure defensive performance and lately the Hawks rarely ranked in the top 10, never mind the top 5.
Defense is another area where L.D. is going to have to find a way to get more out of the guys he’s got. Changing their mentality is the obvious place to start. Drew has to galvanize a group that wilted so badly against the Magic. He has to help his players reach the “uncomfortable” effort levels that Al said they didn’t reach last spring.
There are familiar questions about Drew’s roster, too. It’s the same group of defenders (with an asterisk next to Jamal’s name) that couldn’t contain the perimeter. It’s still a power rotation that lacks a menacing 7-footer in the middle. It’s the same group that too often looked to Al and Smoove to go to work on the boards.
Does L.D. think he has the horses to play good, tough, straight-up D?
“I think we have the personnel to do it,” he said. “That’s why I use the term ‘accountability.’”
One way to annoy NBA players is to talk to them about defensive “stoppers.” So many times I’ve heard guys, especially guards and wings, scoff at the notion. There is no such thing, they say, because there are too many good offensive players and the hand-check rules make it nearly impossible to stop those kind of guys straight up.
Point taken, and L.D. said it’s one he recognizes. That’s why he said he there will be times when switching and other help-type schemes will be necessary.
“I think you have to make a decision on how you want to guard certain people,” he said. “Certainly game-by-game, adjustments will be made defensively. But you go into the game with the mindset of guarding your own people. I think we are deep enough we can get that kind of defense out of our guys.”
Drew said he doesn’t want that to go so far with tricking up the D that players use it as a crutch. You could see that happen with the Hawks last season. Players became so reliant on the switches that they tended to relax in anticipation of screens. Why fight through picks to stay with your man when he can be always be passed off to a teammate?
“I know exactly what you mean,” L.D. said. “You are not the first person I’ve heard say that. Different coaches have different philosophies on how they do things.”
The switching defense has its advantages. It can be effective against pick-and-rolls. It helped the Hawks cover up some of their limitations (even if it also could create other problems). But I think there is no question that using switches so liberally blunted Atlanta’s defensive aggressiveness.
Getting away from the switches is a matter of strategy for Drew, whose goal is for the Hawks to make only what he calls the “switchable switches” that don’t leave them in clearly bad matchups But ditching switches also is a matter of mindset.
“We need guys locking in and focusing on what the defense calls for,” Drew said. “We have the tools for it. We have some areas where got to get better at, but I think overall we have the tools to be a good defensive team. That is the challenge I am going to put to the guys.”
– Nothing new on the Jamal front. He still wants either a satisfactory contract extension or a trade but the Hawks still haven’t indicated if he will get either.
– French club Le Havre announced on its Web site that it has completed a buyout of Pape Sy’s contract. The Hawks haven’t received the paperwork and so don’t consider the deal to be official but they are optimistic there will be no snags.
MC
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666 comments Add your comment
Absolutely!
September 12th, 2010
9:40 pm
Marbury come out of the closet :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK845-ivNto
Puppet Master
September 12th, 2010
9:48 pm
Who’s the worst GM in the NBA?
By: John Paulsen (jpaulsen@bullz-eye.com)
Paulsen Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
ALSO: Got an opinion on who is the NBA’s worst GM? Let’s hear it at The Scores Report!
Over lunch, I asked a friend of mine, “Who’s the worst GM in the NBA?”
His answer?
“Besides Isiah Thomas?”
Over the past few years, Thomas has certainly staked his claim as the very worst in franchise management, but I don’t think it’s fair to rush to judgment. There are some other perennially awful teams in the league, and in most cases, poor management is to blame. So who else should be in the conversation? I came up with a list of nine GMs who are leading teams that have gotten appreciably worse (or haven’t improved much) over the last few seasons:
Isiah Thomas (Knicks), Kevin McHale (Timberwolves), Billy King (Sixers), Billy Knight (Hawks), Danny Ainge (Celtics), Rick Sund (Sonics), Chris Mullin (Warriors), Bernie Bickerstaff (Hornets) and Larry Harris (Bucks).
For those of you wondering about the sad-sack Blazers, Steve Patterson resigned last week, so he’s out. As for Elgin Baylor, he did a great job of turning the Clippers into a playoff team last season. They gave the Suns all they could handle in the second round, so he has at least a year’s reprieve. (Though he made the mistake of extending Mike Dunleavy and should have traded Shaun Livingston while he had the chance. Potential only gets you so far.)
I don’t think it’s fair to judge someone if they don’t have at least three years on the job. Even if the franchise is in perfect fiscal shape when a new GM takes over – and really, how often does that happen? – it’s still very difficult to turn a team around in such a short timeframe. So, for now, we’ll cross Mullin and Bickerstaff off the list. Plus, with Michael Jordan on board, does anyone really think Bernie is calling the shots in Charlotte?
Looking at their respective rosters, I like the teams that Harris and Ainge have put together, and both would have fared better this season had they not been bit by the injury bug. Michael Redd, Charlie Villanueva, Mo Williams and Bobby Simmons have all missed time for the Bucks, while the Celtics lost Paul Pierce, Tony Allen and Wally Szczerbiak for large chunks of the season. I’m not a fan of Milwaukee’s troubling, unrequited love affair with Chauncey Billups, who is probably just flirting with the Bucks so he can get more money out of Joe Dumars. They should just re-sign Mo, who is younger, cheaper and has played at an All-Star level for long stretches this season. Meanwhile, Ainge has drafted well (albeit very young for a guy who says he wants to build around Paul Pierce), but he did make a mistake by trading Randy Foye to Portland for Sebastian Telfair. I’m keeping my eye on these two guys, but for now, I don’t think their names should be in the conversation.
That leaves five: Thomas, McHale, King, Knight and Sund.
So who’s the worst?
Well, one measurement is the cost of each win:
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Total
Payroll Wins Payroll Wins Payroll Wins Payroll Wins $ / Win
Hawks 64.4 28 40.7 13 42.9 26 148.0 67 2.21
Sixers 60.4 33 71.9 43 84.7 38 217.0 114 1.90
Timberwolves 70.6 58 70.1 44 61.6 33 202.3 135 1.50
Knicks 89.4 39 102.4 33 126.6 23 318.4 95 3.35
Sonics 52.3 37 53.8 52 48.9 35 155.0 124 1.25
Spurs 46.1 57 47.1 59 63 63 156.2 179 0.87
I included the Spurs because they are widely regarded as the gold standard in NBA franchises. While San Antonio spent $0.87 M per win over the last three years, the Knicks, with Thomas’ out-of-control payroll ($127 million???), have spent an incredible $3.4 M per win during the same span. Zeke’s spending habits make Paris Hilton look frugal.
But GMs don’t directly control wins and losses. They can put their teams in a position to win, but there are several factors (coaching, injuries, luck etc.) that contribute to a team’s record.
Let’s take a look at the 10 biggest moves over the last few years by each GM and score them on a scale of –5 (awful) to +5 (great).
Rick Sund (Seattle Supersonics)
[trade: +5, re-sign: +3] 2/03 – Sund took advantage of the Ray Allen/Michael Redd situation in Milwaukee by stealing Ray Ray away, only giving up a washed-up point guard (Gary Payton) and a guy who still can’t shoot (Desmond Mason). However, Allen is a guy who commands max money but doesn’t provide max results, which is why the ’05 Allen re-sign gets a +3.
[+1] 7/03 – He did a fair job landing two serviceable players in the unspectacular Nick Collison (#12) and the wispy Luke Ridnour (#14), but neither guy has developed into an established starter. In that draft, Sund passed on the likes of David West, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa and Josh Howard. He’d trade both Collison and Ridnour for any of those guys in a heartbeat.
[-14] – In the next three drafts, Sund picked three project centers: Robert Swift (#12) in ’04, Johan Petro (#25) in ’05 and Saer Sene (#10) in ’06. In drafting these guys, he passed on Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, Delonte West, Tony Allen, Kevin Martin, David Lee and Marcus Williams. Swift is injured while Petro and Sene are combining for a dreadful 7.5 points and 5.4 rebounds this season. What a brutal draft run.
[trade: +3, re-sign: +1] 2/06 – Turning short timer Vladimir Radmanovic into Chris Wilcox was a nice move, though he hasn’t developed into a 15/10 guy like the Sonics hoped. The team may eventually regret re-signing him last summer.
[+1] 2/06 – Sund acquired Earl Watson for Reggie Evans, trading toughness in the frontcourt for toughness in the backcourt. I’m convinced that Watson can anchor a bench, but he’s not yet a starter.
[-5] 2/07 – Sund’s biggest mistake was not to trade Rashard Lewis before the deadline after deciding not to sign him to an extension before the season. Now it looks like Lewis will opt out this summer, which means the Sonics may get nothing in return for their stud swingman.
Final score: -5
In fairness, Sund has had to deal with franchise’s fiscal problems and potential ownership change, though it’s clear he’s better at trading players than he is at drafting them. And that Lewis debacle is going to hurt.
T.S.
September 12th, 2010
9:55 pm
Sun, Sep 12, 2010 RSS @sbnation
Sports News and Fan Opinion Powered by Sports Blogs.
Najeh Davenpoop
September 13th, 2010
12:54 am
The WNBA should have taken a hint from the US Open and pushed Game 1 of their finals to Monday or Tuesday. Going up against Week 1 of the NFL and baseball pennant races this afternoon was not a good idea. I’d be surprised if anyone but the most hardcore of WNBA fans realized that they played today. I for one didn’t know until I saw northcyde’s post above.
MsDee
September 13th, 2010
1:16 am
Sorry Dr Mary for leaving ya to deal with the clueless guys on here from last night..I got tired quicker than I thought!! Way to hold it down for us ladies!!
MsDee
September 13th, 2010
1:24 am
The Hawks are in great position to get the right players to join our team b4 trade deadline (if ness). No need to rush anything as of right now. Like Ken S always say, This is LD’s team, no more Woodson’s. If the OFF/DEF that LD has in store for us doesnt pan out for our core players in the 1 half of the season, we have TPE, trade chips, and draft picks to deal to get EXACTLY what we need. To ask for Shaq(who basically didnt really want to be here), Matt Barnes(who is ALREADY bring negativity to the Lakers), or Carmelo(who may help us in OFF but give those same baskets away on DEF), just to name a few, this early in the season is SOOO not ness.!! We dont know if we NEED them or not b4 the season even starts!! Remember folks, its not the regular season that matters, its the post season that does!!
free the slaves
September 13th, 2010
6:09 am
It doesnt matter who the coach is, this team can only go as far as its talent or lack of. Period. Thats way the hawks were the best they can be.
vava74
September 13th, 2010
7:15 am
“…this team can only go as far as its talent or lack of…”
Talent accounts for only 33% of success in sports.
Hardwork (technical, physical and tactical) and mental toughness account for the rest.
There are literally hundreds of talented basket ball players who don’t put the work and the discipline to success and end up being just a nobody with a shattered dream.
vava74
September 13th, 2010
8:29 am
to succeed
doc
September 13th, 2010
8:31 am
vava, could you document your scientific source for such a claim or is it your own opinion or are you just improving again? 33% huh?
vava74
September 13th, 2010
9:29 am
doc,
I am improving, however, even a casual observation of sports allows to extrapolate that talent is only a fraction of sport success.
There are thousands of examples throughout all sports.
Since I believe that the two other factors mentioned are with talent the three cornerstones of sport success, I have given them 1/3 each.
By the way, my “source” (observation) may not be scientific, but it is easier to extrapolate on this particular issue with some “precision” than when you “discuss” the ASG’s finances and their spending policies and habits (not the technical decisions)…
KevinM
September 13th, 2010
9:46 am
Rev in Tampa-”Grandad, drmaryb, doc, sautee, Ken Strickland and anyone else who watched the NBA in the mid-1970’s. I was so excited today because Jim Price (2nd team All-American, 1972, Lakers point guard, 1973-1979, All-star in 1975) came to my church today. He is coaching in the Tampa area. Of course I did not know who he was until he was introduced to me. I was born in 1967.”
I remember Jim Price:
He was one of the first players I had learned about as a kid in Louisville. He was a very good player who became a good NBA player. How incredible is it to be able to say you played with Wilt,Riley,Jerry and Gail? Didn’t he play with Alcindor and was acquired to try to take the Big O’s place on the Bucks in 74-75? He also was Kareem’s teammate back in LA when Jerry West became the head coach and the great Lou Hudson was also on that roster.
Great memories….I am sure he has some great stories for his time in the NBA.
That got me searching for the success of our franchise and this is all I could come up with:
-Division Champs 4 times, but not since the 93-94 season.
-This is the 7th year of the realigning of divisions: The Hawks have allowed the Magic and Heat to win 3 each.
Isn’t there something to be said for winning your own division before you can go on to compete for the NBA championship? It will be slim to none to see the Hawks predicted for anything better than 3rd and no one except maybe Ken is thinking the Hawks will either win the SE or come in 2nd.
With the team improvements in this division, you would think the ASG would have made a move, any move to offset the improvements of Miami and the ability to better matchup with the 1-4 Orlando offense to attempt to contend for the division title? Easier said than done of course, but for those that think Sund could come up with a draft day deal? Check the history on that one. He himself tells you he doesn’t like to make trades during the season.
doc
September 13th, 2010
10:36 am
oh so harsh vava, kind of like your saying mario was a woody hire?
will agree talent isnt everything but if you dont have it whatever thexother per cent is wont get you to the major leagues. i assure you talent alone can get you there if you have a bit of drive and intelligence. it wont get you to the top nor keep you there. the mental game is ultimately what decides who is premier in any sport. in some sports thougg intelligence gets in the way with over thinking like in golf. the kid johnson who won yesterday isnt top of the block which may have helped him forget his failures is what they say otherwise he might have atalled with hid flops and bad luck in the open and pga championships. in tennis the physical is said to not be that different from top to bottom with the mind being everything if you have the physical. probably changes from sport to sport but 33%?
Ken Strickland
September 13th, 2010
11:14 am
MSDEES-If LDrew’s OFF doesn’t work out, he can always revert back to the same ISO. one on one style of OFF that got us the 3rd seed and 53 wins last yr. If this team can win 53 gms and become the 3rd best team in the East, with no structured half court OFF, a poorly conceived an implemented DEF, with little player and ball movement, and have 2 starters that were OFF and/or DEF liabilities, how could basically the same team not be improve with most, if not all, of these issues resolved?
I have continued to be amazed by a certain fool who has continuously made an issue of C AHorford’s alleged shortcomings, and now PG JTeague, but has yet to name, or even suggest, a single player the Hawks could acquire that would or could do a better job. It’s really revealing of a persons limited and fracture mentality when he/they can conjure up a multitude of names and identities, with the same stupid and one dimensional mindset, but not be able to come up with ONE(1) intelligent suggestion on how to rectify what he/they see as a problem.
OH WELL, I GUESS STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES.
KevinM
September 13th, 2010
11:18 am
MC has a new blog out…..this one deals with JC1.
Ms. Fool (ken's mother)
September 14th, 2010
3:52 pm
My stupid son, ive read many of the mans suggestions as to the many centers who are a better choice for the hawks. Maybe if you can get the di ck out of your mouth long enough to read and learn you may gain knowledge. Now, get your fathers balls out of your face and go clean up your room!