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D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
good interview, i'm hyped to see showtime Lakers and not their boring halfcourt shit. Can't wait to see them when Nash gets back :pimp:
[url]http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/21000776/dantoni-wins-over-media-but-dwight-howard-matters-most[/url]
[quote]EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The Lakers made the coaching choice that they knew would lose the press conference, lose in the court of public opinion, but work out for the best on the only court that matters.
Then, something strange and wonderful happened. From the sights and sounds of this first day of the Mike D'Antoni era in Los Angeles, it turned out that the Lakers chose the coach who managed to win the press conference, too.
Nobody expected that. The crowd of media at the team's practice facility, like nothing D'Antoni had seen in four years in New York, was something you'd expect for the triumphant return of Phil Jackson. Seriously, this crowd was for D'Antoni? A man who's never been to the Finals (much less won an NBA title) and whose acumen, style, philosophy, defects, playoff failures and demise in New York have been dissected for five days since the stunning decision of his hiring was announced?
Then D'Antoni, whose arrival on the West Coast was delayed while he recovered from knee replacement surgery that had him walking with a crutch at his first practice with the Lakers, started talking. And the more he talked, the better this hiring sounded. The more he explained what he believes in and how the talent-rich Lakers can thrive under his free-wheeling, player-driven style like no other team he's coached, the more his critics presumably slumped in their chairs.
"We're built to win this year," D'Antoni said Thursday. "This is not a project. We have a window and we're going to try and get through it."
He was direct. He was blunt. He was funny. He didn't try to cover the blemishes on his resume with white-out or canned excuses. He didn't try to come off as the smartest guy in the room, whose X's-and-O's brilliance would outsmart the rest of the coaching profession all the way to the top of the championship mountain in June.
For those who didn't know -- or, for those in New York who never saw this relaxed, forthright, engaging D'Antoni because he was cloaked in the dark paranoia of Madison Square Garden -- get used to it. If D'Antoni's debut on the court is anything close to as entertaining and informative as his debut in front of a microphone, then behold the return of the Showtime era in L.A.
"I love basketball," D'Antoni said. "I don't do anything else. I can't do anything else. I'm 61 years old, putting on tennis shoes and going to work? Are you kidding me? What's there not to like?"
As D'Antoni puts in the bare bones of his offensive system for Friday's game against Phoenix and then for his eventual debut on the sideline Sunday against Houston, understand this: Rhythm, trust, timing and everything else that comes with the D'Antoni way are not going to come overnight. And more importantly, this: The two most important pieces for making this a success are 1) Steve Nash, the point guard who's made a Hall of Fame career out of running D'Antoni's system; and 2) Dwight Howard, the dominant, athletic center in his prime that D'Antoni's never had before.
It sounds like Nash's return may coincide with D'Antoni's anticipated first game Sunday. Howard, playing at about 75-80 percent effectiveness as he recovers from back surgery, is going to need weeks -- maybe even a couple of months -- to get all the way back.
Nash, if he can get healthy and stay that way at 38, will use the freedom D'Antoni gives his point guards to set the RPMs just right and get everybody involved. But the overwhelming key to whether the Lakers can win this way -- now, and in the future -- is Howard. What Howard can do defensively for D'Antoni -- "put the 'D' back in my name," as D'Antoni said Thursday --- and what D'Antoni can do for Howard on the other end is everything.
"I know that the point guard is the one running the ship, but I told Dwight today he can be in every play," D'Antoni said. "We don't call plays. So he can run down and pick the ball and he's rolling to the basket. One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up. It's just not efficient. ... His touches should increase, his ability to get to the rim should increase and it should be a lot easier for Dwight."
Howard's eyes seemed to widen, almost in disbelief, when he revealed Thursday that D'Antoni told the Lakers they "should be scoring 110 points a game or something like that," Howard said. The big fella should be a big part of it --- "The big man should eat," Howard said -- because he's never become a straight post-up player in the traditional sense to begin with. But he also understands that his unexpected marriage to D'Antoni and his offensive system really starts at the end of the floor Howard has dominated as the three-time defensive player of the year.
Four times in a five-minute post-practice interview, Howard emphasized the importance of "getting stops." Nash will be Nash and Kobe will be Kobe, but this whole plan begins and ends with Dwight putting the "D" back in D'Antoni and the coach putting the dominance back in Dwight.
"I expect Dwight Howard -- as soon as he gets healthy, because he's not healthy right now -- to be unstoppable," D'Antoni said. "And I don't care what they do, they're not stopping him."
For the confused, uninitiated, or those who've bought the silly notion that D'Antoni can't win in the playoffs with a style built strictly around bringing out his players' talent, let me allow him to sum it up for you on every conceivable level:
• On how Bryant will fit in the offense: "I don't like to call a lot of plays. I like a flow. Offense should flow, and the ball should find energy and the ball should find our best guys. ... I hate when guys say, 'I didn't get my touches.' That doesn't make any sense. Everybody gets touches. That ball should go around. If a team is guarding these two guys and leaving these three guys open, these three guys are gonna score. If Kobe's being double-teamed, then we'll bust 'em someplace else." I'll simplify this even more: This is called playing basketball the right way.
• On beating teams with pace and shrinking the margin for error: "If you've got the best team, why wouldn't you play the most possessions that you can play defensively and offensively? Any time the possessions are cut down, then a bad call, a missed shot, you've got a chance to lose. But if we keep the possessions up here, to me we've got a lot better chance to win when we're playing a lot of reps."
• When asked, basically, so why have you never been to the Finals?: "Freakin' San Antonio, you'll have to criticize them. They were better than us."
• On what sets certain coaches apart in the NBA: "Players. ... In the Olympics, I think they do a good thing. They give the gold medal to the players. Coaches don't get gold medals. I think we have guys who can get rings, and they're the ones who are going to get 'em. ... You're not going to outcoach other coaches. Everybody's too prepared. Everybody works too hard to think that I'm going to sit there and figure out something that they haven't figured out. You just don't do that. Players have to eventually be accountable and they have to be the ones to go win the game for you."
• On getting more out of the Lakers' disappointing bench, which by the way includes Chris Duhon, who played the best basketball of his career under D'Antoni, and Steve Blake, who D'Antoni has been trying to acquire for a decade: "Jodie Meeks for example, I told him today: The only time he needs to shoot is when he touches the ball. Other than that, don't shoot." In other words, D'Antoni isn't so stubborn and full of himself to force players to do things they can't do. Just let them do what they can.
• On his style of making it about the players and not so much about the coach, an anathema to the control-freak coaching culture in the NBA: "Well, the advantage is, if you've got good players, it works. If you've got bad players, it doesn't work. And that would be anywhere."
And on and on and on. I think you get the picture. D'Antoni with the Lakers is going to be different, and it's going to be fun. It's going to be Showtime, of sorts.
But for it to be a success? That would require Nash to get his giddy-up on and do at 38 what he did for D'Antoni in his prime. And most of all, it'll require a gradual, mutually beneficial bond to form between D'Antoni and Howard. They have to be good for each other for this to work. And it has to work for them to stay together.
Bryant and his old coach, Jackson, were the focal point of the Lakers for so long. And Kobe would've been Kobe whether the Lakers had hired Jackson, D'Antoni or Kobe himself to coach this team. But the decision to go with D'Antoni finally became clear Thursday afternoon when you realized that it was made not only for the goal of winning now, but with the bet that D'Antoni and Howard would be good together in the future.
Players like Bryant come along once in a generation, if you're lucky. So when it's over, when he finally walks away with however many championships he has, don't hold your breath for another one to come along. The Lakers aren't.
If Howard and D'Antoni work, it's a much safer bet for the Lakers to find a point guard to run D'Antoni's offense than it would be to wait for another top-five player of all time to come along. So this is the Lakers doubling down on D'Antoni -- hoping that he and Nash can squeeze Howard's massive body through this tight championship window, deliver Bryant's sixth title and leave the blueprint in place for someone else to do it again down the road.
If it works -- if any part of it works -- the Lakers will wind up winning a lot more than a press conference. [/quote]
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight pos
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight pos
Nash:
[IMG]http://gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs/131952_o.gif[/IMG]
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
Somewhere in me, i feel like this run and gun/pick and roll system is not going to make Kobe happy. If it works, let's see how much Kobe is willing to sacrifice. And if it doesn't work, let's see how much D'antoni is willing to let Kobe do his thing.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
Post up game is not effective when you have Amare. But with Dwight and Gasol and Kobe, it's pretty weird saying we're not going to post. He's not going to say when you have Shaq, don't post up because it's inefficient. When you have great post up players, you use them. One formula can't work for all situations.
Lakers team now- Nash is aging and slower than the past. Kobe is aging and slower than the past. Gasol/Dwight/Kobe are all post up players.
D'antoni- Instead of changing my system to fit the Lakers. Lakers player will change their ways to fit into my system.
Let's see how this goes. I have a bad feeling.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Chrono90]Post up game is not effective when you have Amare. But with Dwight and Gasol and Kobe, it's pretty weird saying we're not going to post. He's not going to say when you have Shaq, don't post up because it's inefficient. When you have great post up players, you use them. One formula can't work for all situations.
Lakers team now- Nash is aging and slower than the past. Kobe is aging and slower than the past. Gasol/Dwight/Kobe are all post up players.
[B]D'antoni- Instead of changing my system to fit the Lakers. Lakers player will change their ways to fit into my system.
[/B]
Let's see how this goes. I have a bad feeling.[/QUOTE]
He did that with the Knicks too. Instead of adjusting to the team he made the Knicks players adjust to his system.
He tried to make Toney Douglas and Melo a point guard. :roll:
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Chrono90]Post up game is not effective when you have Amare. But with Dwight and Gasol and Kobe, it's pretty weird saying we're not going to post. He's not going to say when you have Shaq, don't post up because it's inefficient. When you have great post up players, you use them. One formula can't work for all situations.
Lakers team now- Nash is aging and slower than the past. Kobe is aging and slower than the past. Gasol/Dwight/Kobe are all post up players.
D'antoni- Instead of changing my system to fit the Lakers. Lakers player will change their ways to fit into my system.
Let's see how this goes. I have a bad feeling.[/QUOTE]
dwight and Pau have been pretty bad in the post tho. Pau is a hot/cold short J waiting to happen, and Dwight has either been getting collapsed on picked or fouled, altho he's somehow made a lot of his ugly ass post shots.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Clutch]He did that with the Knicks too. Instead of adjusting to the team he made the Knicks players adjust to his system.
He tried to make Toney Douglas and Melo a point guard. :roll:[/QUOTE]
You are banned from posting in any more D'antoni threads. Your hate is irrational and getting annoying.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Clutch]He did that with the Knicks too. Instead of adjusting to the team he made the Knicks players adjust to his system.
He tried to make Toney Douglas and Melo a point guard. :roll:[/QUOTE]
yea i'm expecting the worst and hoping for the best.
Why did lakers hire him again??? Did they even think it through? lol :facepalm
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Clutch]He did that with the Knicks too. Instead of adjusting to the team he made the Knicks players adjust to his system.
He tried to make Toney Douglas and Melo a point guard. :roll:[/QUOTE]
they did pretty well from what i remember early on without much talent. i just remember them hanging in their with some good teams and a lot of OT games running and gunning with no depth.
to me he just never had the personnel he needed in NY. Lin's handle and quickness sucked altho he had decent vision, but any 2 man defense on him and he's stopped and trapped. Amare and Melo were missing every shot they took. and don't get me started on Amare's switches where it wasn't really D Antoni's fault more than Amare's stupidity. i think he got a bad rap in NY personally but whatever.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
Perhaps it's true.
But at the same time being able to post up influences the game much more than being able to roll. It's a halfcourt play, when the game slows down you still have to find a way to score.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Droid101]You are banned from posting in any more D'antoni threads. Your hate is irrational and getting annoying.[/QUOTE]
It's the truth. Toney Douglas was our starting point guard and D'Antoni expected him to play like Steve Nash. When he saw that he can't then he tried to make Melo his point guard.
If you don't believe me go to ESPN or some other basketball site and read some old articles. You'll surely see what I'm talking about.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Chrono90]yea i'm expecting the worst and hoping for the best.
Why did lakers hire him again??? Did they even think it through? lol :facepalm[/QUOTE]
Phil would've been a lot more similar to Mike Brown's Princeton than not. if you hired Phil then you should be asking why you got Nash since he'd be like a Derrick Fisher in the triangle.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
Might as well trade Kobe and pau.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Godzuki]Phil would've been a lot more similar to Mike Brown's Princeton than not. if you hired Phil then you should be asking why you got Nash since he'd be like a Derrick Fisher in the triangle.[/QUOTE]
If you play Princeton/Triangle offense - Nash not used the right way
If you play D'Antoni's offense - Kobe,Gasol and Dwight not used the right way
Pick your poison :lol
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Clutch]It's the truth. Toney Douglas was our starting point guard and D'Antoni expected him to play like Steve Nash. When he saw that he can't then he tried to make Melo his point guard.
If you don't believe me go to ESPN or some other basketball site and read some old articles. You'll surely see what I'm talking about.[/QUOTE]
wtf did you want him to do? incorporate the triangle or the princeton? thats his system....
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Godzuki]wtf did you want him to do? incorporate the triangle or the princeton? thats his system....[/QUOTE]
You have to be able to maximize your teams strengths.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Godzuki]wtf did you want him to do? incorporate the triangle or the princeton? thats his system....[/QUOTE]
Adjust his system to the players he had.
D'Antoni is an extremely stubborn coach. He would rather die than change something he believes into even if he doesn't have success with it.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Godzuki]dwight and Pau have been pretty bad in the post tho. Pau is a hot/cold short J waiting to happen, and Dwight has either been getting collapsed on picked or fouled, altho he's somehow made a lot of his ugly ass post shots.[/QUOTE]
That's true though. Gasol has been struggling but Kobe is still good and Dwight was decent before the surgery. I just hope D'Antoni doesn't completely forget the post play when you have those post players.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[IMG]http://ffauploads.com/fQjYZ5xH.gif[/IMG]
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Clutch]If you play Princeton/Triangle offense - Nash not used the right way
If you play D'Antoni's offense - Kobe,Gasol and Dwight not used the right way
Pick your poison :lol[/QUOTE]
how does that make sense? his system is pick n roll's which can be with any of those players, and running which should free every player up with more lanes every time down the court. this halfcourt crap where all the Lakers take are short J's because the middle is so crowded is whats dumb. or passing it around from the post living and dying by Gasol's hot/cold short J's and passing to Artest to shoot because he's always the open man. at least D Antoni will get the balls into the hands of his stars to win their matchups and have more lanes to get theirs.
i mean the Lakers are real lucky Kobe has been burying those deep J's with hands in his face this year. he should have a lot more open shots without playing against a constantly set defense.
and ideally they should have less TO's with less constant passing from every player in/around the post.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
150 PPG here we come! :bowdown:
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Godzuki]wtf did you want him to do? incorporate the triangle or the princeton? thats his system....[/QUOTE]
That's my point of wondering why did the Lakers get him the begin with...
He's a run and gun/ pick and roll/ play less D and more Offense team.
But, Lakers player on the other hand, is not those type of players.
Maybe they hate Phil Jackson that much to hire Mike just to diss Phil?
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
Lakers is thinking about future. Howard is their future. Kobe & Gasol is past. Like Celtics is become Rondo's team instead of the original big three, they are counting on Howard right now.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Chrono90]That's my point of wondering why did the Lakers get him the begin with...
He's a run and gun/ pick and roll/ play less D and more Offense team.
But, Lakers player on the other hand, is not those type of players.
Maybe they hate Phil Jackson that much to hire Mike just to diss Phil?[/QUOTE]
personally i think Phil would've failed with this team, he would've been very similar to the Princeton in terms of their issues. even tho its hard to argue with his track record despite always having dominating talent, i think Phil is quite overrated mainly because people think he can win from his coaching in itself.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=rodman91]Lakers is thinking about future. Howard is their future. Kobe & Gasol is past. Like Celtics is become Rondo's team instead of the original big three, they are counting on Howard right now.[/QUOTE]
I don't think it's that.
The idea they're running with is that to get everyone the necessary touches you need a higher tempo.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
Either way this is all good for business cause it's creating drama.
1) D'Antoni gets to give a payback to the Knicks on Christmas. He must hate those players on that team for tanking and kicking him out. It's going to be a great game every time Knicks play Lakers.
2) Phil is going to come back and he's going to try to take out the Lakers for dissing him like this. Phil, with his resume and legacy, will not want to leave his career being swept in the playoffs. He's going to come back.
This is going to be fun.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
Won 5 titles with the boring post up game. What's your point?
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
I love slowly watching the Laker fans who hated on this move changing their tune as homer-vision kicks in.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
Something no one mentioned thus far is that in a D'Antoni system there is no defense. One more time so everyone understands. In a D'Antoni system [SIZE="6"][SIZE="7"][COLOR="Black"][B][U]THERE IS NO DEFENSE!!![/U][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/SIZE]
The Lakers are done for. Dwight and Kobe are going to get rid of this coach. Mark my words. Dwight will never again win defensive player of the year now that pringles squirmed back into the NBA. I want Laker fans to know the absolute ridicule the Knicks went through for years because of D'Antoni and his failed system. You will go through this exact ridicule now.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=MightyWhitey]Something no one mentioned thus far is that in a D'Antoni system there is no defense. [/QUOTE]
D'Antoni teams averaged about 14th-15th in the league in defense during their good years (with of course far and away the #1 offense). And that's with Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw as your frontcourt.
Imagine Dwight and Pau instead?
Yeah, stop.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Darius]I love slowly watching the Laker fans who hated on this move changing their tune as homer-vision kicks in.[/QUOTE]
You have to eventually get over and hope your wrong, right?
I hate this move. I've begun to hate the Nash signing as well because it brought this on. But what is done is done. Lakers plan on milking the last 2 years out of Kobes body and then scrapping this team. They know they have no chance at a title.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Droid101]D'Antoni teams averaged about 14th-15th in the league in defense during their good years (with of course far and away the #1 offense). And that's with Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw as your frontcourt.
Imagine Dwight and Pau instead?
Yeah, stop.[/QUOTE]
The Lakers cannot compete with teams like San Antonio and OKC in the West with D'Antoni. Everyone will wonder later on why it is the Lakers will fall off the defensive parameters of the NBA. Memphis will bully the sh!t out the Lakers now.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
They probably signed Nash to keep Howard in future. It was like saying "This is your team now, Kobe is goner soon, here we got Nash for you big guy.Sign with us!"
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=MightyWhitey]The Lakers cannot compete with[B] teams like San Antonio[/B] and OKC in the West with D'Antoni. Everyone will wonder later on why it is the Lakers will fall off the defensive parameters of the NBA. Memphis will bully the sh!t out the Lakers now.[/QUOTE]
San Antonio? That run-and-gun outfit that doesn't focus on defense?
SA: Off Rtg: 105.2 (8th of 30) ▪ Def Rtg: 101.8 (15th of 30)
Keep crying.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[quote=D'Antoni]"I don't like to call a lot of plays."[/quote]
:roll:
That's going to work out awesome.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Droid101]San Antonio? That run-and-gun outfit that doesn't focus on defense?
SA: Off Rtg: 105.2 (8th of 30) ▪ Def Rtg: 101.8 (15th of 30)
Keep crying.[/QUOTE]
There is no crying for me. The Knick organization did themselves and the NBA a favor by getting rid of Pringles. Now the Lakers bring him back :applause: Kuddos to the Lakers. First round exit guaranteed.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
Why are people so upset that the Lakers are going to run pick and rolls?
1) the triangle was usually initiated with a pick and roll. if it wasnt there, then the ball was thrown into the post and the triangle picked up.
2) gasol is a great high pick n roll player as is dwight. Nash along with MD's offense will make them even better at that. Kobe is a basketball player. Throw him in any offense and he'll give you results
3) Dwight howards is the 3x defensive player of the year. COuld have been 4x if it wasnt for his back injury and disdain for orlando at the time. Yes, hes coming off back surgery, but i have no doubt he will still be a force on the defensive end come play off time.
Everyone's really nitpicking at small details and not looking at the big picture.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=MightyWhitey]There is no crying for me. The Knick organization did themselves and the NBA a favor by getting rid of Pringles. Now the Lakers bring him back :applause: Kuddos to the Lakers. First round exit guaranteed.[/QUOTE]
Ah, true colors shine, another baseless D'Antoni hater because he somehow "Screwed up" the Knicks, as if the Knicks were going to do anything with their flawed roster the last two years.
Look, I'm glad that the Knicks filled their roster with vets who want to win this season. That's awesome. But they didn't have the roster to win the last two years, period.
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Re: D Antoni: One of the least efficient plays in basketball is just the straight post-up
[QUOTE=Clutch]If you play Princeton/Triangle offense - Nash not used the right way
If you play D'Antoni's offense - Kobe,Gasol and Dwight not used the right way
Pick your poison :lol[/QUOTE]
D'Antoni offense, as described, is made for Dwight Howard. So I don't get what you're saying.
And any offense where there are a lot of possessions will give Kobe plenty of time with the ball. Kobe could lead the league in scoring in this offense.