triangle offense?

[sh0rty528]

we all know that we are set on G with mo and obviously sf with lebron, and also C with big Z(for this season only). i would rather address our pf position. we need someone who has inside game to make our offense solid inside and outside forcing the defense off balance. we could somehow use the traditional but EFFECTIVE "TRIANGLE OFFENSE"., with that offense alone it will create alot of opportunities to all players.
This will give us a good half court offense and more players will be able to touch the ball. we should implement this by training camp!

thoughts?

[tsherkin]

I don't think that Lebron would flourish in an offense that will make him rely heavily on mid-range shooting. If he had a mid-range J worth mentioning, it might work. And I guess if he's improved his J, then it'd be OK; Gibson and Wally Z (did West re-sign?) are solid shooters, usually, and Mo Williams is pretty good too, so that's a promising sign. Mike Brown is too dim-witted about offense to implement something this complex, though, so shy of hiring like Brian Shaw or Scottie Pippen, it probably won't happen.

Would it work? The triangle stresses good spacing, effective use of all players on offense and the facilitation of quick, crisp ball movement to create open shots with overloads and pinch post action (e.g. the exact opposite of Mike Brown's offensive "philosophy"). It's complex, it's fluid, dynamic and it's extremely difficult to guard if you've got the team for it.

The Cavs now have the requisite two perimeter playmakers and the outside shooting, but I'm hesitant to believe in Lebron's ability to dominate in that offense because of his comparatively shaky jumper (at least in view of the two other guards who were major wing scorers in this offense).

Obviously, he can get on a roll and knock down jumpers and obviously, he can get to the rim, hit some three-pointers to pull defenders in towards him on the perimeter, etc... but that mid-range game... He was pretty brutal from anywhere besides point-blank and the bottom of the circle. He was competent from a couple of the mid-range zones, worse than usual from downtown and the line and totally useless on the block.

So no, I don't think the triangle would be especially suited to Cleveland's roster for that reason, their star player isn't suited to it. I think a motion offense would be interesting, though, especially the sort of high-post crap that UCLA used to run back in its glory days. That plays to Lebron's strength as a dominant ball-handler anyway, and the triangle takes the ball out of the hands of its dominant guards too much to really take advantage of Lebron's playmaking, which isn't good.

[old skool]

The triangle would be horrible for the Cavs.

1 - Ben Wallace can't play in that system. It would be great for Ilgauskas, but not for Wallace. Or Varejão.

2 - Lebron would be neutralized to some extent - at least until he takes the ball and departs from the triangle concept.

3 - The Cavs don't have a coach that is really familiar with the offense. You need at least one coach that knows the triple post to make it work.

4 - Mo Williams seems to struggle with an offense that requires continuity - though he is a good rebounder. Rebounding guards help make the triangle offense work because it pulls the bigs away from the hoop a lot.

5 - The triangle requires spacing and basketball intelligence - over athleticism and speed. Gooden would have been great for the triangle. Joe Smith also.

6 - The Cavs don't have enough interchangeable parts. Guys who can rebound, pass, and knock down jumpers. Guys who otherwise can't get open.

7 - The Cavs have too many younger players. West, Boobie. The triangle works best when staffed by veterans.

The Cavs have Lebron and that is almost enough. Williams will relieve him of some of the ball handling and scoring. They don't need a complicated offense that takes the ball out of their superstar's hands.

oLd sKool

[e4Nf6]

If Dennis Rodman can play in the triangle so can Ben Wallace....

With one big Phil-Jackson-sized exception, motion type offenses are not so popular in the NBA. The only reason I can think of that it wouldn't work so well is that the Mike Brown isn't the least bit interested.

I can't believe the best way to utilize Lebron is to have him dribble out the Shot clock and attack 1 on 5 from the top of the key.

[Canomad]

If Dennis Rodman can play in the triangle so can Ben Wallace....

With one big Phil-Jackson-sized exception, motion type offenses are not so popular in the NBA. The only reason I can think of that it wouldn't work so well is that the Mike Brown isn't the least bit interested.

I can't believe the best way to utilize Lebron is to have him dribble out the Shot clock and attack 1 on 5 from the top of the key.

ben wallace is a poor mans rodman at best. not to mention hes getting less and less productive almost nightly.

[old skool]

Rodman did fine in the triangle. He was so smart that he used the triangle to his advantage, beating his man to the boards from odd places on the court. That said, the Bulls often ran the triangle without Rodman. The key is that Rodman was smart enough to stay out of areas where he would clog up the offense - while staying in position to rebound. The defense could not leave him alone; they had to stay with him to keep him off the boards.

Most teams can't play with just four players on offense. It helps if those four men are Ron Harper, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan and Toni Kukoc.

Ben Wallace would run himself to death trying to do what Rodman did with the Bulls. He does not have that kind of game, in my opinion.

oLd sKool

[DEEP3CL]

I don't think that triangle would hurt Lebron's game one bit. In fact he would flourish in it because he's an outstanding passer. He could also post up at the pinch post of the offense and read the defense. Big Z would also thrive in it because he has that 9-11 foot jumper down tough, creating enough space for LJ to operate on the wings in the offense.

The only concern I would worry about is do you have enough deep threats, besides Gibson and Wally and LJ who's going to stick the J consistently ?

LJ with his size and strength would kill in that offense especially being a 3 man, the years Kobe played the three spot in the triangle is when he put up some of his most impressive numbers because he was behind the defense a lot.

But the learning curve for the offense is at least 2 years to have it down solid. But I do think the Cavs can play it.

[tsherkin]

My big problem with Lebron in the triangle is that a lot of the shots he'd be getting are shots he's not especially good at making: jumpers between 15 and 22 feet.