Case for Keith Smart:

[GSForever]

Can I get and Amen!!

[Sleepy51]

Exactly...So when the roster changes, so should your style of play.

I agree that the roster is much weaker on the whole. There's no getting around that. But it took Smart a helluva a long time to figure out that Lee and Andris over playing D on the perimeter is a losing battle.

Udoh refused to over play. It was in his DNA to stay back and worry more about not venturing to far out. Andris and Lee were just doing what they were told. They did it wrong...we agree. But it's up to the coach to change things. It took him way to long to make that adjustment.

He still talks passing lane stuff way to much. It's ok to a certain extent, but overall, this current group of players don't possess the athleticism needed to play that style. The We Believe team could do it.

There are some terms we are using differently here. Andris overplays entry passes because he's good at it (when healthy.) He has produced a number of turnovers with that play. What was missing (surprise) was his weakside defender actually recognizing and rotating across the lane to help him if he didn't get the turnover. It's not really any different than fronting the post. Fronting is not an exotic defensive concept. It's a high school fundamental. But Lee didn't know what to do when his partner big left the low block. He's that uneducated on D (probably not his fault, he played for D'antoni.)

The pick and roll defense is not an overplay. It's just a switch. But instead of retreating against a ballhandler, the big man is asked to challenging them up high above the screen and run the PG out of playmaking range. And everybody in the league does it. Eric Dampier does it. I've seen Big Z do it several times this year. The only guys who don't do it are Shaq and Eddy Curry (again, showing why Lee may be unfamiliar with the tactic.)

Lee actually didn't do all that bad at it. Andris however did terrible at it this year. He didn't used to be terrible at it, he used to be very good at it. With Andris flailing, yet again, Lee still refused to recognize weakside responsibility in the lane and watched guys run past Andris. That's on him and it's not exotic stuff either. Even with Andris making a mistake, the weakside responsibility is straightforward and simple.

So you tell me, what "style of play" was going to make Curry a passable defender? Or make Wright not the complete farce he turned out to be (most underrated defensive failure on this roster BTW . . . how he got a complete pass is a testament to GSW fan's love of the 3ball above all else. Can I get an 'Anthony Morrow' from the choir?) Lee was not asked to do anything exotic, or overplay entry passes, or gamble in passing lanes. He was asked to rotate on the weak side like a grown up and he failed to find his man time and time and time and time again.

So what defensive system was going to make this team a better team defense *even though they DID improve markedly from last year under Smart's "system." Smart wasn't calling quiddich plays out there. This is perfectly legitimate team defense stuff. These guys just need to up thier game and down their suck. The ones who are incorrigible in their suck need to GTFO (I'm talking to you Reggie Williams.)

[GSForever]

Sleeps?! Are we putting AB and good D in the same sentence

[Mylie10]

It has been drilled into Andris to guard out on the permimeter on a pick and roll switch. Who's been professing defensive strategies to him for years now?

Now look at Udoh...a defensive minded player who has had it drilled into him NOT to go out to far. You can see it in his body language, that he doesn't think it's right for him to venture to far out.

Yes Andris has made huge mistakes out there, but you can't not put some of the blame on the coach who has been in his ear for years. He's learned just about everything from Smart.

It's not blasphemy to think that another defensive minded coach could get more out this current group. Not saying it would, but it could happen.

When I think Keith Smart, I don't think defense. And I'd say that Dorell got worse, not better as a defensive player under Smart. In Miami, Dorell played under a better defensive scheme.

[KevinMcreynolds]

Amundson and Biedrins sucked wet hog balls for 90% of the season. Who was he supposed to be playing?

Not Vlad or Wright at PF. Not Monta/Steph/Law at the same time. Not Thorton at PF, not Reggie at SF...etc etc etc.

Then when Lee and Udoh played together he would put Lee (our worst defender) on the post up guy and Udoh (our best defender) on the scrub center or PF with no threat of offense.

Then there's the playing Monta and Wright 45+ minutes.

Then there's giving Steph's minutes to Law.

Shall I go on? He's a terrible coach.

[Twinkie defense]

I wonder, were you a fan or an opponent of the defensive system during the We Believe run? Because we won all those games on the defensive end. Tons of blitzing and gambling and passing lane D to produce turnovers. And it won a playoff series . . . just sayin'

That was a system, and I respect that. Does Smart have a system? I don't think so. Nellie's system thrives on energy creating havoc. If Smart wants to or is supposed to be executing a similar system, guys aren't buying into and playing with the energy they need to. And that's on Coach.

[Twinkie defense]

Do some of you seriously believe that this season's Warriors are better defensively than Don Nelson's undermanned Warriors? If so I would love to see a case made for that assumption. They do not seem better to me at all, despite the fact the team is now healthy and a has a veritable wealth of big men, compared to past years' teams.

For instance, Basketball Reference's Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions): this season, 110.7, where Nellie's average rating over his second time around here was 110.5.

And even if you look at just the disastrous last season, when our front line was Tolliver and Chris Hunter on one leg, the Warriors field goal percentage differential was -.016 vs. -.006 this year. Udoh alone is enough to make up for that difference.

[oaktownwarriors87]

I wouldn't care that much if they kept him. I would cry on almost every game thread about him, but if they aren't getting a Jerry Sloan it might not make much of a difference.

I hope they make a change, but I don't really care.

[Sleepy51]

ROFL@ Dorell regressing. I actually watched a ton of Miami over the last two years and Dorell di not regress. He didn't play in Miami and he WAS NOT RETAINED in Miami because he did not develop into the defensive stopper they envisioned. he was long and athletic without a refined offensive game so that's where scouts pictured him. But he wasn't and isn't a cery good perimeter defender. He does not move laterally at all well for a 3. he's athletic, but not precise and does not have quick feet.

It's one thing to get sucked in by stAle Warrior summer PR, but it's another to complety ignore games you actually saw. Dorell couldn't defend anybody the first day he got here. He did not regress under SmArt, he was just never really a good defender. Smart actually got something out of him as an offensive player despite him being a complete fraud on d.

[Twinkie defense]

Well, first of all Miami would have kept Dorrell except for having to unload salary to sign their big three. That's a nonstarter. Not many teams are going to balk at his short-term, less than $4 mil per year contract.

This is just one random measure of an individual player's defensive ability, but Dorrell's defensive rating was 105 and 104 his last two seasons in Miami, and 111 this season in Oakland.

Similarly, Dorrell's Win Share per 48 minutes was .137 last season and .088 this season - when you adjust for his minutes played he was a lot better before he got here, that's a big difference.

I suppose one could argue that Dorrell hasn't regressed this season, depending on what factors are important to you, but frankly his defensive declines don't even seem arguable (though granted, there is a big *team* role to defense).

[Twinkie defense]

Here's another one: with Dorrell on the court, the Heat were .9 points per 100 possessions better than they were without him last season, while the Warriors are 1.6 points worse per 100 possessions with Dorrell on the court this season.

[Coxy]

Thank You for your posting!!

Can I get an amen!

Solid gold fluff agenda posting.

[Twinkie defense]

The only player who seems truly better this season than last is Monta, and credit to Keith Smart, and Monta, for that. And Monta's still got some real problems.

Everyone else is worse, or at best, the same.

Smart banked a lot on a Biedrins' resurgence, and that was a big fail. But I suppose Larry Riley is just as to blame for not recognizing that he had only dead weight there at the center spot.

The most damning case against Smart for me though is Stephen Curry's regression - he's the most important piece on this team going forward, and Keith Smart made him worse.

I still believe we have more intriguing young players than we've had for a long time. The biggest hole is at the center spot, and we could use an upgrade at the three and on the bench (and one move could go a long way towards solving both of these last issues). Improvements in those areas and a better coach and I feel good about making the playoffs, while having room to grow.

But Smart has to go in order to take that next step - and thankfully that is crystal clear to Lacob and Riley.

[r8rrich12]

Oh, glad to know that Smart is to blame for Curry's regression and not his chronic ankle injuries + having played in the World Championships last offseason along with his first 2 full NBA seasons.

[Twinkie defense]

Those sound like excuses...

[Sleepy51]

Oh, glad to know that Smart is to blame for Curry's regression and not his chronic ankle injuries + having played in the World Championships last offseason along with his first 2 full NBA seasons.

Of course Curry got better this season. He is smarter, more disciplined and plays the 5 on 5 game better than he did last year. As a meaningful NBA basketball player, he matured and improved notably under Smart this year. Just look at how he started the season vs. how he finished it. He coughed up the ball every 5 minutes at the start of the season. Smart helped him fix a MASSIVE turnover problem and his D improved in what should be fairly obvious ways from November to April. And he still maintained his raw boxscore production numbers despite all the foul trouble and ankle injuries and exhaustion from year round ball and most importantly, being a legit threat on opponents game planning and film preparation radar as a known quantity sophomore rather than an unknown rookie. In what was objectively a much more difficult season, Curry put up the same statistical contribution, but made that contribution to a superior winning effort. He got much better. Anyone claiming he didn't get better doesn't remember how he started this season.

[Mylie10]

Yeah I too don't think Curry got worse. I think he has improved in some areas and his shot has always been good. I think he's a better defender now than he was year one.

The only difference is that Nellie allowed Curry to play alot more minutes than Smart did. I think Curry still makes some questionable turnovers, but not in the same manner he did first year.

There were a few head scratcher games in the handling of Curry, but not so much that he played worse or anything like that.

Smart is a good coach. I just want our next coach to be defensive minded. Tibideaux esque. Pop Jr. I want our team defense to get better. I just don't think it's in Smart's DNA to be that type of coach. He's good, but I want better.

He'll probably be here next year based on the lockout though.

[Sleepy51]

The only difference is that Nellie allowed Curry to play alot more unaccountable, undisciplined, streetball minutes than Smart did.

FTFY

[Left*My*Heart]

Curry improved this season. I still think he is way too careless with the ball and doesn't cherish possessions as he should, but that is on him not Smart.

[ILOVEIT]

Smart is a solid good guy....won't likely win many games but won't likely directly lose many either.
Keeps the players motivated and happy...that works.

Bottom line is talent will make another ten game difference...not Smart or Adleman.

Keeping Smart gives Warriors a better chance to continue to build chemistry....Replacing him with an old tired retread has associated risks of pissing guys like Ellis off.

Keep Smart...get more talent...