Will the Clippers D turn it around?

[DraftSpecialist]

Last year we had the 4th rated offense and 8th rated defense. This year thru 3 we are at 1st offensively, but dead last on D. Offensively I think we have a pretty good chance of remaining #1. Replacing Green/Billups with JJ and Butler with Dudley gave us a huge upgrade in spacing and talent offensively.

Defensively is another issue. We lack athleticism on the perimeter. Losing Bledsoe who was a great defender off the bench which made him a great fit next to Crawford for Collison who is an awful defender hurt. That Mullens is our 3rd most utilized big so far also is not encouraging.

I know its very early, but I thought this might be a concern prior to the season and it hasn't been encouraging so far.

[Woodsanity]

Last season's D was misleading. We did great at the beginning of the season and declined sharply defensively at the end of the season. In the playoffs it was so bad that we were making the Grizzlies a mediocre offensive team look great offensively. In comparison, the Thunder and Spurs limited the Grizzlies greatly.

Our D will turn around for sure but how much better it will get is debatable. I predict slightly above average until we get better backup bigs. Mullens and Hollins are atrocious on D and O.

[og15]

21st after February last season, so it was bad going into the playoffs and awful during the playoffs.

For this season. 3 games is to small to say anything.

[mkwest]

I'm sure we'll improve. The first 2 games were a rough start. The Lakers were playing their little hearts out and Curry was unconscious. Like Woodsanity and og stated, last season's ranking is a little misleading. 8th is solid if it's consistent over the course of the season or if you had a bad start, but a very strong finish. It was the other way around last season, so that doesn't help.

The next month and a half is pretty brutal. We play Minnesota 3 times; Houston, OKC, Brooklyn & Memphis twice plus San Antonio, Chicago, New York, Miami and Indiana. We also a Sacramento (a team that has pushed us) twice more this month. Not all of those teams are necessarily offensive juggernauts, but quality opponents with star players.

I agree with Woodsanity that we need some kind of reliable help in the frontcourt coming off the bench for there to be considerable improvement this season. The team would love to have Okafor if he is bought out, but that likely won't be even possibility to sometime in the 2nd half of the season. I've heard that the FO wouldn't be opposed to bringing back Odom if he can stay clean, but that's a big if right now. For the time being, they'll have to try to improve internally. If the team is struggling defensively a few months from now, then maybe the FO tries the trade route.

[QRich3]

It's gonna take time. Best case scenario (realisticly), we'd have an ok defense by this year's playoffs, a great one next season and an elite defense by 2015-16, I wouldn't expect us to become really good overnight.

As it is right now, and the sample size might be too ridiculous to take anything from it, what's hurting us the most is opposing guards are not scared of taking it to Deandre on the pick and roll, and while he's not been too bad at keeping them at bay, the intimidation factor is what makes big men impact the team's defense most. Maybe if he keeps up or even improves his defensive performance he'll earn the reputation for the refs not to call everything he does, and for opposing guards to think twice when they're driving the ball at him.

I agree the biggest problem is indeed when the starters have to sit, we used to extend leads when the bench came in last year, now we can be happy if we don't lose the lead by double figures when the starters are back. We desperately need a half competent big man off the bench. It was obvious looking at the roster on paper and it's even more when you watch us play. If we could somehow recover Odom and plug him in at last year's level it'd make a big difference. I don't see another reliable option at the moment. Okafor, if we could miraculously end up with him, would be a dream fit. But I don't think the Suns are just gonna buy him out, and even if they did it'd still be a long shot he decided to sign with us. And if all that happened, you'd have to wonder if he's still able to play at least at last year's level.

[TheNewEra]

Until we bring in more defensive bigs off the bench we will struggle.

[azncorruptedo17]

would DJ be able to win DPOY if a team's defense isn't top 5?

[illastrate]

SACRAMENTO — Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said Friday he will continue to search for a third big man to play behind starters Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, but Antawn Jamison won't be given that opportunity right now.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-cli ... z2jiEvuXEP

Doc recognizes the third big issue without a doubt. Whether it's by trade or FA, they'll get somebody soon.

[og15]

would DJ be able to win DPOY if a team's defense isn't top 5?

Nope, not likely at all

Until we bring in more defensive bigs off the bench we will struggle.

Well I think if the starters play elite defense, what the bench is doing for 12 MPG isn't going to determine defensive success. DJ and Blake are playing 36 MPG right now, so there's only 12 MPG where they aren't on the floor, probably less since they are staggered a little.

With that said, I don't disagree that a solid big would help solidify the defense for 48 minutes, but I'm just saying, the starters haven't been good on defense yet either, so let's see that happen first.

[RiversideClips]

I was told on this Board in the Summer that Doc was brought in for his leadership & defense. I want the DEFENSE to play better in a blink of an eye, but even I know that it will take Doc & his staff until the Christmas break to have the "D" running on all cylinders. I can't believe I am saying this" Have some patience w/ Doc's D, it will come."

[QRich3]

I still haven't watched the whole Houston game and it would be silly to overreact to 4 games played, but so far it seems like playing hard nosed defense is not gonna be the identity of this team. I always said, if you can have clear elite offense there's no reason to worry too much about your average defense, even in the playoffs, but so far we're playing at an astonishing high pace (nearly 100 possesions per game, and we used to be at around 90/92 per game with Vinny, about the same ballpark Doc's Celtics used to be on), and we are dead last in the whole NBA on points allowed per possesion, and not by a small margin. Granted this is a small sample size and we shouldn't take too much from it, but when the tendencies are so extreme it's hard to take it as a fluke.

The good thing is our offense is looking near perfect and everything that made me confident that we were gonna have a top offense has even been surpassed, and we're scoring at a rate that'd make D'Antoni's Suns feel incompetent.

We are winning and we are really fun to watch, but after all the emphasis everyone put on the need to improve the defense, to forget about lob city, etc. we are looking like a full on run & gun, fast break team, and I worry if we don't establish a defensive identity we are gonna suffer again when it matters.

It's soon, we are still establishing what our identity is gonna be ,and we shouldn't take too much from a 4 game sample size, specially when we're winning, I know all that, but can't help worrying a little about how exactly it is that we're gonna have a reliable defense and not fall in the same trap once again when the post season comes.

[thanumba2clippersfan]

I'm just waiting for the game where we hold a team under 100

[madmaxmedia]

The bad news is that we'll never be a great defensive team IMO, we don't have the guns. I'm not saying I would have wanted a Garnett-DJ trade, but that would have improved our defense.

The good news is:
1. We have the right coach, give him time not only to work with guys individually but scheme as well
2. We have players that I think will put forth the effort even if we don't have individual defensive stoppers
3. Our defense just has to be good, not great, because our squad is better set up on the offensive side of the court

When we score 120 in a game, I don't take it as a negative if we only hold the other team to say 103. Some games are just very free-flowing, I think those games suit us better because we have the transition players and the shooters to win them. You score on a rim-rattling lob dunk on a 3-2 fast break, guess what if the other team is quick to inbounds they may have a 3-2 at the other end, or at least get into their offense before our defense is set.

We will need to improve our defense though to get stops in the ugly 85-83 type games, where you really need to continually force the other team into bad/low percentage shots in the 4th quarter.

[azncorruptedo17]

I'm just waiting for the game where we hold a team under 100

samezies.

[LACtdom]

As junk as Odom was last season, he was brilliant on defense coming off the bench.

[azncorruptedo17]

OT:

when you read the title... did anyone else.... :: pause :: ?

[og15]

The bad news is that we'll never be a great defensive team IMO, we don't have the guns. I'm not saying I would have wanted a Garnett-DJ trade, but that would have improved our defense.

The good news is:
1. We have the right coach, give him time not only to work with guys individually but scheme as well
2. We have players that I think will put forth the effort even if we don't have individual defensive stoppers
3. Our defense just has to be good, not great, because our squad is better set up on the offensive side of the court

When we score 120 in a game, I don't take it as a negative if we only hold the other team to say 103. Some games are just very free-flowing, I think those games suit us better because we have the transition players and the shooters to win them. You score on a rim-rattling lob dunk on a 3-2 fast break, guess what if the other team is quick to inbounds they may have a 3-2 at the other end, or at least get into their offense before our defense is set.

We will need to improve our defense though to get stops in the ugly 85-83 type games, where you really need to continually force the other team into bad/low percentage shots in the 4th quarter.

Well of course we do have to take pace into account. You can't really hold opponents under 100 consistently if you score 120 cause there's just so many possessions that even if they suck they can still score 100.

Clippers paces so far is 99.3, so holding teams to 99-102 pts/g while scoring about 110 pts/g is good defense.

[mkwest]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/RobMahoney/status/398916512007720960[/tweet]

Defensive Lineups

Through the first 6 games, the starters are about the 8th best defensive lineup (of regular starting lineups that have spent a sufficient amount of time on the floor together). If the entire team were to play that well over the course of an entire game, it would be good for the 3rd most efficient defense in the league.

Last year, it was the opposite with the bench doing all the dirty work. I believe that the team will improve over time, but still think that we'll need to make some transactions in order to significantly improve the overall defense to the point where we are no longer a liability on that side of the ball.

The starters have played 114 total minutes together, so that's approximate 19 minutes per game where the defense is pretty good.

Clipper Lineups

The best defensive lineup is a familiar one. CP, Jamal, Barnes, BG & DJ. They're giving up 85.5 points per 100 possessions. They've played in 3 games together, but only in limited time (7 minutes). We're talking 2 1/2 minutes per game.

The lineup of CP, JJ, Jamal, BG & DJ is giving up 99 per 100 and have played 24 minutes over 6 games. Around 4 minutes per game.

The lineup of CP, JJ, Barnes, BG & DJ is giving up 100.4 over 100 possessions. They've played 16 minutes over 3 games.

A little surprising, but the lineup of CP, Jamal, JD, BG & DJ has been abused in their 18 minutes together over 5 games. This lineup has given up 141.6 points per 100 possessions with the offense only putting up 109.9 per 100 possessions.

[Ranma]

Ken Berger, CBSsports.com (11/10/13)

As Rivers teaches the Clippers how to win -- one practice, one quarter, one possession at a time -- he's also learning how to be a different coach. The grind-it-out, defensive mentality he forged in Boston doesn't translate -- and Rivers has embraced the change, while stubbornly providing constant reminders that at some point, defense must be the backbone of a champion.

"Everything is about trust," Paul said. "And there isn't one guy in this locker room that'll say they don't trust him."

That part, at least, has already taken hold.

Slowly but surely, Rivers molding Clippers into true contenders

[Ranma]

Arash Markazi, ESPNLA.com (11/11/13)

“I have to get comfortable with the fact that we’re scoring a lot of points and we’re scoring them quickly, so that means the other team will have far more opportunities to score,” Rivers said. “They may more score points, but the percentage is what I’m not happy with. It’s just a process that you got to go through. Some get it quick. Some don’t. This team is in between. What I do like is when we do it, you can see it. The more we do it, the more, hopefully, they’ll see it. That’s the only way we’re going to win at the end of the day.”

“We’re almost there,” said Chris Paul, who became the first NBA player in more than 20 years to start a season with a double-double in the first eight games of the season. “A lot of times tonight we were in the right spots. I think we need to get better rebounding collectively. We cannot just rely on DeAndre [Jordan] and Blake [Griffin]. We are playing at lot faster this year, which gives them an opportunity to score a little more.”

One of the unsung heroes of the Clippers’ defense has been Griffin, who has been given the task of guarding LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Kevin Love the past three games. He has held his own in his each games and is beginning to establish himself as a solid defender.

“I’m so happy for him,” Rivers said. “He’s finding out that you can play defense and offense and still have energy. You can see he’s starting to enjoy defending. He’s enjoying getting stops. He was more excited on the transition play when everybody got back than he was on his layup. That’s good team-building. Blake being more open on the court triggers so many good things. It allows him and [Jordan] to be so good together and allows Chris to get in the paint.”

Clippers finally showing signs of defense