Dat2U wrote:How come when we talk about how EJ has developed his players it always seems to focus on the offense?
Careful readers will notice Dat is arguing for the sake of argument as usual. Re-read me and you'll note I said only that the players cited showed better leadership and responsibility, and that they were selected to the all-star team -- in most cases by the league or coaches, since the general public only taps the starters. Now you can argue with the league and coaches that they overvalue offensive stats-- go ahead, gawd knows no one will ever stop ya from arguing...-- but nevertheless the players in question were tapped for the AST by the folks most knowledgeable about the game. Now If you want to count that as evidence that the Coach somehow impeded their progress, who am I to argue...
Now I agreed with nate in stating that no player has performed better elsewhere than here under Eddie. Chucky Atkins maybe, but not really. In point of fact if we're talking defense Antawn Jamison played far better defense last year than he ever has in his career. He was top 20 last year in Defensive +/-, good for -3 opponent points defensively (per 100 possessions) over any replacement player. Credit Randy Ayers if you want, but the point is Eddie didn't _prevent_ that improvement, which was the initial knee-jerk reflex.
I could make a case that EJ develops useful players, but I didn't. Truth is the players I mentioned were journeymen in part because they were defensive liabilities.
Caron is 6'5" and has been a tad footslow (until he improved his fitness last year). I've watched (film on) the kid since he was a UConn prep-school prospect. He was a power four in a 2-guard's body. He's scrappy and tough and cunning, but not an athletic mismatch on the defensive end. He's strong for his size, which lets him hold his own on the blocks, but he's better at guarding the passing lane than matching his man straight up. There's a reason he was traded and not DWade. or Lamar. For his position he's undersized in most respects except heart. Defensive machiavelli Pat Riley let him go. Rudy Tomjanovich couldn't find a role for him between Kobe and Odom. Phil Jackson didn't veto the trade. Caron's defensive boards per 100 possessions have increased here. Ditto his assists, pure passer rating, a/to ratio. As has his blocks + steals per personal foul ratio.
Antawn Jamison has improved the defense of every team he ever left. But last year was among the top 20 team most-important defenders (probably due to the fact that no one else can rebound, to be fair).
Larry Hughes was a defensive player of the year here. Overrated I'd agree, but he hasn't been a more effective player before or since.
Gil. An argument can be made for Gil. He was a better defender in his limited minutes his rookie year. Since then he hasn't changed much. _Except last year_ when statistically (in a small sample) he was better than ever in his career in defensive boards, blocks + steals per personal foul and defensive replacement value +/-. So I'd submit the jury may still be out on him as well.
All but Larry have publicly credited Eddie as the guy who helped them succeed and gain acclaim. Take their game to the next level. Motivating and 'anti-demotivating' are key aspects of player development.
Notice again I didn't talk about Offensive improvements, which I figure are self-evident. Point being, statistically, the only player whose growth EJ may have (Please Use More Appropriate Word) has been Brendan Haywood. Until last year when he had the best year of his career. And the previous best year of his career was also under EJ, so it's still an open question. I do have confidence he'd play as well or better under a different system or coach -- Pat Riley would have loved the guy. So that 2 year stat droop is not insignificant. On the other hand if he comes back and performs as he did last year, for the next few years, the point is moot.
And EJ again may then be _allowed_ credit for ultimately not preventing his players from success which was the initial complaint. Or maybe even for Motivating them to perform above their talent level, which evidence suggests has been the case for at least a few of the players.
At least if you take the players word for it.
