I Still Dont Like Flip's High Sceen or P&R Offense

[dlts20]

I talked about this all last year and its still the same stuff. I think it hurts us so much. No one ever ask him about it and I just dont get it. Again, if you watch any of our high screens or pick & roll plays, the pick is set like 3-5ft in front of the ball handler. Why? We are like the only team in the league that does that. If you watch all the elite play making PG's, they all run those plays basically body to body with the screener. Thats when its super hard to stop.

Remember how Gil use to grab Wood's jersey & sling shot past him? Then he's always one on one with the big or he can split it. In Flip's system, you are never one on one with the big. The gap is so far apart that its super easy for the PG to stay in front of you. Even the big can stop out easily & stop it. Half the time it seems like its not meant to be attacked. It just seems like a play where the screen is set and then we run something after that.

Again, thats why to me you see Gil with a ton of turnovers & now Wall doing the same. I think its nearly impossible for the PG to get to the rim in that Offense without it being severly contested or without commiting a turnover. Its like the Pistons fans use to say, the offense is designed for mid range jumpers. It was perfect for guys like Billups & Cassell because they dont attack the rim like Gil or Wall. They want to shoot the pull up J. Thats there game. The pull up or post up. However, you are hurting a big part of Wall & Gil's game with it and no one ever notices or talk about it.

Then you can see there are times where Gil & Wall are like forget it and they are going to the rim no matter what but the screen is so far apart that the D can see it coming from a mile away and its easy to adjust. Wall is going to be awesome but he probably still wont be what he should be. He probably wont be what he could be in some other system. Even if he puts up great numbers, it still would be even better in other systems because of this one thing.

The good thing is that Flip changed the O late in the season and we started looking alot better but last night he was running more of his original Offense. I dont mind because we will still run that from time to time and he doesnt have a Dray or Gil on the SL team so the new O would be hard to run but still. Everyone was ripping Gil last year but I thought he wouldve looked alot better and much more of a pure PG in EJ's system. I remember even going hard on Foye but when Flip switched the O, I rememeber thinkign that I bet he wouldve looked alot different in the new system.

It doesnt get any more pure at PG than Livigston and even he was a turnover garbage player until Flip changed the O and then he blew up. Even the new system isnt perfect as it doesnt have the great pick plays either but its alot better. It just use to make me so mad last year watching guys like Paul, Williams, Nash, and others run those plays basically a inch away or less with there big man and we have a huge gap. Most of the time our guy doesnt even set the screen. He's just there and the defender runs right around him.

Wall will be ok and make Flip look better because his speed is so unreal so he can still get to the rim & make plays but even if he just had good speed, it wouldnt look great. We will be fine because he will have that scorer in Gil, a great high post passing big man in Dray, and a finisher in McGee, but it still wont be what it should be. I want someone to ask him about it. I want someone to ask him what's his theory on that and why is he like the only coach in the league that does it. Its the #1 play in the NBA but we take away the advantage. Wade kills people wit it but he wouldnt kill people the way Flip uses it. Its strange and makes everything that much more difficult

[closg00]

Sigh! Yes its waaay too early, but I share some of your concerns, even more-so after we landed Wall. Will Flip stick to his "system"? or will he allow some flexability to take advantage of the speed of the current roster?

[Kanyewest]

Agreed- hopefully Flip changes his offense back to a two guard offense when the regular season rolls around.

[pancakes3]

i wasn't a fan of the 2-guard offense last season actually. i thought it was really inefficient and perimeter oriented. i think between wall, blatche, arenas, and mcgee, we have the talent to run pretty much any offense we want. blatche is skilled enough to operate out of the high post. both wall and arenas are more than capable of leading a classic pnr offense. we're young/quick enough to run at least a bastardized princeton. we've got good enough passers to run a motion offense. we're young enough to run and gun... the possibilities are literally endless.

if i'm flip i'd assemble my coaches and really break down some strengths and weaknesses. then i'd call in blatche, arenas, and wall down and talk to them about what they're comfortable as far as roles go. then a month before going into training camp, i'd make a decision and let team know what the plan is and what they should be ready for as far as philosophies go.

isn't that what "player coaches" do? they work with their players? i don't expect larry brown to do this, but he's larry brown. he's got a system that wins games and nobody says boo. however, with all this talk of new beginnings, fresh takes, isn't this what leonsis wants? i know it's what i want.