#Spacing - Steve Clifford Thread

[Liver_Pooty]

Summer of 2013 has been great for us so far...signing Big Al and hiring Coach Clifford.

Tolly for one million was a bargain as well.

Yeah, I can see Tolliver wanting at least a slight raise after this season.

[freakon0mics]

Yes getting Tolliver on the cheap was also a good signing considering we had injuries to both JT and MKG.

[LamarMatic7]

Summer of 2013 has been great for us so far...signing Big Al and hiring Coach Clifford.

Tolly for one million was a bargain as well.

Yeah, I can see Tolliver wanting at least a slight raise after this season.

I'd be really happy for him, if he used this season as leverage and some team signed him for a 5mil for 2 years contract. The dude seems like a true professional and he deserves it.

[Liver_Pooty]

Tolly for one million was a bargain as well.

Yeah, I can see Tolliver wanting at least a slight raise after this season.

I'd be really happy for him, if he used this season as leverage and some team signed him for a 5mil for 2 years contract. The dude seems like a true professional and he deserves it.

Im hoping that team is us. Id happily sign him to another 1 year deal for 2-2.5 million

[Snidely FC]

Steve Clifford is freaking awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tondi123]

Yes getting Tolliver on the cheap was also a good signing considering we had injuries to both JT and MKG.

He is providing exactly what we need right now. I don't know why we keep trying to trade for players who can't throw it in the ocean from the 3pt line so he can return to sitting on the bench. Makes no sense to me.

He has basically been the shooter we all hoped JT would develop into this year but it never happened.

[Elden Payton]

What colour should the Steve Clifford statue be?

[HornetJail]

What colour should the Steve Clifford statue be?

Big and red.

[HornetJail]

Tolly for one million was a bargain as well.

Yeah, I can see Tolliver wanting at least a slight raise after this season.

I'd be really happy for him, if he used this season as leverage and some team signed him for a 5mil for 2 years contract. The dude seems like a true professional and he deserves it.

That team better be us unless we draft another sharpshooting combo forward.

[JDR720]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=104408 ... api_public


Steve talking with the NBA peoples on ESPN last night

[Snidely FC]

Frank Isola, NY Daily News Writer, long time Knicks beat writer, on his XM radio show this morning told Michael Wilbon there are 2 teams he roots for, the Chicago Bulls because of Thibs, and the Charlotte Bobcats because of Steve Clifford and Patrick Ewing.

Our coaches have brought us more than a better team, they've engendered newfound respect around the league.

[gehenherzog]

Frank Isola, NY Daily News Writer, long time Knicks beat writer, on his XM radio show this morning told Michael Wilbon there are 2 teams he roots for, the Chicago Bulls because of Thibs, and the Charlotte Bobcats because of Steve Clifford and Patrick Ewing.

Our coaches have brought us more than a better team, they've engendered newfound respect around the league.

Ive found that NBA radio really likes us. They always speak highly/positively about us no matter what radio show it is.

[mrknowitall215]

Steve Clifford: New Guys Better Complement Big Al

Bobcats head coach, Steve Clifford, fresh off a four game winning streak and in the midst of four days with no games, joins Mac and Jim to talk Orioles basketball, the playoff push, the team’s new additions and about the growth of his team.

On taking advantage of their current four day break: To me, its four days where we can get refreshed physically for the stretch that’s coming up and we can get into the details. We can work to make sure that in every aspect of our team game that everyone understands exactly what we’re trying to do. With their individual games, I really stressed to them, this is a time when you can get extra shots up.

On the break helping intergrate the new players: The break comes at a great time, because it gives the guys really six days, because we brought them in with some of the assistants and walked through offense for two days. It gives them a good chance to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

On the addition of Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour: I think overall, they better complement Al (Jefferson), which is what you need to do. You need to take your best offensive players and then build your team around them, guys that can play well with them. Gary’s range shooting and decision making will help us in that way. Luke’s a terrific organizer, pick-and-roll player and decision maker. Hopefully, they’ll help our team even fit better together. I’ve been really impressed, they’re both bright and pick up things quickly.

On losing Ramon Sessions: There are going to be aspects of his game that we will definitely miss. He was playing his best basketball, but this league is always the same, in order to get good players, you’re going to have to give up a good player.

On shooting: People realize you need shooting to win at any level of basketball, but your shooting sets up everything. When you play a good defense in the NBA, your spacing, which is the basic tenant of offense is set up by your shooting. When you play Chicago, the Clippers or San Antonio or the really well prepared defensive teams, they don’t guard you where your guys are standing, they guard you to where your guys can shoot from. Every guy you have that can shoot a three creates space.

On the keys to the Bobcats success this year: It starts with our defense. When our defense is really good, obviously we’re a better team. Also, when we’re low turnover. We’ve been first, seond or third, most of the year, in taking care of the ball in the league. We have to be lowe turnover. The nights we turn the ball over we really struggle. Our post-up offense has changed our whole team. It’s not just with Al scoring, but with guys playing off him.

On being a good team: To be a really good team, you have to have multiple aspect of your offense that are good. Our pick-and-roll offense has improved slowly throught the season, with Kemba being the biggest part of that. You saw the other night, against an elite defensive team (Memphis) with the game on the line, he made play after play.

http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2014/02/2 ... nt-big-al/

[mrknowitall215]

No more Mr. Nice Guy: Steve Clifford will decide Bobcats rotation on merit

Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford believes he has a playoff team, and he plans to function like a playoff coach. That means no more choices weighted toward “player development” or massaging egos.

That was apparent in his rotation decisions in the second half of Monday’s home victory over the Denver Nuggets. Backup point guard Luke Ridnour never played. Backup center Bismack Biyombo played just over a minute. Rookie Cody Zeller played 1 1/2 minutes, but Clifford said that was more about the Nuggets going small late than anything Zeller did wrong.

It appeared a telling moment early in the fourth quarter when Biyombo committed an offensive foul with the Bobcats leading by 11. Clifford immediately subbed in starter Al Jefferson, and Biyombo never returned to the game.

Clifford made it clear post-game that sort of coaching would be the norm the rest of the season.

“Eighteen games left – this isn’t about playing for development or egos. This is about the team,” Clifford said of his rotation choices. “Guys off the bench can’t make mistakes. Regardless of how many minutes you get, you’ve got to play well when you do.”

For the first time since the 2009-10 season the Bobcats are playing for tangible stakes in March. You can say that’s about the mediocrity in the Eastern Conference, but the Bobcats are protecting a spot in the postseason and Clifford wants to see how players react.

Clifford talked all the way back to training camp about how the term “player development” gets misconstrued: It’s not just about refining individual skills; it’s about testing how players contribute to team success.

Clifford seemed to make a statement Monday by playing five players 31 minutes or more and no one else more than 19. He knows he can’t do that every night, particularly during sets of back-to-back games. But mistakes will be a bigger factor in playing time.

Shooting guard Gary Neal, who played in the NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs, understands.

“Maybe in Game 52 of the regular season (a mistake) is not that big,” Neal said. “In Game 7 of the playoffs, it’s so big.”

Jefferson, who signed as a free agent over the summer intending to play for a winner, pinpointed when the tone changed. It was the last game before the All-Star break, after the Brooklyn Nets drilled the Bobcats by 16.

In his post-game remarks to the team, Clifford laid out his intentions.

“He made that very clear,” Jefferson said. “He wasn’t coaching no more to keep guys in rhythm. He was going to play the guys who deserve it.

“Guys who don’t get it are going to sit down. One thing that’s been very clear about coach: He means what he says and he says what he means.”

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/03/11/ ... fford.html

Expect shorter rotations moving forward? Doesn't bode well for Biyombo (and maybe Zeller)

[ball teacher]

No more Mr. Nice Guy: Steve Clifford will decide Bobcats rotation on merit

Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford believes he has a playoff team, and he plans to function like a playoff coach. That means no more choices weighted toward “player development” or massaging egos.

That was apparent in his rotation decisions in the second half of Monday’s home victory over the Denver Nuggets. Backup point guard Luke Ridnour never played. Backup center Bismack Biyombo played just over a minute. Rookie Cody Zeller played 1 1/2 minutes, but Clifford said that was more about the Nuggets going small late than anything Zeller did wrong.

It appeared a telling moment early in the fourth quarter when Biyombo committed an offensive foul with the Bobcats leading by 11. Clifford immediately subbed in starter Al Jefferson, and Biyombo never returned to the game.

Clifford made it clear post-game that sort of coaching would be the norm the rest of the season.

“Eighteen games left – this isn’t about playing for development or egos. This is about the team,” Clifford said of his rotation choices. “Guys off the bench can’t make mistakes. Regardless of how many minutes you get, you’ve got to play well when you do.”

For the first time since the 2009-10 season the Bobcats are playing for tangible stakes in March. You can say that’s about the mediocrity in the Eastern Conference, but the Bobcats are protecting a spot in the postseason and Clifford wants to see how players react.

Clifford talked all the way back to training camp about how the term “player development” gets misconstrued: It’s not just about refining individual skills; it’s about testing how players contribute to team success.

Clifford seemed to make a statement Monday by playing five players 31 minutes or more and no one else more than 19. He knows he can’t do that every night, particularly during sets of back-to-back games. But mistakes will be a bigger factor in playing time.

Shooting guard Gary Neal, who played in the NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs, understands.

“Maybe in Game 52 of the regular season (a mistake) is not that big,” Neal said. “In Game 7 of the playoffs, it’s so big.”

Jefferson, who signed as a free agent over the summer intending to play for a winner, pinpointed when the tone changed. It was the last game before the All-Star break, after the Brooklyn Nets drilled the Bobcats by 16.

In his post-game remarks to the team, Clifford laid out his intentions.

“He made that very clear,” Jefferson said. “He wasn’t coaching no more to keep guys in rhythm. He was going to play the guys who deserve it.

“Guys who don’t get it are going to sit down. One thing that’s been very clear about coach: He means what he says and he says what he means.”

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/03/11/ ... fford.html

Expect shorter rotations moving forward? Doesn't bode well for Biyombo (and maybe Zeller)

Doesn't bode well for MKG, Zeller, or Biz. Anyone who can shoot around Jefferson (like the Orlando Magic perimeter shooting team shot around Howard) will play, anyone who cant wont play.

[tondi123]

Yes its pretty obvious when watching the team that the best lineup is Kemba, Al, McRob and some combination of Tolliver, Neal and CDR. When McRob isn't playing well, Zeller has proven to be a decent substitute lately but pretty much everybody else is playing for situational or just getting one of these guys a breather minutes at this point (or they should be anyway). MKG is only starting because of where he was drafted and BB isn't doing poorly, but the drop off from Al to him pretty much destroys the teams offensive flow despite what he brings to the table defensively.

[Diop]

I wish/hope this means less Hendo but I doubt it.

CDR fits better starting just by being smarter at finding the right spot to take and hit the open 3.

Hendo is probably an overall better player, but until he can figure that part out he shouldn't play in our starting 5.

[ball teacher]

I wish/hope this means less Hendo but I doubt it.

CDR fits better starting just by being smarter at finding the right spot to take and hit the open 3.

Hendo is probably an overall better player, but until he can figure that part out he play in our starting 5.

I think you're right about Hendo too. He's a better defender, and overall player than Neal or CDR, but, they shoot the ball better from long range and I think that's what Cliff values for this system.

[gehenherzog]

Clifford said Henderson will start if he's available to play

[JDR720]

Clifford said Henderson will start if he's available to play

I guess that manes bye bye to CDR getting decent minutes