Jcool0 wrote:League Circles wrote:WindyCityBorn wrote:
OK I’m learning which people to just stop discussing Giddey with.
Apparently you're not learning lol.
You don't think it's at all concerning that nearly a year after being benched and eventually traded, obviously in no small part due his poor defense, he publicly opines down the stretch of his contract year that he would just "relax by default" at the half of the game that he's poor at, because hey, the players in OKC were so great they could take care of that for him (on their 4th rated defense which is very nice but not "elite" but that's besides the point), but now that he's in Chicago with lesser defensive players, only now does it have to be a "group effort" which is why he's "taking on bigger challenges" (is he???)?
He has improved somewhat on D, but he's vocalizing that he thought he was doing enough at something that he was quite bad at. Sounds like a guy who only wants to play as much defense as he needs to to be a bit competitive and get paid. Not a guy who has the desire to be great on D running through his veins.
I don't think it's the worst thing I've ever heard, and there is some reasonable truth in it about energy levels, but it reflects a casual attitude about something of critical importance, and saying it publicly in this context reflects poorly on his demeanor IMO. This is why lead players that don't fundamentally embrace defense, at least when it matters in the playoffs, rarely become big winners. Not a deal breaker, but a bit of a red flag
He has played better D this year, which you acknowledge and that is all that matters. He learned something and got better. Shocking that happened with a 21 year old player i know. This is a big nothing burger.
I disagree that him playing better D this year is all that matters. He's still not good on D, and he still doesn't truly believe in the importance of strong defense by all players at all times - he believes it makes sense and acceptable to modulate your effort based on how effective your teammates are on that half of the ball. It reflects poorly on his competitive temperament (relative to the mindset of champion type players) and poorly on his leadership ability (throwing his teammates under the bus to a degree).
It's like he's squinting hard to see what could help him in his contract year and trying to do and say the right thing, but frankly missing the point. I remember Eddy Curry kinda played half acceptable defense finally in his contract year once upon a time.
Again, not saying this is a deal breaker, but it gives a sense of what his mindset is, which is that what he does himself is "enough" unless it becomes a glaring issue forced upon him by coaches, fans, media etc and only then will he concede a bit that it wasn't enough and it's time for him to "take on bigger challenges", which is a lie in the way we'd understand it (guarding more difficult players). To him, the new bigger challenge is simply not relaxing on defense.
I'm NOT saying that Coby necessarily is or will be a better player than Giddey, but one reason I really like him is that he always plays hard and actually speaks as a leader and I can tell he truly believes that high level play is really difficult and a constant challenge to always try to embrace and do your best at or suffer the consequences. He's clearly a better leader IMO (and I also believe he's definitely a better defender but I know that's debatable). Giddey seems like a good guy who isn't lazy or selfish but who might not embrace the urgency and difficulty of playing hard all the time. Vuc is a lot like this. Vuc seems to genuinely think it's OK for him to not contest shots. It's the difference between thinking something is OK until it's a glaring problem being shoved in your face, and thinking that everything is a glaring problem until you're winning a championship despite it.
