Curmudgeon wrote:jmr07019 wrote:Curmudgeon wrote:So why didn't Anfernee want to play defense in Portland? Did Chauncey tell him not to bother?
This is why tanking is so dangerous. I'm sure Chauncey did not physically say the words "defense doesn't matter" but players aren't stupid. They understand when an organization isn't trying to win. People generally perform up to expectations. When the expectations are to lose, players will ask themselves why put in effort on defense? Defense doesn't really get you paid, not the way offense does, and its already been established that winning isn't important. That all changed the moment he got traded.
You should listen to Brad speak on Simons if you haven't already. They brought this kid here to score. That was clear from Brad's comments. He didn't mention defense at all. The Celtics are of course going to try and get Simons to become a better defensive player but if you are expecting him to be a defensive role player you will be disappointed. He's a scorer and his role on this team is to score the ball.
The goal is to win, not to score per se. No critical stops in close games, no wins in close games. It's that simple.
It's as though you are making excuses for him ahead of time. Defense requires very little skill, only effort, and coasting on defense is not an easy habit to break.
I'm not looking for Queta to bring the ball up the court and distribute. I'm not going to criticize him for not doing that. It's the same concept to a lesser degree with defense from Simons.
Do we have too much offense and not enough defense with Pritchard Simons and Hauser? Probably but that's on Brad more than those players. If you're expecting Simons to try and emulate Marcus Smart now that he's in Boston you're gonna be disappointed.
