If you were GM...

[miller31time]

If you were General Manager of the Wizards, what moves would you make to help this team become more focused on defense?

Now, this isn't an indictment on our defense this season. We've actually improved a lot, but when you're 28th, there really isn't much choice but to improve. We're still far below average (finished the season giving up 111.2 points per 100 possessions -- good for 22nd in the NBA).

Are there plausible moves to be made, or are we going to have to count on Ayers simply continuing to work with the team?

[LyricalRico]

Where was the team defensively before Caron got hurt? I seem to recall they were better than the final numbers may suggest. If that's the case then there are 2 things to do:

1 - move Arenas for a defensive PG
2 - change slow vets like AD/Songaila for quicker defenders

I won't comment on how those moves might affect other aspects of the team since this thread is intended to focus on defense.

[miller31time]

Where was the team defensively before Caron got hurt? I seem to recall they were better than the final numbers may suggest. If that's the case then there are 2 things to do:

1 - move Arenas for a defensive PG
2 - change slow vets like AD/Songaila for quicker defenders

I won't comment on how those moves might affect other aspects of the team since this thread is intended to focus on defense.

If I remember correctly, at our best, we were 14th in the NBA. At our worst, we were 24th. But it's important to know that this team lacks consistency on defense, whether Arenas is here or not. I remember playing Boston earlier in the year (twice) and watching us play some of the most inspired defense I've ever seen out of this group of guys. Fast-forward about a week and we played incredibly crappy defense (2006-2007-esque).

[Wizards2Lottery]

Inconsistent defense leads me to believe that the coaching staff isn't asking the most out of this group nor holding them accountable for the sucky effort.

Wonder what could have been if Tom T. never backed out for whatever reason and left us for the Celtics...

[likwitdesi]

Swap Jamison and Pesh for Okafor.
Swap Etan and Stevenson for Hinrich
Hire Larry Brown

[miller31time]

Inconsistent defense leads me to believe that the coaching staff isn't asking the most out of this group nor holding them accountable for the sucky effort.

Wonder what could have been if Tom T. never backed out for whatever reason and left us for the Celtics...

A lot of people credit Garnett for changing the defensive mindset of Boston, and rightfully so -- he has been outstanding.

But a huge amount of credit has to go to Thibodeau. Garnett can't play defense for the other 4 members of that lineup (and bench) - they have to do some work, too. And they play inspired defense night in and night out.

I think Ayers has done a good job, but I'd be flat out lying if I said I didn't wish we had gotten Thibodeau.

[doclinkin]

Dominic MacGuire: develop a low-stance you can use on the perimeter and work them carioca drills, side to side shuffle. Also: develop a passable jumper, and put in time in the weight room so you can finish strong in traffic, if you can play offense you willl see time on court and will prove a reliable back-up when Caron/Tawn can't go.

Dray Blatche: Ditto on the weight room and conditioning and lateral agility thing there big boy. All these things will go a loooong way to patching over your biggest problem. That is: stop fouling.

Nick Young: More repetitions. Make it a mission to become the best defender you can be, all the physical tools are there, focus is the key.

OPec: not quite hopeless. Armstrength will help your rebounding in traffic. Don't be scared to foul hard. Foul with enthusiasm. It's okay not to be a nice guy sometimes. Mix it up a bit inside. And hey, start hitting shots too so we can afford to play Big once in a while.

To sum: Natural improvement on the bench will make a ton of difference in the overall defense, starters won't play 40+ minutes every night and will have the energy to devote to bursts of all-out effort on D. We've seen times late in games where the Wiz were able to turn on the D and shut off the opponent. Usually however we failed to score as well. And we've been unable to sustain consistent effort, in large part due to fatigue and injuries.

Early success on D was no illusion, you saw what you thought you saw, the difference has more to do with heavy minutes played by injured vets. We're a pretty Big team overall now. I'm pretty sure we're the tallest in the league for once. The difference is: all that size does us no good if we can't keep it out there. If it's non-productive.

SO; offseason improvement helps us on both ends. The good thing about rookies though? They grow up.

NO major changes needed. For now.

[doclinkin]

And on the Thom Tippytoe front:

Plug in KG in your frontline and your defense will improve, no matter what. Rondo is a quality pressure defender as well, I've never seen longer arms on a point guard. Nothing against TomT but consider the tools. If you have pressure at the point of attack and a mistake-eraser as a safety net there are a ton of things you can do on defense. No genius required.

[hands11]

Honestly, I can't believe a mod started this thread. Specially right now, in the playoffs.

This kind of things has already been discussed in other threads that have to do with who we keep, contracts etc.

[Silvie Lysandra]

1: Bring in Thibs as HC (he's available from what I hear) or Carlisle (or Brown though it's flat out not happening)

2: Let Jamison/Arenas walk, (not sure which right now) or S-T him for depth and picks. Of the big three, only 2 at most can come back imo.

3: Get Arenas (if he stays) to develop the same chip on his shoulder in regards to D and playmaking as he has done for his offense.

4: Try to get another long 5 to play behind Haywood.

[/quote]

[miller31time]

Honestly, I can't believe a mod started this thread. Specially right now, in the playoffs.

This kind of things has already been discussed in other threads that have to do with who we keep, contracts etc.

I say what's on my mind. As of right now, I'm thinking of ways to improve this team defensively. Yes, there are other threads, but they won't (and shouldn't) get that in-depth on the situation. I've pretty much hinted that this has nothing to do with our current playoff status. It's just something I was thinking about.

[Tiny Too]

...I'd read REAL GM religiously and try to implement the suggestions of our highly learned posters.

And also, I'd terminate Eddie Jordan immediately!!!

[clubbing_caveman]

I dont think we are really that far off. We keep everyone but DSong, Mason, AD, and Etan. In their place, we get
1. a center who can rebound and play D. Dont care too much scoring. I think BH is a better offensive weapon than we give him credit. Between BH, Pech, and the new center, we will have things covered.
2. We get PF who is a thug. Someone who is the complete opposite of AJ. Between AJ, Blatche, and the thug, we will have things covered at PF.
3. We are set at SF with McGuire, who I think will still develop into something above average, and CB of course.
4. We get a G who can be a lock-down kind of defensive player and can pass the ball. Between GA, NY, DS and this new person, we would be set at guard.
5. We get a coach who knows when to play each player, one who understands tactics, who can get the best out of his players, and holds them responsible, among many other things.

All these things mentioned can be done in the offseason through pick ups and through the draft. These types of players are usually not as highly valued as offensive players. We could get them on the cheap.

[Dat2U]

SO; offseason improvement helps us on both ends. The good thing about rookies though? They grow up.

NO major changes needed. For now.

1. Come to the realization that no matter what...an Eddie Jordan coached team will always have an aversion to defense. I commend Randy Ayers on what he's tried to do this season, but one assistant coach that cares about defense isn't enough. The entire staff MUST demand accountability.

EJ puts defense a very far distant 2nd behind offense. It's not been a focal point of what they practice day in and day out. It's not an ideal environment for the young guys to learn the type of effort and focus to be successful defensively.

The Wizards will never accomplish much in the playoffs with Eddie Jordan's philosophy. It's time to move forward. A playoff record of 6-16 is an indication of that. Looking at it more closely EJ's record in games 1 & 2 of the playoffs is 1-9. He's lost 8 straight games to Cleveland. At what point do we start seeing the writing on the wall? Or do we want to waste another year while the apologists continue to make excuses for him?

Avery Johnson, Tom T, Bill Laimbeer are all good potential replacements. I also wonder if Larry Brown is worth considering. I would think he'd be very motivated to prove everyone his worth after his experience with the Knicks.

2. Guys like Antonio Daniels & Darius Songaila must go. While both are solid vets and class guys, neither can play a lick of D. With our big three scores having their own defensive issues, surrounding them with defensive minded players is critical. AD did okay as an emergency starter for the year but he's far past his prime as a defender and displays a low energy level much of the time. He's pretty much a revolving door defensively on the perimeter. Darius' contributions defensively solely come in the form of hard fouls. He's too slow outside the paint to stop anyone and too short and unathletic on the interior to deter shots or get defensive rebounds.

3. Draft guys that show the ability and willingness to defend in college. Outside of McGuire, EG has struggled in this aspect, settling instead for guys who display the best offensive potential relative to their draft position. I understand the drafting of Nick Young b/c he was the best athlete, although I didn't necessarily agree with it. Pech was an awful choice. The guy couldn't defend his shadow in Ukraine, much less against NBA talent.

I think its an absolutely ridiuclous notion that we should let Gil and/or Jamison go and that somehow it will make us a better team. I was all for trading Jamison before the trade deadline, but unless some great sign & trade comes along that Jamison will agree too, he needs to be re-signed. It would be insane to lose a 20/10 guy for nothing, no matter how soft he is.

Arenas is simply not himself right now. He displayed the willingness to defend over the course of the first 8 games of the year. Even at 75% he's a better defender than AD. Patience will be needed with Gilbert. He probably won't be 100% until half way into next season. Thusly, I take his current efforts with a grain of salt. I just appreciate he's out there playing giving his all. I find it amazing he's even playing considering his microfracture surgery. I can't believe people are so down on him after game two, even after he played so well in game one.

So bottom line, don't blow up the current group, make a coaching change, make some veteran changes to get more athletic and draft based on defensive potential rather than offensive potential.

[LyricalRico]

Avery Johnson, Tom T, Bill Laimbeer are all good potential replacements. I also wonder if Larry Brown is worth considering. I would think he'd be very motivated to prove everyone his worth after his experience with the Knicks.

Dat, what do you think about Ayers as a replacement?

Getting the team to be as high as 14th defensively in spite of EJ is probably a bigger accomplishment than it seems. He's also had a year to see the team up close and see what everybody can do (especially during Gil's absence). And he's not connected to Abe in any way.

Assuming he brought in a whole new staff of assistants, would you think of him as enough of an upgrade over EJ to be seriously considered?

[nate33]

1. Come to the realization that no matter what...an Eddie Jordan coached team will always have an aversion to defense. I commend Randy Ayers on what he's tried to do this season, but one assistant coach that cares about defense isn't enough. The entire staff MUST demand accountability.

EJ puts defense a very far distant 2nd behind offense. It's not been a focal point of what they practice day in and day out. It's not an ideal environment for the young guys to learn the type of effort and focus to be successful defensively.

The Wizards will never accomplish much in the playoffs with Eddie Jordan's philosophy. It's time to move forward. A playoff record of 6-16 is an indication of that. Looking at it more closely EJ's record in games 1 & 2 of the playoffs is 1-9. He's lost 8 straight games to Cleveland. At what point do we start seeing the writing on the wall? Or do we want to waste another year while the apologists continue to make excuses for him?

Avery Johnson, Tom T, Bill Laimbeer are all good potential replacements. I also wonder if Larry Brown is worth considering. I would think he'd be very motivated to prove everyone his worth after his experience with the Knicks.

2. Guys like Antonio Daniels & Darius Songaila must go. While both are solid vets and class guys, neither can play a lick of D. With our big three scores having their own defensive issues, surrounding them with defensive minded players is critical. AD did okay as an emergency starter for the year but he's far past his prime as a defender and displays a low energy level much of the time. He's pretty much a revolving door defensively on the perimeter. Darius' contributions defensively solely come in the form of hard fouls. He's too slow outside the paint to stop anyone and too short and unathletic on the interior to deter shots or get defensive rebounds.

3. Draft guys that show the ability and willingness to defend in college. Outside of McGuire, EG has struggled in this aspect, settling instead for guys who display the best offensive potential relative to their draft position. I understand the drafting of Nick Young b/c he was the best athlete, although I didn't necessarily agree with it. Pech was an awful choice. The guy couldn't defend his shadow in Ukraine, much less against NBA talent.

I think its an absolutely ridiuclous notion that we should let Gil and/or Jamison go and that somehow it will make us a better team. I was all for trading Jamison before the trade deadline, but unless some great sign & trade comes along that Jamison will agree too, he needs to be re-signed. It would be insane to lose a 20/10 guy for nothing, no matter how soft he is.

Arenas is simply not himself right now. He displayed the willingness to defend over the course of the first 8 games of the year. Even at 75% he's a better defender than AD. Patience will be needed with Gilbert. He probably won't be 100% until half way into next season. Thusly, I take his current efforts with a grain of salt. I just appreciate he's out there playing giving his all. I find it amazing he's even playing considering his microfracture surgery. I can't believe people are so down on him after game two, even after he played so well in game one.

So bottom line, don't blow up the current group, make a coaching change, make some veteran changes to get more athletic and draft based on defensive potential rather than offensive potential.

Nice post Dat2U. That's a sober, realistic take on the situation.

I think EJ's playoff record deserves a bit of an asterisk though. Yes, he is 6-16 but you really can't hold the 0-4 sweep last year against him. No coach in the league could have won more than one playoff game with that squad. But that said, the fact remains that he is 6-12 in his other playoff games. That's still pretty bad.

If Cleveland wins one of the next two and then wins Game 5 to complete a 4-1 series, EJ's playoff record would be 7-14 (7-18 counting last year). That's unacceptable and EG would have to seriously contemplate letting EJ go. But if EJ pushes this series to 7-games, then his playoff record would be 9-14 (excluding last year). That's not great but it may buy him one more season.

I agree with you about Jamison and Arenas. It would be foolish to let them go. And there are very few feasible trades involving those guys that would improve the team. I'm not interested in trading either guy for depth or picks. If they're traded, we need legit, all-star-caliber stars in return. The only realistic trades that I can think of are Arenas for Brand or Jamison for Marion. And I don't consider either to be all that likely.

Regarding AD and Songaila, I'm kind of neutral. If one or both can be traded for rougly equivalent caliber players with a more defensive mindset, then I'm interested. But I don't consider it a critical thing. Nor do I think a trade likely given their contracts. Overall, I'm more down on AD than DSong. AD really doesn't fit in this offense and he doesn't provide the defensive yang to Gil's offensive yin. I might even sacrifice a pick in order to swap AD for a defensive-minded PG like a Lowry.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Good stuff, indeed, Dat.

I'm going to be a contrarian just for the sake of argument. You're probably right that EJ can't get it done but I'm going to try to propose less stringent changes.

I recall the Wizards played 60-win basketball for 2 months last season. (IIRC they were 23-7 over that time span). EJ was almost the all star game coach, before the injuries. That team was coming together big time. Then the injuries came. And they haven't relented since...

Even now, Caron and Gil are not themselves. I think AD and maybe even Stevenson are not quite themselves, either. That's not Eddie's fault but those guys not EXECUTING THE OFFENSE AS THEY WOULD IF HEALTHY blows EJ's way out of the water. Maybe better offensive would win if the offensive dudes could just stay healthy.

There's no defending the lack of accountability for defense on EJ's watch. NONE.

However, if EJ's horses were all in stride, this team's offense with Haywood playing the way he does this season could be pretty damn amazing! And when they're scoring at their best it just seems to me as EJ says they can make stops when they need to. So, that's just my way of proposing I think EJ might win with this team ...

What I'd improve on as a GM is really simple. I'd want a healthy Gil and a healthy Caron along with Jamison and Haywood. My SG in time would be .... Dominic McGuire.

The way that guy defended Chris Paul stuck with me. McGuire's rebounding, his handle, and his passing skills MIGHT make him able to play some SG.

Stevenson's got some good ON/OFF stats and he's a decent defender IMO. However, I think they opposing SG's eFG is really high against DeShawn.

I think McGuire or some improved rebounder and perimeter defender, alongside Gil, could make a HUGE difference with this team.

Bobby Jones is currently with the Spurs, I believe. IMO Bobby Jones at SG with the Wizards and the rest of this current bunch HEALTHY would be hard to beat.

I could see this being a 60-win team with just one position change BUT with some additional defense coaching personnel.

ALSO, I'll concede a different coach might just come right in and get it done.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

- Have Hopla work with DMac so he can develop a jumper, because he's already on his way to becoming a solid defensive player, but if he wasn't as big a liability on offense we could double his minutes.

- Sometime in September, right as Nick goes to practice his 1000th fadeaway jumper from the baseline, have the trainer grab him and lead him to a dark room and leave him there for a week with bread, water, a bucket, and a TV with nothing to watch but tapes of Raja Bell.

- Have the trainer sneak a half dozen scoops of protein mix into every ounce of water Andray Blatche drinks this summer, and make him hit the weight room like he's about to play on the Skins O-line.

- Get a TLue+4inches point guard to hound the opposing point guard up and down the court. Like a Strawberry (but with point guard skills), a guard who prides himself on D, which is what we desperately lack.

- Move our slow, jump shooting bigs D Song (assuming he redeemed his value toward the end of the year) and Oleksiy (if he has any value at all) for a PG (read above) or big man (read below) who's effective on the defensive end.

- Get a Diop-like backup to play behind Haywood at center. A 7 footer good for one on one AND help defense as well as shot blocking. If he could run the floor like a Tyson Chandler that would be a definite plus.

- Draft Glen Dorsey in the 2nd round if he's there like most mocks show. I'm in agreement that we need a thug PF, and all I could think watching March Madness is this guy is just what the Dr. ordered. He's raw, but all we need is somebody to hit the boards and man up on D that won't take crap from anybody. I could see him being a foul magnet like AB is at times, and he's a couple years off, but he showed growth this year and he definitely knows what it takes to win. He's well known and people love the potential of an unfamiliar, unknown prospect, but that can easily land you a Veremeenko.

- Fire Eddie and bring in Tom T if he's in fact available.
I'm not an Eddie hater, and maybe we can keep him around like the Knicks did Zeke. But I don't think you can understate what Tom T has done in Boston, even with tools. A #1 Defense is a #1 Defense, and maybe I'm wrong but I've never been all that sold on Doc Rivers, so I lean towards giving Tom T some of the credit. And for the past few years I've always wondered what a defensive oriented coach would give the team. It's not going to take away Arenas' 20-30 a night, Jamison's arsenal of ol' man tricks, of TJuice's hunger to break his man down on O. We've got the talent on O, we desperately need the coaching and direction on D.

That's if we keep the Big 3 and develop our youngins, the only way we could do better is if we trade on of the big three. Gil's got the tools, Caron has the attitude, AJ's the only one I don't see hope for defensively (watching Wally blow by him for a layup the other night was painful). But if we were to sign and trade him (you can't let a 20&10 guy walk regardless of his D unless he signs for a ton), do it to somebody like the Spurs. The guy deserves to win.

[doclinkin]

SO; offseason improvement helps us on both ends. The good thing about rookies though? They grow up.

NO major changes needed. For now.

1. Come to the realization that no matter what...an Eddie Jordan coached team will always have an aversion to defense. I commend Randy Ayers on what he's tried to do this season, but one assistant coach that cares about defense isn't enough. The entire staff MUST demand accountability.

-------------

I think its an absolutely ridiuclous notion that we should let Gil and/or Jamison go and that somehow it will make us a better team. I was all for trading Jamison before the trade deadline, but unless some great sign & trade comes along that Jamison will agree too, he needs to be re-signed. It would be insane to lose a 20/10 guy for nothing, no matter how soft he is.

Arenas is simply not himself right now. He displayed the willingness to defend over the course of the first 8 games of the year. Even at 75% he's a better defender than AD. Patience will be needed with Gilbert. He probably won't be 100% until half way into next season. Thusly, I take his current efforts with a grain of salt. I just appreciate he's out there playing giving his all. I find it amazing he's even playing considering his microfracture surgery. I can't believe people are so down on him after game two, even after he played so well in game one.

Interesting. So despite the fact that the unfixably 'soft' AJ has played much improved defense this year and that Gil was showing defense early on, and the team had an early record of solid defensive play until injuries hit, still: the coach prevents the players from committing to D.

Okay, how 'bout: no. Also, frankly: nonsense. [See also-- balderdash and fiddlesticks and the hind-end product of various large warm-blooded terrestrial herbivores].

Other than that I agree with you: Gil could be better than he is, if held accountable for his mistakes. Problem was in the past that if Gil wasn't playing, we weren't winning. His +/- was ungodly high. The coaches had no alternative but to play him. Bench him for who?

Gil has shown the ability to play tight D for short periods of time. Now he's too busy trying to re-find the game that made him famous, there were too few games post-injury to get him back on track and on D he's fallen back on old habits of drifting, ball-watching, losing track of his man on the perimeter. But could he have shown the same improved defensive focus if he hadn't suffered a re-injury? Probably. Certainly the team showed it can compete in his absence. It would have been easier for the coach to sit him for a minute or two to make a point during the regular season this year. This ain't last year's Mason (even if he's laying bricks up there right now in the playoffs).

Right now the rest of the team is still figuring out who it is if Gil is back. There's more waiting for Gil and less of the 'f-- you we winning anyway' attitude that his absence provided. The team plays best as underdogs, overlooked, underestimated. Tough to recapture that at the last second in the playoffs. Can it be fixed? I expect we'll see a little more Daniels; play Gil if he's hot, sit him if he's not. It can be forgiven for the coach to gamble on Gil recapturing his shot when the squad has fallen behind.

But last game? We got down by double digits at the half. This team had fallen behind by more than 15 in the past and come back to win. Usually by riding DS2's & Haywood's solid _defense_ and mixing in timely shots in the flow of the offense. Difference this time: we lost Haywood to the whistles, because he was giving effort on Defense, at the instruction of the coaches. And Gil's still figuring where he fits in the flow of the offense.

Tough for any coach to manage that. Except maybe to bench Gil. In his contract opt-out year. And somehow still preserve your relationship with your best player. Tricky proposition.
---

As for this team. Given good health (prayers and sacrifices and bench depth) we're not too far away. It's a truism in coaching that the best defensive have a few key players:

An intimidating presence underneath.
A 3-position lockdown perimeter defender.
And ideally you can put a pressure defender at the point of attack.

This team?

--We have Haywood, playing his best year so far under EJ and minimal complaints about his PT or role.
--DeShawn is okay, no Tayshaun Prince or Bruce Bowen, but decent.
--If Gil can afford to rest a bit on offense, I still feel he can drop a couple bad habits and show up strong on defense.

And with our potential offensive firepower we don't need to have the league-best defense to win. Just a slight improvement across the board.

Though I'll concede it may very well be that EG doesn't feel the same way. Fans get impatient, affects ticket sales, sometimes GMs make a move on a gamble just to keep the audience interested. They'll be competing with the Caps for your ticket buying dollars next year. Sometimes incremental bench improvements don't look like enough.

Winning this series is as key as it was at the start of the season.

[Kanyewest]

LeBron James has a habit of making defenses look ordinary. He routinely destroyed the Pistons's defense in last year's postseason, who had the likes of Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace. The Spurs were able to slow them down who had two players on the NBA All-Defensive Teams in Duncan and Bowen. The Spurs also had Manu Ginobli coming off the bench, who could make LeBron James work on both ends of the court.

Detroit figured out that they needed a couple more guys to throw at LeBron James, especially in a 7 game series. They picked up Affalo in the draft and signed Jarvis Hayes. The Celtics not only have KG and Pierce, but wisely picked up James Posey.

The Wizards basically need about 3 to 4 guys that they can throw on LeBron James. While McGuire is a capable defender and solid energy guy, the Wizards can't afford to play 4 on 5 for long stretches with their offense struggling the way it has been. And McGuire is young player and will make mistakes.

There is a need for the Wizards is to find a good perimeter defender who have the ability to create offense. Guys like Pietrus, Matt Barnes, James Jones, and Maurice Evans come to mind who are all unrestricted free agents.

And who knows what options would become available if the Wizards go the sign and trade route with Arenas or Jamison.