Should the Jazz hire a defensive coordinator to help Sloan?

[Jazzfan12]

While Sloan's offense is awesome, the Jazz's defense has been terrible for a while and becomes more outdated every year. The foul happy, paint packing defense isn't working. Teams are getting way better at three point shooting and free throw shooting and the Jazz don't have intimidators in the paint to scare people and stop them from going into the paint. So should the Jazz change up their scheme on defense?

[retiredcoach]

Defensive schemes aren't a mystery in the pro's. It's not like the coaching staff just fails to get it.

Playing defense takes energy, which usually means lower offensive output. It's a balancing act that professional players understand. No matter what defensive strategy a coach decides to go with, the players have to have the physical ability to play it, the desire to defend and a defensive attitude.

The Jazz have several problems. Some of the players are slow footed and slow to react, which means they're going to have problems on help defense and recovering their position if they do help. (That's a big problem for pick and roll defense.) Some of them don't want to play defense because it's going to take away from their offensive ability. Some are getting too old to keep up with the faster younger players and some were ever any good at defending to begin with. Help defense sounds great on paper, but it takes a lot of energy, a strongly coordinated team effort and players who can do it. The Jazz are going to be an average defensive team for a long time, no matter who coaches them.

Defense doesn't earn a player a better contract. That's not a secret in the NBA. It's all about the offensive stats. You'll hear coaches say "defense wins championships," but that's not so much the case in the pro's. In pro ball, defense is often over rated.

If the Thunder had shot their normal 3 pt percentage, the Jazz would have won the game. While it's true the Jazz could have defended the 3 better, it's not likely to have made much of a difference. Defense doesn’t happen in a vacuum. If the 3 pt shots had been defended harder, it might have resulted in more open plays in the middle. With the Thunder, an open middle is a death wish. When Durant only scores 21 points the Thunder are very beatable, unless Westbrook triples his three point shooting and goes off big.

How many fans want the Jazz to add a defensive standout to the roster? Fans want the Jazz to add an offensive scoring machine that’s 7 feet tall and can also stop Gasol! Okay, who might that be. All 30 teams are looking for him.

Speaking of defense, Hayward did a really good job keeping Durant out of the offense for the two quarters he played. Nice job Hayward!

[dalekjazz]

I've been saying the Jazz should hire Jeff Van Gundy for the past several years. The Knicks and Rockets didn't have great individual defenders but his defensive schemes, along with Thibodeau, are among the best in the league.

[StocktonShorts]

Defensive schemes aren't a mystery in the pro's. It's not like the coaching staff just fails to get it.

Playing defense takes energy, which usually means lower offensive output. It's a balancing act that professional players understand. No matter what defensive strategy a coach decides to go with, the players have to have the physical ability to play it, the desire to defend and a defensive attitude.

The Jazz have several problems. Some of the players are slow footed and slow to react, which means they're going to have problems on help defense and recovering their position if they do help. (That's a big problem for pick and roll defense.) Some of them don't want to play defense because it's going to take away from their offensive ability. Some are getting too old to keep up with the faster younger players and some were ever any good at defending to begin with. Help defense sounds great on paper, but it takes a lot of energy, a strongly coordinated team effort and players who can do it. The Jazz are going to be an average defensive team for a long time, no matter who coaches them.

Defense doesn't earn a player a better contract. That's not a secret in the NBA. It's all about the offensive stats. You'll hear coaches say "defense wins championships," but that's not so much the case in the pro's. In pro ball, defense is often over rated.

If the Thunder had shot their normal 3 pt percentage, the Jazz would have won the game. While it's true the Jazz could have defended the 3 better, it's not likely to have made much of a difference. Defense doesn’t happen in a vacuum. If the 3 pt shots had been defended harder, it might have resulted in more open plays in the middle. With the Thunder, an open middle is a death wish. When Durant only scores 21 points the Thunder are very beatable, unless Westbrook triples his three point shooting and goes off big.

How many fans want the Jazz to add a defensive standout to the roster? Fans want the Jazz to add an offensive scoring machine that’s 7 feet tall and can also stop Gasol! Okay, who might that be. All 30 teams are looking for him.

Speaking of defense, Hayward did a really good job keeping Durant out of the offense for the two quarters he played. Nice job Hayward!

I hear what you're saying, but then I see what Thibodeau is doing in Chicago. That's not really a roster of defensive stalwarts, yet they're collectively one of the best defenses (if not THE best) in the NBA. It was the same thing in Boston.

I don't know quite how to explain it, but just based on what I observe in the NBA it seems like the right coaching has more of an effect on a team's defense than the sum of the defensive abilities of its players.

[Neon Black]

Yeah I don't feel like this team just refuses to or can't play defense. I don't agree with the notion that they're just going to be bad for a few years until the roster changes. I feel like this group of guys would play defense if there were greater focus AND if adjustments were made schematically.

I don't pretend to know what those adjustments are, all I know is that I've seen everyone pack the paint when the ball goes in, conceding shot after open shot from distance which will KILL you in today's NBA.

3 point attempts and % are higher than they've ever been in league history.

I don't want to ignorantly place the blame fully on the Coaching staff; they aren't the ones getting burned by the pick and roll/pick and pop onslaught every night (Jazz are so damn easy to scout). But my inking is that some adjustments should really be looked into defensively.

[The59Sound]

Agreed, Neon. Our guys are really bad defending the pick and roll, and can be lazy at times also, but there's blame for the coaching staff too. Jerry and staff have at least contemplated defensive issues, I'm sure, but it hasn't translated into any improvements on the court. Sloan's teams were solid defensively in the John/Karl days (even after Eaton left), but they were never lock-down.

Basically, Jerry is one of the most brilliant coaches in NBA history on the offensive end and average to slightly above average on the defensive end. I'm all for bringing in a new assistant who thinks all defense all the time.

[hoops4life]

I've been saying the Jazz should hire Jeff Van Gundy for the past several years. The Knicks and Rockets didn't have great individual defenders but his defensive schemes, along with Thibodeau, are among the best in the league.

Do you really think that JVG would really give up his comfy analyst job that is higher paying to play second or most likely third fiddle here in Utah?

Or are you saying get rid of Sloan all together?

[dalekjazz]

I've been saying the Jazz should hire Jeff Van Gundy for the past several years. The Knicks and Rockets didn't have great individual defenders but his defensive schemes, along with Thibodeau, are among the best in the league.

Do you really think that JVG would really give up his comfy analyst job that is higher paying to play second or most likely third fiddle here in Utah?

Or are you saying get rid of Sloan all together?

It looks like Deron and Sloan don't see eye to eye and Sloan is getting up in years. JVG can be an assitant coach for a year or two to take over when Sloan retires. If Deron insists that the only way he stays in Utah is if Sloan is replaced then I don't see any other choice. JVG would be able to take over right away.

[Legatus]

...

I totally agree. The lack of quickness is the biggest problem on defense and if help defense is needed everything collapses. In the last games Hayward and Millsap got a lot of help(too often in my opinion) especially by bell. I can't see a way out of this dilemma, millsap must be able to defend any PF in this league. The best defensive players right now are Jefferson, Hayward, Fesenko and (sometimes) Bell.

The defensive style has changed in comparison to the first part of the season: they rebound better but are helping too much and thus leave shooters wide open after one or two extra passes. But this is just my impression.

Deron wanted to run more on offense, maybe he got what he wanted and they save more of their energy for offense?

[retiredcoach]

I hear what you're saying, but then I see what Thibodeau is doing in Chicago. That's not really a roster of defensive stalwarts, yet they're collectively one of the best defenses (if not THE best) in the NBA. It was the same thing in Boston.

Sure I would love to see Thibodeau coach the Jazz, but the fans wouldn't be any happier. Chicago was a very good defensive team before he came. They were ranked 8th. They've added some offense, and they play in a weak conference so they look good. They won't win the championship because they don't have the offensive efficiency to do that--at least not yet.

Thibodeau has an advantage over Sloan in a couple of things. Thibodeau has a master's degree in counseling (psychology). I think that has been important to his success. I believe he spends more time talking to his players and finding ways to push them mentally. Sloan has a masters in education. He's been given credit for being a good teacher of his offensive system, which has centered around the flex offense and the pick and roll. The flex is complicated to teach. It's one reason the Jazz are using the pick and roll more frequently with Jefferson on the team. I also think Thibodeau is much better at player development.

Thibodeau's teams have had a couple of advantages which are important to his defensive schemes. Often the center is a key. His players have to have a high energy level, and they have to be good offensive rebounders. Thibodeau can't teach those things, but they have to be there for him to be successful with the defensive scheme's he uses. And he's got those things in Chicago.

Winning consistently in the NBA requires three things in this order, in my view.

1. Really good players all the way through the 8th or 9th guy.

2. Strong offensive scoring ability.

3. Good defense.

The offensive sets and defensive strategies that NBA teams use aren't secrets. It's all about having the players who can execute what the coach puts in.

Chicago plays in a weak division so they should have a strong record. It will be interesting to see how they do in the playoffs.

[StocktonShorts]

Thibodeau has an advantage over Sloan in a couple of things. Thibodeau has a master's degree in counseling (psychology). I think that has been important to his success. I believe he spends more time talking to his players and finding ways to push them mentally.

Interesting. I've often thought that the psychological angle is a HUGE part of coaching in the NBA and one reason Phil Jackson has been so successful. I think he knows how to get the most out of a wide range of personalities.

There are a lot of coaches, and I would include Sloan here, who have a much narrower band of compatible personality types.

[outerspacefella]

... If Deron insists that the only way he stays in Utah is if Sloan is replaced....

Is there a source on such an assertion?

[outerspacefella]

... The flex is complicated to teach. It's one reason the Jazz are using the pick and roll more frequently with Jefferson on the team.

Agreed. That's exactly why in the end of the Boozer era the P&R became less used. Once the roster understand an buy into the flex, the passing and correct execution leads to kind of an insitinct offense (take what defenders give to you because they cannot guard all the people all the time)... and it leads to Jazz defenders being correctly set early in the opponent posesion.

[dalekjazz]

... If Deron insists that the only way he stays in Utah is if Sloan is replaced....

Is there a source on such an assertion?

During the losing streak Deron was pissed off and said the Jazz don't like to make changes in their lineups and rosters. These comments during a losing streak seemed to be indirect shots at Sloan and team management.

[retiredcoach]

During the losing streak Deron was pissed off and said the Jazz don't like to make changes in their lineups and rosters. These comments during a losing streak seemed to be indirect shots at Sloan and team management.

Sloan says he has an open door policy and anyone is welcome to come in with ideas. However, it doesn't sound like Deron utilizes the open door much. Open door policies are good for those coaches with people skills who can listen to a lot of BS and still make the person feel heard and appreciated. In the end, a coach has to sit through a lot of baloney before they hear one relatively decent idea, but it can also create a bond between the team and the staff when it's done well.

It doesn't sound like it's used much on the Jazz. Deron could have his agent call Sloan's agent and maybe do lunch!

[The59Sound]

Thought this was kinda funny:

While Jazz guard Deron Williams would not discuss Utah's pick-and-roll defense this morning, coach Jerry Sloan offered several ideas following a shootaround at Arco Arena. In fact, Sloan was so passionate about the issue that he accidentally knocked a recorder out of a reporter's hand while displaying how to defend the play.

[Millsap24]

I know he was an overrated head coach in Cleveland but Mike Brown would be a great addition as a defensive assistant coach.

Just don't let him run offensive plays though.

[retiredcoach]

Mike Brown would be a good assistant coach choice, except for one problem. He wouldn't take the job. After being a head coach for 5 years, he hasn't been out of coaching long enough to be willing to accept an assistant's position under a brand new inexperienced head coach like Corbin.

Corbin is in a tricky position. He has an under-performing team in a small market with an all star point guard that might not be here in a year. There's a possible lost season coming up with a lockout and his other two assistants are questionable. Hornacek is brand new and completely inexperienced, and Layden needs to be sweeping up the gym after the games. Yeah, I know he counts turnovers! Hoorah!!

I seriously doubt the Miller's are going to pay Corbin more than $2 to $3 mill a year for the first three to four years, if he lasts that long, and the number one assistant won't make more than the typical $500K a year salary. In addition, to the factors I've already mentioned, Brown won't come here for that kind of money. He's got maybe $15 mill or so in his bank account. He doesn't need to work, so I think he'll wait for another head coaching position, which may happen this summer.