PLAYOFF-2020 (Game#4, WCF): [3]Denver Nuggets vs [1]LA Lakers (1-2), THU 21:00ET

[GQ Hot Dog]

MPJ is the worst defensive player on the planet only by an optical illusion because when he makes some mistake it comes from a high-school player in him who missed college career and not get enough playing time in this his rookie year. So his mistakes are always obvious and often even ridiculous. But his overall defensive influence is already rather positive than negative! Porter is the Nuggets player with the highest +/- this playoff for a reason with much better DRtg than anyone expected to see the due eye-test. Thanks to his very big size for an SF player and great rebounding skills, his presence gives Nuggets rebounding dominance to lineups where he is involved. That contributes to the Nuggets game and defense much more than all negativity from a few silly defensive mistakes which he delivers every game.

MPJ is one of the most talented offensive forwards in the league. Confident shooter and great body control around the bucket. And his rebounding is desperately needed, particularly in this series.

But imo, you're way to forgiving of his defensive lapses. They're all mental mistakes due either to a lack of focus(which is what's happening when he ball watches and his man slips away from him) or a lack of understanding of defensive principles and what's expected of him vis-a-vis when to switch and when not to.

That shouldn't be forgiven or overlooked. Your team could really use a veteran hard-ass like Draymond or Smart to be vocal and keep everyone honest. Would go a long way in helping your team take the final step.

[skywalker33]

I got slammed for pointing out how atrocious MPJ's defense is a couple games ago. Including by a mod who said my opinion wasn't shared on the Nuggets board.

I stand by what I said, a second year player, even one that was injured his first season, should be MUCH further along in understanding his responsibilities on defense. It's a real problem and if you need his offense to win, you might still lose because of his defense.

What's the opinion now?

PS. Don't attack me for making this observation. If you want to disagree, by all means, but don't be reflexively rude and defensive because it's obvious how bad he is.

Edit: BTW, it frustrates me because of how much I want the Nuggets to win this series. Eff the Lakers and eff Lebron!

Son, if you think you were SLAMMED, you may need to grow some thicker skin. I just pointed out how young of a player he was and how young players aren't normally defensive stalwarts, they need time to grow their game. And the mod came back to say maybe you could be a bit more respectful in another team's forum.... so if you'd like some tissues to cry in, please send us your address and we'll get you a box of tissues. If you want to come over here to bitch about MPJ, take it to the GB, sure you'll find someone who gives a **** !!!

Look little fella, just try to be polite when someone points out what is objectively so obviously true. It's your home. Be a good host.

But no one invited you in.....you have too much strokin' going on with this MPJ defensive issues

[NuggetsWY]

I got slammed for pointing out how atrocious MPJ's defense is a couple games ago. Including by a mod who said my opinion wasn't shared on the Nuggets board.

I stand by what I said, a second year player, even one that was injured his first season, should be MUCH further along in understanding his responsibilities on defense. It's a real problem and if you need his offense to win, you might still lose because of his defense.

What's the opinion now?

PS. Don't attack me for making this observation. If you want to disagree, by all means, but don't be reflexively rude and defensive because it's obvious how bad he is.

Edit: BTW, it frustrates me because of how much I want the Nuggets to win this series. Eff the Lakers and eff Lebron!

Fascinating opinion. Do you even understand defensive concepts? Several of those "mistakes" were because he switched on a pick and his teammate did not switch. So his player scored an easy bucket. None of the regulars on this board have ever claimed Porter was a defensive stopper. But he keeps his head on a swivel and tries to help cover when someone leaves their man to double the ball.

In the regular season, he averaged less than 15 mpg before the bubble. Again, I will repeat, players learn more by playing than by watching. Evidently Coach Malone thinks his defense has improved, since Malone openly said Porter would not get more minutes until his defense improved. He is averaging over 24 mpg in the playoffs. So unless you want to claim you know more about NBA defense than Malone, you ought to back off a bit.

We appreciate that you do not want the Lakers to win, feel free to express that. But jumping on one rookie isn't even pointing at the biggest issue the Nuggets have. If you have followed any of the threads on this board during this series, there are plenty of other areas where our regular posters have issues.

I'm still waiting for you to respond to my previously mentioned comparison to Steph Curry. Curry is clearly an elite player, but his defensive stats are definitely not elite - and not as good as Porter's defensive stats.

For someone who likes to attack others, you seem to be rather sensitive when others disagree with you. Try looking for NPZ's postings on our board during this series. He's a Laker fan and no one has trouble with his postings, even if some disagree with his opinion. Common courtesy goes a long way towards being accepted. Momma said to say two things nice for every one thing negative. It's a good policy, especially when you are a guest.

[TunaFish]

Maybe I missed it but was any reason given why Garry Harris only played 18 minutes. Was he injured?

[NuggetsWY]

Our defense seemed adequate overall. LeBron & Davis had good games, but not that much better than their playoff averages for this year. If you like the +/- stat, don't look at this game. The top + guy was Green and Davis was just +1. For the Nuggets, our top + guy was Millsap and Murray was -8.

I'd say this was a "team game" for both sides. Except for the 1st quarter, we actually played a fairly decent game.

I know Malone values defense highly, but with Millsap only taking 3 shots and Harris only taking 5 shots; the Lakers can sag off from two of our starters, making it more difficult for Jokic and Murray. Plus, once again, Jokic had very few assists (4 in this game). If everyone is just going to stand still watching Jokic with the ball, our offense is not going to be as effective as it can be. Moving without the ball should be natural when you have Jokic as your teammate. I do not understand our offense. Jokic-Murray pick-n-roll is great, but if other players were moving, it could be so much greater.

Defense is not going to win many games for us this year, so we need to look for a little more scoring. But that's just my opinion.

Rebounding
Plumlee only had 1 rebound and took only two shots. His defense was ineffective on several occasions. Porter led the team with 8 rebounds. Jokic had 7 and Millsap had 6. But LA had 8 more rebounds than the Nuggets - with 12 offensive rebounds. That makes it hard to win.

[THE J0KER]

Maybe I missed it but was any reason given why Garry Harris only played 18 minutes. Was he injured?

Gary Harris is 26%FG% in this series vs the Lakers after 4 games, but still #4 with playing time for Nuggets despite there is no special defensive matchup for him like in the previous series vs Mitchell/Clarkson or George/Lou. Malone should do this earlier, which was predictable already based on Lakers/Denver matchups. Monte Morris is a way more offensively productive option (63%FG% so far vs Lakers!), while Craig (because of size) can be more used vs LBJ in defense.

[Manolito]

I don´t really agree with Harris not being necessary. Rondo is killing Monte in the fourth quarter, but Harris is playing extremely bad offensively even for his standards.

In my opinion we lost this game because of Jokic. Had he had his regular production, it could have been a clear win. He did not box out for rebounding, he was not aggresive on the offensive end, he did not contest any drive...he seemed to be really tired and Howard outplayed him.

This is the problem when you live always at the line. Statistically one day your two star players won´t shine simultaneously

[GQ Hot Dog]

I got slammed for pointing out how atrocious MPJ's defense is a couple games ago. Including by a mod who said my opinion wasn't shared on the Nuggets board.

I stand by what I said, a second year player, even one that was injured his first season, should be MUCH further along in understanding his responsibilities on defense. It's a real problem and if you need his offense to win, you might still lose because of his defense.

What's the opinion now?

PS. Don't attack me for making this observation. If you want to disagree, by all means, but don't be reflexively rude and defensive because it's obvious how bad he is.

Edit: BTW, it frustrates me because of how much I want the Nuggets to win this series. Eff the Lakers and eff Lebron!

Fascinating opinion. Do you even understand defensive concepts? Several of those "mistakes" were because he switched on a pick and his teammate did not switch. So his player scored an easy bucket. None of the regulars on this board have ever claimed Porter was a defensive stopper. But he keeps his head on a swivel and tries to help cover when someone leaves their man to double the ball.

In the regular season, he averaged less than 15 mpg before the bubble. Again, I will repeat, players learn more by playing than by watching. Evidently Coach Malone thinks his defense has improved, since Malone openly said Porter would not get more minutes until his defense improved. He is averaging over 24 mpg in the playoffs. So unless you want to claim you know more about NBA defense than Malone, you ought to back off a bit.

We appreciate that you do not want the Lakers to win, feel free to express that. But jumping on one rookie isn't even pointing at the biggest issue the Nuggets have. If you have followed any of the threads on this board during this series, there are plenty of other areas where our regular posters have issues.

I'm still waiting for you to respond to my previously mentioned comparison to Steph Curry. Curry is clearly an elite player, but his defensive stats are definitely not elite - and not as good as Porter's defensive stats.

For someone who likes to attack others, you seem to be rather sensitive when others disagree with you. Try looking for NPZ's postings on our board during this series. He's a Laker fan and no one has trouble with his postings, even if some disagree with his opinion. Common courtesy goes a long way towards being accepted. Momma said to say two things nice for every one thing negative. It's a good policy, especially when you are a guest.

As I said before, he doesn't know when to switch and when not to. There was a play in particular when his man came over the top of Jerami Grant's man and Porter tried to switch but Grant didn't and Porter's man came free for an open three which I think he made. He clearly shouldn't have switched, it was laziness on his part. Grant's man didn't make a serious attempt to screen, there was plenty of room for Porter to stay with his man but because he tried to needlessly switch he provided the Lakers with an open three that they didn't even really try to create. I doubt it was confusion, as opposed to when Plumlee did the same thing at the end of G2.

And that's part of what's so frustrating watching MPJ, he blurs the lines between laziness, lack of focus and a lack of understanding. I don't know if it's one thing in particular or a blend of all of it that makes him so bad.

There was also the time he got switched onto Rondo and Rondo's eyes veritably lit up. He took him to the bucket and scored easily over him, just as Lebron had earlier in the game on a drive. It's why Malone won't close games with MPJ on the floor, he's more confident that a competent defender will hit a shot than a dangerous offensive weapon like MPJ will make a play on defense.

You brought up stats, which in regard to defense is an imperfect science. Comparing Steph Curry, a 6'3 PG with below average length and athleticism, to a SF with near ideal measurables like MPJ is odd to say the least. But Curry had a DRPM of -0.97 last season while MPJ was among the worst of all forwards at -3.13, tied with his former teammate Juancho(maybe it's Malone's fault?) and much closer to league worst defenders like Kevin Knox(-3.58) and KAT(-3.68) than Curry.

And I didn't attack anyone and you know it.

[skywalker33]

Until LBJ retires, he'll run the playoff to try to compete with MJ for GOAT. He easily can say or do whatever he wants (with league support apparently) so it's a moot point. Only way to compete is to just blow out the Fakers to where the games are out of reach for their cheating tactics

[NuggetsWY]

I got slammed for pointing out how atrocious MPJ's defense is a couple games ago. Including by a mod who said my opinion wasn't shared on the Nuggets board.

I stand by what I said, a second year player, even one that was injured his first season, should be MUCH further along in understanding his responsibilities on defense. It's a real problem and if you need his offense to win, you might still lose because of his defense.

What's the opinion now?

PS. Don't attack me for making this observation. If you want to disagree, by all means, but don't be reflexively rude and defensive because it's obvious how bad he is.

Edit: BTW, it frustrates me because of how much I want the Nuggets to win this series. Eff the Lakers and eff Lebron!

Fascinating opinion. Do you even understand defensive concepts? Several of those "mistakes" were because he switched on a pick and his teammate did not switch. So his player scored an easy bucket. None of the regulars on this board have ever claimed Porter was a defensive stopper. But he keeps his head on a swivel and tries to help cover when someone leaves their man to double the ball.

In the regular season, he averaged less than 15 mpg before the bubble. Again, I will repeat, players learn more by playing than by watching. Evidently Coach Malone thinks his defense has improved, since Malone openly said Porter would not get more minutes until his defense improved. He is averaging over 24 mpg in the playoffs. So unless you want to claim you know more about NBA defense than Malone, you ought to back off a bit.

We appreciate that you do not want the Lakers to win, feel free to express that. But jumping on one rookie isn't even pointing at the biggest issue the Nuggets have. If you have followed any of the threads on this board during this series, there are plenty of other areas where our regular posters have issues.

I'm still waiting for you to respond to my previously mentioned comparison to Steph Curry. Curry is clearly an elite player, but his defensive stats are definitely not elite - and not as good as Porter's defensive stats.

For someone who likes to attack others, you seem to be rather sensitive when others disagree with you. Try looking for NPZ's postings on our board during this series. He's a Laker fan and no one has trouble with his postings, even if some disagree with his opinion. Common courtesy goes a long way towards being accepted. Momma said to say two things nice for every one thing negative. It's a good policy, especially when you are a guest.

As I said before, he doesn't know when to switch and when not to. There was a play in particular when his man came over the top of Jerami Grant's man and Porter tried to switch but Grant didn't and Porter's man came free for an open three which I think he made. He clearly shouldn't have switched, it was laziness on his part. Grant's man didn't make a serious attempt to screen, there was plenty of room for Porter to stay with his man but because he tried to needlessly switch he provided the Lakers with an open three that they didn't even really try to create. I doubt it was confusion, as opposed to when Plumlee did the same thing at the end of G2.

Fascinating, teams often face the problem of when to switch and when not to. Unless you are part of the team, there is no way to be certain which one was not correct. If you watched the entire game and watched all of the picks/switches, the Nuggets were switching more often than not. That would seem to indicate Porter was correct - but it does not guarantee it.

And that's part of what's so frustrating watching MPJ, he blurs the lines between laziness, lack of focus and a lack of understanding. I don't know if it's one thing in particular or a blend of all of it that makes him so bad.

There was also the time he got switched onto Rondo and Rondo's eyes veritably lit up. He took him to the bucket and scored easily over him, just as Lebron had earlier in the game on a drive. It's why Malone won't close games with MPJ on the floor, he's more confident that a competent defender will hit a shot than a dangerous offensive weapon like MPJ will make a play on defense.

You brought up stats, which in regard to defense is an imperfect science. Comparing Steph Curry, a 6'3 PG with below average length and athleticism, to a SF with near ideal measurables like MPJ is odd to say the least. But Curry had a DRPM of -0.97 last season while MPJ was among the worst of all forwards at -3.13, tied with his former teammate Juancho(maybe it's Malone's fault?) and much closer to league worst defenders like Kevin Knox(-3.58) and KAT(-3.68) than Curry.

And I didn't attack anyone and you know it.

Okay, we'll throw out the stats, since you don't like them. Then it becomes a matter of opinion. I'll go back to the vote that matters --- and definitely over-rides your supposed vote. Malone has said repeatedly, Porter will not play more until his defense improves. Porter is now playing significantly more minutes. Ergo, Malone believes his defense is improving.

You will receive no further response from me on this topic and I'd suggest you drop it. The others on this board may agree Porter isn't a major defender, but they've seen the improvement. Feel free to make these posts on the GB. There is a thread available there.

[NuggetsWY]

Until LBJ retires, he'll run the playoff to try to compete with MJ for GOAT. He easily can say or do whatever he wants (with league support apparently) so it's a moot point. Only way to compete is to just blow out the Fakers to where the games are out of reach for their cheating tactics

I'm always amazed at how LeBron (and Rondo & now Davis) encounter what appear to career-ending injuries and then as soon as the call goes their way, they are just fine.

That doesn't work at the YMCA or in the park. Acting is an important part of the modern NBA.

[Mickey8]

The bad refereeing and Jokic have cost Denver this game . Instead of being fined for publicly lobbying for the calls, Lakers were awarded with some ridiculous calls on the offense and defense, we know who NBA wants in the finals, NBA is owned by the Lakers. And of course head case Jokic, who have decided not playing in the most important game of the series, he got roughed up and abused by Howard in the first quarter and then he decided to deffer to every nugget player , not taking shots, even passing open floaters that he hits every time, instead taking them he was passing ball to his teammates , there is no excuse for him not taking a single shot in the quarter or one or two, he needs to take at least 20 shots a game for the Nuggets to have a chance to win the game, too bad these Lakers are nothing special and Denver are missing once in a life chance to participate in the finals. This series is over , there is no comeback this time, Denver will be eliminated on Saturday night, guaranteed.

[GQ Hot Dog]

Fascinating opinion. Do you even understand defensive concepts? Several of those "mistakes" were because he switched on a pick and his teammate did not switch. So his player scored an easy bucket. None of the regulars on this board have ever claimed Porter was a defensive stopper. But he keeps his head on a swivel and tries to help cover when someone leaves their man to double the ball.

In the regular season, he averaged less than 15 mpg before the bubble. Again, I will repeat, players learn more by playing than by watching. Evidently Coach Malone thinks his defense has improved, since Malone openly said Porter would not get more minutes until his defense improved. He is averaging over 24 mpg in the playoffs. So unless you want to claim you know more about NBA defense than Malone, you ought to back off a bit.

We appreciate that you do not want the Lakers to win, feel free to express that. But jumping on one rookie isn't even pointing at the biggest issue the Nuggets have. If you have followed any of the threads on this board during this series, there are plenty of other areas where our regular posters have issues.

I'm still waiting for you to respond to my previously mentioned comparison to Steph Curry. Curry is clearly an elite player, but his defensive stats are definitely not elite - and not as good as Porter's defensive stats.

For someone who likes to attack others, you seem to be rather sensitive when others disagree with you. Try looking for NPZ's postings on our board during this series. He's a Laker fan and no one has trouble with his postings, even if some disagree with his opinion. Common courtesy goes a long way towards being accepted. Momma said to say two things nice for every one thing negative. It's a good policy, especially when you are a guest.

As I said before, he doesn't know when to switch and when not to. There was a play in particular when his man came over the top of Jerami Grant's man and Porter tried to switch but Grant didn't and Porter's man came free for an open three which I think he made. He clearly shouldn't have switched, it was laziness on his part. Grant's man didn't make a serious attempt to screen, there was plenty of room for Porter to stay with his man but because he tried to needlessly switch he provided the Lakers with an open three that they didn't even really try to create. I doubt it was confusion, as opposed to when Plumlee did the same thing at the end of G2.

Fascinating, teams often face the problem of when to switch and when not to. Unless you are part of the team, there is no way to be certain which one was not correct. If you watched the entire game and watched all of the picks/switches, the Nuggets were switching more often than not. That would seem to indicate Porter was correct - but it does not guarantee it.

And that's part of what's so frustrating watching MPJ, he blurs the lines between laziness, lack of focus and a lack of understanding. I don't know if it's one thing in particular or a blend of all of it that makes him so bad.

There was also the time he got switched onto Rondo and Rondo's eyes veritably lit up. He took him to the bucket and scored easily over him, just as Lebron had earlier in the game on a drive. It's why Malone won't close games with MPJ on the floor, he's more confident that a competent defender will hit a shot than a dangerous offensive weapon like MPJ will make a play on defense.

You brought up stats, which in regard to defense is an imperfect science. Comparing Steph Curry, a 6'3 PG with below average length and athleticism, to a SF with near ideal measurables like MPJ is odd to say the least. But Curry had a DRPM of -0.97 last season while MPJ was among the worst of all forwards at -3.13, tied with his former teammate Juancho(maybe it's Malone's fault?) and much closer to league worst defenders like Kevin Knox(-3.58) and KAT(-3.68) than Curry.

And I didn't attack anyone and you know it.

Okay, we'll throw out the stats, since you don't like them. Then it becomes a matter of opinion. I'll go back to the vote that matters --- and definitely over-rides your supposed vote. Malone has said repeatedly, Porter will not play more until his defense improves. Porter is now playing significantly more minutes. Ergo, Malone believes his defense is improving.

You will receive no further response from me on this topic and I'd suggest you drop it. The others on this board may agree Porter isn't a major defender, but they've seen the improvement. Feel free to make these posts on the GB. There is a thread available there.

I came to the Nuggets board because I wanted an objective discussion of the MPJ situation. If you want me to take it to the GB, I will, but I hope you'll allow me to continue to discuss it here because I'm not interested in pages of idiocy which is so often what the GB degenerates into.

And we don't need to throw anything out but let's just be objective. Stats and opinions are valid, but let's keep discussing it because I think he's one of the most important pieces to the Nuggets championship picture going forward.

And please, jump on in Nuggets fans, if NuggetsWY doesn't want to contribute I'm sure plenty of other Nuggets fans have thoughts. Maybe I'll start a dedicated thread here?

[skywalker33]

As I said before, he doesn't know when to switch and when not to. There was a play in particular when his man came over the top of Jerami Grant's man and Porter tried to switch but Grant didn't and Porter's man came free for an open three which I think he made. He clearly shouldn't have switched, it was laziness on his part. Grant's man didn't make a serious attempt to screen, there was plenty of room for Porter to stay with his man but because he tried to needlessly switch he provided the Lakers with an open three that they didn't even really try to create. I doubt it was confusion, as opposed to when Plumlee did the same thing at the end of G2.

Fascinating, teams often face the problem of when to switch and when not to. Unless you are part of the team, there is no way to be certain which one was not correct. If you watched the entire game and watched all of the picks/switches, the Nuggets were switching more often than not. That would seem to indicate Porter was correct - but it does not guarantee it.

And that's part of what's so frustrating watching MPJ, he blurs the lines between laziness, lack of focus and a lack of understanding. I don't know if it's one thing in particular or a blend of all of it that makes him so bad.

There was also the time he got switched onto Rondo and Rondo's eyes veritably lit up. He took him to the bucket and scored easily over him, just as Lebron had earlier in the game on a drive. It's why Malone won't close games with MPJ on the floor, he's more confident that a competent defender will hit a shot than a dangerous offensive weapon like MPJ will make a play on defense.

You brought up stats, which in regard to defense is an imperfect science. Comparing Steph Curry, a 6'3 PG with below average length and athleticism, to a SF with near ideal measurables like MPJ is odd to say the least. But Curry had a DRPM of -0.97 last season while MPJ was among the worst of all forwards at -3.13, tied with his former teammate Juancho(maybe it's Malone's fault?) and much closer to league worst defenders like Kevin Knox(-3.58) and KAT(-3.68) than Curry.

And I didn't attack anyone and you know it.

Okay, we'll throw out the stats, since you don't like them. Then it becomes a matter of opinion. I'll go back to the vote that matters --- and definitely over-rides your supposed vote. Malone has said repeatedly, Porter will not play more until his defense improves. Porter is now playing significantly more minutes. Ergo, Malone believes his defense is improving.

You will receive no further response from me on this topic and I'd suggest you drop it. The others on this board may agree Porter isn't a major defender, but they've seen the improvement. Feel free to make these posts on the GB. There is a thread available there.

I came to the Nuggets board because I wanted an objective discussion of the MPJ situation. If you want me to take it to the GB, I will, but I hope you'll allow me to continue to discuss it here because I'm not interested in pages of idiocy which is so often what the GB degenerates into.

And we don't need to throw anything out but let's just be objective. Stats and opinions are valid, but let's keep discussing it because I think he's one of the most important pieces to the Nuggets championship picture going forward.

And please, jump on in Nuggets fans, if NuggetsWY doesn't want to contribute I'm sure plenty of other Nuggets fans have thoughts. Maybe I'll start a dedicated thread here?

What's objective about bitchin' about a rookies lack of defense when any intelligent person KNOWS rookies ALWAYS have at least one aspect to work on their game ?? And NBA defense is not like CBA defense (or HS defense), which he really didn't get to practice/learn. Are you that naive ???

Knowing his level shows to me you are just over here to troll, and we don't want or encourage trolls here !

[NuggetsWY]

I came to the Nuggets board because I wanted an objective discussion of the MPJ situation. If you want me to take it to the GB, I will, but I hope you'll allow me to continue to discuss it here because I'm not interested in pages of idiocy which is so often what the GB degenerates into.

And we don't need to throw anything out but let's just be objective. Stats and opinions are valid, but let's keep discussing it because I think he's one of the most important pieces to the Nuggets championship picture going forward.

And please, jump on in Nuggets fans, if NuggetsWY doesn't want to contribute I'm sure plenty of other Nuggets fans have thoughts. Maybe I'll start a dedicated thread here?

We'd prefer you take your pages of idiocy to the GM. It works well there.

We have a Michael Porter thread. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1844112 Seems like a good place to discuss Michael Porter.

All of our regulars are not afraid to disagree with moderators. If they wanted to jump in, they would have.

[The Rebel]

As I said before, he doesn't know when to switch and when not to. There was a play in particular when his man came over the top of Jerami Grant's man and Porter tried to switch but Grant didn't and Porter's man came free for an open three which I think he made. He clearly shouldn't have switched, it was laziness on his part. Grant's man didn't make a serious attempt to screen, there was plenty of room for Porter to stay with his man but because he tried to needlessly switch he provided the Lakers with an open three that they didn't even really try to create. I doubt it was confusion, as opposed to when Plumlee did the same thing at the end of G2.

Fascinating, teams often face the problem of when to switch and when not to. Unless you are part of the team, there is no way to be certain which one was not correct. If you watched the entire game and watched all of the picks/switches, the Nuggets were switching more often than not. That would seem to indicate Porter was correct - but it does not guarantee it.

And that's part of what's so frustrating watching MPJ, he blurs the lines between laziness, lack of focus and a lack of understanding. I don't know if it's one thing in particular or a blend of all of it that makes him so bad.

There was also the time he got switched onto Rondo and Rondo's eyes veritably lit up. He took him to the bucket and scored easily over him, just as Lebron had earlier in the game on a drive. It's why Malone won't close games with MPJ on the floor, he's more confident that a competent defender will hit a shot than a dangerous offensive weapon like MPJ will make a play on defense.

You brought up stats, which in regard to defense is an imperfect science. Comparing Steph Curry, a 6'3 PG with below average length and athleticism, to a SF with near ideal measurables like MPJ is odd to say the least. But Curry had a DRPM of -0.97 last season while MPJ was among the worst of all forwards at -3.13, tied with his former teammate Juancho(maybe it's Malone's fault?) and much closer to league worst defenders like Kevin Knox(-3.58) and KAT(-3.68) than Curry.

And I didn't attack anyone and you know it.

Okay, we'll throw out the stats, since you don't like them. Then it becomes a matter of opinion. I'll go back to the vote that matters --- and definitely over-rides your supposed vote. Malone has said repeatedly, Porter will not play more until his defense improves. Porter is now playing significantly more minutes. Ergo, Malone believes his defense is improving.

You will receive no further response from me on this topic and I'd suggest you drop it. The others on this board may agree Porter isn't a major defender, but they've seen the improvement. Feel free to make these posts on the GB. There is a thread available there.

I came to the Nuggets board because I wanted an objective discussion of the MPJ situation. If you want me to take it to the GB, I will, but I hope you'll allow me to continue to discuss it here because I'm not interested in pages of idiocy which is so often what the GB degenerates into.

And we don't need to throw anything out but let's just be objective. Stats and opinions are valid, but let's keep discussing it because I think he's one of the most important pieces to the Nuggets championship picture going forward.

And please, jump on in Nuggets fans, if NuggetsWY doesn't want to contribute I'm sure plenty of other Nuggets fans have thoughts. Maybe I'll start a dedicated thread here?

You don't want an objective opinion, you want everybody to agree with you.

As objective opinion is that while he has some lapses, he is a solid defender most of the time, as shown by the fact that every advanced stat available for the playoffs shows that he is a slightly positive despite playing most of his minutes with the bench which is worse defensively than the starters and being asked to guard Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Lebron in the last 11 games.

Fact is we have a rookie that has played about 65 games in 3 years, and those 65 games he has played limited minutes, if you think DRaymond is going to be the reason that a rookie does not make mistakes on defense under those condition than you are delusional. INcluding regular season and playoffs he has played 1300 minutes, that is still only about 60% of the minutes that the top rookies got last year in the regular season. They are called rookie mistakes for a reason, and given the circumstances smart people understand there is going to be a learning curve.

As for you trying to attack Wy, you are making a fool of yourself. Not a single Nuggets fan is scared to disagree with any mods on RealGM, as long as you do it respectfully it brings more conversation. We are just not responding to you because you ignore the facts and are just looking for people to agree with you. Sorry but most of us on this board have followed the NBA for a long time and are smart enough to know the curve that rookies face.

[skywalker33]

After watching this video, it easily shows how LeCheater should have fouled out of this game, not just getting 2 fouls. Fakers were GIVEN about 16-20pts from the refs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=k_Oeo_bIOKE&feature=youtu.be

[NuggetsWY]

Fascinating, teams often face the problem of when to switch and when not to. Unless you are part of the team, there is no way to be certain which one was not correct. If you watched the entire game and watched all of the picks/switches, the Nuggets were switching more often than not. That would seem to indicate Porter was correct - but it does not guarantee it.

Okay, we'll throw out the stats, since you don't like them. Then it becomes a matter of opinion. I'll go back to the vote that matters --- and definitely over-rides your supposed vote. Malone has said repeatedly, Porter will not play more until his defense improves. Porter is now playing significantly more minutes. Ergo, Malone believes his defense is improving.

You will receive no further response from me on this topic and I'd suggest you drop it. The others on this board may agree Porter isn't a major defender, but they've seen the improvement. Feel free to make these posts on the GB. There is a thread available there.

I came to the Nuggets board because I wanted an objective discussion of the MPJ situation. If you want me to take it to the GB, I will, but I hope you'll allow me to continue to discuss it here because I'm not interested in pages of idiocy which is so often what the GB degenerates into.

And we don't need to throw anything out but let's just be objective. Stats and opinions are valid, but let's keep discussing it because I think he's one of the most important pieces to the Nuggets championship picture going forward.

And please, jump on in Nuggets fans, if NuggetsWY doesn't want to contribute I'm sure plenty of other Nuggets fans have thoughts. Maybe I'll start a dedicated thread here?

You don't want an objective opinion, you want everybody to agree with you.

As objective opinion is that while he has some lapses, he is a solid defender most of the time, as shown by the fact that every advanced stat available for the playoffs shows that he is a slightly positive despite playing most of his minutes with the bench which is worse defensively than the starters and being asked to guard Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Lebron in the last 11 games.

Fact is we have a rookie that has played about 65 games in 3 years, and those 65 games he has played limited minutes, if you think DRaymond is going to be the reason that a rookie does not make mistakes on defense under those condition than you are delusional. INcluding regular season and playoffs he has played 1300 minutes, that is still only about 60% of the minutes that the top rookies got last year in the regular season. They are called rookie mistakes for a reason, and given the circumstances smart people understand there is going to be a learning curve.

As for you trying to attack Wy, you are making a fool of yourself. Not a single Nuggets fan is scared to disagree with any mods on RealGM, as long as you do it respectfully it brings more conversation. We are just not responding to you because you ignore the facts and are just looking for people to agree with you. Sorry but most of us on this board have followed the NBA for a long time and are smart enough to know the curve that rookies face.

Anyone else wondering if a certain someone was watching Porter in game 5?

[GQ Hot Dog]

I came to the Nuggets board because I wanted an objective discussion of the MPJ situation. If you want me to take it to the GB, I will, but I hope you'll allow me to continue to discuss it here because I'm not interested in pages of idiocy which is so often what the GB degenerates into.

And we don't need to throw anything out but let's just be objective. Stats and opinions are valid, but let's keep discussing it because I think he's one of the most important pieces to the Nuggets championship picture going forward.

And please, jump on in Nuggets fans, if NuggetsWY doesn't want to contribute I'm sure plenty of other Nuggets fans have thoughts. Maybe I'll start a dedicated thread here?

You don't want an objective opinion, you want everybody to agree with you.

As objective opinion is that while he has some lapses, he is a solid defender most of the time, as shown by the fact that every advanced stat available for the playoffs shows that he is a slightly positive despite playing most of his minutes with the bench which is worse defensively than the starters and being asked to guard Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Lebron in the last 11 games.

Fact is we have a rookie that has played about 65 games in 3 years, and those 65 games he has played limited minutes, if you think DRaymond is going to be the reason that a rookie does not make mistakes on defense under those condition than you are delusional. INcluding regular season and playoffs he has played 1300 minutes, that is still only about 60% of the minutes that the top rookies got last year in the regular season. They are called rookie mistakes for a reason, and given the circumstances smart people understand there is going to be a learning curve.

As for you trying to attack Wy, you are making a fool of yourself. Not a single Nuggets fan is scared to disagree with any mods on RealGM, as long as you do it respectfully it brings more conversation. We are just not responding to you because you ignore the facts and are just looking for people to agree with you. Sorry but most of us on this board have followed the NBA for a long time and are smart enough to know the curve that rookies face.

Anyone else wondering if a certain someone was watching Porter in game 5?

He actually made a great defensive play! Forced Lebron into a travel.

But this is the second time I've been accused of attacking someone. What do you mean? Can you quote me on what you think was an "attack"? This looks a lot like when cops are beating the crap out of someone while telling them to "stop resisting"! Then you can ban me with the explanation, "We told him to stop attacking mods and he just kept it up."

[skywalker33]

Hey Nuggets fans. I spent that half watching MPJ on defense. He's one of the worst defenders I've ever seen. His effort level reminds me of watching prime Monta Ellis under Don Nelson.

Is he totally disinterested or just utterly clueless?

He (MPJ) actually made a great defensive play! Forced Lebron into a travel.

So, how often does "one of the worst defensers I've ever seen" make a "great defensive play" on one of the best players in the league ??? Either you were wrong or just stupid on your initial assessment....just like we ALL said. And then you have the nards to go back over to the GSW forum and try and thump your chest ?? Real classy...and you wonder why people have asked you not to return here, what a PUTZ !!