wolves_89 wrote:winforlose wrote:wolves_89 wrote:
For most of the last year I'd have agreed with you about the Wolves needing a really large PF/C, but I've shifted that view based on the Wolves defensive scheme and the success they are having with it. At this point, I think having a big on the court who is a step slow in rotations would kill what is making the defense successful. I still firmly believe that Minnesota needs to add a guy with more size, but it needs to be someone who is extremely mobile.
Please elaborate. What part of the scheme falls apart?
The way the defense has been working is that everyone on the court needs to be able to quickly switch onto the open guy or rotate to help close off opponent drives. It only works if every player is athletic enough to make that happen. If the Wolves have a plus sized guy on the court who is a bit slow footed it would lead to defensive break downs. The most impressive thing about the Wolves so far this year is that guys are quick enough to frequently switch on defense while still maintaining good positioning. If even one defender is a step slow it leaves someone with an open shot or driving opportunity.
That is somewhat true, but it isn’t completely true. Last night was a great example of us having to abandon it in favor of double teaming JV. Another example is the zone we played against Memphis.
But, the key to a productive discussion is accepting the premise so I will completely accept yours. Let’s assume for 25-30 minutes a night we have a guy who is to slow to switch 1-3 but who can guard 4-5. How many points will we give up vs how many we save by denying opponents 2nd chance points. How many more points do we score with a big man down low offensive rebounding and keeping their big honest instead of guarding the non shooters (V8,JO, even MCD,) and closing down the lane. How many more points do we score by running out and getting transition buckets on blocks and boards with a big in the middle? Every player has trade offs, and I don’t think our scheme is so vulnerable we couldn’t adapt it to cover one player who cannot fully run it.