Do we owe Mike Woodson and apology?

[HawkItus]

Friday, April 1, 2011

By gaining Mike Bibby, Heat lose identity

By Tom Haberstroh

Mike Bibby Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images The Heat were known as a top defensive team -- that is, until Mike Bibby arrived.

15 points.

When point guard Mike Bibby has been on the floor for the Heat, Miami's defense has surrendered 15 points per 100 possessions more than when he has sat on the bench. (We use per 100 possessions as the standard to control for potential tempo effects).

That sounds bad, but how damaging is that? Consider this: the difference between the league's top defense (Chicago) and the league's worst defense (Cleveland) is 12.5 points per 100 possessions. Do the math, and you find that Bibby's defensive impact has been about three points wider than that.

A few weeks ago when the Heat inked Bibby to a contract, I penned a somewhat tongue-and-cheek post about his notoriously bad defense. Within that post, I asked the following question:

When Bibby takes the floor, can Erik Spoelstra say with a straight face that the team's identity begins and ends with defense?

The answer so far has been a resounding "no."

If you've paid close attention lately, you've noticed Spoelstra openly searching for answers. Following the Heat's embarrassing loss against the Cavaliers on Wednesday when the Heat allowed the league's worst offense to drop 102 points on them, Spoelstra admitted to the media, "We're a little confused what our identity is."

From day one, Spoelstra has emphasized that the Heat's identity needs to come on the defensive end. For all the fireworks on offense, the Heat won't reach their goals without suffocating their opponents on the other side of the floor. That's where championship teams distinguish themselves from the rest of the playoff field.

And the Heat bought into Spoelstra's program. But Bibby's presence has made it difficult to apply it.

Bibby can have that effect. The logic behind signing the veteran after he was bought out after a short stint with the Washington Wizards was just as long as his offensive benefit outweighs the losses on the defensive end, he would be worth it. And he certainly has delivered on the offensive side of the ledger. He has nailed 49 percent of his 3-pointers and kept his turnovers in check, a welcoming sight for those who have watched Mario Chalmers as the Heat's floor general.

But on defense? That's where things get ugly. For much of the season, the Heat battled the Bulls and the Celtics for the league's best defense. Now, the Heat have slid in the ranks down to fifth place, separating themselves from the cream of the crop. What's most interesting is when that slide started: when Bibby came into town. He made his debut Mar. 13 against the Magic when the Heat allowed 99 points on just 89 possessions, translating to a defensive efficiency far above the Heat norm. The next game? The San Antonio Spurs dropped 125 points on the Heat.

So here are the numbers with Bibby in tow. Since that Orlando game (Bibby's debut), the Heat's defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) has ranked 20th in the league at 106.4, according to data from NBA StatsCube. That's worse than Cleveland, Minnesota and Sacramento over that stretch. Before that game, the Heat's defensive efficiency stood at 99.7, one of the very best in the league.

But when we key in on Bibby and isolate his time on court, the Heat's defensive numbers go from bad to worse. With Bibby on the floor, the Heat's defense has hemorrhaged 114.5 points per 100 possessions to the opposing teams. With Bibby sitting on the bench? 99.1 points per 100 possessions, or almost exactly where the Heat were before Bibby came into the picture. That's the 15-point difference I was talking about.

Now, it's important to note that Bibby's arrival coincided with the Heat's toughest stretch of the season when the Heat faced Orlando, San Antonio (twice), Chicago, Oklahoma City and the Lakers. But even if we ignore those games, the Heat's defense has been abysmal. I mean, the Heat allowed the Washington Wizards to score 107 points on Wednesday without John Wall (mostly), Rashard Lewis, Josh Howard, and Nick Young. That's egregious. Then there's the Cleveland game and the one where they edged Houston despite surrendering 119 points. The Houston's offense is good, but the Heat made them look all-time good.

So here's the question: Why is this happening?

Bibby's matador act on the defensive end of the floor forces Spoelstra to hide him on the floor. That means that Dwyane Wade or LeBron James often have to cover the opposing point guard, which, in turn, puts Bibby on a taller opponent. A switch like that can have a disorienting effect on the team that has been normally lock-tight with rotations. Making things worse is that Bibby has been dreadful at closing out on shooters. He tends to over-help on other players, leaving his man wide open to knock down a perimeter shot. In fact, according to Synergy Sports, opponents have shot 51.2 percent on spot-ups when guarded by Bibby, but it's effectively 66.3 percent shooting once you account for the fact that many of those spot-up shots come from beyond the arc. You don't need a leaderboard to gauge how atrocious that is.

As bad as Bibby's defense has been, the Heat are still outscoring opponents when he's on the floor, if barely. The offense has been top-notch, scoring 114.8 points per 100 possessions, which is three points more efficient than when he rides the pine. So while there's a noticeable benefit to having him on the floor, the Heat are essentially breaking even once we incorporate his defensive liabilities. Breaking even isn't championship material.

The Heat don't have any quick solutions at the moment. Chalmers, who is far more active and experienced with Spoelstra's schemes, is still recovering from a knee injury and will be shelved for at least another week. Aside from Chalmers, the Heat have Eddie House who is a one-way player. Furthermore, Mike Miller, a player that Spoelstra likes to play in place of a traditional point guard, is on the shelf as well with a sprained knee.

As a new arrival, Bibby may have some catching up to do with the Heat defensive schemes. With the playoffs on the horizon, the Heat have no choice but fast track that process. But even if Bibby gets up to speed, the Heat will have to continue compensating for his blemishes. Considering his history, there's little hope that the data during Bibby's 383 minutes in a Heat uniform can be written off as a statistical aberration.

There's still time for the Heat to reclaim their identity as a defensively-focused squad. But as we've seen over the past month, Bibby is making it hard for the Heat to look in the mirror and like what they see.

Looks like Spoelstra is using the same tactics that Woody used. I think Woody never got a fair shake at deploying his best attributes "defense" with Bibby as his only viable point guard.

Edited April 1, 2011 by sultanofatl

[CODHAWKSFAN]

I'm sorry but, am I missing something (with the topic)? :scratchhead:

[NineOhTheRino]

i bet if you had attached a poll to this 90% would respond yes.

[frosgrim]

I'm sorry but, am I missing something (with the topic)? :scratchhead:

I think the point was that Bibby is REALLY bad on defense, thus the completely meltdown by the Hawks last playoffs isn't all Woodson's fault.

For me, Woodson had run his course with the team. They had tuned him out, so it was time to get a new voice. Hence the hiring of a fresh face, oh never mind, they promoted his assistant... :beathorse:

[CODHAWKSFAN]

I think the point was that Bibby is REALLY bad on defense, thus the completely meltdown by the Hawks last playoffs isn't all Woodson's fault.

For me, Woodson had run his course with the team. They had tuned him out, so it was time to get a new voice. Hence the hiring of a fresh face, oh never mind, they promoted his assistant... :beathorse:

Oh ok, thanks! I agree with you on this. I do not think that we owe Woody an apology, one thing I like about Drew is he isn't afraid to switch things up, Woody was to stubborn to switch his lineup against the Magic, he ran the same plays, with the same lineup every game, which in my opinion provoked these blowouts. You have to be able to adjust.

Edited April 1, 2011 by CODHAWKSFAN

[Supporter]

Although I am a little sympathetic towards Woody and him not having a solid all around pg like Hinrich, I still can't forgive him for those stubborn rotations, lack of bench development, and the over usage of our players. However, having been with the team for 5 years Woodrow knew each player like the back of his hands, I wouldn't mind bringing him back as an assistant coach but we know that's not going to happen.

Edited April 1, 2011 by Supporter

[NineOhTheRino]

Although I am a little sympathetic towards Woody and him not having a solid all around pg like Hinrich, I still can't forgive him for those stubborn rotations, lack of bench development, and the over usage of our players. However, having been with the team for 5 years Woodrow knew each player like the back of his hands, I wouldn't mind bringing him back as an assistant coach but we know that's not going to happen.

Assistant coach? If the choice is Woody or LD I'm taking Woody all day.

I just hope the causal fan isn't using the Hawks success against the Magic this season as affirmation that LD is a better coach. LD has a more complete roster. I have little doubt that this year's Magic team would have struggled against Woody's Hawks in a 7-game series.

The man should have never been allowed to walk and I would love to see him return if the LD experiment ends up a total disaster in the playoffs.

Edited April 1, 2011 by NineOhTheRino

[macdaddy]

Assistant coach? If the choice is Woody or LD I'm taking Woody all day.

I just hope the causal fan isn't using the Hawks success against the Magic this season as affirmation that LD is a better coach. LD has a more complete roster. I have little doubt that this year's Magic team would have struggled against Woody's Hawks in a 7-game series.

The man should have never been allowed to walk and I would love to see him return if the LD experiment ends up a total disaster in the playoffs.

Wow. I disagree. Not sure how LD has a more complete roster. It was basically the same roster until the Bibby trade plus Woody had almost zero injuries to deal with last year. Might as well wait for the playoffs and see if we get wiped out in historic fashion.

I feel Woody owes me an apology for not having his team ready for the playoffs.

Edited April 1, 2011 by macdaddy

[NineOhTheRino]

Wow. I disagree. Not sure how LD has a more complete roster. It was basically the same roster until the Bibby trade plus Woody had almost zero injuries to deal with last year. Might as well wait for the playoffs and see if we get wiped out in historic fashion.

I feel Woody owes me an apology for not having his team ready for the playoffs.

Woody was forced to play a switching defense with Bibby. This team can go man-to-man with darn near every team in the league now. That was one of the biggest gripes fans had with Woodson. People thought the SD was a Woody thing; they never took the time to question why Woody felt the need to employ the scheme in the first place.

[Buzzard]

Woody was forced to play a switching defense with Bibby. This team can go man-to-man with darn near every team in the league now. That was one of the biggest gripes fans had with Woodson. People thought the SD was a Woody thing; they never took the time to question why Woody felt the need to employ the scheme in the first place.

You have your Woody excuse in hand for Bibby, where is it for not playing Collins against bigs like Howard? Woody played his best scoring six more minutes than any coach in the NBA. He did have Collins last season right? Collins has started over 20 games this season and his minutes are up by almost 8 per game. Now I am not saying Collins is a super reserve, but he is adequate. And here is one more stat for you, until he played for Woody, Collins never averaged less than 13 mpg over his 9 year career.

LD is using him for 12, Woody used him for 4.8. Now I am no great coach, but if every coach Collins has played for thought he was good enough to get dbl figure minutes, I have to question Woodys BBIQ to think he was not on a team like ours that is obviously lacking big man depth. Woody was scared shitless of benching any of his top six players in favor of a better defensive matchup. You cannot play or coach scared at any level, when you do two things almost always occur: choking and beat downs by teams that have no fear.

I am not saying LD is our next great coach of the future, but his rotations show a lot less fear of being wrong than Woodys ever did.

Edited April 1, 2011 by Buzzard

[APE]

No apology in regards to Bibby. But, I'd like to say he's been de-throned as "Worst Hawks coach ever"

[Guest]

You have your Woody excuse in hand for Bibby, where is it for not playing Collins against bigs like Howard? Woody played his best scoring six more minutes than any coach in the NBA. He did have Collins last season right? Collins has started over 20 games this season and his minutes are up by almost 8 per game. Now I am not saying Collins is a super reserve, but he is adequate. And here is one more stat for you, until he played for Woody, Collins never averaged less than 13 mpg over his 9 year career.

LD is using him for 12, Woody used him for 4.8. Now I am no great coach, but if every coach Collins has played for thought he was good enough to get dbl figure minutes, I have to question Woodys BBIQ to think he was not on a team like ours that is obviously lacking big man depth. Woody was scared shitless of benching any of his top six players in favor of a better defensive matchup. You cannot play or coach scared at any level, when you do two things almost always occur: choking and beat downs by teams that have no fear.

I am not saying LD is our next great coach of the future, but his rotations show a lot less fear of being wrong than Woodys ever did.

Collins was a "fat tub o' lard" last year, so even if Woody wanted he prolly coudn't play him a lot of minutes :laugh: . He is actually in decent shape this season.

[MaceCase]

Woody was forced to play a switching defense with Bibby. This team can go man-to-man with darn near every team in the league now. That was one of the biggest gripes fans had with Woodson. People thought the SD was a Woody thing; they never took the time to question why Woody felt the need to employ the scheme in the first place.

Why was LD able to run the team without the switch then even though he had an older less mobile Bibby throughout most of the season? You are talking as if Hinrich was here from the jump or we added a prime Deke to the frontline. LD has only gone to the switch in minimal situations throughout the year and even then it mostly involves Marvin and Joe on the wings or Josh and Marvin, not the PG and C. The non casual Hawk fan can pretty much point to every instance that the team went to a full switch showing just how rare it was as opposed to being a base defense.

[Buzzard]

Collins was a "fat tub o' lard" last year, so even if Woody wanted he prolly coudn't play him a lot of minutes :laugh: . He is actually in decent shape this season.

Your assumption is he was a fat tub of lard just for Woody over a nine year career. Once again a grass is greener on the other side with Woody post and no facts to back it up. Don't assume this because it is a fact, I am laughing my *ss off at these Woody is a great coach post. Highly entertaining to say the least.

What marquee teams GM was beating down the door to hire Woody after we let him go? Funny as hell, you Woody backers are 100% right, while every GM in the league is wrong.

Edited April 1, 2011 by Buzzard

[HawkItus]

Your assumption is he was a fat tub of lard just for Woody over a nine year career. Once again a grass is greener on the other side with Woody post and no facts to back it up. Don't assume this because it is a fact, I am laughing my *ss off at these Woody is a great coach post. Highly entertaining to say the least; and what marquee teams GM was beating down the door to hire Woody after we let him go? Funny as hell, you Woody backers are 100% right, while every GM in the league is wrong.

Never said Woody was a great coach. The point of post is that Woody was seemingly hamstrung with Bibby at PG. His strength wasn't offense as a coach. He was a defensive coach. If you ask a defensive coach to coach a team with a nightly weakness at the two lynch pin positions of Center and PG are you being fair? Or are you asking for an impossible task?

[Guest]

Your assumption is he was a fat tub of lard just for Woody over a nine year career. Once again a grass is greener on the other side with Woody post and no facts to back it up. Don't assume this because it is a fact, I am laughing my *ss off at these Woody is a great coach post. Highly entertaining to say the least.

What marquee teams GM was beating down the door to hire Woody after we let him go? Funny as hell, you Woody backers are 100% right, while every GM in the league is wrong.

I have never and will never say that Woody was a great coach, I'm simply commenting that Collins playing 4 minutes game last year and 12 this year probably has a lot to do with the shape he was in last year compared to this year. He was plain old FAT last year, there is no disputing that, he was probably at his heaviset last year. He was a decent player for Jersey for the 1st 6/7 years of his career and I'm sure he wasn't as FAT.

[Buzzard]

Never said Woody was a great coach. The point of post is that Woody was seemingly hamstrung with Bibby at PG. His strength wasn't offense as a coach. He was a defensive coach. If you ask a defensive coach to coach a team with a nightly weakness at the two lynch pin positions of Center and PG are you being fair? Or are you asking for an impossible task?

I am asking a coach who makes a couple of million a year to adjust and make the best use of his talent. He obviously did not think much of Collins while every other coach he played for did. And though I think there are nights that ZaZa should get the nod over Collins, I cannot argue with the fact that Woody hated using either and it is pretty apparent he should have.

Woody had no guts man. He had a five year deal and was scared shitless. LD on the other hand only has a one year guarantee and at least switches things up. Not as much as I would like, but a hell of a lot more than Woody ever did.

[niremetal]

To answer the OP's question:

[MaceCase]

Kind of funny that people are suggesting that Woody was hamstrung by Bibby when it was in fact the acquisition of Bibby in the first place that even allowed him an extension to begin with. Just another case of revisionist history on the Squawk.

[APE]

Kind of funny that people are suggesting that Woody was hamstrung by Bibby when it was in fact the acquisition of Bibby in the first place that even allowed him an extension to begin with. Just another case of revisionist history on the Squawk.

"Mike Bibby was the best thing that ever happened to me as a head coach."