About our possible Finals opponent: Warriors

[RandomFan]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12273986/how-golden-state-warriors-built-nba-best-defense

 

This is a really good read about our likely Finals opponent if we can make it that far. It talks a lot about defense and some things that pertain to a lot of the discussions we've been having around here.

 

Such as:

 

Bogut is important for Golden State, but consider what happened in his absence. On the early December night when he hurt his knee against Minnesota, the Warriors had the top-ranked defense. In the month Bogut was gone, the Warriors still outperformed all other defenses. They were better defensively with the help of their premier rim protector, but his time off demonstrated a defense isn't defined by just rim protection.

Part of the reason is big man defense is so outrageously pricey. Shot-blocking is a scarce, expensive resource in the NBA, as evidenced by Bogut's handsome, $12.9 million salary. With few notable exceptions (Rudy Gobert), you're not getting that on the cheap.

Wing defense is another matter. It's more abstract, harder to measure and harder to price.

 

They have a lot of similarities to us, so as I was reading this article I kept thinking of how it could be talking about the Hawks too.

Edited February 18, 2015 by RandomFan

[bobrathbun4pres]

I just wish we could get Zaza back

[DrReality]

I just wish we could get Zaza back

Plus one although he's not a stretch big

I just wish we could get Zaza back

Plus one but he's not a stretch big

[benhillboy]

In today's NBA perimeter defense is just as important if not more than rim protection. The Warriors don't need Bogut (not convinced they can beat healthy Spurs anyway) but we need Thabo. There's currently a golden age of small guards who are athletic and can dribble. You gotta keep them out the paint where they're crafty enough around the rim to neutralize slower-reacting Bigs anyway.

For example, Dennis, as diminutive as he is, hasn't shown any fear of rim protectors this season. He may get turned back and go crashing to the floor, no problem. He still realizes he has multiple options most times stopping on a dime and faking, threading through and hitting the man the Big left down the middle. finishing under arm, or floating it. There are only a handful of back-to-the-basket Bigs so head-to-head blocks amongst Cs occurs much less than it used to.

I wouldn't harp on rim protection unless it was an ideal rookie contract with minutes monitored for efficiency a la Gobert, Henson, or Dieng. In those cases, sure, you're getting criminally outstanding value to keep a lid on the hoop. But it isn't smart to overpay for it or have it on the floor for 32 minutes compromising your team mobility on defense and spacing on offense like a Jordan, Bogut, or Hibbert. Hell, Dennis applying constsnt pressure full court does more for us than a one-dimensional rim protector would. I think our record indicates The Good Guys are doing just fine. We find ways to even or win paint scoring battles, we need to tighten up on the arc and stop giving up our shooting skill advantage to teams who just fire away because they're wide ass open.

Edited February 18, 2015 by benhillboy