JrZyHuStLa wrote:

nixluva wrote:

JrZyHuStLa wrote:

nixluva wrote:

JrZyHuStLa wrote:Two words regarding our defense.

Mike D'antoni.

The last 2 games we held each opponent to under a 100. There's really nothing wrong with Mike's defensive coaching. You have to have players buy in and give effort. We already know that we've got a lot of guys that don't defend all the time at the same level of intensity. When they do, the defense works very well. So it's not the strategy, it's the will of the players.

Does MDA teach players to go under the pick or not boxout or get their hands up on D? When the players fail to do these things its due to their own failings. Why doesn't Amar'e play harder on D? Why didn't Lee play harder on D? That's who they are as players. Coaches can't change that. Sometimes players are just physically limited like Mark Jackson, but often it's a mental thing. We have a lot of guys that aren't strong defensive players from a mental standpoint. Various coaches haven't been able to get them to be better defenders. Like Amar'e for instance. He got a lot of pub for defending harder last year, but to be honest he still wasn't that good. LB tried to get our players to defend and that didn't work either. That's why he wanted to change out the roster.

Still this team can play better on D than it's shown at times. Overall this team isn't as bad as it may seem when you look at the defensive stats. We're 20th in the league in overall Defensive Efficiency per 100 possessions. Meanwhile we're one of the best offensively. If this team can make a more concerted effort to play hard on D, like the last 2 games, they'll be in good shape. I think if the trade goes down, the team will be motivated to give effort. It may take some time to develop chemistry, but hopefully not too long.

Two words for the Knicks defense.

Mike D'antoni.

Take a deep breath and let it sink in.

This team isn't the worst in the league defensively. They have room for improvement and have shown that they can defend when they want to. It has nothing to do with Mike. The team is 20th right now and they have it within their power to get better. It's mostly about effort. In the last 2 games you saw that the Knicks pressed and pressured the ball more. They fought harder on the perimeter and made teams take tough shots. They can play better D and proved it. No one is expecting great D, cuz they're not built that way. But the goal is to play as hard as they can. If they do then they'll win games.

You're wrong. D'antoni has every single bit of responsibility to take for this team's lack of defensive responsibility. All we hear is that stupid pace excuse he uses after every bad loss and how we didn't move the ball around the way we should have, which has NOTHING to do with defense.

We won the last 2 games with good defense, so how can you say that Mike doesn't care about D? He talks about it a lot more than people admit. When LB couldn't get this team to defend was it his fault? At some point you have to put the onus on the players. Even with no special coaching, pride should account for the effort you put into guarding your own man. You see the games we play and the switching and rotations the team makes. The only issue is that too often the guys give up on the play rather than defend the entire shot clock. That's been the big difference in the last 2 wins. They actually defended until the play was over. They got up into guys and they took pride in their D.

Ask any NBA analyst, and he or she will tell you the same.

They will struggle.

misterearl wrote:"Mike D'antoni simply doesn't care about defense."

Coaches do not play defense, players play defense.

Even better, why not ask the people closest to the team? Why not ask any one of D'Antoni's assistant coaches, the guys who know best, what is taught during practice?

NBA analysts are NOT experts at what goes on in the locker room or on the closed practice court. If that was the case, Mark Jackson would already be a head coach.

Defense is about effort. If the claim is the Knicks do not make an honest effort on defense, please show the evidence.

Defense is a contagious thing. At one time, we were near the bottom of the league when it came to blocks, now we are near the top. When you see a fellow player giving effort, your natural inclination is to replicate that effort. I think that Melo will make the effort.

misterearl wrote:"Mike D'antoni simply doesn't care about defense."

Coaches do not play defense, players play defense.

Even better, why not ask the people closest to the team? Why not ask any one of D'Antoni's assistant coaches, the guys who know best, what is taught during practice?

NBA analysts are NOT experts at what goes on in the locker room or on the closed practice court. If that was the case, Mark Jackson would already be a head coach.

Defense is about effort. If the claim is the Knicks do not make an honest effort on defense, please show the evidence.

Papabear Says

If thats the case then how come Mike D's team don't play defense. And if that is the case then it does not matter who gets traded.

BRIGGS wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Nothing we do will give us playoff quality defense in time so you got to double down on the offense and try to win by a higher margin. Melo should be enough to do that and Billups is smart enough and experienced enough to manage it in the most efficient way. Fields has been starting to not just take it to the rim, but also draw defenders and make smart plays. I'm guessing Melo and Stat being aggressive is going to be contagious.

I'm not saying this team would be good enough to beat the Heat but I think they would give them a scare.

We are not winning a title this year--are u kidding me? we dont even have a starting C. look at their stats we will have two very similar players no ball movement--porous defense.

Have you watched the Heat offense Briggs? Ball movement? It's like 4 guys standing and watching Lebron. If they can do it so can we.
And they don't have a starting center or a starting PF. they do have starting diva though he is called Bosh.

nixluva wrote:

JrZyHuStLa wrote:Two words regarding our defense.

Mike D'antoni.

The last 2 games we held each opponent to under a 100. There's really nothing wrong with Mike's defensive coaching. You have to have players buy in and give effort. We already know that we've got a lot of guys that don't defend all the time at the same level of intensity. When they do, the defense works very well. So it's not the strategy, it's the will of the players.

Does MDA teach players to go under the pick or not boxout or get their hands up on D? When the players fail to do these things its due to their own failings. Why doesn't Amar'e play harder on D? Why didn't Lee play harder on D? That's who they are as players. Coaches can't change that. Sometimes players are just physically limited like Mark Jackson, but often it's a mental thing. We have a lot of guys that aren't strong defensive players from a mental standpoint. Various coaches haven't been able to get them to be better defenders. Like Amar'e for instance. He got a lot of pub for defending harder last year, but to be honest he still wasn't that good. LB tried to get our players to defend and that didn't work either. That's why he wanted to change out the roster.

Still this team can play better on D than it's shown at times. Overall this team isn't as bad as it may seem when you look at the defensive stats. We're 20th in the league in overall Defensive Efficiency per 100 possessions. Meanwhile we're one of the best offensively. If this team can make a more concerted effort to play hard on D, like the last 2 games, they'll be in good shape. I think if the trade goes down, the team will be motivated to give effort. It may take some time to develop chemistry, but hopefully not too long.

JrZyHuStLa wrote:Mike D'antoni simply doesn't care about defense.

Ask any NBA analyst, and he or she will tell you the same.

JrZyHuStLa wrote:

fishmike wrote:

JrZyHuStLa wrote:Mike D'antoni simply doesn't care about defense.

Ask any NBA analyst, and he or she will tell you the same.

how did Larry Brown do here?

Here? Bad, of course.

With Detroit (which was much less talented than D'antoni's Suns teams), good.

Still when this team actually puts forth the effort on D, they are pretty good, as the last 2 games showed. They came out with a better effort on D and held both teams to under 100 pts. Mike didn't suddenly figure out how to coach D, the team simply gave more effort and commitment to the defensive side of the ball. If you watch the game you can clearly see that. Guys defended with pride. It was the same defensive system, just they gave more effort.