uptempo wrote:

32 wrote:Well, here's the thing: basketball is 90% players and 10% coach. By the time you get to game day, there are literally only 4 or 5 coaches in the entire league that will effect the outcome of a game. Unless you have D'Antonni, Adleman, Karl, or, Scott, Poppavich, you're not likely going to see any sort of on-court mastery taking place from the sidelines.

But then, after those gents, the next wave of coaches comes in: the fellas that might not steer the x's and o's on game day, but whose prep, practice, and vocal leadership has inspired a change of course, if you will. These coaches are culture-changers and they do an excellent job preparing their team for war. Such coaches include Thibodeau, Skiles, Brooks, Avery Johnson. It is here that I believe Mark Jackson can reach given enough experience.

He's clearly changed the defensive culture of this team... And I don't want to hear anybody claim it's the personell, because Lee and Thompson - who were both transparent last year - have improved by leaps and bounds. Jackson is in the process of teaching the team how to protect a lead; how often last year would we see them spoil a 15 point lead because they couldn't stop gunning? I dunno if any of you recall, but before this year, the Warriors ran NO plays through the post. I mean, sure, maybe Lee would get a touch or two inside against a mismatch, or in years past Don Nelson gave Baron the green light to back somebody down, but we haven't had post consistency like this for years. Jackson goes back to Barnes and Landry on the block over and over until the defense adjusts: THAT'S how you handle a mismatch.

I dunno, I could be wrong. Lord knows with Bogut and Rush out, the backcourt shooting like crap, and low-scoring games thus far, the fans are certainly forming the beginning stages of a panic. But I don't believe Mark Jackson is the problem.

Great analysis. I agree 100% with what you had posted.

Where does Doc Rivers fit in: "X-O Guy" or "Change Culture Guy?"

32 wrote:

uptempo wrote:

32 wrote:Well, here's the thing: basketball is 90% players and 10% coach. By the time you get to game day, there are literally only 4 or 5 coaches in the entire league that will effect the outcome of a game. Unless you have D'Antonni, Adleman, Karl, or, Scott, Poppavich, you're not likely going to see any sort of on-court mastery taking place from the sidelines.

But then, after those gents, the next wave of coaches comes in: the fellas that might not steer the x's and o's on game day, but whose prep, practice, and vocal leadership has inspired a change of course, if you will. These coaches are culture-changers and they do an excellent job preparing their team for war. Such coaches include Thibodeau, Skiles, Brooks, Avery Johnson. It is here that I believe Mark Jackson can reach given enough experience.

He's clearly changed the defensive culture of this team... And I don't want to hear anybody claim it's the personell, because Lee and Thompson - who were both transparent last year - have improved by leaps and bounds. Jackson is in the process of teaching the team how to protect a lead; how often last year would we see them spoil a 15 point lead because they couldn't stop gunning? I dunno if any of you recall, but before this year, the Warriors ran NO plays through the post. I mean, sure, maybe Lee would get a touch or two inside against a mismatch, or in years past Don Nelson gave Baron the green light to back somebody down, but we haven't had post consistency like this for years. Jackson goes back to Barnes and Landry on the block over and over until the defense adjusts: THAT'S how you handle a mismatch.

I dunno, I could be wrong. Lord knows with Bogut and Rush out, the backcourt shooting like crap, and low-scoring games thus far, the fans are certainly forming the beginning stages of a panic. But I don't believe Mark Jackson is the problem.

Great analysis. I agree 100% with what you had posted.

Where does Doc Rivers fit in: "X-O Guy" or "Change Culture Guy?"

Doc is definitely a guy who can change the outcome of a game on the fly.

I am absolutely embarrassed to not have mentioned him initially; he could very well be the 3rd best pure coach in the league.

uptempo wrote:

32 wrote:

uptempo wrote:

32 wrote:Well, here's the thing: basketball is 90% players and 10% coach. By the time you get to game day, there are literally only 4 or 5 coaches in the entire league that will effect the outcome of a game. Unless you have D'Antonni, Adleman, Karl, or, Scott, Poppavich, you're not likely going to see any sort of on-court mastery taking place from the sidelines.

But then, after those gents, the next wave of coaches comes in: the fellas that might not steer the x's and o's on game day, but whose prep, practice, and vocal leadership has inspired a change of course, if you will. These coaches are culture-changers and they do an excellent job preparing their team for war. Such coaches include Thibodeau, Skiles, Brooks, Avery Johnson. It is here that I believe Mark Jackson can reach given enough experience.

He's clearly changed the defensive culture of this team... And I don't want to hear anybody claim it's the personell, because Lee and Thompson - who were both transparent last year - have improved by leaps and bounds. Jackson is in the process of teaching the team how to protect a lead; how often last year would we see them spoil a 15 point lead because they couldn't stop gunning? I dunno if any of you recall, but before this year, the Warriors ran NO plays through the post. I mean, sure, maybe Lee would get a touch or two inside against a mismatch, or in years past Don Nelson gave Baron the green light to back somebody down, but we haven't had post consistency like this for years. Jackson goes back to Barnes and Landry on the block over and over until the defense adjusts: THAT'S how you handle a mismatch.

I dunno, I could be wrong. Lord knows with Bogut and Rush out, the backcourt shooting like crap, and low-scoring games thus far, the fans are certainly forming the beginning stages of a panic. But I don't believe Mark Jackson is the problem.

Great analysis. I agree 100% with what you had posted.

Where does Doc Rivers fit in: "X-O Guy" or "Change Culture Guy?"

Doc is definitely a guy who can change the outcome of a game on the fly.

I am absolutely embarrassed to not have mentioned him initially; he could very well be the 3rd best pure coach in the league.

Erik Spoelstra?

rockyBeli wrote:It's a players league by a long shot. This is is a put up or shut up year for Mark Jackson. He's got the roster, so a relatively healthy squad should get a playoff birth...anything less is a disappointment. I'm on the fence... he's made some mistakes, but he's also gotten this team to buy into a defensive mindset. And he plays the rooks, unlike some other stupidly biased coaches we know. I think the more time goes on the better he gets. One thing is I wish this team would freestyle more instead of worrying about always executing the set play. Basketball is an impromptu game so you gotta take the opportunities when they're there. As far as coaches go, I will take Mark Jackson over gimmick Nelly ball all day every day. He understands you need the basics to win. Mark Jackson was a leader and had great mental toughness as a player... that does translate to coaching and the players respect that cuz he's been there before and was a leader when he played.

32 wrote:I think Tyler has a terrific little package on the low block and the athleticism to finish through traffic, but the man unfortunately plays like he's 6'6". Did anyone else see him blow off the guard on the break and handle it himself last night? What's worse is Tyler's rebounding rate last year put him 55th out of 67 qualified centers. For a 6'11" dude, he doesn't crash the boards at all or protect the paint. In this league, you need Amare/Bosh offense to get away with that and I dunno if Tyler's got it.

The young man needs to reflect on his game and somehow discover a way to WANT to play inside, because as of right now, he's flat out disinterested in dirty work.

uptempo wrote:

32 wrote:I think Tyler has a terrific little package on the low block and the athleticism to finish through traffic, but the man unfortunately plays like he's 6'6". Did anyone else see him blow off the guard on the break and handle it himself last night? What's worse is Tyler's rebounding rate last year put him 55th out of 67 qualified centers. For a 6'11" dude, he doesn't crash the boards at all or protect the paint. In this league, you need Amare/Bosh offense to get away with that and I dunno if Tyler's got it.

The young man needs to reflect on his game and somehow discover a way to WANT to play inside, because as of right now, he's flat out disinterested in dirty work.

I agree with you 100%.

Minimally, I would like to see Tyler go after defensive rebounds, trigger the fast break with the proper outlet pass, and run to floor to either finish the break or follow-up on a missed shot. This is very doable for a kid with his size, speed, and skill set.

The kid is still a diamond in the rough. With Bogut out, Biedrens having regressed, and Ezili still young and raw, the team needs Tyler to quickly step up his game.

32 wrote:

uptempo wrote:

32 wrote:I think Tyler has a terrific little package on the low block and the athleticism to finish through traffic, but the man unfortunately plays like he's 6'6". Did anyone else see him blow off the guard on the break and handle it himself last night? What's worse is Tyler's rebounding rate last year put him 55th out of 67 qualified centers. For a 6'11" dude, he doesn't crash the boards at all or protect the paint. In this league, you need Amare/Bosh offense to get away with that and I dunno if Tyler's got it.

The young man needs to reflect on his game and somehow discover a way to WANT to play inside, because as of right now, he's flat out disinterested in dirty work.

I agree with you 100%.

Minimally, I would like to see Tyler go after defensive rebounds, trigger the fast break with the proper outlet pass, and run to floor to either finish the break or follow-up on a missed shot. This is very doable for a kid with his size, speed, and skill set.

The kid is still a diamond in the rough. With Bogut out, Biedrens having regressed, and Ezili still young and raw, the team needs Tyler to quickly step up his game.

Agreed.

He's pulling a Derrick Williams, on a much smaller scale of course. Tyler has played 8 minutes of garbage time against bench scrubs. He hasn't blocked a shot yet, hasn't even committed a foul. He has 1 rebound; which puts his RP40 at 5 per game (which is pathetic; worse than most guards). He's 3 of 5 on the season... But, again, against the competition he's seeing, without double teams or a lot of pressure, he should be shooting 80%. Imagine what Landry or Lee would be doing in Tyler's shoes. The Warriors are so desperate for center minutes, they've reverted to Biedrins. That means Tyler is giving them zilch in practice.

Is anyone else concerned that Jackson is giving Festus Ezeli the Brandan Wright treatment? Without Bogut, he's starting both halves and the team seems to do okay when he's in... But he's playing a pedestrian 16 minutes per game... And that number seems to be going down.

32 wrote:uptempo, I sense you'd rather see Tyler on the court than Ezeli... Is that right?

uptempo wrote:

32 wrote:uptempo, I sense you'd rather see Tyler on the court than Ezeli... Is that right?

I really do not know if one player is better than the other.

I like Ezeli's game, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

I am hoping that Tyler can step up his play in practice so that he can earn some playing time minutes. If the kid is ever going to improve, now would be a good time. The team desperately needs production from its center position. Perhaps a three-man rotation of Ezeli-Biedrens-Tyler can help the team in how it adjusts to Bogut's absence.

32, to me it is the coach's call on who plays. I am just hoping that Tyler can take the next step forward and start earning some playing time.