February 12th - New Orleans Pelicans @ Dallas Mavericks - 11-13

[luckyman]

The issue is coaching and has less to do with allowing other teams to jack open 3s.

It has more to do with acting like this team has top notch 1-on-1 defenders. SVG just refuses to trap, pressure or double the other team's best players until very late in the game, or only intermittently.

You can't let players like Doncic, Lavine, or Mitchell get comfortable with just one defender in their face and maybe one trailing on their back. That just nukes your defense into instant scramble mode as soon as they waltz into the paint which leaves shooters wide open everywhere. It is especially inexcusable for a player like Doncic. You have to stop them at the 3 pt line and dont allow them to penetrate. Make them give the ball up and do not let them get it back.

Whats funny is BI and Zion get opposite treatment. They see hard double and even triple teams early in games. As they should.

[ragincaucasian]

I've made my thoughts very clear about the rest of the team.

Lonzo should be traded, Bledsoe should be traded, Redick should be traded. Kira should get more run, and so should NAW. Hart shouldn't be on the block but he's not untouchable if a good offer comes in. Melli should go if anyone wants him at all, but that's unlikely.

Not really sure what you expect me to do, unless you just want me to complain some more about how Ingram struggles getting over screens and Bledsoe seems to have quit on defense altogether at times.

Edit: I also think it's kind of weird how flippant we are about Zion's greatness. The media still pulls up him for highlights every now and again, and obviously they're quick to use a name to get some clicks but there's no talk about Zion being legitimately great. Which he is. He gets none of the same hype that someone like Luka got despite being already tiers higher as a scorer, and it can't be because Zion's defense has been shaky so far because so was Luka's the first two years.

Then on this board, what other fanbase has a historically great player like Zion and responds like ''yeah he's all time, cool, who cares; what about Josh Hart?''

It's weird.

He is awesome. It's just being wasted right now and people are annoyed because it feels like we are wasting him exactly like we wasted AD.

I watched the Lakers come back on the Grizzlies exactly like they did to us last month. AD had 35 points and 9 rebounds.

It's a process, i get it. But it get's tiring just wanting your team to break even .500

Hell...trade some 1sts, Lonzo, Reddick, Bledsoe etc for Beal ASAP. Just do something.

[DaFranchise80]

It’s time to trade our undersized no defense playing guards (Bledsoe and Redick).

[ragincaucasian]

Two 30 point players and we lose by 13. SMH

Luka had more points than all of our guards put together.

Adams averaging 4 rebounds over the last four games (no defensive rebounds tonight).

Can't get rebounds if they don't miss a 3.

via SVG

[Pelicans_fan_504]

He is awesome. It's just being wasted right now and people are annoyed because it feels like we are wasting him exactly like we wasted AD.

I watched the Lakers come back on the Grizzlies exactly like they did to us last month. AD had 35 points and 9 rebounds.

It's a process, i get it. But it get's tiring just wanting your team to break even .500

Hell...trade some 1sts, Lonzo, Reddick, Bledsoe etc for Beal ASAP. Just do something.

Zion has been great but he has so much to learn, he has to demand the ball and be way more aggressive. To many times he gives the ball up to quickly it's the same problem he had at Duke. He needs to develop that killer attitude.

[Eman5805]

He is awesome. It's just being wasted right now and people are annoyed because it feels like we are wasting him exactly like we wasted AD.

I watched the Lakers come back on the Grizzlies exactly like they did to us last month. AD had 35 points and 9 rebounds.

It's a process, i get it. But it get's tiring just wanting your team to break even .500

Hell...trade some 1sts, Lonzo, Reddick, Bledsoe etc for Beal ASAP. Just do something.

He hasn’t completed a single full season yet in terms of games played. I get it. I totally get the concern. But I think we’re a couple seasons at least before Zion is demanding trades because of that wasting his talent issue you lament.

[Pelicanidae]

He hasn’t completed a single full season yet in terms of games played. I get it. I totally get the concern. But I think we’re a couple seasons at least before Zion is demanding trades because of that wasting his talent issue you lament.

Yeah, people whining about us not being a great team that's got everythign together today have a point in one respect (it can suck to watch) but it's not like we're in year 5 of this rebuild.

Did people think we were going to trade AD, trade Jrue, get a new coach, a new POBO, a new GM, etc, and be a 55 win team immediately anyway?

[Pelicans_fan_504]

I see alot of people blaming the defensive system, but the biggest problem is we just don't have enough good defenders. Lonzo is your best perimeter defender and Josh tries but he just not big enough for some of the assignments we ask of him. BI struggles to get over screens and Zion sometimes get lost on when to help or close out to.

And Bled is just straight up not trying on D. It is crime that he got the all defense team instead of Jrue.

[Darkhorse985]

Yeah, people whining about us not being a great team that's got everythign together today have a point in one respect (it can suck to watch) but it's not like we're in year 5 of this rebuild.

Did people think we were going to trade AD, trade Jrue, get a new coach, a new POBO, a new GM, etc, and be a 55 win team immediately anyway?

We currently have the talent to be a 50 win team, change my mind.

[Fedupfan]

We currently have the talent to be a 50 win team, change my mind.

100%. They are failing in the coaching department.

[13 - 3]

I wonder if Griff. was trying to get Nash and Dantoni to coach here and the NETS stole them from us.

[DaFranchise80]

I see alot of people blaming the defensive system, but the biggest problem is we just don't have enough good defenders. Lonzo is your best perimeter defender and Josh tries but he just not big enough for some of the assignments we ask of him. BI struggles to get over screens and Zion sometimes get lost on when to help or close out to.

And Bled is just straight up not trying on D. It is crime that he got the all defense team instead of Jrue.

Yeah Bled has to go ASAP....Dude just quit trying.

[ragincaucasian]

I think my problem lies in HOW we lose games instead of just the losing. We routinely do stupid ******** like in the Indiana game UP 6 with 30 seconds left. Sometimes like in Minnesota, the team just takes the entire night off.

We don’t guard the 3 literally ever. Build a wall theory is only situational. The Bulls and the Mavs absolutely have no paint guys that are healthy. That should not have been a priority.

You CANNOT have 1 type of defense that you use for every team. Is SVG just inflexible with this? I have no idea, but I don’t see him learning from the previous games mistakes and adapting like a good coach should.

[Pelicanidae]

We currently have the talent to be a 50 win team, change my mind.

We have a coaching issue and a personnel issue. The system needs to be modified, because it doesn't fit the roster. The reason it doesn't fit the roster is that we have too many guards, not enough wings, not enough length, the players collective recognition is low, they give inconsistent effort, and we aren't a consistent shooting time.

Some of that will be influenced by, or worsened by, coaching but at the heart of it some of it falls on the players.

Both sides need improvement. SVG needs to adapt the scheme defensively the same way he adapted the scheme offensively to focus more on Zion and open up minutes for Kira while also cutting them for Redick. He's adjusted some stuff and it's good: now he needs to do more.

Similarly, we need more consistent effort from guys like Bledsoe - who we saw in Milwaukee is capable of being a solid defensive guard but doesn't appear to care right now - and it would be great if guys like Redick could re-gain something like their last decade of form: it's not SVG's fault that Redick has suddenly forgotten how to shoot or that Ingram has high hips or that Bledsoe can't be bothered.

[Pelicanidae]

You CANNOT have 1 type of defense that you use for every team. Is SVG just inflexible with this? I have no idea, but I don’t see him learning from the previous games mistakes and adapting like a good coach should.

SVG has definitely made adjustments, they're just mostly on offense. Need some defensive creativity here.

[Taker597]

You figured how little Bledsoe wants to be here. He play himself up to get traded..

[Pelicans_fan_504]

I just hope Bled goes to the Salon with his wife soon. (Fist bump to whoever understand this reference)

[PELICANSFAN]

I just hope Bled goes to the Salon with his wife soon. (Fist bump to whoever understand this reference)

Was that in reference to him making a comment about not wanting to be in Phoenix and tried to crawfish by saying he meant he did not want to be at a salon with his wife (or something like that).

[PELICANSFAN]

Stan's defensive style just seems antiquated. When he last coached, it may have been ok to let teams shoot lightly contested 3s while packing the paint. In today's NBA, all teams shoot a lot of 3s and most are pretty good at it. He needs to adjust to the current NBA and stop living in the past. I really wish we would have hired a more current or younger coach.

[luckyman]

I see alot of people blaming the defensive system, but the biggest problem is we just don't have enough good defenders. Lonzo is your best perimeter defender and Josh tries but he just not big enough for some of the assignments we ask of him. BI struggles to get over screens and Zion sometimes get lost on when to help or close out to.

And Bled is just straight up not trying on D. It is crime that he got the all defense team instead of Jrue.

You can't lay the blame on players when you give up 25 threes in back to back games. None of these players are THAT bad on defense. That is a historically bad level.

Damn near every team played yesterday, and you know the average of made 3s in all those games besides the Pelicans game? 11. The median was 12. On Wednesday night when they gave up 25 to the bulls the average/median was 14.

So even if you have bad defenders, you'd expect to give up maybe 15 - 20 threes. These last two games have been beyond blaming bad defenders.

It's one thing to force teams into attempting lots of 3s. It's another when they are so comfortable making them like it's shooting practice videos on IG.

[Pelicanidae]

Stan's defensive style just seems antiquated. When he last coached, it may have been ok to let teams shoot lightly contested 3s while packing the paint. In today's NBA, all teams shoot a lot of 3s and most are pretty good at it. He needs to adjust to the current NBA and stop living in the past. I really wish we would have hired a more current or younger coach.

It was literally the most successful defensive tactic last season.

I get the reality that this defensive scheme is not the right fit for this team and SVG needs to make changes, but let's not pretend like nobody has had any success with this style of defense since 1985 or something. It was historically effective less than 8 months ago.

[Stalwart385]

It was literally the most successful defensive tactic last season.

I get the reality that this defensive scheme is not the right fit for this team and SVG needs to make changes, but let's not pretend like nobody has had any success with this style of defense since 1985 or something. It was historically effective less than 8 months ago.

I honestly think they may have just run into some bad luck. Prior to those games, I thought they had finally adjusted to what Stan wanted and were playing decent defense. I think a team coming in expecting to shoot over 50% from three with volume is just rolling the dice.

[JJackisangry]

It was literally the most successful defensive tactic last season.

I get the reality that this defensive scheme is not the right fit for this team and SVG needs to make changes, but let's not pretend like nobody has had any success with this style of defense since 1985 or something. It was historically effective less than 8 months ago.

Yep. But as you rightly said before, coaches have to adjust to their personnel. Currently square pegging round holes and all that

[Pelicanidae]

Yep. But as you rightly said before, coaches have to adjust to their personnel. Currently square pegging round holes and all that

Oh sure, and I'm not pushing back against the idea that there need to be changes. Absolutely, there do need to be changes.

I just think that framing it as SVG being ''antiquated'' in his style and saying that ''when he last coached'' it might have been fine but ''in today's NBA'' it's not so he's just ''living in the past'' is extremely unhelpful since it doesn't even extend as far back into the ''past'' as last August.

[JJackisangry]

Oh sure, and I'm not pushing back against the idea that there need to be changes. Absolutely, there do need to be changes.

I just think that framing it as SVG being ''antiquated'' in his style and saying that ''when he last coached'' it might have been fine but ''in today's NBA'' it's not so he's just ''living in the past'' is extremely unhelpful since it doesn't even extend as far back into the ''past'' as last August.

I think the issue (apart from Bledsoe kind of being a half baked defender for us is part of the problem), but our communication is just not on par with other top defensive sides. We look lost very often and I?ve rarely seen a team with so much defensive potential leave guys WIDE open. You will leave some guys open in this scheme. But we give them half of the court and a 15 minute recess to set their feet and practice their free throw from 3pt range. Not having the likes of Giannis and Middleton is a problem but the defensive potential is there. The execution is abysmal and until we have a full offseason we should not be trying to throw this together. It?s just stupid and kills everyone?s confidence.