OK, Rudy’s in the dunk contest
Rudy Fernandez apparently will be announced today as the final participant in the NBA’s dunk contest during All-Star Weekend. I’ve got an idea for you, Rudy — a prop you can use on your first dunk.
Get one of the other participants in the contest, oh, maybe a guy by the name of Dwight Howard, to go stand under the rim while you slam it down in his grill, OK? (By the way, this famous dunk came off a defensive switch by the USA team in the Olympics, with poor Howard, the USA center, trying to keep up with Rudy on the way to the basket. What kind of pick-and-roll defense is that? What was Howard doing trying to chase Rudy down? Hmm, guess who the defensive coach for the U.S. team was?)
NBA, Trail Blazers | Dwight Jaynes | January 19, 2009
Dwight Howard, Dwight Jaynes, Nate McMillan, NBA slam-dunk contest, Rudy Fernandez, U.S. Olympic basketball
“What was Howard doing trying to chase Rudy down? Hmm, guess who the defensive coach for the U.S. team was?)”
NATE MCMILLIAN! haha
So quick to jump to conclusions, Dwight.
Flash back to Beijing 2008… If you watch K*be over-aggressively guarding Rudy, he takes an unsuccessful gamble at picking Rudy’s pocket, thus, leaving Howard out to dry and Rudy wins the race to the hoop. K*be later took full responsibility for the play, admitting he chose to take that risk.
“Flash back to Beijing 2008… If you watch K*be over-aggressively guarding Rudy, he takes an unsuccessful gamble at picking Rudy’s pocket, thus, leaving Howard out to dry and Rudy wins the race to the hoop. K*be later took full responsibility for the play, admitting he chose to take that risk.”
So you would rather have Howard guarding Rudy? That makes no sense.
They were switching pick and rolls all the time — and perhaps this is where Portland’s problem began. The guys on that team like Lebron, Kobe and Wade could get away with it — there are about six or seven players in the whole world who can guard players of all sizes. But Portland hasn’t had one since Scottie Pip left.
– Dwight
Maybe switching on the pick is easier to get away with in FIBA ball in general? It’s also quite possible that coaching Team USA made Nate fall in love with some fool’s gold defensive schemes. Either way, I don’t think that Rudy’s dunk over Howard is the best example, given K*be’s mistake. Also, if the guards on the Blazers roster could learn how to fight through picks and not be forced to switch…
It isn’t a matter of fighting through picks… the system they’re using isn’t calling for them to do that — it’s asking them to switch the screens, so you wouldn’t want to fight through them. If you watch closely, you’ll see MANY screens or picks every game that there is no reason to switch, but they do. It’s obviously what they WANT to do. Not what they HAVE to do.
– Dwight
Love Rudy, hate he’s in the dunk contest. Could be embarrassing
Rudy should put on a Matador outfit and jump over a cardboard cutout of a bull or something. That would be hilarious.
Oh you mean the same coach who helped to bring back the GOLD medal? The same coach who worked under a college coach at Duke who will end up being the winningest coach in NCAA history?
Why don’t you offer your services as the next blazer coach Dwight. I am sure the players will respond well to your holier than thou know it all attitude, and no other teams will figure your playbook because of your enormous brain…
give me a break
Oh you mean the same coach who helped to bring back the GOLD medal? The same coach who worked under a college coach at Duke who will end up being the winningest coach in NCAA history?
Why don’t you offer your services as the next blazer coach Dwight. I am sure the players will respond well to your holier than thou know it all attitude, and no other teams will figure your playbook because of your enormous brain…”
Dwight is just pointing out the obvious flaws in the defensive scheme, what’s with the vicious rebuttal?
The play in question was caused by Kobe taking an inappropriate chance for a steal which unleashed Rudy on Dwight Howard. Not pick and roll defense.
I am getting sick of seeing the poor pick and roll defense but not as much as hearing about it on this website. Dwight, maybe you can stop crying about it and come up with a solution? I didn’t play too much organized basketball as a kid and only play pick up games. In that situation it’s always a switch or someone not defending the pick. That’s all I know about pick and roll defense. Please enlighten us on how you would defend it or stop this cynical topic right now.
Gotta have a center to do pick and rolls….
TROLL ALERT
Ozzy – your love fest with McMillian is laughable. Michael Jordan was a great player, but he is a sour GM. Isiah Thomas was a fantastic player, bad coach and bad GM. Just because he was an assistant coach on the USA team means nothing. Coach K was there, Coach D was there….. How much planning did you really have to do for that team? Basically, you focus on out-scoring. Defense is easy when your playing against 6’9 lineups. Lebron could cover a center in a switch. For that matter, Kobe almost could. Let’s also not forget, how close was team USA to losing to Spain? —- The reason that game was close, lack of defensive focus.
Kirk – And anyone else
Basketball 101 right here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pick_and_roll
Oh – one last thing I forgot to mention.
In that article, it gave me a great reference to Karl Malone and John Stockton.
If they were still in the NBA and with our defensive scheme. They would run the pick and roll and EVERY play down, Karl Malone would be picked up by Blake…. Does that make sense to you? You think that would be successful? LOL
Thanks for the website blazermvp. I have been educated. With all the praise Blake and Bayless get for being good defenders you would think they would “belly up” when they set the pick. I didn’t see “switch defenders” as one of the options which supports Dwight’s stance.
Dwight, can you forward this website link to Mr. Sonic ASAP!
Hey Dwight, you have a press pass and media credentials to talk to the team and coach after games right? How about asking Nate why he thinks switching is effective. If he can come up with a good reason of why he’s continuing to stick with a broken system I’d like to hear it. The biggest problem is you’re the only person in the public eye with enough balls to actually question Nate on something. Please, PLEASE do this Dwight. Just please ask him why he insists on switching. Did he get too switch happy from the olympic team (because almost all those guys can guard almost any international player) or what? Please Dwight, please ask him.
anyone who wants to hear what Nate has to say about the Blazers pick and roll defense should go read this http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/01/picking_and_rolling_with_the_b.html
Good commentary. Defending a pick and roll requires nothing special, just effort to fight through the screen. Switching is taking the pansy way out. Event the slowest guy on the team like Blake should be able defend this by simply fighting through a screen.
my two cents:
-If anybody out there commenting on this board has squared up against athletically superior players and tried to defend them..well you know the answer to that scenario…it is almost impossible to defend anybody one-on-one, I can’t even imagine how hard this is in the NBA.
-when a player like Chris Paul slows down to allow for a big-man to set a screen, if your a guy like Steve Blake, you thank the good lord he is slowing down because it actually HELPS you, because Paul, the D-Wade’s of the world can blow by you at will, anytime of the day, in their sleep.
-so on top of all that, you negate your OWN advantage when he SLOWS down on purpose by….of all things….switching. Obviously if D-wade can blow past Steve Blake, Sergio, Roy, Rudy etc… he has a field day going one-on-one with Oden or Pryz, usually the result is a 2-on-1 lay-up at the hoop or a dunk because the center is in no-mans’ land and our rotational help side defense is usually late and soft.
Quick just posted a pick and roll update on o-live….don’t know how much of that I buy. Nate sounded pretty defensive in that. Says they only switch on emergencies…….we have enough emergencies to open our own hospital.
And Quick comes back with a wild uppercut and he misses badly! You might want to look into if Quick is on Paul Allens payroll.
Our perimeter defense is fine, it’s our perimeter defenders that suck.
Oh, and would someone please pass the ball to Greg?!?
back to topic:
Rudy not just shoot. Rudy pass, and Rudy dunk!
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/01/picking_and_rolling_with_the_b.html
Dwight:
After reading this article (link above), your incessant whining (re: Coach Mac’s defensive schemes of the pick-and-roll) comes off as complete nonsense.
I dare you to post my comment. You wiped a previous one of mine…
Glen/All
Tonight vs Bucks:
1st Quarter
—————-
16 Total High Picks
14 Switches
1 Over/Under Cover
1 Trap
2nd Quarter
—————–
8 Total High Picks
7 Switches
1 Over/Under Cover
3rd Quarter
—————–
9 Total High Picks
7 Switches
2 Over/Under Cover
4th Quarter
——————
14 Total High Picks
10 Switches
4 Over/Under Covers
Totals
—————-
47 Total High Picks
38 Switches
8 Over/Under Covers
1 Trap
***Sounds like this IS Nate’s game plane.
blazermvp:
Sweet/wow, you like to keep track of picks. Didn’t you effin read Quick’s article? The switch is an emergency option and it’s the players that are not executing properly and relying on that switch. Hey man, I don’t like that switch either but, don’t put it all on McMillan. It’s really easy for your armchair quarterbacking ass and Jaynes sitting on his deck hammock at his boathouse and criticize one of the best young coaches out there.