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Mark Jackson is looking to implement the tactics of San Francisco 49ers first year head coach Jim Harbaugh, and off pull off the impossible (“turning Alex Smith into a dependable, unflappable winner”). He needs to convince a young Golden State Warriors team to buy into a new (and unheard of around the Bay area) defensive-first philosophy.
Last year the Warriors finished 36-46 while they were ranked 12th (out of 30) in offensive rating* and 26th in defensive rating. At a press conference on Thursday, the first day facilities were open for player’s and coaches, Mark Jackson spoke to San Francisco Chonicle columnist Gwen Knapp about the new emphasis on actually stopping team’s from scoring. Or, in my own parlance, “giving a fuck.”
“I saw a team that was incredible on the offensive end and had a great ability to score the basketball,” he said of the tape he had watched, “but took no pride on the defensive end, and didn’t buy in or wasn’t demanded to buy in. … Whatever it is, I see a team that is capable of defending. If I could defend, and not be a trash defender, as slow and as pitiful as I was, but I bought in, then I certainly have guys who are better than I was, so there’s no excuse.”
Um, that is an extremely tall order for a first-year head coach with no head-coaching experience, but it’s one that might go easier by trading Monta Ellis for Rudy Gay.
Coaches don’t have the power when they start coaching. They have to earn a player’s respect, and Jackson has a nice player’s resume, but not a very deep one as a coach. We’ll see whether his time as a shimmy shacking pointing guard will help, but it’s going to be a lot tougher than commentating.
*all ratings are based off points scored per 100 possessions
pic via SI vault
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What’s most hilarious about this last paragraph from Marcas Grant over at Speculative Sports is the idea of the Laker’s early 80’s Norm Nixon trade, to appease a young Magic, being compared to dealing Monta Ellis in favor of Stephen Curry. I love Curry’s game, and he’s a magical (whoops) offensive player, but Ervin (Magic) Johnson is one of the top five players EVER. Dell Curry’s precocious son from Davidson is not. And he plays defense like he’s a chair.
Regardless, the belief that Ellis could be on the trading block was heightened after Jerry West’s introductory press conference with the Warriors. At that time, he talked about the need for the team to get bigger in the backcourt and mentioned how he once traded Norm Nixon to make way for a younger Magic Johnson. Stephen Curry is the younger of the Warriors’ point guards, theoretically making him the club’s future. Ellis could provide an extra scoring punch for someone either off the bench as a sixth man or in a starting role as an off-guard.
I don’t think Monta’s ego would allow him to come off the bench, but he’d be the perfect off-guard Chicago is looking for, and Derrick Rose could become more of a facilitator for that team. Also, maybe GS wants Boozer. I haven’t checked the NBA trade machine in months, but the Ellis for Boozer deal makes sense to me.
pic via keithallison
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Stephen Curry + Monta Ellis=locker room dissension because Curry didn’t get him the ball enough for his 22 shots.
Stephen Curry + Monta Ellis = Future of NBA
