Quote:
Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky
We won in 2011 because
Not necessarily a bunch of defensive experts, but we were tight in our rotations and we did have 1-2 strong defensive players (Chandler and Stephenson)
|
I don't disagree a bit, but think of the true statement you wrote above this way:
Both of those players had undeniably positive impacts on OFFENSE, too. Chandler created space vertically, kind of the way Powell does, and if you remember, that was the year he started hitting that elbow jumper at a high clip. This was sort of the 2011 version of keeping his defender out of the paint and keeping him honest.
Think of how a (very) casual fan might have thought of Stevenson in those playoffs. Remember all those huge 3's he hit during insanely big moments? If he doesn't hit those, the story has a different outcome. He was absolutely a factor in creating space for Dirk and Terry to operate. He was absolutely a contributor to the spacing that allowed Barea to dominate in the Lakers and Heat series.
And, that was 10 years ago. If anything, I'd argue that the spacing Dallas got then, which was amazing, is kind of average by today's standards. These things I'm talking about are even MORE important now, imo.
I want to be very clear: I AGREE that improving the defense should be a high priority, but I feel strongly that players who can't fit into what the team is trying to accomplish on offense won't help the defense at all, because they'll be on the bench during all the important stretches the team plays. You can't tell me that Carlisle didn't want to play Wright more, for example. He gave the guy chance after chance after chance during the season. When the playoffs came around, he felt like he couldn't play the guy.
Back to the above, I think Ibaka IS a two-way player who helps you, but unfortunately, I don't think he's much of a fit on court with KP. That's my opinion, I could be wrong.