Luc Richard Mbah A Moute Scouts Playoff Stars

He thinks length is the best way to bother Derrick.

about 1 year ago silentpete 13 comments 1 recs |

Comments

I like how two of his keys against Rose are

1) Avoid the drive at all costs.
2) Contest the jumper.

I don’t care how long you are, you will not be able to deny Rose of both options. If you truly want to deny the drive at all costs, you’ll have to sag off to the point where there’s at least two feet of separation and he’ll burn you with his J.

If you defend close enough to be in position to (truly) contest his jumpers, he’s gone before you know it. You can’t get physical with him; he’s just too quick. Some on this blog have said that he’s the most productive player in the league in isolation situations; those numbers back up what I’m saying.

Meanwhile, with guys like Bron and Wade, they seem to have a tough time with gritty, in your face defenders. The only way to lock down a guy like Rose is to send tons of help. I’m a bit surprised the Bulls don’t do as much of what the Pistons used to do and force switches and allow Rose to take advantage of the mismatches.

by dakoose on May 17, 2011 1:09 PM CDT reply actions

Since those two are generally mutually exclusive

that’s pretty much saying Rose is unguardable when he’s on his game.

by kozzer on May 17, 2011 1:37 PM CDT up reply actions

Thats pretty mush what i was saying.

by dakoose on May 17, 2011 1:54 PM CDT up reply actions

Unguardable by one guy, maybe

It’s clear that two guys are necessary to stop penetration. This is exactly why it’s so important to get Rose and his teammates working well after the pass out of the double team. I also noticed in game 1 that he dribbled away or turned around on the double instead of forcing a pass or trying to go around the hedging big man. It’s clear that he was preventing turnovers but the other thing was testing the D. It’s unlikely that they’ll play the same PnR setup two different ways in the span of 10 seconds. So really, he was getting more information, and possibly seeing a weakness. You could see this with the PnP with Korver that didn’t work once.

That said, I agree with you guys, he’s unstoppable, but if you can make him settle for really tough layups or mid-range jumpers with a hand in his face, you can make him less efficient.

by cubbybear on May 17, 2011 10:00 PM CDT up reply actions

I agree with you on the switches.

Clearly, getting Rose switched onto anyone bigger than a SF would be ideal, since he knows his drive will require help, and the big man is out of the paint, making the layup easier.

I did notice that LBJ and Wade did plays with multiple picks that led to multiple switches, often with a big on Wade or James, and they tried to take advantage. This was stupid sometimes, because that matchup pretty much always meant a guy like Bosh guarded by someone like Watson or Rose, which should be a clear look. If anything, the pass to Bosh would draw help, including from the big man guarding the wing player, and free up a lane. I thought about the way that you could provoke a switch, but the other team really has to want it, and the way you make them elect to do it is by killing them on the double team.

by cubbybear on May 17, 2011 10:06 PM CDT up reply actions

LeRod sounds very guardable, according to Luc

and he sure looked guardable in game 1. It was strange to see how borderline-helpless Wade and LeRod were in the half-court. They just don’t seem as quick as I remember them being.

Eastern Conference Finals Assassination Missions:

Game 2, Wednesday:
Game 3, Sunday:

Game 1 Assassination Method: Suffocation.

How many ways would you like to be assassinated, Miami? Surely the Bulls can accommodate.

by Dr. Handsome, D.D.S. on May 17, 2011 1:19 PM CDT reply actions

They definitely aren't as bad as they looked in Game 1,

but both of them really do struggle to score in the half court. Neither have that good of a mid range game and they aren’t that good at getting the shot off either. I expect to see them attack more in game 2, but the defense is great at preventing penetration off of isolation so I expect to see them struggle to score once again. However, I think the Bulls won’t score as well either so the game will be closer, but the Bulls will win.

by dakoose on May 17, 2011 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions

LBJ has kind of a slow release, I noticed. Brings it up, down a bit, then out.

Shoots like you would shoot a fadeaway all the time. But then again, maybe I’m wrong.

by cubbybear on May 17, 2011 10:11 PM CDT up reply actions

That was awesome

They should have that be a series….

This is Mbah’s….

I’d like to read Shane Battiers (kind of an update from a SI article (7-8 pager) 3-4 years ago with the new guys.

Then it would be interesting to get say a Noah perspective from a big (perhaps not Noah though cuz he’s starry, perhaps more like a Perkins (though I hate Perkins and think he’s completely overrated, just some non star’s perspective).

The kid's out of this world. He's got Allen Iverson speed, Jason Kidd's vision, Chauncey Billups' shooting ability and Michael Jordan's athleticism. How do you guard that? - Pacers coach Frank Vogel.

by majoyenrac on May 17, 2011 1:27 PM CDT reply actions