Flip is a statistical coach. He works for good percentage shots and limits opponents percentages while maintaining a certain level of efficiency. Looking at the season team stats, the team has a good +/- on FG% and turnover ratio. Over the course of 82 games where teams fly in and move on, those ratios will translate into wins. In the playoffs, its not about stats but about possessions. Its about getting a stop. Not limiting fg%. Its about adjusting to an opponents strategy and making them adjust to yours. Mike Brown neutralized billups by aggressively trapping him off that first pick. Billups is not a penetrator so Sheed's man can chase billups as he curls wide. The heat did this previously as well.
@ M73, great retort! @ slippy, I have to agree that Flip can be pretty monomaniacal about statistics.
In any ranking like this the middle is usually pretty undifferentiated. The top five or so are easy to rank as is the bottom. But, you could pretty much order the middle any way you wanted and the results would be just as valid.
What I was attempting to communicate in down-to-earth terms is this: This will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man.
No more excuses for the men on the court. One can't be on the court and the other had no passion for it.
At least this reaction is showing some proportion. Of course with all these all stars on the court they need that superior coaching authority to voice direction...anyone follow the team videos against opponent? I can hear Mike Brown now: "Defense,you must stick it to Billups, back him down and chew on his front jersey...can you do it? And you Boobie, I don't have any gifted directions, just try and counter-react for us by scoring some points. James, you know they have no leadership and no one can stop you." Helluva a coaching job.
monomania - obsessed with a single subject or idea Seems to describe all the Darko posts more than anything else. Flip faces quit a challenge this year with all the new players to integrate. If he can pull than off and not lose in the playoffs to a lesser foe then he can turn things around for himself. We will see.With Flip its kind of like Dumars wanting to prove that he can stick with a coach for more than 2 seasons.
There is a huge difference between our guys and a lebron or wade and that is the ability to score on a double team or at least make you pay. Everyone talks about how you can't focus on one guy but history has shown that you can effectively trap just about anyone. One of our main attacks was Rip curling around a screen. the cavs and heat both trapped rip forcing him to score over two guys or give up the ball. only maxiell rolled to the basket and he was able to either dunk or go to the line for some bricks. Being somewhat effective in one game he sat in favor of Dyess who roamed the high post. Our other attack was tay backing down his man into a virtual triple team while our guys stand on the perimeter. the best part about this was tay complaining about a no call while the other team tried to run on us. So in my perception of the team, we have elite role players and no stars. To ask Rip or CB or even Sheed to elevate their games like Kobe, or Lebron is too much. The pistons are most effective when they play inside out. After Flip's first season, they tried to attack the basket more but certain defensive schemes coaxed them into being primarily a jumpshooting team. So in my leap of logic, flip has got to get them to make moves or decisions that make teams pay for leaving someone open that doesn't involve the 3 pt lline. And that's only on offense.
Good analysis. I agree completely and this approach is greatly helped by movement...everyone's movement. No Tay taking forever to back his man down and Sheed roaming 30 ft out. Team play is all highly in-tuned mental alertness and constant energy. We shall see if this team is mentally motivated and the youngsters bring some needed energy/quickness (plus points) off the bench.
And that too. Talk about irrelevant. I could care less about Darko and Tony who brought him here. If we don't want have a dominated forum (a couple of thousand post or more and very ideologically oriented on minor tangents) then some sense of proportion should encourage participation against this somewhat mysterious forum establishment.
It appears to me that based upon a random sampling of data from the Pistons fan universe that far in away the majority of all Pistons fans would pay good hard cash for the job of showing Flip the door out of the Palace and out of Michigan and Flip don't look back, thank you very much.
