And the new assistant coach is...
Press release is there. I'll have more later, but today's a busy day at work. For now, this is the reaction thread.
Ayers has been a head coach before with the Philadelphia 76ers, and while he wasn't very successful, he does have some quality experience. As a backup option, he doesn't seem that bad to me. He's definitely a defensive guy, having been an assistant for the Larry Brown/Allen Iverson teams that consistently finished in the top 5 in defensive efficiency.
More later, but this is your reaction thread.
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Ummm.....
by mamemimo on Jul 24, 2007 2:55 PM EDT 0 recs
No edit button.
by mamemimo on
Jul 24, 2007 2:55 PM EDT
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I'm OK With It
That's a good indication of his effect on the defense of a team. If he can cut the Wizards' opponents' scoring by 5.8 ppg this season, he will have been a major success.
by cuppettcj on
Jul 24, 2007 3:32 PM EDT
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Orlando's Defensive Efficiency rankings
From Basketball Reference.
2004/05: 18th
2005/06: 22nd
2006/07: 7th
Interesting that they only improved in Ayers' last year. Perhaps he didn't have as big a role as it seemed.
by Pradamaster on
Jul 24, 2007 3:42 PM EDT
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Or Maybe
by cuppettcj on
Jul 24, 2007 4:27 PM EDT
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I'll take a look at this a little more
Interesting note. During the one year Ayers was a head coach for part of the time, the Sixers were 10th in defensive efficiency. Their problem was the offense, not the defense.
http://basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/2004.html
by Pradamaster on
Jul 24, 2007 4:30 PM EDT
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How often are your socks knocked off...
by Spence on Jul 24, 2007 3:28 PM EDT 0 recs
Usually, yes
It's more significant than your run of the mill assistant coach style.
by Pradamaster on
Jul 24, 2007 5:44 PM EDT
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He is just an asst. coach...
by LoneWiz54 on Jul 25, 2007 7:03 AM EDT 0 recs
I Somewhat Disagree
Remember the first Portland game? Gilbert said he played tight because Eddie was stressing defense so much that he was afraid he'd miss a defensive assignment. Furthermore, in almost every press conference Eddie would talk about the importance of playing better defense. My point is that defense has always been a priority for Eddie, yet he seems incapable of actually coaching it.
I think defense in the NBA is a whole lot more than just each player telling himself, "I'm going to play tough defense this possession!" It's about assignments. It's knowing who to cover and when. It's knowing when to leave your man to double-team, when not to double-team, and where to position yourself on the court. Coaching, in my opinion, is the single most important factor when it comes to defense.
If Gregg Popovich became the Head Coach of the Wizards, I promise you the Wizards would instantly get better on defense. It wouldn't be because he knows how to motivate players nearly as much as it would be because he knows how to coach defense. Every player who plays under him knows what his assignment is and knows where to be on the court at any given time. His defensive system works, and I think it would work to some degree no matter which team he was coaching.
by cuppettcj on
Jul 25, 2007 9:47 AM EDT
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When I say everyone in the NBA can play
<<Remember the first Portland game? Gilbert said he played tight because Eddie was stressing defense so much that he was afraid he'd miss a defensive assignment. Furthermore, in almost every press conference Eddie would talk about the importance of playing better defense. My point is that defense has always been a priority for Eddie, yet he seems incapable of actually coaching it.>>
That is what I mean. GA knows how to play defense, it is just not a priority to him right now because EJ does not make it a priority. Just him saying it is a priority is not enough..if he benched GA for not playing defense like he benches Haywood for not playing to his standards then maybe the mindset of the team about defense would change. Of course if he did that he would not be coaching this team for very long also : ) EJ has to change the mindset of the Big 3 about defense for this team's defense to improve. Those 3 are the leaders, they get the most playing time and they are some of the worst defensive players on the team. Yes I agree matchups also play a part, but Wizards defensive matchups will always be mis-matched because team is undersized and not athletic..but hopefully that changes this year with the rookies coming aboard.
by LoneWiz54 on
Jul 25, 2007 10:00 AM EDT
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Gil Does Need to Improve
I don't think that's the case for most of the Wizards. I think most of Wizards tried hard on defense, but their system just didn't work. My biggest complaint wasn't guys letting opponents drive past them, it was failing to rotate to the open man after a double-team, leaving an NBA shooter wide open time and time again. It was painful to watch how many wide open jump shots the Wizards gave up. They must have led the league in wide open shots allowed.
I think if Eddie were smart, he'd realize his limitations (Michael Ruffin syle!) and defer defensive coaching to someone who actually knows how to coach defense. Kind of like how Joe Gibbs defers to his coordinators for the Redskins. If Eddie sticks to what he does best (coaching the Princeton offense) and defers to Randy Ayers for defense, I think the Wizards could significantly improve this season.
by cuppettcj on
Jul 25, 2007 10:18 AM EDT
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I agree...But not only does EJ
- how to rotate players, when to rotate them for offense and defense.
- Develop young Bigs...if he does not let the young Bigs play through their mistakes during the season, Wizards will never advance any further in the playoffs than they have recently.
by LoneWiz54 on Jul 25, 2007 12:07 PM EDT 0 recs
Michael Ruffin
by cuppettcj on
Jul 25, 2007 12:14 PM EDT
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As long as
If their minutes weren't over 40 minutes every game then I'd say yes, but it is almost impossible to give max offensive effort and not rest on defense. There are only a couple lead players in the league that are in shape enough to play lead on offense and give heavy effort on defense.
Get Gil some rest and his defense will improve.
by kdp922 on Jul 25, 2007 12:55 PM EDT 0 recs
That Will Happen
by cuppettcj on
Jul 25, 2007 1:04 PM EDT
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We can hope...
by mamemimo on
Jul 25, 2007 2:18 PM EDT
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Every position?
by sierradave on
Jul 25, 2007 2:19 PM EDT
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The statement remains true
by Pradamaster on
Jul 25, 2007 2:20 PM EDT
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I'll buy this.
by mamemimo on
Jul 25, 2007 4:13 PM EDT
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Center TBD
by cuppettcj on
Jul 25, 2007 4:50 PM EDT
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Cap room?
by mamemimo on
Jul 25, 2007 4:53 PM EDT
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Yes, But Cap Room to Use
by cuppettcj on Jul 25, 2007 5:27 PM EDT 0 recs













