Floor spacing?

It seems the main criticism of the pistons since the Smith signing has been floor spacing. I thought about who the teams were who had a lack of outside shooting but were successful anyways. I was pretty surprised at how bad two of the most respected teams were at it.

1984-85 Lakers
-----------------
Magic (shot a miserable .189 from 3 for the season)
Byron Scott (the only guy with range)
Worthy (.000 from 3)
Rambis (.000 from 3)
Kareem (.000 from 3)

1991-92 Bulls
-----------------
Paxson (had range)
Jordan (developed his 3 ball playing baseball somehow years later)
Pippen (couldn't shoot yet either)
Grant (nope)
Cartwright (nope)

Of course the Pistons don't have Jordan or Magic, and I suppose that would be the response from any critic. Yet the fact remains that those teams won championships and they did it by playing solid defense and running an efficient offense that capitalized on the turnovers they created.

It just seems like a bunch of folks are acting like it's some impossible problem to overcome, but the more I look into it the more I realize that's simply not the case.

i agree with you to a point. i would point out that the league plays a very different style of ball in 2013. the rules assist defenses in collapsing more which has resulted in the 3 point shot becoming a much bigger factor. many teams rely on a penetrate and kick it out for a 3 ball philosophy whereas that style almost didn't exist in the 1980s and 1990s.

but i do agree that we can play to our strengths and impose our will on the D if we're smart. quick ball movement will assist in this area too as well as an aggressive approach to taking it to the hoop. i think we need more shooting just to help keep defenses honest too- you never want to be one-dimensional. i am very excited and curious to see how cheeks utilizes our talent.

It's a chucker's league these days.

Love,

J.R. Smith

I think it's important to note too that spacing and range are not just about the 3ball. If one of our bigs (looking at you monroe) could develop a 10-15 footer that would go a long way to solving spacing issues. Hell, if Stuckey could develop a 10-15 footer that would help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny

I think it's important to note too that spacing and range are not just about the 3ball. If one of our bigs (looking at you monroe) could develop a 10-15 footer that would go a long way to solving spacing issues. Hell, if Stuckey could develop a 10-15 footer that would help.

he won't

^

SPOILER!!

I was being facetious, obviously.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Higherwarrior

the rules assist defenses in collapsing more which has resulted in the 3 point shot becoming a much bigger factor.

How so? Wouldn't the crackdown on hand checks open up the possibility for driving more so than the opportunity for a 3?

I agree that defenses collapse in the lane on penetration, but that also opens up the opportunity for offensive rebounds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koolaid

It seems the main criticism of the pistons since the Smith signing has been floor spacing. I thought about who the teams were who had a lack of outside shooting but were successful anyways. I was pretty surprised at how bad two of the most respected teams were at it.

1984-85 Lakers
-----------------
Magic (shot a miserable .189 from 3 for the season)
Byron Scott (the only guy with range)
Worthy (.000 from 3)
Rambis (.000 from 3)
Kareem (.000 from 3)

1991-92 Bulls
-----------------
Paxson (had range)
Jordan (developed his 3 ball playing baseball somehow years later)
Pippen (couldn't shoot yet either)
Grant (nope)
Cartwright (nope)

Of course the Pistons don't have Jordan or Magic, and I suppose that would be the response from any critic. Yet the fact remains that those teams won championships and they did it by playing solid defense and running an efficient offense that capitalized on the turnovers they created.

It just seems like a bunch of folks are acting like it's some impossible problem to overcome, but the more I look into it the more I realize that's simply not the case.

The game is much different now than it was back when both of the 2 teams you identify played their seasons. To put this in perspective, J.R. Smith took 436 3 point shots this year. The entire Lakers team during the 84/85 season took 295.

The game was all about taking shots as close to the basket as possible and more focused on high % shots (working from inside out and scoring on the break). The game changed when the NBA added the 3-point line but even more so when high schools and the NCAA added the 19'9" 3-point distance which changed how the game was taught. Now the game is definitely more outside/in.

A lot of other things have changed (defensive strategy, the type of athlete it requires to play the NBA game today especially on the defensive end with the game extending out to the 3-point line which wasn't the case in 1985, etc) which could lead to a larger discussion on this topic.

The pistons can still be successful attempting to play a more inside/out approach but would still need shooters to help them be more efficient with this strategy. They also will need to use their athletic advantage they have with Drummond/smith and others by going with a more up-tempo offense in hopes of getting easy fast-break dunks. This will also enable them to be more efficient.

To me today's NBA is all about having athletes that can run the floor, defend and create and to combine them with "dead-eye" shooters as Joe Dumars addresses them as. The pistons front line (sans Monroe) is definitely heading down this path which I deem positive but this roster still misses those dead-eye shooters and players that can create off the dribble.

I believe we actually have shooters though...

Knight, Billups, K.C.P, Middleton, Nova... all capable of hitting from long range. None of them might be considered "elite" shooters but you don't need 4 Kyle Korver's out there with your big man to win games

IF Monroe can consistently hit from 15-18 feet then all this spacing talk fades into the ether.... no one will give a shit if Monroe can take and make that shot! Smith isn't a complete bust shooting the ball either.... his drama has always been taking the very long 2 when he could take a 3 or get to the rim

I believe "advanced stats" and the move to analytics plays a large part in the whole "spacing is everything" debate. Obviously the stats will show that taking the vast majority of your shots at the rim is the best way to go (who woulda thunk it?) and if you can't get a shot at the rim then you should be looking at taking a corner 3 before any other shot (again, it's not a surprise)

Is there no place for the mid-range game? One would assume that if everyone is defending the paint/3 point line having a guy that can just shoots lights out from 15-18 feet would be money... especially if he's running around screens and picks before catching and shooting (Richard Hamilton in his prime!)

But I guess that's a long ass discussion... IMO you need guys that can shoot from everywhere... and teaching clowns to only shoot 3's or get to the rim makes them less effective long term.

BTW, no one knows how many minutes Drummond, Monroe and Smith will play together...