Defense, defense, defense

Indiana went down to Illinois last night on a play with less than a second on the game clock, likely dropping them down to #2 and Michigan back into first (should they beat Wisconsin tomorrow). What really happened was Tyler Griffey's man was ball-watching on an inbounds pass and got caught in a screen, Cody Zeller needed to switch & didn't, and Griffey made a backdoor cut and got a wide open layup.

Zeller on that play reminded me a lot of Greg Monroe. As aware as Monroe is on offense, he's equally unaware on defense. He's not a good one on one defender, but his team defense leaves much to be desired. He ball-watches, is often late on switches and often doesn't know where he should be on the court. Here's a play from a couple nights ago:

That's Andray Blatche with the ball. He's heavier than Monroe, older, and in worse condition. So how does Blatche get the first step on him? Well, it's almost like Monroe forgot Blatche still had his dribble. Greg's smothering him, guarding against the pass instead of playing 3 feet off and protecting the lane. Blatche blows by him & Singler has to rotate off Brooks to fill the lane. By the time they hit the foul line, all Monroe could do was foul, but he followed Blatche to the hoop instead of switching or getting in rebounding position. He neglects to block out Brooks & gets dunked on. Here's the whole game highlights, but fast-forward to the 1:56 mark to see the Nets' last offensive possession.

Not bad one on one defense from Monroe there. He does an average job of staying in front of Lopez, making him go left, and not fouling. Now Lopez is a TOUGH cover. He can hit the face up jumper, he's got a variety of moves in the paint, and he moves well with the ball. He likes to turn into his right hand though, and apparently Monroe knows this because he overplays Lopez on his right side. He forces Lopez into a tough shot, which Lopez makes because he's good. I think that's an example of the best Monroe is capable of.

This is not to say that was great defense, just good defense for Greg Monroe. So what else could be done? Well, a more athletic player could've probably cut off some of those moves Lopez was making a bit sooner & kept Lopez farther out. Or made an attempt at blocking the shot (Moose played pretty upright, flat-footed defense). Some post players play into contact (like Lopez), some shy away from it (like Monroe). Here's one of my favorite defensive tactics in the post:

Mahorn was a defensive mastermind in the post, and this is what he's most famous for: Pulling the Chair. I'm happy to say it's still alive today. Mahorn liked to play mind games on defense, and pulling the chair is a great example. Show resistance, push a little, and then time it so when the other player starts to push back, you aren't there anymore. This would've been a good move to pull on a guy like Lopez, who likes to back down & drop his shoulder. Even if it doesn't result in the offensive player falling down or stumbling, he'll be off-balance and his shot will miss.