really good piece from BSS on erman

TLDR: Many players(Bass/Thompson/Curry etc) have credited Ermans ability to make the defense fit their strengths. Pels have the pieces for a good D and Erman's work ethic/planning will make it so.

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hat defense would be the main concern this offseason should be no surprise: the Pels finished the season in the bottom third of the league in defensive efficiency; and they might not have made the playoffs at all if not for the improvements on D in the 2nd half of the season that came with the additions of Cunningham, Pondexter, and Cole. Going forward the major improvements this team needs to make are on the defensive side of the ball. Just to illustrate, look at the competition:

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These teams all made the jump to home court advantage in the West by becoming good defensive teams. It is a must to be at the very least consistently capable on that end. The Pels could not say that this past season, and for them to contend they must improve on that side of the court.
The Pelicans don’t have all the defensive versatility of the Warriors, but they have a start. Holiday, Pondexter, Cunningham, Asik, and Davis are all plus defenders, bring back Cole and that’s one more, but there still is some depth issues on the wing. One problem is that Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon, who played 34 and 33 minutes a game on the wings this past season, have both been subpar defensively for the Pels. This is not for lack of trying by Gordon and not for Evans’ lack of physical capability. Getting the most out of both should be a top priority (obviously).
As McNamara wrote in his season review of Tyreke Evans, on the ball Tyreke is a good defender. In isolation, he only gave up 0.53 points per play, with opponents shooting 22.7% in those situations; that is fantastic. He has all the physical tools to be a good defender, strength and length and athleticism, so it isn’t surprising he bothered players 1 on 1. Off the ball is another story. He gets lost on rotations and was often late closing out on shooters.
Gordon’s issues are basically the opposite as they stem from a loss of athleticism due to injuries and surgeries. That, coupled with already being undersized, can’t really be fixed. Gordon will not be a great defender unless he can somehow manage to get some of that athleticism back, but Gordon isn’t a low IQ player and this past season he showed a real willingness to work on that side of the floor, which is normally enough to be at least an average defender.
In steps 40-year-old Darren Erman, ex-attorney with no playing experience turned basketball coach. Erman is very well respected around the league: any time his name comes up, so do the phrases “work ethic” and “detail oriented.” Rajon Rondo likened him to a “baby Thibodeau,” while claiming he’s certain to be a future head coach, a sentiment echoed by LA native Brandon Bass:

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It takes a special person to be focused all the time on defense, and it’s an offensive game. I think one day he will be a head coach.”
Erman is credited with the defensive improvements of players like Stephen Curry, who Mark Jackson used to hide on defense, Harrison Barnes, and specifically Klay Thompson, who is now considered one of the best two-way two-guards in the NBA.
Celtics Coach Brad Stevens couldn’t stop raving about him and how he works with players:
“[He’s] really excited to help these guys get better. And he spends a lot of time … with the individuals. That’s as big of a key right now as anything else. Darren’s really a great defensive coach, he’s more than that. I think sometimes we pigeon-hole guys because he’s obviously specialized in that. But he is detail-oriented as detail-oriented gets. If your hands aren’t in the right place as you’re guarding in a pick-and-roll, or if your body positioning is not at the right angle, or you don’t guard the post in the exact right way, he’ll stop it and he’ll correct it.”

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Boston, with a very lackluster roster, improved from 18th in the league in defensive efficiency, to 12th, and was 9th for the 2nd half of the season. They improved 17 wins and won the 8th seed in the East. Everywhere this guy goes, major improvements follow, especially on the defensive side of the ball; that is a FACT. That’s why the Pelicans made sure he would come here before they even hired Gentry. For those questioning how much a coaching change can actually improve a team just look at this past season’s NBA Champions. Golden State was basically the same team as ’13-’14, but with a new entire coaching staff they improved 16 wins. If the Pelicans improve by half as much they’d be at 53 wins, which would have tied them with Cleveland for 7th best in the league last year.

This post was edited on 7/8/15 at 5:35 pm