re: Let's be honest about our basketball roster

Agreed on the timing and spacing of things being huge in basketball. Two things about this team, and previous ones, that drive me up a wall from a defensive standpoint is not sealing the trap and allowing a ball handler to step through or split it (which as you know always leads to bad things), and not cutting off baselines and sidelines. Those are two fundamental defensive principles.

But I would be interested to get your thoughts on a comment Wade made on his radio post game interview. He was talking about how they played much better defensively in the 2nd half of the game, and that if they could just play like that more often, they would be a solid defensive team. But then he promptly says, "we'll never be a great defensive team, but we can be solid," or something to that affect. What do you think he meant by they'll never be great defensively? Do you think he sees it as a lack of defensive skill/ability with this group or a lack of scheme and culture or the wrong player personalities and mindset to be great, or just a combination of any and all of those things?

I was always more of a defensive minded and oriented player and coach. I wasn't the quickest, but I understood defensive principles and had a desire and determination to do it. For that reason I've always believed that good defense is more on the player than the coach. Because the principles can be taught, and you can put players in the right position; but if they don't have a determination to do it and do it well, then they'll never be good at it. Or is that just over simplifying it too much?

No I don’t think that’s an oversimplification. I think when you’re changing defenses and assignments players can get crossed up but like you said if you’re sound in your principals and you add energy to it you’re gonna be good on D. We run into some problems because of some size issues and I think Wade’s tendency to rely on analytics a bit too much gets us into trouble guarding shooters. Auburn for example, in a confined time frame Wade’s philosophy can work against him. They hit 2 threes just under 1:48 I think it was and in Wade’s mind they should’ve leveled out but in reality they were getting hot and it cost us. I was always taught if a guy hits 2 straight you start running him off the line immediately.

Yea that’s 100% false and made up. It’s also some type of retard math but nice emoji I bet your boyfriend likes em.