• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

Chris Parker/Cleveland Scene answers your questions

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Status
Not open for further replies.
The very first question I asked Blatt had to do with Maccabi in the first exhibition when they were getting killed trying to ice the pick and roll. they had to get more aggressive because the Maccabi PG was getting anything he wanted. and he said, "you can't just play one way. You're always making adjustments."

Maybe what I'll write about today is adjustments. I've asked him a couple different questions about adjustments and he's said one, that you have some basic things you have to build into your sets. You're not going to change who you are, but you definitely build - what us nerds would probably call branching-contingencies -- because you know that they're going to respond and you will have things you're going to try to do. Blatt has also said that you go in with some things and you kind of keep what works and pare down what isn't.

maybe I should ask

while you're very effective with isolation do you have to be judicious in utilizing it so that it doesn't breed offensive stagnation, or do you not feel the two are related?
 
Chris Parker said:
maybe I should ask

while you're very effective with isolation do you have to be judicious in utilizing it so that it doesn't breed offensive stagnation, or do you not feel the two are related?
Click to expand...

This would be a good question and I hope you ask something like it. I think the last Atlanta game showed how a defense could try to throttle our two-headed ISO beast. The answer can't be just 'JR Smith and Kevin Love will be standing around at the three-point line, so no problem'.

But the real ISO question is how to address what happens when LeISO goes wrong, something that has been a problem on and off throughout his career and which no one can really call him on because he's overall such a great player. Dribbling down the clock and launching an off-balance heat check 3, hanging around indecisively with the ball then dribbling into the teeth of the defense and turning it over, etc. It's always been a bit odd since he is such a great distributor and clearly understands and prides himself on that part of his game. I never quite figured out what accounts for the emergence of the bad LeISO, back in his first go-round I thought it was because he was surrounded by crap players, but it seems to occasionally reemerge for no clear reason.

It's hard to ask a question about that because the bottom line is that Blatt does not have the stature to order Lebron around, and you can't very well ask him 'do you try to give Lebron any subtle hints when it seems like he's going off the rails a little'? Really the answer has to be coming up with alternatives Lebron believes in, which takes time.
 
I just think it's LeBron being tired and not having a Wade to say, yo bitch, throw me the ball, don't waste it. He's conserving energy while ensuring that he can "carry team." I believe he's cut down, but like any addict there will be relapses.....
 
Chris Parker said:
T

maybe I should ask

while you're very effective with isolation do you have to be judicious in utilizing it so that it doesn't breed offensive stagnation, or do you not feel the two are related?
Click to expand...

That's a good question. There's certainly a temptation to go with "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", or maybe "keep doing it until they stop it". But if that means the rest of your offense gets rusty, maybe not.

I wonder if the answer would be different during the regular season than in the playoffs.
 
Chris Parker said:
I just think it's LeBron being tired and not having a Wade to say, yo bitch, throw me the ball, don't waste it. He's conserving energy .....
Click to expand...

Never thought of it that way because an ISO seemingly takes more energy, but the pounding does allow him to control the pace of the entire offense if he needs a breather.

I think he and Blatt would both deny it, but you're probably right.
 
Kypus said:
Welcome to the forum scene, Chris :chuckle:
Click to expand...

Not sure I get your meaning (quite possible it's flying right over my head).. it's funny because I agree with his predictions? I think it would be much more representative of forum behavior if I called him a know-nothing asshole, but that's just me. :chuckle:
 
My new column is up. A lot of commentary on adjustments and other things I picked up. I won't lie, long on quotes -- which if you haven't picked up on it, is how journalists avoid the real work of thinking and writing. transcription is FAR easier. But the playoffs take a minute to get going and I didn't want to get too far in the analysis with another game on deck.

Nonetheless I hope I got some informative bits and can give you a little insight how the pros see these matchups and battles.

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and...4/21/cavs-playoff-word-of-the-day-adjustments
 
Chris Parker said:
I just think it's LeBron being tired and not having a Wade to say, yo bitch, throw me the ball, don't waste it. He's conserving energy while ensuring that he can "carry team." I believe he's cut down, but like any addict there will be relapses.....
Click to expand...

I think that's right, and well put. But I also think the problem is increasing this year because he is starting to decline a bit physically -- it's getting harder to move that 265 pounds around the court for 40 minutes.
 
brownsbuck6 said:
Not sure I get your meaning (quite possible it's flying right over my head).. :chuckle:
Click to expand...

Just bustin' your balls...Parker has his finger on the pulse more than most of these local guys (save Lloyd), it's just easy to read his pieces and think, "yeah, that's what I was just thinking...".
 
I'll post the exact comments but he said that a lot of what Synergy calls Iso- comes off of action, and so it's a part of a set where they're looking to create isolation. He sort of implied then that he didn't feel because of that that movement was an issue. So I asked do you not think that iso- leads to stagnation or it just doesn't happen to your team. He grimaced and agreed that iso can lead to stagnation, but didn't think it was an issue for them, then turned to Tad, the PR chief and complained that my questions make him think too hard before a game. I got the accolades but you guys deserve a tip of the hat as well.

On a related note, I saw a cross looking Vardon, and it made me think he has to have read my column, which of course made me laugh at his involuntary subscription to my column. But I felt bad because I think he wants to be better, he maybe just isnt' ready/accustomed to doing the work it requires. I mean, he could've found you guys and let you collaborate with him and raise the level of his questions. It's a terrible liberal tendency of mine to feel bad for people unwilling to do the work I feel is required to not make an ass of yourself. Luckily he's young so he still has a chance to follow the rainbow to where they have a big cauldron of clues...
 
Chris Parker...what a great addition to RCF. You sir are a fine writer.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-14: "Time for Playoff Vengeance on Mickey"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:14: " Time for Playoff Vengeance on Mickey."
Top