Golden State's "attack of the killer shrimp"

[Spideroldie]

Just saw a great Wall Street Journal article (Sept 24th-"In Golden State: Attack of the killer shrimp." It is about their 15-game winning streak, and the amazing effectiveness of their "small" line-up (seen in the playoffs).

The message: Golden State's "small-ball" lineup, with no player over 6-6, is perhaps one of he most effective line-ups of all-time. It provides even more support for the fact that a really good team can also not have a lot of height. The GS line-up that has been so effective has Curry, Thompson, Igudala (3 "guards"), and Barnes and Green (all 6-6 or shorter). Maybe our coaches saw how effective Golden State has been with the small lineup, and are saying to themselves: "We could be really good with a team of versatile (but not tall) players who can really shoot it." At any rate, our recent recruiting, which has emphasized versatility (and shooting) over height, would suggest that we may, someday soon, also try out our version of: "attack of the killer small spiders." It certainly looks to me as though we could field a pretty strong line-up with no one over 6-7 or 6-8, but 6-6 is stretching things... If anyone has access to the link of the article, it is a really good (and possibly UR-relevant) read!

 

[Ulla1]

Oldie, I've had the same thought. We will have an abundance of 6'3" - 6'5" guards next year with the addition of Nick Sherod and De'monte Buckingham. All of these guys are really good shooters. One could see in a couple of years a lineup with Jesse, Khwan (6' but plays like 6'5"), Nick, De'monte and Grant Golden/Paul Friendshuh. All very athletic and outstanding shooters. OSC

 

[fan2011]

Anyone who has followed Richmond and looked at the stats since Mooney has been here knows that height isn't as necessary as many would have you believe. We have had great defenses in the past with multiple players on the court under 6 feet tall. We have had incredible offensive players who are under 6 feet tall. Skill and scheme trump height every day of the week.

We are going to see a lot of 3 or 4 guard lineups in the next few years. We are going to have a stable of really good guards next year and they will all warrant playing time. I am looking forward to it.

 

[Eight Legger]

I haven't read the GS article yet, but I think I could summarize it thusly: "It's possible to be a dominant NBA team even if your average height is smaller than every other team, provided that you have two of the greatest three-point shooters in the history of the league in your backcourt."

That's basically the reality of things. If Curry and Thompson were anything less than completely dominant and ridiculous shooters, I bet it would look different.

 

[fan2011]

It's

I haven't read the GS article yet, but I think I could summarize it thusly: "It's possible to be a dominant NBA team even if your average height is smaller than every other team, provided that you have two of the greatest three-point shooters in the history of the league in your backcourt."

That's basically the reality of things. If Curry and Thompson were anything less than completely dominant and ridiculous shooters, I bet it would look different.

It's more than that. Golden state doesn't just have an incredible offense, their defense is 5th best in the league in defensive efficiency. They are showing you don't need height to have a great defense which contradicts traditional wisdom.

 

[TBSpyder]

I don't follow the NBA. I do remember our NCAA tourney game against St. Mary's, and our last contest with Kansas. They both had talented big men, that we could not stop. I like the idea of a small team, out quickening a bigger team, but how do you stop a good big man, from dominating you, as has happened to UR?

 

[fan2011]

I don't follow the NBA. I do remember our NCAA tourney game against St. Mary's, and our last contest with Kansas. They both had talented big men, that we could not stop. I like the idea of a small team, out quickening a bigger team, but how do you stop a good big man, from dominating you, as has happened to UR?

Focus on denying him the ball when he is in te post. Double team quickly when he gets the ball.

 

[Spideroldie]

+1 fan2011 ! "Deny the ball and double-team," as fan 2011 says. Most "Bigs," nationally, are not great passers, so the strategy should work. I just have not seen us doubling the bigs, inside, very often, so hope we see if more.

I also agree with Ulla that next season we will very likely see Nick and DeMonte (incoming freshmen) joining two other "guards," in what could still be a very good line-up. I don't see these two recruits staying out of the starting line-up for long, and they also both can shoot very well. As an aside, I believe I saw that both Nick and DeMonte averaged 9 rebounds per game, as juniors, against strong competition, so we might not lose much in rebounding by playing them. And, in case anyone has missed it, Khwan has been "lighting it up" as a rebounder, at 6-0. I think he likely averages the highest "RBs per minute" on the team, but someone can check the stats to confirm. "Small ball" could move from Golden State to the RC in the not-too-distant future.

 

[TBSpyder]

I'm all for small ball if it wins games. Potential recruits' height is on a bell curve, relatively few big men, but loads of guards. Most programs below the majors, recruit guards heavily, because there are so many good ones. Not many good big men, after the majors make their offers.

 

[AnnapSpider]

I'm all for small ball if it wins games. Potential recruits' height is on a bell curve, relatively few big men, but loads of guards. Most programs below the majors, recruit guards heavily, because there are so many good ones. Not many good big men, after the majors make their offers.

I just don't see us making much effort to get big men. Maybe I'm all wet, but reading recruiting information it's almost always for some other guard. Maybe Mooney isn't sure what to do with a big man, but Dick Tarrant seemed to be able to take average big men and use them to our advantage.

 

[urmite]

It's

It's more than that. Golden state doesn't just have an incredible offense, their defense is 5th best in the league in defensive efficiency. They are showing you don't need height to have a great defense which contradicts traditional wisdom.

I think part of it is also the changes to the rules and how they are interpreted by officials since the late 1970s to now. It seems to have shifted in favor of mobility and range...

 

[72Spider]

It's not necessarily how tall you are but how tall you play.