Originally posted by elindholm
I think it's none of the above. He uses the trap because in Coaching 101, you learn that a trap is a way to "pick up the energy" and "get the other team out of its game."
The fact that it leads to easy layups by the other team and is a gimmick best suited to short-term use doesn't get taught until Coaching 102.
Cute.
Currently the Suns play relatively little man defense. They either play a passive zone or trap. Obviously the trap provides more energy, but good man defense should do the same thing.
I think the problem is that the Suns are not good enough at man defense. Voskuhl gets pushed around, Stoudemire does not have the footwork, Barbosa does not stay in front of his man properly, and Marion gets faked out of position at lot. JJ is the team's best defender, but he is not a "lock down" defender like Bruce Bowen and needs a lot of energy as the team's offensive leader.
In spite of this, I think the Suns should play mostly swtching man defense and accept the consequenses. They will never get better playing man defense if they aren't forced to play it and learn from their mistakes.