Whither Leandro?

[Errntknght]

Whither Leandro?

I'm still puzzling a bit over D'Antoni's statement that he was expecting Barbs to give Nash plenty of rest next season. Its a strange thing to say coming off a year where Leandro didn't progress significantly as a playmaker. The best interpretation I can put on it is that he intends to use an offense that Leandro can run - which means, at least, that it isn't going to be dominated by the pick and roll. Almost certainly it means Boris operating much of the offense from a high post.

Yes, Diop did give Diaw some trouble but the high post offense still worked fairly well and assuming Boris' jumper keeps improving the HPO will get better. Also, if Amare returns to close to his old form, Diop will have to guard him. And Dallas is probably in better shape against the two of them than any other team in league.

Its key for Barbosa not to have to play big minutes at SG because he gives up too much on defense against bigger/stronger players. He's not exactly a demon defender against quick driving PGs but he does as well as Nash - he stays with them better than Steve but he fouls them more so its close to a wash. Maybe next year he can learn not to crowd them with his lower body because the refs just don't miss that - and call it whether he actually bumps them or not. (Its the same defensive technique that Voskuhl used so unsuccessfully for years.)

The very last game of the year against Dallas showed the most hopeful signs for Barbosa - he refused to let them push him to the baseline the way they had in the prior two or three games, he pulled up for a shot every time they had him cut off and he didn't take the ball far out for a 'running start' when he was going to drive. (I presume it was brother Dan who figured out how he could keep off the baseline and to start driving from a normal postion.) If he continues with that he should have a good year. If he learns to move without the ball and how to backdoor his man - key maneuvers when playing a high post offense - he could have a really banner year.

Imagine a dual high post set with two other guys working the corners and baseline and Leandro out high. His man will be the only defender in posittion for an early double on Boris or Amare or early help of any kind - his head will have to be on a swivel just to keep up with what's happening when Boris or Amare have the ball. That translates to lots of cut and backdoor opportunities for Leandro plus he can slide sideways for an open three. It will even help his drives because he'll be able to start frequently with his man slightly out of position. The basic give and go which Nash worked with Boris last year will be there and he can work it with Amare just as easily as its a simple pass.

Suppose it happens that Leandro does blow up next year and we have to sign and trade him - not as big a deal as you might think because he's not going to be nearly as effective in any other kind of system. He's still going to be a guard who can't play point in most offenses and can't defend at SG. An astute GM might pick up on it but that rules out what, about five of them - its hard to look past really impressive numbers.

I kind of like the idea of keeping him so I'd look to resign him this year before it happens. Trading him this year doesn't seem like a smart move. We still should bring in a PG to take over after Nash is gone - we don't want to believe the illusion we creating about Leandro... besides things don't always work out the way you hope.

 

[devilalum]

The kind of offences the Suns run next year will be heavily dependant on how Amare comes back. Leandro might find a better niche.

If Amare comes back strong they'll get a lot more out of the half court set and they won't be last in free throws again. Amare going to the line 20 times a game means that the other teams big men are shelling out 10 fouls. Combine this with Diaw and KT and the Suns will have a look that differs from last year and the year before. Its gonna be fun to see how it evolves.

 

[CaptainInsano]

Barbs playing large minutes will never work because he is a fouling machine.

 

[Nash]

Barbs playing large minutes will never work because he is a fouling machine.

He and TT are the most infuriating when it comes to fpm - fouls per min. After eons in the league, TT still can't play w/o fouling.

 

[Pemberly]

He and TT are the most infuriating when it comes to fpm - fouls per min. After eons in the league, TT still can't play w/o fouling.

Agreed. Barbosa fouls so much because he gets confused. TT I don't get it.

 

[F-Dog]

TT gets confused too. His help defense is jaw-droppingly bad at times.


To me, Barbosa's future seems pretty well set. The Suns desperately need reserve guards for next year, so he'll stay here, but they're not going to pay him $8m/yr to come off the bench, and they seem to be committed to Raja Bell at SG for the long haul.

So, Barbosa plays the last year of his rookie contract next year, his agent shops him around to teams looking for a starting PG, and if he finds a team willing to bite, the Suns try to work out a S&T. In the meantime, they already need to add another combo guard, so the main priority in this draft is finding someone who can step into Barbosa's shoes in 2007.

Seems simple enough, right?

 

[slinslin]

With Amare in the game the Suns offense will be much easier to run for Diaw and Barbosa when Nash rests so..

 

[Gaddabout]

With Amare in the game the Suns offense will be much easier to run for Diaw and Barbosa when Nash rests so..

I don't think that's a foregone conclusion. Barbs doesn't play well without the ball in his hands, and he hasn't figured out how to get others involved when he does have the ball. It's a paradox that has kept him from solidifying a role on this team.

 

[Errntknght]

Originally Posted by slinslin >>
With Amare in the game the Suns offense will be much easier to run for Diaw and Barbosa when Nash rests so..
<<

Gaddabout, "I don't think that's a foregone conclusion. Barbs doesn't play well without the ball in his hands, and he hasn't figured out how to get others involved when he does have the ball. It's a paradox that has kept him from solidifying a role on this team.

I don't think its a foregone conclusion but I think D'Antoni can make it happen by changing the basic offense. Barbs is not going to do well if the offense is the PG freelancing off the pick & roll as it was last year. The change isn't that dramatic as we moved that direction a good bit last year with Boris operating in the high post. The year before we had Amare operating from a high post a good bit of the time, though, the P&R still dominated. Merge those two things and diminish the P&R and the offense is closer to something Barbs can run. It might not take full advantage of all of Nash's talents but it takes a lot of the offensive load off him - hopefully, extending his career. When the chips are down we can still run the P&R - it might not be quite as sharp but the defenses won't be as sharp either, because they won't have seen it fifty time earlier in the game. And Nashty will be fresh.

Does Barbs need to learn about moving without the ball in a high post offense? Yes he does but the basics are not complicated. You try to keep your man between you and the ball so he can't watch both easily and when he turns his head you move - slide along the perimeter, backdoor him or slant by a high post player and rub him off. Dive down the middle and curl completely around one of the high post players - if your defender trails you, you're well ahead when you dive the middle the second time. Yeah, it would be nice if he would set back picks for the high post guys or for the guys in the corners after his cuts but if he just moves and looks for passes he'll be most of the way there.

 

[George O'Brien]

I still think Barbosa will eventually become a good defender. I'm inclined to be more patient that his critics. He is like a HS guy in terms of his pre-NBA preparation and is like every skinny young player coming into the league in terms of getting pushed around. However, he has one thing that a lot of other weak defenders don't have - he is super quick with long arms.

As for TT's defense, I was encouraged. Here is a guy who had almost no experience playing inside being asked to be the primary low post defender in the NBA playoffs. Low post defense is very very hard even with years of experience.

Back to the primary topic, I agree that what we will see is a king of "point by committee" approach when Nash is out: Leandro, Boris, and Raja sharing the load. In a sense that is what the Mavs did this season since neither Terry nor Harris are really PG's in the ordinary sense. The key is to get the rest of the players to adjust to not having Nash do the stuff that only he can do.