Play the Blame Game: Players, Coaches, or the System?

The Mavericks are also a better half-court team with Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry running their pick-and-roll. Their half-court offense also allowed them to become a great half-court defense. Kidd, however, is not quick enough to keep up with quicker guards and doesn’t provide enough offense for the Mavericks to survive. Tony Parker said it best when he said he was thrilled to see Devin Harris go, since he was the best defender on Parker.

Mark Cuban is still banking on Kidd to bring a championship, but we can only wonder how good the Mavericks would be if they still had Devin Harris.

Phoenix Suns (12-9)

Blame: System

This one is pretty simple: the Suns aren’t good enough to run a half-court offense and don’t play defense anyways. For the Suns to win, the best defense is a good offense.

Time is running out on Shaq and Steve Nash, and they can only adapt to a new system for so long. Shaq has probably been the best player for the Suns, but he has hurt the number of possessions for the Suns and cannot run the floor with everyone else. Nash’s game is best in transition and pushing the ball.

Neither player is good on defense either; teams have shredded Nash and Shaq on the pick-and-roll, which was evident when Tony Parker and the Spurs beat the Suns in a five-game series win in last year’s playoffs.

Steve Kerr is a smart guy, but he made a mistake thinking that Shaq could be a long-term solution on defense. Kerr should have gone after a younger, more athletic center, such as an Andris Biedrins or Al Horford.

Now Shaq has also compromised the offense, and Phoenix is just struggling to stay in the playoff picture. The Sun is setting quickly, and even Amare Stoudemire might not stick around past 2010.

Detroit Pistons (11-8)

Blame: Player

The Pistons traded for Allen Iverson for his expiring contract to clear up cap space for next season. Still, the Pistons were still expected to be major contenders in the Eastern Conference.

Iverson, however, has not embraced the commitment for Detroit’s system. The Pistons are 7-8 with Iverson in the lineup, and he is clearly disrupting the Pistons' rhythm. He is shooting only 39 percent while turning the ball over three times a game.

Iverson has also played terrible defense on opposing guards—he has allowed big games from Chris Duhon (25 pts, 9 asts), Andre Miller (19 pts, 6 asts), Beno Udrih (18 pts), CJ Watson (17 pts), Rajon Rondo (15.5 pts, 6.5 asts, 2.5 stls), and was torched by Devin Harris for 38 points. It is embarrassing compared to what Chauncey Billups has done to the same guards.

He is also a distraction to his teammates. Shortly after saying he was committed to Detroit’s philosophy, and even joked about his practice incident, he skipped a mandatory practice on Thanksgiving Day.

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