Bleacher Report - Articles by Chris Chan

Phil Jackson: A Coach For All Players

Chris Chan — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:12:29 -0400

It’s unfair for me to say Phil Jackson is the best of all time, as I have not seen many of the great coaches, including Red Auerbach, in their prime. But I will say Jackson is the best in recent memory.

Jackson has been fortunate enough to coach arguably the best shooting guards ever to play the game in Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, but it is Jackson’s ability to coach a team that makes him great.

It would be foolish to diminish Jordan and Bryant’s credibility, talent, skills, or work ethic. But, Jackson needed to develop their skills and use them in a way that would produce wins.

History has shown us that talent alone does not win championships. We can count many great players who have not won championships, like LeBron James, Chris Paul, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Mark Jackson, Patrick Ewing, and the list can go on and on.

The great thing about Phil Jackson is that he coaches teams, not superstars. In fact, he lost with a Hall of Fame roster in 2004 when he had Kobe, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone.

The one thing that Jackson does better than everyone else is making all the players on the floor a threat. Adding on to the team concept, Jackson’s famous triangle offense allows players to get to their “automatic” shot with an open look at the basket.

I know that players like Jordan and Kobe love to take their defender one-on-one from the wing spot, but certain plays are designed to put them in that position. However, Kobe and Jordan are smart enough to know when another teammate will be open to hit their shot.

Examples of this second option include feeding Shaq in the post, Pau Gasol driving the lane, and Steve Kerr or Lamar Odom at the three-point line at the top of the key. Through Jackson’s offense, all players now become an integral part of the team’s offensive success.

Jackson’s ability to make the most out of role players has been key toward his 10 rings. The average basketball fan, if not for Jackson, would not know who players like Derek Fisher, Gasol, Odom, or Trevor Ariza are. These players have had minimal success in other situations, but they're now considered “great” due to what Jackson has molded them into.

It even existed back in the 1990s when it was Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Bill Cartwright, B.J. Armstrong, amd Wil Perdue, and the 2000s with Rick Fox (by the way whose acting I don’t think is that great), Robert Horry, Devean George, Brian Shaw, Samaki Walker, Mark Madsen (remember the dance in the parade?), and so forth.

The common theme with these guys is that they are specialists in a certain aspect of the game and are not a one-man team. Jackson utilized their strengths and put them in situations that would help the team the most.

My hat is off to you, Phil Jackson. You definitely know how to make the most of your players. Congratulations on winning the championship this year and I hope you return for another year.

2009 NBA Finals: Lakers Score More

Chris Chan — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:36:33 -0400

Let me be one of the few that will say I’m glad we are not seeing the Cavaliers play the Lakers. This is not to say I don’t want to see the matchup of the puppets of Lebron against Kobe, just that the Magic are simply a better team. After all we were one miracle shot away from seeing a Magic sweep over the Cavs.

But back to the real Finals. Seeing Phil Jackson in the playoffs over the past few years tells me that there is something that is yet to be seen—a new strategy, rotation, and who knows, maybe even suiting up Sun Yue. Jackson love the idea of surprise, so you can be sure that the Lakers will not be the same ones we’ve seen over these playoffs. However, we can always count on seeing the beautiful triangle offense.

This has worked over two decades and brought success to Jackson’s teams. The offense relies on players being active without the ball and forcing the defense to play one-on-one or take a gamble on someone’s open shot. The offense is somewhat basic, but the Lakers perform it to perfection.

Because of the Lakers’ size and athleticism, a majority of the points should come within 15 feet of the basket. Odom, Gasol, and Bynum all have seven-foot wingspans. When they pass inside the key, they keep the ball above their heads, and you can almost count on a dunk. Of course, that won't stop Kobe from taking his long range jumpers and three point shots.

The Magic will need to use their length to cover the floor to prevent the Lakers from scoring. Dwight Howard needs to stay out of foul trouble. The Lakers love to attack the basket when they are guarded one-on-one which could lead to Howard exiting the game early. If that happens, it should be a fun night for Gasol, Bynum, and Odom.

While the Lakers have many options, the Magic are quite the offensive team themselves. Everyone knows about Superman, his giant grin, as well as his goofy dance moves off the court. He has excellent body control and knows how to use his size around the basket. He is excellent on defense and dares slashers to score a layup over him. His domination inside the paint allows open looks for Turkoglu, Lewis, and more recently Alston.

The possible return of Jameer Nelson could allow the Magic to have another option. Like the Lakers, the Magic rely on fast ball movement and open looks to get the ball to either their shooter or Howard in the middle. The Lakers will need to always keep a body (or two) on Howard in order to limit his offensive rebounds.

Statistically, this shapes up to be an exciting offensive series with both teams having multiple weapons. The winner of the series will come down to a few factors—point guard play and defense. Fisher has been outplayed in every series thus far. Alston has been extremely underrated and has come through at crucial times. However, Fisher has loads more experience while this is Alston’s first trip to the big stage.

Nelson has expressed a desire to return, but has not played in four months. Are the Magic really willing to let his first game back be an NBA finals game? It should be an interesting matchup but could be one of the determining factors in terms of momentum shifts.

We all know the saying “Defense wins championships.” It will definitely hold true as both teams have multiple and excellent offensive weapons. Whoever makes the crucial stops will hoist the title.

I have to say that the Magic inexperience on this stage leads me to predict the Magic will make careless turnovers giving the Lakers the title. Sorry Magic, you guys are great but better luck next year. Lakers in five.

Can USC and UCLA Make Runs? Thoughts for the 2009 NCAA Tournament, Part One

Chris Chan — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:31:36 -0400

First of all, I am a USC Trojan alum, and I will stand by my team until they lose, so comments regarding them are not up for debate. Let’s start off with them.

USC Trojans

I have to admit I was surprised that they won the Pac-10 tournament. On one hand, many of their regular season losses have come down to the wire, and USC wound up on the short end. However, the Trojans always seem to falter in this tournament.

What impressed me the most about this team is the passion they played with in the tournament. Knowing that every game was a “win or season is over” sparked an aggressive mentality throughout the team.

There are many stars on the team with Daniel Hackett, who understood how his role changed throughout the game. Dwight Lewis started to take more of the high percentage shots. Taj Gibson did his normal job of sweeping the boards and altering shots (particularly against James Harden in the final).

Of course, DeMar DeRozan finally has arrived. I think he finally understands how to play at this level. Another reason to his breakout is that he has more freedom within Tim Floyd’s system, a role that O.J. Mayo opened up for him. Look for a new offensive gameplan from the Trojans that showcases more of DeRozan’s athleticism.

The Trojans should be able to win their first round game. Boston College has one star, Tyrese Rice, and lately USC has been able to shut down single stars (see James Harden, Darren Collison, and Jerome Randle). I think it’ll be close for most of the game, but I’m picking USC by 10.

NCAA Selection Committee

I respect the Big East and think they are the strongest conference this year from top to bottom, but three No. 1 seeds? That’s a bit much. However, I am picking UConn to win it all this year.

As much as I am a Trojan, UCLA got robbed. This is a team that has been to three straight Final Fours. I guess the committee wanted them to earn their fourth consecutive. UCLA has to travel all the way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for their game.

I’m not mad about that. What irks me is that their opponents are practically driving distance from their home arena. What kind of a neutral court is this? UCLA has to essentially play two straight road games against quality opponents.

Now, I think UCLA will win both, but the game should be played someplace far from all the involved campuses, in Canada if we have to.

All in all, there are no clear-cut favorites, and I’m expecting madness and all of my brackets to fail. As I mentioned earlier, I’m picking UConn to win it all and the Final Four to consist of UConn, UNC, UCLA, and either USC (I’m hoping) or Michigan State (defense will pay off).

USA Basketball Needs to Get to The Rim

Chris Chan — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:46:27 -0400

First of all, what a great opening game for both the US and China. China played off the home crowd support and hit their shots. I was very impressed with the guard play of the Chinese team.

They were not intimidated nor backed down from the NBA All-Star US guards. In the first half, they moved the ball around and more importantly, made their three pointers. In fact, 12 of their 23 total made field goals came off assists.

Defensively, they capitalized on the US team’s nerves and played very physical defense, which prevented the US from establishing any type of long rhythm. China’s frontcourt was solid as predicted. Yao clogged the middle and even made a 3-pointer at the beginning that caused the crowd to go wild.

However, his two biggest plays had to have been when he tried to take the charge and when he dove into the photographers trying to save the loose ball. I don’t think we will ever see that again from anyone over seven feet, much less 7’6”.

Yi was not as effective as I would have liked to see. Despite the loss, China has much to be proud of in that first half. Once this aggressiveness lasts the whole game, China will surely make it out of pool play.

Now for the favored US team. Jerry Colangelo must be smiling as the game went on. This was his strategy in action.

He knew there would be games that the Americans would not be able to make three pointers, even with specialist Michael Redd in the game. So a second strategy was needed, get to the rim.

In a flurry of highlight reel dunks, LeBron, Dwight, and Wade executed to perfection either off of fast breaks or dished drives. Lesson of the day: speed kills. Many of the dunks and fast break points and/or steals came from pushing the tempo of the game.

Secondly, the impact of Jason Kidd was felt. The Americans were going through a bit of a slump and had Paul at the point position. While Paul has excellent skills, Kidd is more respected on the international level and immediately showed his leadership upon entering the game.

The US team had an easier time starting its fast break, which consequently put points on the scoreboard. Defensively, the Chinese ball handlers had more trouble with the more physical, heavier Kidd.

The US team has a long path to the gold and has work to do before it takes its place on the podium. In addition to its poor 3-point shooting night, I would like to see Carmelo Anthony step his game up. For now, I’ll chalk it up to nerves and playing in a new arena.

But, Anthony needs more active games to be a leader on this team. The only three points he got were from the free throws. I say it again, getting to the rim.

Why the Los Angeles Clippers Can Make the Playoffs

Chris Chan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:12:22 -0400

The Clippers will return to the playoffs next year. I said it.

The two major changes of getting Baron Davis and Marcus Camby put the Clippers into the postseason. Although it is possible to argue that skill-wise Davis-Camby replaces the Corey Maggette-Elton Brand duo, Davis and Camby have been to the playoffs in multiple seasons. They bring the leadership, success, and experience that Maggette and Brand do not have.

While a part of me feels that the Clippers are not done this summer, the current roster holds key elements that will push them into the top eight in the west.

They have a fairly strong starting five with Davis, Cuttino Mobley, Al Thornton, Marcus Camby, and Chris Kaman.

Their frontcourt has immense size (Thornton 6’8”, Camby 7’0”, Kaman 7’0”) which almost matches the potential Lakers front court (Odom 6’10”, Gasol 7’0", Bynum 7’0"). Very few teams can boast one, much less two seven foot players in their starting lineup.

Thornton, Camby, and Kaman are all capable rebounders. Camby led the league in blocks. Kaman can keep opponents out of the lane with his 265 pounds. Thornton is very athletic and quick. Davis has been a leader since his arrival in the NBA. He knows how to control the tempo of the game and can make the clutch shot.

After putting up with Sam Cassell the past few years, coach Mike Dunleavy should be comfortable with Davis’ shot selection.

Cuttino Mobley has been fairly consistent the past few years. He can shoot the three and make set shots. If Davis were to penetrate and drive, Mobley should be open enough to knock down the open shot.

The Clippers’ bench isn’t too shabby either. Tim Thomas gives the Clippers some size as well as another three point threat. He can stretch defenses and play a physical defense.

The two rookies, Eric Gordon and DeAndre Jordan, have shown promise in summer leagues. While those games don’t mean that much, it was an opportunity for them to showcase some of their abilities.

Jordan, once projected a top 10 draft pick, looks to be a young Marcus Camby and gets up and down the floor well. Playing with Camby should provide a lot of experience on the floor and during practice sessions.

Gordon has been accustomed to being the team’s primary offensive weapon at Indiana. Those experiences have given him many weapons to work with. He will not be required to provide all the offense with the Clippers, but we do know that he can score when he has to.

The offseason is not over yet. I hope that the Clippers can sign another swing man or backup point guard. Shaun Livingston is a possible candidate to back up Davis, as is Smush Parker and Dan Dickau. Marcus Williams is very athletic and hopefully will resign with the Clippers.

Just to stir the rumor pot, one addition I would like to see is for Vince Carter to come to the Clippers for Mobley. Carter would bring more playoff experience and a solid outside touch.

The Clippers now have the skills and the right combination of players to make the playoffs. I do expect a least one team over .500 to miss the playoffs (likely the Blazers and Nuggets).

Western Conference playoff teams: Lakers, Hornets, Jazz, Suns, Rockets, Spurs, Clippers, Mavericks.

Shawn Marion for Lamar Odom: Lakers, Do Not Pass Up This Deal

Chris Chan — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:33:24 -0400

While the Lakers recover from their “close but no cigar” championship season, many changes need to be made to push them over that hump.

Like many others who watched the NBA Finals, it was obvious to me that the Lakers did not have a solid defense. This is quite ironic considering the team has Kobe Bryant, a 2008 All-Defensive first-team guard, and not one but two seven-footers on the team.

With Andrew Bynum expected to come back next season, the team will have an imposing three seven-footers in the front court.

According to the Miami Herald, there was said to be an offer that sent Lamar Odom and Chris Mihm to the Heat for Shawn Marion. Marion might not be the seven-footer that Odom is, but he would bring in the talent that the Lakers need.

Odom was inconsistent throughout the playoffs. He would go on amazing scoring runs and be active in the offense, like in the first quarter of Game Four. Other times, nobody noticed he was on the court, i.e. the rest of Game Four.

Marion has always played well. During his days in Phoenix and Miami, he played well no matter who was on his team. When Amare Stoudemire went down in 2005, Marion boosted his numbers despite defenses who targeted him.

Marion shot a higher three-point percentage over the last three years, including his stint with Phoenix where he took roughly 300 attempts (about four per game). Odom only shot about 180 attempts per season (two per game).

Marion is a more dependable scoring option than Odom.

Defensively, Odom has a bigger wingspan. In theory, this would make him the better defensive player. Not quite the case, as Odom has slow feet. He relies on his arms so much that quicker players can go right past him.

Marion, on the other hand, uses every part of his body to make the crucial stop. He isn’t the fastest player on the court, but he puts himself in a good position to stop his defender.

The Lakers can just look to last year’s champion, the Boston Celtics, for advice. The right combination of proven veterans brings home the title.

Marion would fit in with the Lakers’ roster. In the past with Miami and Phoenix, Marion never really was the superstar of the team. Those roles went to Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash, or Amare Stoudemire.

Marion never really complained during the season and did his job, and he can do that with the Lakers since it is Kobe Bryant’s team. His experience can help train the younger guys, such as Trevor Ariza, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton, or even Coby Karl, to develop into stronger role players.

Miami wouldn't really lose out as it is a team that lacks size. In addition to Miami draft pick Michael Beasley, Odom and Mihm would help out Udonis Haslem and Alonzo Mourning in their front court.

Besides, Miami did pretty well in the 2004 playoffs when they had rookie Dwayne Wade and Lamar Odom. And contract-wise, everything supposedly checks out.

The Lakers need to call back Pat Riley and make this trade happen.

Rankings Don't Mean Anything to USC

Chris Chan — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:17:02 -0400

The Trojans are above and below the radar. For once USC was known for more than Pete Carroll and the football team. OJ Mayo brought singlehandedly put the basketball program in the national light. Every game was overanalyzed and Mayo’s stat line became as well known as Starbucks.

However, the NCAA bracket committee didn’t quite buy into the hype. A 4^th place season finish and responsible for 1 of 2 home losses to top seed UCLA doesn’t mean much to them. It only warrants a 6 seed against Kansas State.

The Trojans have talent despite their lack of depth. As the country knows, the team is led by guard OJ Mayo. While his offensive capabilities have been highlighted since high school, OJ has greatly improved his defensive game under Coach Tim Floyd. He shut down freshman sensations Derrick Rose and James Hardin. Not many players can have that kind of impact against star guards.

While OJ gets the attention, the supporting cast is just as important for the team’s success. Taj Gibson had another explosive year. He rebounds, scores, and blocks well. I would describe him as a growing Marcus Camby, although he isn’t quite at that level yet. Davon Jefferson has been a supportive teammate, especially to Gibson. He forces opposing coaches to broaden their focus. While Jefferson makes the “freshman mistakes,” he also makes the big plays at the end of the stretch and has shown NBA type potential at times.

And now for the guys who do the little things. Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis. They were the offensive replacements for Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt who led the team to the sweet 16 last year. Hackett has consistently been one of the toughest guys on the team. He doesn’t shy away from contact and stays two inches away from his man on defense. Offensively, he drives to the basket like any other running back would get to the line. He’s probably taken a few pointers from Chauncy Washington. However, contact sometimes has pushed his body to the injury list. That is something the Trojans cannot afford. Dwight Lewis is the slasher and outside threat. He is the reason you may want to rethink doubling on OJ, Gibson, or Jefferson. Despite a poor outing at Arizona State, he will hit the open three or slash to the basket to keep you off guard.

The bench may be USC’s downfall but the starting five have played many long games together. Keith Wilkinson and Angelo Johnson don’t always play perfectly but have been known to have their moments.

Defense wins the game. This strategy has worked very well for USC. Coach Floyd and his staff are experienced when it comes to the tourney. Look to see them shut down Mr. Beasley just as they did last year to a certain Mr. Durant to pick up that first W and then take on the rest of the Midwest bracket.

Suns Prove Potent with Shaquille O'Neal on the Floor

Chris Chan — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:27:08 -0500

Despite the loss last night to the Lakers, the Suns are still my pick for this year’s NBA title. Props to Kobe. He scored his 41 points, Pau helped a bit, and the Lakers won.

However, Pau understands his role on the Lakers and has more experience with his new team, whereas Shaq was making his debut. Once the Suns communicate on defense, those backdoor Gasol dunks and Kobe drives won’t be coming easy anymore.

Fortunately for Phoenix, this isn’t the NCAA where a loss takes you out of the running: a team needs to win 16 games to hold the title.

No team can beat the Suns in a seven game series, and last night was just the beginning of things to come. Teams that face these new Suns should be very afraid for two reasons: Bad things that were supposed to happen because of Shaq haven't, and good things that were supposed to happen have.

The main bad thing that hasn't happened is that the Suns offense hasn’t changed that much. The Suns have not lost their run and gun style. Shaq did get up and down the floor. One of the good things that Shaq brings to Phoenix is his ability to create mismatches, especially after a high pick and roll with point guard Steve Nash.

This strategy leaves the defense two options: Switch and have the point guard defend Shaq (I wonder who will win when Shaq makes his way to the basket?), or stay on the same guy and give Nash five seconds of breathing room. Would you really want to give the former MVP that opportunity?

This makes it very difficult for anyone to create an effective defensive strategy against Phoenix. Switching or rotating defenders favors the Suns, as teams normally only have one guy who can defend both Shaq and Amare. The mismatch will lead to an easy offensive rebound for the Suns and another chance to score.

In this first game, the Suns grabbed 16 offensive rebounds compared to the Lakers’ seven, which equates to nine more possessions for the Suns.

Shaq brings one more thing that can never be overlooked, and that is veteran leadership. It’s likely that a team has one member who has been through it all, but rare for a team to have two. These veterans not only train the young talent, but take over games when necessary.

Shaq will be a good mentor for Diaw and Stoudamire, and, as evidenced last night, Grant Hill will take that second leadership role. The Suns desperately needed a run when their first few options were not working. Hill put himself into high gear and put together that 10-0 run.

The pick your poison method gives the Suns a good chance of winning it all.

Phoenix Suns: Shaquille O'Neal Will Lead the Way

Chris Chan — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:22:37 -0500

By now you’ve heard all the negativity about Shaquille O'Neal going to the Phoenix Suns.

He’s too slow for the Suns’ offense.

His hip gives him problems.

He’s going on 36.

But were the Suns really going to win a championship with Amare Stoudemire at center and Shawn Marion at power forward?

Try matching that up against Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and Erick Dampier, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and Francisco Elson, or even the Lakers’ Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and newly-acquired Pau Gasol.

Suns general manager Steve Kerr should be praised for his risky move. He not only matched the “big” Lakers deal, but one-upped them. Shaq gives the Suns another big body for opponents to worry about.

If Stoudemire puts up All-Star stats playing out of position, can you imagine what numbers he’ll put up at his normal power forward spot?

Now let’s talk offense.

The main reason the Suns have popularized the run and gun system is because of the size mismatch they had. Stoudemire was the only starter above 6’8.

The only way to win games is to score more, and that meant pushing the ball. They were often quicker, so the strategy worked perfectly.

It also required Steve Nash to take extra dribbles, often all over the court, to get Amare open for a dunk or to the three-point line. Now Nash only has to make one entry pass to Shaq which reduces his fatigue.

In case you forgot, Nash is only two years younger than Shaq.

And defense—the Suns play defense? They do now.

With a seven-foot frame in the middle not named Amare Stoudemire, the Suns will play some defense. Shaq’s mere reputation and size is enough to alter shots and allow the Suns to gamble more in this aspect of the game (Merry Christmas, Raja Bell).

To top it all off, Shaq brings the intangibles.

He currently is one of the few people in the Suns’ organization, along with GM Steve Kerr, to win a NBA championship. He brings his leadership and experience to the locker room.

And don’t forget about his police badge and undercover duties.