Rant in Defense of Our Point Guards

In my mind, there is no way the point guards are to blame for our losses.

In reference to the earlier Steve Blake diary, I really cannot see any way in which Steve Blake, specifically, is hindering us.  I think the problem at point guard is due to a lack of both confidence and clarity.  And that is directly derived from Nate's failure to invest in one primary, go-to point guard.  As I see it, the reason Steve Blake is passing on some open shots is because he's trying to stay with the offense Nate is demanding (high pick and rolls and iso's for LMA, Roy, and Outlaw).  Both home games this week, far too often we saw repeated attempts at high pick and rolls in a single possession that went nowhere, ending with a player trapped beyond the three point line with no passing options.  Because that was the whole offensive plan.  Think about it: other than inbounds sets, how often do you see away-from-the-ball screens on this team?  If they're there, I think the players must just be running through them without really rubbing off their man.  The ones I've seen are few and far between.  (In general, we need a lot more attacking the basket, as well.)

Based on what I saw of Blake during the abysmal '05-'06 season, he can score and shoot quite competently when he knows that's part of the plan.  But Nate has not asked Steve to be a scorer in this offense.  So, as a result, Steve is shooting tentatively.  That's all there is to it.  I'm not a big Dwight Jaynes fan, but I have to agree with his article today regarding Nate's endless shuffle at point and the lack of an organized offense or defense.  I think that given the opportunity (by this I mean 30 mins/game every night and not being criticized for every mistake or pulled after 1 turnover) and green light to score, Blake, Rodriguez, and Green could all be very quality, capable starting point guards for us.  I'm convinced that Jack, on the other hand, is really a shooting guard/finisher.  

Another problem the point guards are experiencing is that we are nominally moving towards being a "running team" but none of the necessary infrastructure is there.  Here's what a running team does: designate two guys to crash the boards hard EVERY play (the 4 and 5), they get the ball immediately to the point guard, and the 2 and 3 should already be out running the sidelines and ready for the outlet.  And we're simply not doing this.  Even after made shots, the ball shouldn't touch the floor.  Pryz takes it from the net, gets it immediately in to the 1, who should make a forward pass before he crosses the half court line.  This almost never happens.

Despite the argument that Roy is not a run and gun finisher, I do believe we have the personnel to play this style.  But Nate has to instill/enforce it, instead of asking the team to jog it down and set up another high pick and roll, leading to an elbow isolation.  It's turning into the Rasheed/Z-Bo/isolation-ville fiasco all over again.