An interesting look at Bob Ociepka's track record.

by AK1984 on Jul 27, 2010 10:48 PM PDT

2009-2010: Chicago Bulls (11th out of 30th in Defensive Rating w/ Vinny Del Negro)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/2010.html

2008-2009: Chicago Bulls (18th out of 30th in Defensive Rating w/ Vinny Del Negro)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/2009.html

2007-2008: Minnesota T'wolves (27th out of 30th in Defensive Rating w/Randy Wittman)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIN/2008.html

2006-2007: Milwaukee Bucks (29th out of 30th in Defensive Rating w/Terry Stotts & Larry Krystowiak)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIL/2007.html

2005-2006: Milwaukee Bucks (23rd out of 30th in Defensive Rating w/Terry Stotts)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIL/2006.html

2004-2005: Milwaukee Bucks (28th out of 30th in Defensive Rating w/Terry Porter)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIL/2005.html

2003-2004: Milwaukee Bucks (23rd out of 29th in Defensive Rating w/Terry Porter)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIL/2004.html

2002-2003: Detroit Pistons (4th out of 29th in Defensive Rating w/Rick Carlisle)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DET/2003.html

2001-2002: Detroit Pistons (8th out of 29th in Defensive Rating w/Rick Carlisle)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DET/2002.html

2000-2001: Cleveland Cavaliers (22nd out of 29th in Defensive Rating w/Randy Wittman)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2001.html

1999-2000: Cleveland Cavaliers (14th out of 29th in Defensive Rating w/Randy Wittman)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2000.html

1997-1999: Orlando Magic advanced scout for Chuck Daly, who gave him his start as a scout for the Detroit Pistons in the '80s after he made a name for himself coaching high school basketball.

1996-1997: Philadelphia 76ers (26th out of 29th in Defensive Rating w/Johnny Davis)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/1997.html

1995-1996: Los Angeles Clippers (24th out of 29th in Defensive Rating w/Bill Fitch)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/1996.html

1994-1995: Los Angeles Clippers (23rd out of 27th in Defensive Rating w/Bill Fitch)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/1995.html

1993-1994: Los Angeles Clippers (18th out of 27th in Defensive Rating w/Bob Weiss)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/1994.html

1992-1993: Indiana Pacers (21st out of 27th in Defensive Rating w/Bob Hill)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/IND/1993.html

1991-1992: Indiana Pacers (19th out of 27th in Defensive Rating w/Bob Hill)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/IND/1992.html

1990-1991: Indiana Pacers (26th out of 27th in Defensive Rating w/Dick Versace & Bob Hill)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/IND/1991.html

1989-1990: Indiana Pacers (24th out of 27th in Defensive Rating w/Dick Versace)

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/IND/1990.html

http://www.nba.com/coachfile/bob_ociepka/index.html

Y'know, if Ociepka has the Portland Trail Blazers implement an amateur-style defense based on overaggressive swarming, trapping and an emphasis on pressure rather than a pro-style defense predicated on strict man-to-man principles, it'll suffer the consequences. I mean, heck, there's a reason why true defensive gurus like Larry Brown, Scott Skiles, and Jeff Van Gundy produce first-rate defenses every season they roam the sidelines, while a run-of-the-mill assistant such as Ociepka toils around the NBA landscape like a vagabond.

Alas, JVG isn't walking through that door.

Tweet Comment 30 comments | 1 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

eh

by Rep- on Jul 27, 2010 11:01 PM PDT reply actions

talent on those teams has a lot to do with it too

"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man

by PDXBuckeye on Jul 27, 2010 11:08 PM PDT reply actions

But Brown as a counter example hasn't always had talent either.

He just always performs.

In Bayless I trust.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>

by staylost on Jul 27, 2010 11:20 PM PDT up reply actions

Brown usually trades all his young players for veterans.

That is not a recipe that I want to see followed here.

by upper left corner on Jul 28, 2010 1:33 AM PDT up reply actions

That's why I'd argue Scott Skiles is a better couterexample, although he's known to rub guys ...

the wrong way with his hard-nosed attitude. On a similar note, I’m extremely interested to see how JVG’s protege, Tom Thibodeau, does in his first head coaching gig.

by AK1984 on Jul 28, 2010 1:51 AM PDT up reply actions

Agreed on Tom T

Skiles is a good coach, but he has about a 3 season half-life. You can only yell at your guys for so long and expect them to continue listening.

by upper left corner on Jul 28, 2010 2:24 AM PDT up reply actions

fair enough

but the point still stands that talent plays a role…

I think over the last 8 seasons when he hops from team to team the second season has improved over the last is probably the type of thing Nate looked at. He might also be looking at other particualr stats he likes to emphasize rather than overall Rating. (much like he focuses in on efficiency on offense)

"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man

by PDXBuckeye on Jul 28, 2010 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions

First off

thanks for taking the time to lay Ociepka’s cards out on the table. Very interesting information indeed.

Now I’m just gonna pretend I didn’t see this. Ignorance is bliss my friend, ignorance is bliss.

"I've got to protect my guys' backs. I don't care about you. I'm thinking about my boys. You want to go beat up on B. Roy, all right, cool. Here I come. Baaaam." - JP

by ChiliConKyle on Jul 27, 2010 11:11 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

Here I was getting excited

I had a hard time watching Dean’s zones, and I was hoping for an improvement. I guess I’ll just have to hope for the best.

Still on the Rex bandwagon.

by dan_the_man on Jul 27, 2010 11:19 PM PDT via mobile reply actions

Over Reaction.

Heck, you can throw out several years of his career due to severe lack of talent of the defensive end ! Twolves, Bucks, Cavs, Clippers, Pacers, None of those teams had stand out talent on the defensive end ! Kinda weird, when he had Big Ben in Detroit the defense was strong, not to mention Prince. Then in Chicago the defense again improved adding pieces like Taj Gibson, Noah playing hard like always & Kirk Hinrich defending the perimeter.

He also was hired onto Indiana the same year Reggie Miller had a breakout season & continued to coach him in his prime years.

Silent Swagger.

by 420Phenom on Jul 27, 2010 11:20 PM PDT reply actions

Yes, let's blame the assistant coach for a team's defensive woes.

And while we’re at it, let’s draw some conclusions about the assistant’s style of defense, and heck, let’s just brand it amateurish based on some poor ratings, which really don’t reflect anything about that coach in particular other than he was an assistant coach on a middling defensive team. That seems smart.

"These are dreams that we have." --Rudolfo Fernandez

by bfan on Jul 27, 2010 11:48 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

that's what passes for analysis, during the offseason

as long as Greg Oden hasn’t been switched off on a PnR and is left guarding a PG above the FT line, Bob will be an immediate improvement

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Jul 28, 2010 12:13 AM PDT up reply actions 9 recs

Turn this green.

by upper left corner on Jul 28, 2010 1:35 AM PDT up reply actions

OK now it’s green

GOP in HD

by 22baylor on Jul 28, 2010 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions

I will say, however, that I hope Bob Ociepka coaches post players to stay at home, since then the ...

only qualm I’ll have with him is perimeter players swarming and trapping guys in the half-court — along with the occasional 3/4 press — as if this is amateur hour like in college and high school basketball.

Then again, the only couple of seasons Ociepka was a part of a coaching staff that led a legitimately good defense was in Detroit during the early-2000s. The Pistons, of course, were then headlined by weakside help defense specialist Ben Wallace, who’s stylistically the opposite at center compared to Greg Oden. Cliff Robinson was the power forward those two seasons, too, and I highly doubt Ociepka can get the same effort out of LMA that “Uncle Cliffy” could provide himself as a self-motivated defender.

Y’know, if the Portland Trail Blazers wanted to target an old-timer to restore order to the pick-and-roll defense, I’d’ve gone after an accomplished guy like Hank Egan — who’s a mentor for guys like Gregg Popovich and Mike Brown — however, his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers expired this summer and, more importantly, he’ll probably retire here soon at age 73.

http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2010/07/04/sports/nh2736280.txt

I, however, doubt that Nate McMillan would’ve ever seriously considered someone with a wholly different philosophy, which is why Lawrence Frank — who’d’ve been a strong voice — was likely never a serious candidate. Frank made the right move, too, as he went to the Boston Celtics. For Frank, the Celtics have an adaptable head coach, Doc Rivers, who effectively uses his assistant coaches for guidence — such as Tom Thibodeau most recently — rather than have them around as simple yes-men in empty suits.

by AK1984 on Jul 28, 2010 2:18 AM PDT up reply actions

This post and your comments

made me realize that there are no offensive minded people on Nate’s staff.

by 7677maniac on Jul 30, 2010 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions

We'll see. I hope for improvement, but don't expect it.

Thanks for the info.

You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.

by austinpwnz on Jul 27, 2010 11:50 PM PDT reply actions

When I say your name AK, I knew this post was going to be critical.....

…..and I knew there would be at least one JVG reference ;-)

by upper left corner on Jul 28, 2010 1:37 AM PDT reply actions

Yeah, it's a real good bet.

The payout is low, though.

by AK1984 on Jul 28, 2010 2:19 AM PDT up reply actions

One thing about AK

if he posts anywhere on BE, I read it. AK always keeps us thinking. We may sometimes agree to disagree as the saying goes, but his assessments are generally on a firm foundation. I also like his newly toned down style. More befitting of a BE poster.

by toolman on Jul 28, 2010 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions

AK and I have crossed keystrokes on more than a few occasions....

Although we frequently disagree, I have come to respect his knowledge of the game and the intensity of his conviction.

by upper left corner on Jul 28, 2010 5:34 PM PDT up reply actions

Was he brought here to be the defensive guy?

Has that been his role on his other teams?

I need someone to read his books and tell me what he’s all about. I really don’t know much at all about him, except how to pronounce his last name thanks to the Wikipedia page.

volatilelyle.wordpress.com

by almost awesome on Jul 28, 2010 2:31 AM PDT reply actions

As a group,

those teams were not good at all, yet I’m pretty sure this is a poor barometer, as it fails to examine the circumstances under which he toiled.
He has a nice group now, and if he develops trust w/ this group, I assume his career path, along w/ the statistical improvement of the team, will point upward.

by damonrayhymer on Jul 28, 2010 6:52 AM PDT reply actions

So basically what you're saying is that...

…the 2001-2004 Pistons were a top-tier defensive team despite Ociepka? Sorry, I’m not buying the kool-aid. Besides, it’s fairly easy to see that his Pistons teams were the best collection of talent Bob had to work with, up till now.
At most an argument could be made that on the Pistons, Ociepka got handed some top-tier defenders in Wallace, Wallace, Prince and (to some extent) Billups. By that same token, though, the Blazers should be right up there with them considering they have Camby, Oden, Batum and (possibly) Wes Matthews.
If the Blazers defense is even a pale shade of the 2002 Pistons, and their offense is up to it’s usual efficiency, this Trail Blazer team will be nearly impossible to beat.

I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

Banning "chat speak" is like banning apostrophes. There would be no "you're" if some punk kid in the 1700s hadn't been a rebel.

by haildablazer on Jul 28, 2010 10:54 AM PDT reply actions

Question:

Any chance he was brought in to help the offense instead?

I'm a grown man stuck inside the mind of a 3 year old

by The Arkitect on Jul 28, 2010 2:19 PM PDT reply actions

I've seen him noted as a pick and roll specialist at both ends

Maybe he can teach LMA to roll, and Roy to pass to the roller.

You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.

by austinpwnz on Jul 28, 2010 6:14 PM PDT up reply actions

Good stuff, AK

My first thought is this:

Bob’s track record for defense seems to be better with teams that have decent defensive players…..

by Storyteller on Jul 28, 2010 4:11 PM PDT reply actions

it's a chicken/egg issue, though

Most good defensive players develop into that due to good defensive coaching…or, rather, players can easily become good team defenders in the right system even if their individual defense is nothing special.

You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.

by austinpwnz on Jul 28, 2010 6:13 PM PDT up reply actions