his units in orlando got worse every single year (9th, 10th, 16th, 20th) and his first 3 yrs in boston were pretty pedestrian too (14th, 20th, 16th)

then in '07 the team hires thibodeau -- who'd worked for van gundy the previous 4 seasons in houston, shepherding top 5 Ds each yr, and who went on to direct top 5 units every season in chicago -- and trades for garnett -- the best P&R defender in league history, playing in an era where pretty much every team starts 9 out of 10 halfcourt possessions w/ a P&R -- and all of a sudden they've got the #1 ranked defense in the league and doc is a genius on that end?

nah, i don't buy it, necesita más gente.

one of the main subplots i'm paying particular attn to this season is the clipps D. that roster could put up a top 5 offense sleepwalking but they'll need at minimum to get to "respectable" on defense before they'll be a real contender. over the last 15 yrs, w/ a handful of exceptions, top 5 offensive teams that make the conf finals are generally also in the top half defensively, and the "serious" contenders are typically top 10. elite O + bottom third D is not gonna get it done. that's perennial first round fodder.

doc ain't gotta make em great. but he's gotta at least get them to "not terrible" and so far he hasn't (they're currently ranked 28th)

at the end of the day, i guess he's as good as his personnel (to be fair his 2 best defenders by far -- ben wallace and bo outlaw -- were traded in the midst of that orlando run) but can't you say that abt anyone? doesn't make you a defensive guru.

dude's kind of the rick rubin of nba coaches. he adds vibe and spirit and "feel" to the stew, moreso than any profound technical acumen.

>And how is Doc overrated?