I read about this notion all the time- D’Antoni does not teach defense. My answer is that all
coaches in the NBA or even in the college ranks teach and stress defense. It is not possible for
any coach to reach the NBA level without an understanding of the importance of defense.
It is has been analyzed, computerized, and filmed for years. There is nothing new on the subject,
and all coaches are familiar with the techniques. It’s nonsense to say that Mr X is a defensive
coach or an offensive coach. All coaches have to adjust to the talent available. If a team has
3 big scorers like Miami, they still have to play tough defense to win. It doesn’t matter what
their style is- whether it’s run and gun or half court basketball, everybody in the league knows
you can not win without defense.
When a team plays poor defense, is it because of the coaching? Possibly, but more than likely
it’s because the players did not execute. It’s almost always because of poor execution or lack
of effort.
If Amare or Melo fail to box out on rebounds, is it D’Antoni’s fault? If they fail to switch,
whose fault is it? What do you suppose the 3 assistant coaches do every day at practice?
They try to correct the problems. The problem here is that Amare and Melo are scoring
machines, but are not adequate on defense. The other aspect is that both are stars and have
to be treated with some deference. You can shout at a rookie, but you can’t do the same
to the stars.