Interesting article from Bleacher Report: https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndic...n-rockets-extreme-strategic-makeover.amp.html Here is my favorite part: “Lineups with PJ Tucker, Covington and no other big have been fantastic in an extremely small sample, and not just because their offense has erupted. They have a 120.5 offensive rating (100th percentile) and a 100.0 defensive rating (98th percentile) while rebounding in the 95th percentile.” That’s a +20.5 net rating(!!!!) and would rank #1 all time for offensive rating and #2 in the NBA this year in defensive rating. So our closing lineup in games will likely be Harden, Brodie, Tucker, RoCo and someone else (Ego?). And if the these stats hold up over a larger sample we will be able to dominate the fourth quarter to close out games.
@coyotetex alway shining light on the truth. That data is small sample size but if holds up, keeping D'Antoni is going to be expensive. LOL at people still talking about firing MDA.
Well, Dan Tony now has a roster he'll play, and who'll play to the system he envisions. 'Cause he isn't an adjuster. Here's the system, roll the ball out. No time-outs, no course corrections. Sink or swim. Hartenstein will be there handing out the Gatorade. Let's see how it unfolds. Some exciting results so far, but it's early.
I saw some big adjustments when Clint went out. Do you not consider the 5 Out an adjustment? How about changing defense from 5 dropping to rim back to switch everything? Team rebounding, focus on generating disruptions/turnovers, cutting to rim, pindowns to free corner 3 shooters, etc. All adjustments. Just because he is NOT making YOUR preferred adjustments does not mean he is not making any. The hate remains strong on CF.
fwiw: a 100.0 DRtg would #1 in league. Milw is #1 at 101.7. Also, 2nd is well off that at 105.1. And those are skewed EC teams. #1 WC is 106.3. So, a Mean Top 3 Defense is more like 106 this yr...which is consistent with last year, too.
As much as people complain that the Rockets have boxed themselves into a corner, they have a lot of tradeable assets next year to package to get another dominant wing. Once Ego's contract can be traded, the Rockets can go get another $20M a year player to pair with Harden, WB, RoCo and PJ. And Morey has proven that he can add complementary parts off of free agency / minor trades / waivers / buyout market the past 3 years that can contribute at a high level in this system (Green x2, Rivers, McLemore, House, Carroll, LMAM, etc). If this plays in the playoffs, I could see the Rockets getting better in the offseason by adding another RoCo like piece (and they will have access to another 1st / 2nd draft pick to play with).
Buh buh buh buh we give up too many rebounds. Or MDA is too stubborn to expand his rotation. Or MDA doesnt take timeouts. Or MDA does not adjust. Or Harden takes too many 3's. Crazy talk and old, if not outright false, narratives. The answer my friends is not blowing in the wind - it is right before your eyes clear as day. The Rockets are not becoming, they have become, a powerhouse on offense AND defense with new systems.
Hoping we win a championship this season, but ideally I would love to ship out EG to get Aaron Gordon and then go after a scoring guard off the bench aggressively using the non tax MLE.
Lot of evidence that success is born through focus, picking a plan and sticking with it until you make it work. You say D'A doesn't make adjustments, I say he doesn't bow to pressure to make frantic reactionary moves all the time just to be seen "doing something". He has implemented a system and he makes moves when there is sufficient evidence that a move is warrented (Capela for RoCo is a good example). The results speak for themselves. The Rockets are consistent winners under D'A. Winning in the NBA is not easy - its VERY hard. Give the dude some credit for the results.
DAntonis faults timeouts and how heavily he plays his good players. I sometimes want to ding him for player development but when you think about it, while many of us were ready to cut House and BMac, he really has shown a lot of patience towards these too rather than playing them inconsistently and it seems to be paying off. Capela is someone he helped get the most out of by using Harden as the PG. I know sometimes we wish he would develop others, but he isn't nearly as bad as many of us (myself included) make him out to be. He is no Popovich or Budenholzer in terms of developing the end of his bench, but he isn't a Tom Thibedou either.
Like a siren's song calling out to me. LOL AG would be our version of Amare/Matrix hybrid, except with ability to create for himself and others. Think of 6'8 Russ attacking rim in a 5 Out.
MDA will develop young players when he has to, too many people forget how young the 7Seconds or Less Suns really were. Suns during that period were the youngest team in the NBA. Only Nash was seasoned vet at 30. Amare, Matrix, Joe Johnson, QRich, Diaw, Barbosa were kids in early to mid 20's.
How many different excuses do you think we will hear that these numbers are not sustainable? Or that this data will be completely ignored in favor of old narratives?
I don’t have the stats to break it down, but here are the teams we played since the trade: Lakers Jazz Suns Celtics Warriors Three elite/top defenses there
God damn yall need to stop being so quick to want to trade Gordon, sheesh. How many times does this dude have to show up in the playoffs before yall get it.
The issue right now is less how good these lineups are and more making sure they can survive for the entire playoffs. The problem is can Tucker and RoCo play 40+mpg for potentially 4 playoff series without just breaking down if our bench players can't come through. Because the guys backing them up are Jeff Green, Thabo, Carroll, House and none of them are going to do anything against the likes of Jokic or AD or Gobert.