[ClutchFans] Frustrated Motiejunas just wants to play

no thats wrong, Mchale have been going with 3man rotation at C-PF in last 5-6 games where Dmo played (and TJ was healthy). Basically going with Dwight Jones > Dwight Dmo > Dmo Jones > Dwight Jones...Also before Dmo started seeing regular minutes TJones would play with Casspi or Parson at 5-4, if Dwight was on the bench...

 

Actually, Dmo has played worse overall than Garcia and Casspi, and has been the worst big man on this team so far this season.

 

You do know that every time a player fails, or a team loses, or a player doesn't develop it isn't always the coaches fault?

You and a number of other posters vastly overrate the importance of McHale to help or harm the team. McHale does not actually play on the court. Hell, he doesn't even design the offense or defense.

The vast majority of NBA head coaches have a marginal impact on a teams performance.

 

Disagree. Head coaches have a substantial, if not huge, impact on teams' performance.

 

Morey seems to think otherwise - nets on average +5 wins.

 

Of course you do..... doesn't surprise me one bit.

 

DMo, TJones, and GSmith.......here we go again.

Here's the problem with these guys. Each of them only has a certain strength to their skillsets and that strength doesn't mesh with what we need and each of them has multiple holes in their games that matches the holes we have on this team and need fixed.

DMo:
Strength ----> post moves
Now honestly, do we need that????? Do you really think with Harden and Dwight on this team we need post moves?????

Weakness -----> Defense, rebounding, poor 3-point shooter
Now, honestly.....do we need that?? Yes, we do. In spades. Now, I love DMo's post moves. And sometimes he'll hit a corner 3-point shot and I dream about what he would be if he was 40% out there. But he ain't. And I see his big body and I dream about how effective he could be if he had just a little defensive principle and moxy in him. But he doesn't. And I think about what I would do if I had that 7-foot frame and 250 lbs, how I'd box out every trip and I'd for sure own the boards. But he doesn't.


GSmith:
Strength: -------> Finishing on the pick and roll.
Now honestly, do we need that?? With Dwight in the middle??? Perhaps for a few minutes a game if he was healthy. Perhaps. But not necessary. Our offense was great last year with fumble fingers Asik in the middle. Yeah, we hated all his fumblerooskis down there. I absolutely hated it. But it wasn't bad enough to make our offense mediocre.

Weaknesses -------> Terrible defender, no shooting range at all, makes him a pivot exclusively.
Now honestly, what do we need in a backup pivot? Length, paint defense, boards. Does Smith give us that? Nope. But those massive hands and monster jams off the pick and rolls that he gets when he gets minutes look great, right? Makes everybody salivate at his "potential". Me too! I look at that kid and think, "My goodness, what could be! If only he could....defend. If only he knew how to use that body in postup defense, if only he knew how to move his feet and defend the pick-and-roll, if only he could also step outside and shoot a J." But he can't. All he can do is replicate one skill that Dwight has that is not critical to the team...finishing. A skill that is is the most common skill amongst big athletic men. Jumping, catching, and dropping it through the hoop. Only Smith does it with more voracity than most. Hey I love it! But it contributes very little towards actually winning games. Meanwhile his deficiencies are what cause this team to lose games.

TJones: (ahhhhh TJones)
Strengths----------------> dribbling and finishing in the paint
Same question...do we need that? Are desperate for him to handle the ball up and down the floor. Are we so short on ball handlers that we need that so badly? What about finishing in the paint? Do we need that??? Is he the only guy that can do that? Are we desperately in need of that skill????

The answer to all those questions is nope, nope, nope, and ....... nope.

Oh, he looks good when he takes the outlet pass at halfcourt, takes 2 dribbles and crams it. So good it brings a smile to my face and makes me think, "My goodness....if only...." If only he could spread the floor effectively when Dwight or Ask is in the game? If only he had DMo's size and he could lock down the paint and rim for us when Dwight was on the bench. If only he was just halfway decent in pick-and-roll defense. If only TJones could do something to help us really win.

Now before all you JOFs (yeah some of you are JOFs) come out of the woodwork like termites and chew me a new one about all these games he's helped us win I want to ask you to think. Think about how many games we would have won if TJones wouldn't have been out there and DMo or GSmith or Joe Blow power forward were out there instead. Think about it folks. There's no way of knowing. But...I will remind you of this. The last 2 games without TJones we have put up the most points and the 4th most points in a single game the whole season. And one of those games was against the vaunted Trailblazers. Think about that and consider what actually Win/Loss difference TJones is making.

And think about that in regards to what actual win/loss difference any of Jones/DMo/SMith are making or would make if they were stuck in there.

Understand this team, how we are built, how we want to play, what we believe in. And then tell me any of these three guys are difference makers. They're not. They're simply JAPS...at least for this season. We're just as well off (and in a lot of ways better off) with Casspi playing the 4 alongside Dwight as any of these guys. We're just as well off with Casspi in the rotation as we would be with any of these other guys.

 

With every game DMo's numbers get better and better. He needed playing time to help transition from the Euro style of basketball he played for the first 6 years of his professional career, now that he's getting some solid play time, he's looking better. It shouldn't be surprising. I wonder how well he'd be doing if he had gotten more consistent playing time from the start. Part of McHale's weakness as a coach is his player management, too often he keeps starters in till the very end even if we are up 20 rather than giving these minutes to the guys at the back of the bench. Overall McHale has been fine, but he stunts the growth of players by keeping them on the bench the whole game. NBA teams don't practice enough for young guys to learn much in practice alone, they need playing time. Just a solid 5 or 6 minutes a game can do wonders for players as opposed to 0 minutes.

 

DMO is showing improvement right now. I will grant you that. And I sure hope if we don't make any moves and he's still here that he continues to improve. Why would I not want that?

However, if he is going to be an effective contributor to this team with Asik not playing he's going to have to be consistently effective when Dwight is not in the game.

One thing everybody should remember is with Dwight in the game, he makes a lot of ancillary players look better than what they are. That is true of any superstar. They attract defenders away from other players and allow others players opportunities. That is opportunities to shoot, opportunities to finish...and yes...even opportunities to rebound as opponents shade off them onto a big superstar.

The key with DMo and these bigs is how they play when Dwight is on the bench. Dwight simply can't play 48 minutes a night. And with Asik basically gone, or at least non-existent on this team...whomever is playing the big spots when Dwight is on the bench needs to bring something. Somebody has to clog up the middle and play effective defense. Without that effective defense in the middle even lottery teams can come back on us and drive the point differential in their direction. It's just that simple.

We saw that one game a while back where DMo came in with Dwight in foul trouble and he actually nutted up a little bit. It wasn't great defense by any means. But he battled, he banged, he pushed back, he made his presence felt at least. That was the most encouraging thing I've seen out of DMo the whole season. But he went right back to being a non-factor the next game.

With Asik gone, there really is nobody else on this roster that can play the pivot for us when Dwight is gone. I know we've horsed around with TJones in the middle but we should all know that hasn't worked nor is it going to work. TJones is simply not big enough to control the paint D with a backup small unit that is spreading the floor. He's too small to play the 5 in that scenario. He's just not a center...period. So...that leaves DMo or Smith. And we all know where Smith's game is at if he's healthy.

So, right now DMo is getting an increase in minutes, especially with TJones dinged. And he has shown small, incremental improvement. Like I said above, "If only...." If only his bite was as good as the bark he barked when we drafted him and he came in talking mess. If only he would get nasty mean out there and scuffle a little bit. If only he'd dump some opponent big on the floor a time or two with his bulk and leverage. If only he'd throw that massive body against an opponent and drive them back on the box out. If only he would establish a strong presence defensively on the floor....instead of all this tentative reaching all the time. If only he'd just go out there balls to the wall, to hell with the foul count, and just play his a.. off. If only.....

I'm still waiting and in lieu of no trades I'm still hoping. And if the boy is still here Feb. 21st I am really going to be desperately hoping then that he has either done the above or he is going to start doing the above very quickly. Because if we go into the playoffs playing like we are now with the big man rotation we have now we are going to get chewed up, maybe in the first round but no later than the second round.

 

It always takes Euros a while to adjust, if he keeps getting consistent minutes, I think he could break out either late this year in the playoffs or next year. He's never going to be a great defender, but I think he'll become at least a competent defender and once he starts slowing down and finishing better he'll be a plus offensive player. He already gets open shots right and left, he just needs to start making the wide open layups and hooks he creates for himself and IMO that comes with playing time. He doesn't need 30 minutes a game, just a consistent 10 or so at minimum.

 

DMo rebounding is underrated this year. Last year he was skinny boy among big centers and didn't rebound well. But this year he rebounds pretty well for PF - 8.6rpg per34 and 9.8rpg per34 last 5 games.

Also he set the record for defensive rebounds in Euroleague two years ago.

 

Ha - well he's right here.

DMo was awful before his turnaround. He looked awful on the court. Then one day he looked good. Something happened. You are saying McHale didn't want to send him to the DLeague? Why? Why would McHale care? I don't see how that would affect anything.

I think what happened was Howard showed some leadership, heard about Dmo whining, and smacked some sense into DMO - the next day at practice, Dmo looked good, started hustling and all, and McHale decides to give him some minutes to reward the effort.

This idea he never got PT is ridiculous. He played 16 minutes in a game at OKC where he did NOTHING. And he played 23 minutes at Memphis which was pretty useless. So it's hard to say he needed MORE PT when he wasn't doing anything when he got PT. There were other players who were doing more to help the team, and that's the bottom line.

 

You and number of other posters like to add bs to their post.

I never said it's Mchales fault every time the team loses, every time a player fails, or if a player doesn't develop. If you can't make your point without trying to run somebody down, then maybe your point isn't that strong.

We can debate back and forth on how many wins or losses a coach makes each season. I don't think it is a whole lot myself, but I do think a coach is very important to any team.

I'm sure sometimes I have been to harsh on Mchale, even calling him a dumbass and I should have held back some.

I works both ways though, I see a lot of posters on here defending most every move he makes. They need to come back to the middle also, and realize that he isn't that good of a coach.

 

I thought the only reason DMo started getting consistent playing time was because he was being showcased for trade. It seemed, one day an article comes out about his frustrations and how his agent is trying to get him traded; the next day, DMo gets regular time.

I think the dude is a rhythm player and he needed consistent time to find a rhythm. It doesn't help that this is a contending team that can't really afford to give him the floor time to make mistakes and learn. I wanted to see McHale give the guy time the game after a poor performance just to see how the guy would bounce back, if he would learn from it.

Even when he got sport minutes, he didn't get much opportunity to utilize his strengths. The other players would generally be chucking the ball and he would be spotting up at the three point line instead of posting up.

And I am not quick to give McHale too much credit with respect to the rotation, because I still think he over plays key starters, even while they are injured.

In the end, every Rocket should know the score with this organization with respect to both playing time and trades. Be mentally ready to perform when your number gets randomly called and keep a travel bag near the front door if you aren't marquee.

 

Well, I think you are understating Jones' value simply to make your point. This guy just turned 22, and is showing rapid improvement. The fact that he has a handle is just a bonus, not his forte. In the last 10 games he's averaged a hair under 17points, 2 blocks, and just over 11 rebounds per game. The fact that some people are encouraged or even excited about that does not warrant putting them in the category of LOFs. JOFs? Really?

Anyway, I think you have made some good points in the past, and it's a shame for you to undermine the credibility of your entire argument in this manner.

And Casspi at the 4? Do you think Dwight would prefer starting next to him in lieu of TJ? Obviously McHale doesn't. Personally, I think Casspi is a nice player, but he has been quite mediocre this season. Something of a letdown.

I'm not saying I wouldn't trade Jones in a package for the right impact player; but considering the cost of his contract, his current performance and the prospect that he might have a much higher ceiling, it's kind of silly to devalue him and pretend he is nothing more than a big guy who has the ability to dribble.

One more thing here. Big men take time to develop. Is it too much of a reach to expect Jones to add a consistent mid-range jumper to his game next? I think not.

 

I would think that any bench player in any organization in any sport should have that mentality, no? I mean it's a pretty common story.

 

The game has started to slow down for him even on defense, he is looking pretty solid now.

DD

 

Needs to stop getting bullied in the paint

 

You are talking as if you or I are the GMs of the Rockets or something. Now if we were, than obviously we would not say one thing about Jones' weaknesses (or any of our youngster's weaknesses) to undermine his value.....would we? And we'd be tweeting every rare statistical feat he pulled off to encourage him and to keep everybody in the league thinking that we value him quite highly. But that doesn't necessarily mean we think he is a great player or the best fit or a meaningful piece to a championship. Does it? I don't think so.

Sure he's just 22 and "rapidly improving"...whatever that means. But rapidly improving from what point? If he were originally a rotation player like Parsons was from day one, then "rapidly improving" means a whole lot. But a guy that spent most of last season in the dleague and was out of the rotation to begin the season and only got into the rotation because of another player trying to pout his way out of town...that guy "rapidly improving" doesn't mean much in the overall context of the team. By the way...I'd like to know where his "rapid improvement" is. What part of his game is rapidly improving? Sorry, I don't see it. What my eyes see is the same player as last year...simply getting to play minutes. I don't see a single skill set improvement. I'd like to know what it is if there really is an improvement in his game.

Sorry, I'm not the GM. I'm not responsible for his trade value. I'm just a fan that is evaluating whether or not we have a chance to win a ring this year. That's where I'm coming from. That has nothing to do with liking or not liking TJones and trying to "undermine" his value. If I felt lil' ole me actually had any impact on his trade value by my comments I wouldn't make my feelings known about what I think of him and his role on this team.

In regards to your question on who Dwight prefers. My response is I don't care who Dwight prefers. I care about winning rings and how this team can become capable of winning rings.

You're saying Casspi has been mediocre this season. I haven't disagreed with that. He's sure not a star or superstar. My point about Casspi was his mediocrity wouldn't hurt us if he was in there over TJones because TJones is very mediocre as well and Casspi may help us because his mediocrity contrasts very well with Dwight's strength and his strength contrasts very well with Dwight's weakness.

By the way, my post did not pick out TJones. I covered all 4 guys...DMo, Smith, Jones, and Casspi. None of them get my ringing endorsement as difference makers on a championship team.

 

He hasn't been getting bullied in the paint lately. Sometime he gets beat in the paint but so does everybody.