and this is exactly the reason why guys like DD and BamBam argue, that the injury was fake..wait a minute, what?
This is a great point and one I have thought about a lot this season in lieu of the fact that we used to be able to be able to plug in Carlos Delfino at the 4 last year and drive teams absolutely crazy with our "small ball" lineup. (Oh, how I wished we had him back right now to make a playoff run with. He's the one player that I miss the most from last year's team.) Carlos is such a gifted offensive player who has both the ability to be a playmaker and set up others and also a lights-out bomber on catch-and-shoots or pull-ups. And he was savvy enough defensively to not hurt us by pushing the opponent into the paint to deal with Asik. We simply do not have that ability this season. At least not offensively. We don't have Delfino or a guy like Delfino that can both make a high basketball iq play or shoot it from anywhere on the court with a high degree of efficiency with the size Delfino has to make the opponent have to play honest offensively as well. So, how can this team force the opponent to adjust? I'd like to read other posters views on this. I don't think I've got the market cornered by any means here. But my thoughts on forcing other teams to adjust is wrapped up in that term "variance" we have kicked around here quite frequently. And this is one of the biggest reasons why I see through the limited stat lines and believe that we have to make the Twin Towers work. Because defensively we do have the components to make teams adjust. If we get the right matchups in the Twin Towers lineups...we can force teams to go away from their bread and butter preferred big lineups. The whole WC is running big lineups. We don't have Delfino to take them out of it defensively. Jones isn't a good enough shooter to force them to ditch one of their bigs for a better perimeter defender and he's not nearly big enough, strong enough, nor skilled enough defensively to get our playoff opponents out of their dominating 2 big lineups. So we should run Asik with Howard to take them out of it offensively and force them to have to go smaller and spread the floor. That in turn generates what we want, where we can really make hay...which is the 'ultra small ball" lineups. Multiple point guards with a shooting guard and a small forward up front. Rotating Harden/Parsons/Bev/Lin/Canaan/Garcia around our center. Now....I'd like to read your ideas and anyone else's ideas on how you force the other team to make adjustments. But it has to be considered with these givens or constants: 1. One of Howard or Asik has to be on the floor at all times. DMo can't lock down the middle by himself. 2. One of Harden or Lin has to be on the floor at all times. They are the 2 initiating playmakers on this current team.
#1 - Harden/Howard P&R- The main set that will force adjustments. If I'm McHale, right now in practice (when Howard is healthy of course) I'm really drilling home, trying to perfect, and drawing up some different shuffle cuts you could run in the playoffs in the Howard/Harden P&R. Putting those two guys in the P&R and having the supporting players support with their roles needs to be firing on all cylinders will be the ultimate way of making a team adjust to be able to stop your team. That should be as deadly as the Duncan/Parker high P&R they run consistently in the playoffs with the Spurs that they build counter, after counter on top of. If you play Jones in these sets, the best thing he does is movement. He can simply get out of the way, and you can also design counters to have quick moves to get open layups/dunks. If you play Asik you are looking at more of the same but the problem is Asik isn't going to have as much movement in the half court, and his man will sink in closer to the rim. You can go small if you want to with Parsons/Garcia at the 3/4 if you'd like to get more shooting, but have either of them really been that great at hitting the 3 in the second half of the season anyways? I think McHale goes with the lineup sometimes, but you really need these guys to be clicking from 3. I personally think your going to see alot of Jones early in the game still, but potentially Parsons/Garcia late in games when the defense makes adjustments and dont allow Jones to get to his spots where he can flash to the rim for good quality shots. #2 - Howard in the Post- Its a low efficiency shot, but one that needs to be there in order to force the defense to bring over a help defender. People always complain about Dwights low effeciency on post ups, and I always hammer home the idea that its not the effeciency in scoring you should worry about but how it is forcing the other team to make adjustments because of the threat of Dwight dominating down low. That is what allows Harden, Parsons, and Lin the ability to get freedom out on the perimeter, and Jones to get his shots within the offense when the defense brings help off of Jones' man. If you help off of Asik's man, is Asik going to make the defense pay???... I dunno. If you help off of Garcia/Parsons/Casspi's man at the 4, will they make you pay.... depends on how they are shooting, or if Parsons is playing more like 2013 version of Chandler where he was attacking more effeciently. If you help off of D-Mo, does he make you pay- Not with the 3 ball, but in the paint... sometimes. If you help off of Jones, does he make you pay..... ? Yes IMO. ...... Anyways, if I'm the coach, those are my #1 & #2 offensive priorities that I'm focusing on in practice. How do I force the other team into making adjustments that give us the upper hand, and how do we consistently get good shots in the half court. Pushing the pace is just a given of course, and defensively, I think its all about whatever the matchup is in how you are going to guard them. I'm sure Sampson has an entire binder of notes and diagrams printed out for the Rockets players & coaches with how they will defend certain scenarios, and situational's that they will be prepared for.
Simplify it for me. If we play Portland in the first round, what adjustments is Portland going to have to make with Jones in there?
Oh Geez... where to start. It starts with a simple explanation but grows from there based on how they counter or how well he does at it. From a coaching perspective- If I'm McHale I tell Jones early and often to run, run, run, and his hustle is going to be key in either forcing LMA/Lopez to pay way more defense & run more than they really want to, or you force them to play Batum at the 4 and go small with LMA at the 5 which sort of plays into the Rockets hands anyways even though the Blazers are a team that really does play small-ball style basketball in theory. Also if you can force them small than putting Dwight on LMA should pay off if Dwight is on his game. I think thats an advantage. The Blazers were not a great team last year when LMA had to play the center position. Sounds like coaches-speak to preach hustle, and energy, but I think with that match-up its more of a difference maker than one would think. You got a 4 that can run, and not give up a ton of size, and I think that's your advantage right there. Make LMA work & run the floor hard. If the Rockets go small against Portland I fear that Batum & Matthews can really kill the Rockets from 3. Those guys have the athleticism & speed over guys like Parsons/Garcia & Casspi. However, like I said before. If the Rockets can slow it down, and make Dwight work on LMA in the paint, I think it ultimately benefits the Rockets to force them small. Just gotta really watch those guys from 3. *Also I think Houston's bench if healthy really needs to play a big part in the spurts they are called upon. Lin and Asik really should have an edge both in shutting down the paint (Asik), and getting easy buckets in transition (Lin) against the lack-luster bench of Portland. Those two guys along with Parsons when Harden & Howard sit will be a key in the gameplay.
So basically you're saying that our Dwight/Jones big configuration is actually like a small ball combo by getting Jones to run really hard up and down and wear down LaMarcus. Ok. I'll consider that. However, my question is why haven't we done that already? Has Jones been lollygagging out there? If not, how much faster do you think he can run to run the wheels off LaMarcus? And how does he run the wheels off LaMarcus when he is picking the ball out of the net and inbounding it? Since the Dwight/Jones tandem is -31 for the season against the Lamarcus/Lopez tandem.
Its funny. I think that's why we see the two sides of Jones some games vs. others, and he really benefits from a little home-cooking. I think Jenny Dial said it best a few weeks ago when she said the key is Terrence Jones' starts. If he brings energy and hustle early in the games, he really makes teams pay often early in the game. In the playoffs, either here in Houston or in his hometown of Portland, you'd hope like hell that he's going to be motivated and coached to run his arse off. Where the struggle has been most evidently, IMO, early on in the season is the offensive rebounds. We all know that Jones struggled early on with crack-back blocking out when Dwight contends. Lopez just killed the Rockets in those games off of missed shots that Dwight would contest. Jones is going to have to be better than that in the playoffs. You can chalk that up to Dwight over-contesting in the P&R defense, communication & chemistry between Dwight and Jones, or Jones' attentiveness to rebounding. Either way, its going to have to better in the postseason, and If I notice it, I'm sure the coaches are going to drill that in practice since its so easy to see in game film. But there should be no excuse for Jones not being able to out hustle either 7 footer by hustling, and constantly being in motion on the offensive end. 2nd year player or not, the hustle is inexcusable in the playoffs. I think he'll bring it. Still... If the Rockets offense is on, the 2nd team brings it, and the defense doesn't make it a cake walk to get open shots, than I'll live with Robin Lopez getting a few extra offensive rebounds. The Rockets should win that series regardless. The only real edge I see is Portland's ability to shoot the 3 against the Rockets(which oddly enough alot of those 3's can come off of offensive rebounds & kick outs). That scares me even more than LMA. That's probably the biggest point of emphasis they will work on as a team over the coming weeks.
Jesus man we know you think that both Dmo and Jones are trash but just give it a damn rest. It's their first year of real playing time. What do you ****ing expect? Give them at least one ****ing year to develop some skills. As I stated before, look at what Parsons could do (or not do) his first year of playing time as opposed to now. Stop looking for instant gratification and let the players grow.
In the playoffs, everybody hustles. Or they get benched. That includes LaMarcus and Robin Lopez. So I don't see how Jones' hustle is going to be the thing that forces Portland to make an adjustment. Even him running around on offense. If there is one thing that Portland (and every playoff team) WANTS to see happen...that one thing would be for Terrence Jones to catch the ball at the 3-point line. So LaMarcus and Lopez WON'T be chasing him down out there and wearing themselves out trying to stop him from catching the ball out there. Of the 5 guys in the starting lineup, Jones is by far the guy they want to have the basketball and to be burning up shot clock time with the ball in Jones' possession. That plays into their hands. Remember, playoff teams are very, very smart as well. They'd rather Jones catch it than Harden to shoot it. They'd rather Jones catch it than for Harden to dish to Howard and Howard shoot it. They'd rather Jones catch it than Harden dish it to Parsons and Parsons either shoot it or drive with it. And they'd rather Jones catch it than Beverley to catch and shoot it. There is no way that Jones running around and catching the basketball will force Portland into an adjustment. Pick and roll??? Maximize pick and roll action with Harden and Dwight???? The only way to do that is by spreading the floor with guys that can shoot. Not putting the worst shooter on the team in the lineup. I described how to get there above. You hammer them defensively with Asik and Dwight and force them to remove one of the bigs. Then you go small yourself. That's how you force an adjustment. Jones running around and wearing down LaMarcus forcing an adjustment? That'll happen after the Blazers are up by 15 and they're tired from dunking on us.
Sorry, but your beating a dead horse here. The Rockets aren't going to play Asik & Howard heavy minutes together, and McHale would not be smart to throw that lineup out there without extensive practice & use in games. (If they can get in some minutes in the last few games of the season, then lets revisit this THEN). 3 point shooting in the P&R... How exactly is Asik helping with that? You know what... never-mind, I know exactly where you are going with that question so don't bother. Its easy for you to explain how the Rox could use contrasting BBalll philosophies at the drop of the hat with no practice in the same game so lets just leave that one to rest. -You are going to have to come to grips with the fact that A. Terrence Jones is a basketball player for the Houston Rockets, and WILL PLAY, and B. Terrence Jones is going to get the start more than likely, and yes, his hustle points are going to be crucial. It sounds simplistic to say it, I get it (everyone hustles in the playoffs.. blah blah), but that's not what I'm getting at. Movement is Jones' one strength he can use to an advantage in this match-up. -If Harden/Howard have the P&R going strong, its up to Jones/Bev/Lin/Parsons/ etc. to make them pay by moving into the right spots, and not bringing their defender to a place where they can help. Asik will just be too damn close to the rim to give the space that others can give by getting out of the way, and running the floor. The 3 point shot is just the next level up of giving them more space by stretching the Defense out further. "Jones forcing an adjustment".... Yes. In the Harden/Howard P&R or Howard post ups, LMA will most likely be the man coming over to help. If Jones is making quick decisive moves towards the right spots fast without bringing his man with him, it will force LMA or the other help defender to adjust and stay at home and give more space for the P&R to finish or Howard to finish around the rim without having as much help defense. Hustles, speed, and effort sound cliche like I said, but its an advantage within the Rockets offense if Jones can use it properly against Portland. Do you not see why you are probably the most frustrating poster in the GARM? I've explained to you numerous times from a basketball standpoint what a coach would think in game preparation, and you consciously reject it as if I don't know basketball. You can see my point, and counter respectfully or you can keep on trying to show me up. Somehow I have a good indication which direction you will choose, and why I and others should never bother responding to any of your baited arguments. I wish for once you'd choose the former, but I'm not going to wait on pins and needles to find out.
I agree the biggest counter argument at this point of NOT playing TT is the fact that we are running out of time to build chemistry and TT team play. I contend if mchale and co. hadnt gotten antsy so quick it would be a different story. On flipside it was good to get Dmo and Jones in more. So negatives and positives as to where we are now with this issue overall. 10 minutes a game for asik though is a joke and ultimately defense and rebounds are damn helpful in playoffs. It will be situational unfortunately but if we make it to finals I think it will have a lot to do with playing asik and howard extensively and together as well.
I also believe that the TT could have worked better if given more time to develop. However, it is not just on McHale scratching it too earlier. Asik pouting and hurting during that important initial period was a big factor why it didn't work out.
You're distorting. I did not say play them heavy minutes together. I said find a way to play them 12-14 minutes together. That is situational. It should be used to get other teams out of their big boy lineups and have to play us small. But the fact of the matter is a lot of those "situations" are going to come at the beginning of games. You're beating a dead horse talking about spreading the floor and 3-point shooting while talking about Terrence Jones. Terrence Jones does not spread the floor and he will be totally exposed in the playoffs.
Pot calling the Kettle black right there. You've been campaigning that somehow Harden has been in the dumps apparently since Jones entered the starting lineup while at the same time commanding the power of the TT so I'm pretty sure that implies exactly how you feel about the matter. Terrence Jones physically operates outside the 3 point line, and teams do guard him out there. Maybe its more to protect the drive, or maybe teams just haven't scouted him well enough. Regardless, Terrence Jones operates outside of the 3 point line, takes his man with him typically, and Omer Asik only operates within 5 feet of the basket and brings his man over as a cheap help defender.
No I haven't been campaigning about Harden being in the dumps. What I have consistently said is when we face the better teams in the WC, the playoff teams, that the whole team struggles because the playoff and championship contending teams know what the weak point (Jones) is in our starting lineup and what the strong point (Harden) is in our starting lineup. Those teams make it much more difficult for Harden AND Dwight because they help off Jones onto Harden and Dwight. The Thunder is the perfect example. Terrence does operate outside of the 3-point line and the good teams are mor than happy to let him operate out there. It's not like the Lakers where everybody is running around like c.........k and chasing Jones around out there. Quite the contrary, they are gladly going to let Jones play around at the 3-point line and hopefully convince him to shoot the ball out there. But contrary to last night, when he dribbles around and then tries to post up against Ibaka, Zach, LaMarcus, Blake Griffin, Dirk, etc., they're gonna make him eat it. He won't be going up against Ryan Kelly in the playoffs.
The team was going too south, too fast with the TT. And if there's a coach with the imagination and genius and patience to make it work, his name isn't McHale.
That is somewhat true. Although we can look at the preseason games against Memphis and San Antonio and see that it was going north. You have to understand why it went south. Asik wanted out of here. He went out there and laid down on it. That's the sad facts of the matter. His agent told him to throw a fit to get traded. He threw a fit on-court as well as off-court. We had no choice but to get him out of there. And then he did get dinged a bit. That was blown way up. Look...Asik was basically out of it until the trade deadline. It has only been in the last couple months that he committed and started really playing hard. It's a huge mistake to look at data in a vacuum. You have to understand the environment and it's effects on the data. This is a different environment. We need Asik. And he's finally got his head screwed on straight. And we're gonna need Asik alongside Dwight against most of these playoff opponents for different spurts of the game if we expect to go anywhere this season. If you don't believe that...watch it happen. It will happen.
Asik wasn't motivated. And I suspect that McHale wasn't motivated either. It was probably Morey's idea, trying to salvage Asik's value. And then Asik got hurt. Anyway, the right way to do it would be easing it in with favorable match ups. When the team gets use to the lineup, you can do more with it. That would require everybody motivated to make it work.
ITT: Asik doesn't deserve to play more than bench role and 10 minutes a game. rebounds simply aren't sexy enough. Hi basketballholic, As official TT fan club president we would like to take this moment to extend this formal bid to join our organization. Thank you for not falling into the hype of confirmation bias, no benefit of doubt, rust of and newness of team, and the realization that asik deserves more than 10 minutes. Please join us... SIGNED, TT FAN CLUB & ITS MEMBERS
