I really wish fans would stop comparing us (or any other team, really) to the Spurs. They are an anomaly. An outlier.
This time next year, DMo will be a legitimate third star, and our second option on offense. If he is not part of a knee-jerk trade before then, that is.
I think dwight needs to be our third option on offense and forth if we can get another playmaker like dragic or lawson. Right now it should be harden than dmo than dwight. Dwight should be cleaning glass focusing on defense abd easy putbacks and dunks/alley oops. Dmo ahould be our post up player especially considering he's a much better passer when the double comes and finds good looks for Dwight as well.
My purpose for using star was more a take on the irony of our situation. Howard is done IMHO as a star player. The sooner he realizes it and can evolve into a Tyson Chandler the better for us. Does that mean we need a star PG? Maybe not but the PG has to be a very very good one. Not a MCW, not a Jose Calderon, not a Jameer Nelson. He needs to be great.
Takes two to Tango and Harden is the Alpha Male out of the two anyway. Howard was a beast last year against Portland, Harden, not so much......
i think you severely underrate how good millsap and teague are. 6th season in teague has improved every year and will be rewarded with his first all star appearance and well deserving. millsap has been a borderline star for quite awhile now.
I do not want to call them stars but all teams plus the Rockets need talented young players like TJones or even more talented like a Anthony Davis light
How about we settle for a real coach? Yes i'd love an upgrade at the PG spot but I don't think that's the only solution to our problems.
TL;DR long post ahead... ... not discounting the items you mention in the last paragraph, but I think you have WAY overlooked roster. GSW have one all NBA guy? No... here are the 2 guard rankings in the NBA: 1. Harden 2. Thompson Klay Thompson per 36 stats are 24 points, 4 boards, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and a block. He has a 21.8 PER. You know who has a PER that high on the Rockets? Harden, that's it. Also, btw, Klay is a very solid defender. Granted Klay benefits greatly from playing besides Curry, and vice-versa, but they are both all-nba players. Atlanta IS an outlier... but it's clear why. They might not have anyone on Harden's level, BUT they do have Teague, Horford and Millsap - all very near or above 20 PERs and all just perfectly way above average both offensively and defensively even if not all-star level, and then they compliment those 3 with Korver, the best "pure" 3 point shooter maybe in NBA history (not best overall, he's not going to get you off the dribble, yada, yada, but there's no one probably in the history of the NBA i'd fear more with an open look... he's basically shooting near 50% on threes over the last 6 years... crazy). You're right though, super solid role players, solid coaching... it's like the perfect storm. Still, $50 to the tip jar if the Hawks win the championship. I'd like to see the Rockets run a bit of a "tighter" ship, but this is the NBA. Even on "plays", you need your guys to be able to create. This is partly why it seems the Rockets run no plays. Because even when they do run plays, they break down way to often, and you as a fan can see they've run a play, they've got Dwight deep in the post which the play was designed for... BUT Beverley is f'ing around trying to not lose the ball and when he is finally ready to make a post entry pass Dwight is now 20 feet away and being soft doubled and the play breaks down and guess what.... time to give the ball to Harden. That's not even getting into Ariza, who is even worse as a creator. Again, as I mentioned, this is EXACTLY why the Rockets offense was better last year with Parsons, is better this year when Bev and Ariza aren't both on the floor together at the same time. This is EXACTLY why everyone wants another creator, ideally at point guard... because Ariza is the better and more versatile defender and because in today's NBA you defend PGs best by going at them offensively (eg. it's really impossible to defend the bazillion good points out there, best to try and make them defend as well). And then, if you're still complaining about the plays, and discipline, etc... well, just check out the teams we play. I don't think the Warriors ran a play the entire first quarter. They did of course run a number of plays throughout the game that worked... most of their plays actually end up with Klay coming off multiple picks... but still 80% of their offense was fast break, second chance, and pick and roll. As is the case for basically every team. And to succeed there, you need CREATORS. I still have hope... even against the Warriors, in the playoffs. I keep harping on this, but the Bev/Harden/Ariza backcourt time HAS TO BE ADJUSTED. When you add a Howard that isn't giving you anything offensively to the mix, it's just too little offense, regardless of how good they might be defensively. Check out last night's gameflow: http://www.popcornmachine.net/gf?date=20150121&game=HOUGSW Last night, the second Ariza and Bev were subbed out in the first, the game changed. Rockets were down 10, ended the quarter down 3. And the team kept the game close early in the second quarter also, even though James was out and Ariza and Dwight were back in. Because you also had Brewer and Terry in. It was the right mix of offense and defense. But when Terry and Brewer went out and Ariza/Harden came back in, they started getting obliterated. It was worse because Josh Smith was also still in the game at this time. Smith, Ariza, Bev, Dwight (on bad offense night... becoming the norm) and Harden... it makes you cry a bit for Harden, really. Down 7 in the next 2.5 minutes. Again to start the 3rd. Down 7 until the first sub of Smith/Brewer for Howard/Ariza... and they were +3 the rest of the quarter. See, it doesn't really matter if you are taking out Beverly or Ariza, or Howard or Smith.... but for the love of good, unless they are all dialed in defensively and unless Ariza and Beverly are hitting the threes, that lineup CAN'T work for long. The loss of Josh Smith by the Pistons proves it. Josh isn't a net negative... granted, he's not a huge net positive... but the Pistons were trying to play Smith, Drummond and Monroe big minutes. This isn't rocket science that WON'T work. Look at Golden State. Why are they so much better this year? Is it really Steve Kerr's doing? Well... yes and no. There are 2 reasons. One, is the improvement of Klay Thompson. He still can't create for himself/others as well as a top top top guy should, but he is SO much better than he was in the past... this is a lot about him just being a great shooter. harden played him really well for the most part last night, and Klay just hit a couple shots right in people's faces. BUT, the biggest reason for improvement has been Kerr's sub patterns. He took Iguodala out of the starting lineup. He put Green in at starting 4. David Lee comes off the bench, etc. BALANCE, offensively AND defensively. Look at the Cavs. Why isn't it working as great as it could? Balance. Kevin Love effectively plays Lebron's position. No one else in the starting lineup is a good defender besides Lebron. So, absent picking up Dragic, Lawson, or the like, the way the Rockets will best right the ship is with better rotation patterns. Hopefully DM is presenting the data, and McHale can work his way towards that.
The rockets have two stars, some other teams have no one, still need a second star, then Howard is not a star. When is the last team which win a big thing with a mediocre coach? Keeping change the roster is not a solution.
wasn't too long ago when people called spoelstra a terrible coach and that he would hold miami back from winning a title. oh look what happened.
True. Rockets aren't disciplined like that team the coach actually has control of that team not Tony Parker or Tim Duncan.
Sad to say but the Roster will be changed once again by the trading deadline and once again the team will need time to gel. I just wish one season the Rockets would not have to through changing the roster.
That's a lie. Parker runs the offense and holds on the ball plenty impromptu. So does Manu. Pop just trusts them is all.
We need another Coach. Canaan should be playing, Smith should not be. No adjustments and a pure knowledgeable direction and plan is sorely lacking from McHale. He should've been gone at the end of the playoffs last season but no Morey snuck in a 3 year extension amid the hype of the Josh Smith signing so it would go relatively unnoticed due to the elation of another potential start. Morey is a shrewd operator and he played us so he can keep his puppet at the helm so he can maintain his mastery over the influence of team direction. Morey is the de facto coach of this team and we won't win anything until he gets a real Coach in this organization. Couldn't be more displeased and disgusted with Morey and that guy we call the Coach of my favorite team. It's a mess and we are going to be 1 and done again if we don't get some form of stability in this franchise.
