Rockets Legend T-Mac Reacts To Rockets Small Ball

To generalize it as a system is probably not the right term. It’s an ideology more so than a system.
No one in history has gone this extreme from traditional position expectations.
Teams have used it in short stints or for certain series but not full on all the time.

So to me the faulty generalization is that it would work because it has so far. Again I hope it does but I can see it backfiring too.

 

Yeah but what is a coach going to change or do? When you have a certain amount versatility all through your roster all that game plan switching becomes overrated.

 

Again, why are the warriors at the bottom of the league? Is it personnel or system? Does missing 27 straight 3's has anything to do with the system?

From the dictionary...
Ideology - a SYSTEM of ideas and ideals,....

 

I hope that this choice of personnel and type of play is so overwhelming it won’t matter what a coach can gameplan for. I just don’t know if it will is all. I want it to, badly.
I want to beat the crap out of every team in our way and shut the media up.
Doesn’t mean I don’t have concerns for something so extreme.

 

I don’t know why you’re bringing up personnel. Of course that matters. No one said it didn’t.
All that I’m saying is no one has went this extreme on a specific type of player throughout the roster in history.
Small ball has been around for a while but not team has went exclusively small ball.
To not have some reservations about it working when you can gameplan for it over 7 games is a fools game

 

Should have bought him an iPad

 

That is why i called it a faulty argument. Just because you failed in a project, it does not mean you had the wrong approach. There are a lot factors that can contribute to both successand failure. To somehow blame it all in the system is inaccurate. It was repeated over n over again that a shooting teams cant win a ring. A few championships later....

 

I can understand that logic. I’m not saying abandon it at first sign of conflict.
Im just saying there is room for doubt, hope it works out.

 

I understand your uncertainty and caution.

It's new and to this extent untried. Rockets are going all in, even doubling down, on the no center 5 Out system. Neither Tyson nor Harty constitute a parachute in event they 2nd guess themselves later. In fact both players would be the proverbial anchor.

But half measures are a recipe for disaster IMO. I admire the fortitude and faith that MDA and Morey for taking this idea to the edge, or even beyond.

No GM or Coach are innovative enough or brave enough to do this. But having the right personnel to even contemplate going in this direction is also critical. Not to mention that they have real data that this system not only works, but amazingly so, when Clint was out with injury.

So I love the fact that MDA is not letting the naysayers affect him like he did in PHX, if he is going to go down, he will do it 100% his way. And I love that Morey is in total support because he believes in not just the math, but he believes in D'Antoni, he believes in Harden, he believes in Russ and RoCo and PJ and the entire team including newcomers Green and Demarre.

I am all in, I believed from the start. I have advocated positionless basketball from the beginning. The 5 Out is going to revolutionize the game. MDA is evolving the the NBA, again. Morey is light years ahead of every FO, again. And Rockets basketball is must see TV, again.

But it starts and ends with our unique players.

And I for one have zero trepidation, I am witness to a new era. I can feel the championship in our grasp and it feels AMAZING!!!!

I am so f'ing stoked man!!!!

NO FEAR!

 

I agree, if we’re going to do it, do it.
No half measures, but that in itself leaves doubt from the unknown.
I’m excited about it for sure but as I said this is a high risk high reward scenario imo

 

n like both sides dont have gameplans lol

 

jesus y'all are a bunch of pansies... he didn't eve say anything that bad, simply questioned if this style can hold up when the playoffs come around, which, btw, is a legitimate question. dude even said he thought harden would average 40 ppg earlier in the year.

i'll certainly pile on if i think someone is being unreasonable but this is ain't it. why is everything a personal affront to so many of y'all? grow some ****ing nuts and realize not everyone views the world through the same incredibly biased lenses as you do. it's almost as if y'all have no real world experience beyond your computer screen.

/rant

 

**** yeah #ONEMISSION!!!

 

I must admit, I thought we would get murdered inside and then have to start doubling big men leaving shooters wide open on the wings. Especially with James in the game with his inability to box out, rebound, play help d, or get out on shooters.

I HAVE BEEN "DEAD WRONG" SO FAR! We are helping and recovering excellently along with block shots from Covington and double teams coming quickly with long and active arms in passing lanes...

 

A good percentage of former NBA players is going broke.

If he was mentally slow as you suggested, he would be broke.

He did okay.

 

Harden has noticeably improved his effort on defense the past couple of weeks. I think Westbrook increasing his usage rate allowed Harden to concentrate on defense.

And when I mean "defense" I don't mean just being a big body in the post. Harden has recently been more willing to run out in defensive transition defense. He's more more willing to move his feet on perimeter switch defense.

Even when we discovered Harden's knack for not being pushed around in the post last season he still was horrible in every other aspect of defense that requires moving his feet. He played passing lanes well but plenty of unsound defenders also played passing lanes well because they rather take the risk of playing the lanes than staying with their assignment. Time and Time again, especially in offensive possessions where he missed a shot, he would almost always be the last one back on defense.

So yes, ******** on Mcgrady for a lack of defense is ironic with James Harden being the fan favorite now.

 

Mosquito Mentality

 

LOL, he's 5th on the all time Rockets defensive rebounding charts. He will probably pass up Yao for 4th early next year.

What made you think this, exactly?

 

Seriously, he’s an elite rebounder for a guard or wing even.

 

Because he's always been a notorious ball watcher?

Can't compare different eras. Today, longer rebounds to guards are more common due to a dramatic increase in three point attempts. Harden also has racked in some of the most minutes all time on the Rockets. He is 4th all time with one of the ones ahead of him being shorter than me. Harden is also a longer player than most guards due to his wingspan. So that is a physical attribute gives Harden a slight advantage in those long rebounds vs other guards.

He's been better at that recently. I really hope he constantly plays defense like the way he recently has into the playoffs.

During the 2018 WCF, Harden actually showed decent stretches of trying really hard on defense especially in game 5 I believe.

Westbrook helps ease a lot of the burden also. Probably the most help he has had in a regular season by a teammate in his Rockets career. CP3 was money in the playoffs in 2018 though so let's see if WB can ease Harden's burden as he's currently doing in the playoffs.