Morey's strategy is to shoot threes and FTs. They're the most efficient shots in basketball and increases the 'variance' of the outcome of the games. For example, against OKC in the playoffs last year, Morey stated the Rockets' strategy was to shoot a lot of three pointers in order to make the outcome of the match less predictable and increase the less talented team's chance of winning. However, is this strategy still valid given how talented the Rockets are now? Do the Rockets really want to chuck threes when they have talented players (Harden, Howard) combined with savvy, smart roleplayers (Parsons, Lin, TJones, Bev, Garcia) who can probably execute the more complex and complicated plays NBA teams need to succeed at a higher level? It doesn't seem like Morey's strategy applies to this team anymore. The team probably needs more X and Os coaching and management to get out of the 5th/6th seed and maybe make a top 4th seed. Just look at the Spurs. They've faced the decline of Duncan/Manu for years now but they're still one of the elite teams in the Western conference. The Rockets will need more than just a general philosophy (3s and FTs) to become a serious contender.
If we truly believe we can elevate the game of Howard in the post, we should be learning to play more inside out. I definitely am at the point where I would like more play calling and structure in the offense.
It's not going to work if you can't hit threes... The problem is Morey was forced to bring in B and C grade three pt shooters to fill out the team, either because of financial restraints or better shooters choosing to go elsewhere. Those guys just overachieved early on. I'm not crazy about the style of play, but I'd like to see it play out with better shooters around Harden and Dwight. I'm sure that's one of Morey's priorities going forward.
Boy I'm getting tired of seeing this. There is no rule against mid range shots, we just don't want long 2's. If you are gonna shoot a long jumper, make it a 3. More importantly a little defense might be able to make up for our pathetic #4 ranked offense. We need better shooters, other than Parsons the entire team is average, and Parsons isn't an elite sniper either. We need shooters to play this way, but its a sound system.
I agree with you about increased variance from shooting so many threes. I just checked some numbers: Right now we're the league leaders in 3 point attempts per game. Our record in games where we shoot above 33% from the three: 14-3 Our record in games where we shoot below 33% from the three: 8-10 Although, I don't know how this compares to other teams, I doubt it correlates this much.
The team currently has the 3rd most efficient offense in the NBA. How much better would they be with a "more complicated offense"?
Defense is definitely a bigger issue, but is our offense efficient under every scenario? What's our offensive efficiency in crunch time?
But do we have consistent offense? That is a different story. Our games rely so much on the 3s, and when the 3s don't fall, we lose games. That makes us streaky. Better staffing of the 3 pt shooters can help, but I think a slightly more balanced mid range and 3pt would be nice.
Carl beat me to the punch. It's the other side of the court that is going to hold this team back from reaching its potential.
aren't all offenses less effective in crunch time? I thought we ranked top 5 in crunch time efficiency if my memory serves?
Morey is a stats guy. Taking the three point shot wins in the long run just like the house "always" wins in gambling. The mid-ranged shot, unless wide open unguarded is a fools game. The Rockets are currently shooting 34.4% from beyond the arc. A team or player would have to shoot 51.6% from mid-range to equal the point production. And there are only a small handful, if any, players who can make the mid-ranged shot at that clip.
How to bake a perfect cake? You need the best recipe, the best ingredients and the best baker. Morey's recipe might not be the best but it sure is good. Now it's all up to the baker and the ingredients.
That's why I asked if it was efficient and not less efficient I can't remember either. Seems like we still have trouble with it. I'd like to see other guys gettign involved and not just going to Harden. That's going to come back to haunt us in the playoffs.
I think you're going to need another analogy. If morey's "recipe" isn't the best, then we'll never bake the perfect cake (win it all), even with a good baker and ingredients.
