Defensive Identity: Length & Strength

I'm afraid that Dantoni will not be able to use the wide rotation and all were going to see is less minutes for house, because he's under 30.
Can't see a replacement for Tucker as well.
Hope I'm wrong though

 

Replacement for Tucker???

Did you mean backup to Tucker?

 

Hope those new sign players can get more than 10 points and MDA will trust them and put them into rotation. Our bench are really sucks seems they don't know how to shoot. I suggest they try slam dunk instead, if they afraid missing.

 

Houston believes that going small will make the team better on both ends.

You don't need rim protection if you don't let anybody near the rim in the first place. And the Rockets, with their commitment to switching and their collection of strong, quick wings, believe they have the personnel to prove it.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...-are-going-small-and-thinking-big-on-defense/

 

Capela was not the biggest C, he is at 6'10. He didn't play tons of minutes and was injured.

They were already smaller.

 

But still could not play 5 out offense or switch everything defense.

Capela was good at switch everything but not elite defending perimeter or low post, still too much of liability defending smaller faster players.

That's why Elston Turner changed the switch everything defense and had Clint dropping back to defend rim.

That scheme change made team worse.

This is why small ball is a misnomer. If MDA had a 7 footer who could switch everything (e.g. Durant, Giannis, AD, etc.) he would not need to go "small".

MDA is playing skills ball. He needs certain set of skills from ALL his players, not just the center.

 

I dun get the sentence that Carroll and Green are making us better offensively,

they are older and not offensive players though.

Capela wasn't the problem, if you think he was the problem, you could just play him situationally.

Having someone on the roster, doesn't mean you have to play him all the time.

And Capela's rebounding did win us more games than people admit to.

I think they missed to bring in a Covington type of player when Chris Paul was still here.

A good to great wing after Ariza.

You gave away 1st round pick and player just to correct a mistake of the past.

I think it wasn't the perfect timing to get rid of Capela, and it wasn't the best haul.

You are taking away the lob threat. Now you are going all in, but with limited playing styles.

 

Our record without Clint speaks for itself. Advanced stats support the eye test.

Carroll and Green are simply pieces to rotation and allow the Galveston 5 more opportunity to rest. And their addition is not necessarily for offensive improvement but defensively. Both are taller and longer than House and McLemore.

Rockets are learning to gang rebound and defend perimeter with more effort. And even with Clint, Harden and PJ were more efficient in defending low post.

Rockets without Clint are destroying the turnover battle as a counter to games when rebound disparity becomes an issue.

And not clogging the lane when Russ playing is critical for team's success.

Finally, your 3rd most expensive player cannot be a situational player.

 

So actually we're going wide

 

And longer!

 

Thabo is 6'7" with a 7'2" wingspan

 

Here is our situational 5.

And he does not limit our switch everything defense or maybe more importantly our ability to play 4 or 5 Out on offense.

https://spacecityscoop.com/2020/02/06/4-things-bruno-caboclo-brings-houston-rockets/amp/4/

Bruno Caboclo - 6'9 7'7 wingspan
Clint Capela - 6'10 7'5 wingspan

 

A very small sample size in the regular season.

Because WB didn't play his best until very late, and Clint was more injured, in and out of the lineup.

You keep Clint till the offseason and deal him then.

Clint's record against other teams than GSW in the Playoffs is good enough. GSW won't be there.

You need any weapon possible in the Playoffs.

If WB goes out or plays bad, you would need Capela.

 

I trust the math.

And Clint was not going to help us in regular season, he is still nicked up right now.

Rockets need to go all in THIS season. That means winning enough regular season games to get 3rd seed or better. Clint was not going to help us with that.

Covington as disruptor and 3ball threat is more important to our new system than Clint.

 

New rotation minutes?

Russ (36) Rivers (12)
Harden (36) Gordon (12)
Covington (32) Gordon (16)
House (32) McLemore (16)
PJ (36) Green (12)

Green filling in the rotation for Thabo? It would be nice to have at least one guy with at least some semblance of size getting some playing time. He's a legit small ball center.

And if anyone of the 9 guys is injured or resting, Thabo or Carroll are the first guys in to take their minutes?

 

I'm pumped about the rest of this season. The energy is gonna be up on the court, that energy will makes it's way into the stands and all the while I'll rock out with my **** out celebrating the Ws. Playoffs is gonna be even better I hope. Crossing my fingers on this season... it feels like it's happening.

 

This was also the the motto of the @thadeus

 

There’s no way we continue playing PJ 35 minutes a night. That sort of defeats the purpose of signing Green IMO. We gotta keep Tucker as fresh and injury free as possible for the playoffs.

It shouldn’t be hard to find 15-20 minutes for Carroll between giving Harden/Covington/Gordon a couple more minutes rest each game and competing with House for more of his minutes.