A lot of negative talk from pundits and on here lately saying the Rockets need to make a move. I respectively disagree. The Rockets are one of the best offensive teams in the league both last season and this season. That is not the problem. So let us look at the most common critiques. 1. No power forward. While it is true there is no established PF on roster Terrance Jones is showing he can be part of the answer. I say part because Parsons completes the PF puzzle. Most of us know how great the team did when the Rockets went small with Parsons at the four. That small ball lineup fits well as a change of pace 15 minutes or so per game. The team can run which suits Harden's strengths and will give the Rockets an advantage nearly across the floor. It stretches the defense making things open up more for Harden, Howard and Lin. Plus Parsons is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams at the four. When opposing teams have a strong four that Parsons struggles with Jones can see more time that game. 2. Defense. The Rockets defense is sub-par at best. There is no solution to make it great. However the team is 13th in points per possession so potential is certainly there. Some improvement is going to come with time. This is team that had to change many things with the addition of Howard. Time will not solve all. I think we can all agree with that. Some of the problems is on the effort side. The team seems to slack and will need to be better focused on that side of the ball. The main solution however is to use Asik to get a good perimeter defender. There is an abundance of offensive talent. In my opinion the team should look to get a huge defensive upgrade and any offensive skill is a bonus. Basically the team needs Shane Battier. Too bad he got old Anyways this is just my thoughts. I rarely post anymore but thought it should be said that the team is fine as is. Slight adjustments and time to grow is all that is needed.
ugg, messed up thread title that's what I get for watching a movie and posting while tracking the game
Jones is starting to show him value in several ways: 1. great weakside help defense. at times when DH12 is in pursuit or occupied, TJ is able to slide over and provide additional coverage. Huge asset! 2. ability to contribute offensively without taking "ball time" - cuts, putbacks have looked good 3. not committing tons of quick and silly fouls - may indicate that the game is slowing down for him. Additionally, I would say: KEEP ASIK! It is a good thing to have a solid defensive presence available off the bench. Thirdly, I'm not sure about the perimeter defensive stopper. We have Ronnie Brewer and he's not gonna provide any answers in that department. The Rockets defense can be top 10 good AS IS without any additional roster modifications. But obviously there needs to be a bit better communication and commitment on the defensive end. The "risky" defense mentality that allows the guards to gamble for steals, unfortunately, also seems to be a ticket for sloppiness or laziness. But yes, the most dangerous teams for us to play against will be the teams that can put 4-5 shooters on the floor... let's see how we do against GS in our next meeting.
I agree with you, i think the course of action is to start Jones at PF and make a trade from R. Lewis via 2nd rd draft pick Then Take Asik and trade into something better.
Rockets have their flaws defensively, but somehow we're ranked 3rd in FG%. Our 3rd ranked most opponent 3PA is partly the reason (3's are generally made at lesser % than 2's), but we're 14th in opponent 3PT%. It's pretty weird. Dwight, Asik, and Jones must be making a greater difference in the paint than we know. Also, maybe our run and gun tires most teams, thus they shoot more poorly.
Peculiar that you say this now, show me a post of you saying this earlier in the season. Everything got screwed up when Asik was inserted into the starting lineup. We're getting back to preseason form now that Asik's riding the pine. Sad that he's a selfish player, never would of guessed it. Diva antics.
If TJones keeps beasting, it will be even harder for the Rockets to trade Asik at all, without creating even more problems. Sure, we need another wing defender, but if we trade Asik for one, then it will take minutes directly away from either Harden, Parsons, JLin or Bev. Those are considered our core players right now along with Dwight. A player to take away any of their playing time, will have to almost be a superstar....so probably not going to happen. Asik may actually end up stuck on this team for the rest of this year and his contract. And if that happens, we will have insurance and a stronger bench for it, if he accepts his fate and starts to play the way we know that he can, even in limited minutes. It would be nice to see McHale play Dwight only about 34 minutes per game, and absolutely give Asik those other 14 minutes per game no matter what the lineups are. Traditional center and backup. Dwight will have enough games where he gets into foul trouble where Asik will get additional playing time to probably average 16 to 18 minutes in a back up role over the season. If Jones keeps playing and growing like he has since starting, the Rockets are a dangerous team for the entire NBA this year!
An elite perimeter defender is now the biggest need. Parsons is serviceable, but not an elite perimeter defender.
Good post. The main problem is many of our players are 1-way... defensive or offensive. You can only have 5 players on the court at once, the more all-around the better. Asik would be MUCH better if he could simply catch passes. Dude probably squanders away 5+ points/game.
Ronnie Brewer was darn could perimeter defender in chicago. Anyone know why he isn't playing? Injury?
I agree completely. The emergence of TJones could break this thing wide open. I thought for sure we would need to trade for a PF at some point but really TJ seems to be fitting right into the role we need him to. He's playing solid defense, blocking shots, rebounding, running the floor, and moving off the ball. He even knocks down the occasional 3. If we make a trade for a no-defense spread 4 we'll be making a mistake. Perimeter defense is the biggest need. The perimeter defender needs to be able to knock down the 3 though too. I love Parsons but ultimately if you can get Deng in here that might put you over the top.
Oh and I forgot to add... TJones is only 21 and locked in for cheap for a long time. I think his chemistry and comfort in the starting lineup will only increase over time.
I think we need a better coach to work out better defend system with the players. And harden needs to put more effort in defense.
We thought we needed a stretch 4, and while he's not the typical stretch 4, Terrence Jones can definitely knock down 3's. He makes defenders have to guard him out there. To top that off, he brings a strong secondary presence down inside, something that the likes of Ryan Anderson would NOT bring. I think T-Jones is a fine starting 4 for us, and the need for one has been lessened significantly. I've always said this will be a good defensive team. While the Rockets allow a lot of points, we're actually #3 in opponent FG%. Additionally, while we're basically at the bottom in opponent PPG, we're #13 in opponent points per 100 possessions... and improving. With Howard, Parsons, Jones, and Beverley, there's no reason we shouldn't be solid defensively. If Asik decides to anchor the bench defense, we'll hardly have a drop-off when the bench is in. The Rockets should be good defensively, and I think they will be better. The remaining issue with the Rockets is turnovers. We're dead last in that category. While our fast pace makes us more careless with the ball, I think the next step the Rockets need to take to become a true contender will be to protect the ball.
