[ESPN Insider] Intel: Houstons' Super Smash Bros.

If the Houston Rockets hope to upset the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, that hope rests in no small part on the shoulders of frontcourt reserves Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry.


Hayes' knack for frustrating taller opponents is key in the Rockets' series with L.A.

Down 14 points at the end of the first quarter in Wednesday's Game 2 loss, Houston came back to tie the game at halftime, thanks largely to the contributions of Hayes and Landry (+11 and +15 on the night, respectively). Each man routinely guards taller players in the post with success and rebounds well on both ends of the floor (Hayes' total rebound percentage in the regular season was 17.0 and Landry's was 13.6).

While Landry (who seems quite comfortable on the road) produced a performance that was easy to appreciate in Game 2's box score -- 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting -- his typical value is measured better in short, descriptive phrases. That's definitely the case with Hayes, who produced the following entries in Wednesday night's notebook: "Forced jump ball;" "Rebounded and threw outlet pass to streaking Landry;" "Made Pau Gasol take an off-balance fade-away;" "Pressured Gasol into traveling;" "Forced Lamar Odom into off-hand fall-away;" "Shadowed Shane Battier with help D on Kobe."

But how do Hayes (6-foot-6) and Landry (6-9) manage to be effective inside while giving up several inches to post players like Gasol, Odom and Andrew Bynum?

"My foot speed gives me an advantage against bigger bigs," Hayes explains. "When I go face-up with a guy, I try to crowd him, chest to chest, knowing that most seven-footers can't get around me."

When he's behind a taller man on the block, Hayes says the key is placing one hand in the lower back -- "I just like to feel where he's putting his weight" -- and taking a quick sweep at the ball as soon as the other guy begins dribbling or shooting. "As soon as he starts to move the ball, before it gets to his shoulder height, I'm stripping, making a play for it. If he gets it above his head and we're down low, he's got the advantage. I'm trying to keep him from that position with the ball."

Hayes has center-level strength, enabling him to keep opposing bigs from getting to and holding their preferred spots down low. But Rockets general manager Daryl Morey cites his low center of gravity as the real key to his defensive effectiveness.

"He starts off low and gets lower," Morey says. "You can't move him off the spot very easily, and at the same time he can move laterally well enough that Rick [Adelman] will use him to guard not just post players but 2s, 3s and 4s as well."

Landry is the Rockets' "energy" guy, taking charges, diving for loose balls. "He surprises people," Adelman says. "His activity level is constantly high."

This drive results in a lot of what Morey calls "range" rebounds -- boards that are contested, in the air and on the ground. "He has a variety of spin moves with and without the ball that keep him in plays longer than most guys," Morey says. "He gets in and mixes it up, especially on the offensive glass" (where he has put up a career rebounding percentage of 11.9).


Landry earns his keep by hustling for loose balls.

Landry's approach to defending bigger men in the post is to first meet his opponent up high, above the free throw line, and impede his path down to the blocks. "You have to make him uncomfortable," he says. "Everyone has a spot they like to get to and work from, and you try to deny him that spot or that route to the bucket."

Where a bigger man might just muscle his opponent out of his favorite spots, Landry works an almost jujitsu approach to the fight for control of, and comfort within, floor space.

"Some players like contact and some players don't like contact," he explains. "If they don't like contact you push up on them with your knees bent, closing on them all the time. But if they like contact, if they need it to find their balance or their position, then you give 'em some and then back away or move to the side a little, and it leaves them feeling for where you are or wondering where you're headed. It introduces doubt, unsettles them a bit, and their own movements can get them out of balance."

The key to being successful over the course of a seven-game series against the Lakers, Landry says, is to keep changing your approach to each post player: "These guys are so good -- they can all shoot jump shots and they can all post up and make moves down low. You can't come at them in any one way. You have to change it up each time down the floor and from game to game."

The changeups Landry throws at the Lakers' 4s and 5s, coupled with Hayes' quick ball-slaps and happy feet, won't show up in the box score. But that doesn't mean they're any less important for the Rockets' success.

"We have scorers, we have shooters. They need me for other things," Hayes says. "It's all basketball."

Eric Neel is a senior writer for ESPN.com

 

I love Carl Landry to death but he's not a good defender, average at best. The national media has really bought into the Rockets' defensive aura because this is far from the first time we've seen Landry described as such.

 

Hayes = MVP. ok, not really but he deserves all the credit he is getting.

Actually that Hayes/Landry combo is pretty nice. Both guys are great rebounders and Chuck completely destroys the offensive flow of the opponent while Landry is an offensive machine against smaller lineups and most bench players.

They earned more time than they got in game 2. I hope Rick looks at the tape and realizes that Scola and Yao basically lost that game while Landry and Chuck kept the Rockets in the game.

 

I posted in some other thread that one day Hayes will get recognition for what he does, despite his output not showing in the box score. His time will definitely come. Just like Battier's.

Frankly, I really don't think he cares. Maybe when it comes to him finding a new job with some other team, he will want GM's to know how an important addition he can be to a team. Let's all hope though he stays a Rocket

 

I think Carl's lateral movement could be better, as I remember times where players would blow by him with little effort. His weak-side defense got huge potentials, as he had a 4-block game a week before the whole carjack incident. He's got all the tools to be an elite defender, but he's got a lot of work to do to be as good as Hayes on that end.

 

the bash brothers.

 

Chuck actually scored a pair of nice looking baskets during that second quarter run on Wednesday. Impressed the hell out of me.

 

good stuff scolandry hayes is a great trio
man, wish mutombo was still around

landry was pretty philosophical in that article, do you think what he said he does is effective?

i love what he does offensively, in terms of getting 2nd chance opportunities via offensive rebounding and such...and he's a really good finisher at the rim. his shot is pretty good ...but inconsistent.

i like what he said about changing it up though, always adapting in a way and not remaining at a status quo.

 

Lets not get ahead of ourselves on Chuckys scoring, he took 2 shots, made one of them.

If he scores tonight, or goes to the line, I think everyone at the TC should be chanting MVP!

 

...........................waiting for a photoshop pic

 

No doubt that the "Carl can play the SF position" crowd has been silenced. I think Carl will always been a bit of 'tweener. He has the size (barely) and strength to guard most PFs in the league but he just has not put it all together. Maybe he never will but he is excellent at coming in and simply working to make good things happen. He is good enough at that to earn minutes on any team in the league IMO.

 

Chuckwagon baby.

I was thinking about continuity with this team, and I realized that he's one of the senior members of this squad. He seems like such a good guy, and he's always ready to play when he's called on. He is definitely deserving of all this attention.

 

very good article
maybe a little bit of an exaggeration on ladry
but
dude hustles, he is money on the boards, and he blocks shots

hayes is great on d not enough priase for him there

quick question about the green bars
i saw someone ask for rep points
do i just click on the bar and it automatically counts
if i click more than once does it register that
just tryin to help give credit where it's due

 

Is everybody else shocked with all the love we are getting ??

Calling out Kobe, praising and loving Artest, praising Battier, AB, Hayes, Lowry, Landry (or as Kenny likes to call him: Lauwndrie), calling them contenders, praising their pitbull type attitude, praising their hustle etc.

Hope this doesn't affect the Rockets too much, we are better when we are underdogs like in game 1.

CLUTCH CITY baby

 

Clutch discourages begging for greenies...and Im inclined to agree....if you have to beg, maybe you don't deserve them.

Look for the green feedback button next to the reply button on each post, if you don't see it, you don't have the necessary permissions to hand out reps. As of this time, I believe it is just contributing members that have that ability.

 

okay thanks

i dont think it was begging
i had no idea about that aspect of clutchfans


i definately need to visit the tip jar by the time the finals comearound

 

Just give out rep points (if and when you can) to people who make posts that deserve it. I don't think anyone wants this forum to be filled with posts where people are saying nothing more than "I gave you reps" or "give me reps!" Advertising reps is lame - let the posts speak for themselves.