Morey's System

I hear a lot of clamor for defense these days, which makes sense because defense has been the trademark for Houston for a long time and it is now nowhere to be found. However, I believe our lack of defense is a direct effect of Morey's system and therefore something that we will not be getting back for a while.

Offensive numers are much easier to track than defensive numbers, so it makes sense that he has targeted offense. He also has a plan which, if successful, will be wildly successful because of its uniqueness. While other offensively minded teams target scorers, Morey has emphasized that he targets efficiency. While this team's lack of a true scorer can be exposed in the final minutes, his plan is to create a team that consistently scores at a higher rate than the opponent, eliminating close games. Of course, if we can pick up a superstar who doesn't hurt us on efficiency, he would be a welcome addition.

Morey's system has value. Each team gets the same number of possesions. Every time a team runs down the court one way, it will immediately have to turn around and run back the other way. Theoretically, a team could be built that is so efficient with each possession, that no team could ever hope to keep up with them. After all, effieciency is not something that can be improved by playing harder. If this were achieved, the Rockets would dominate for years while teams scrambled to adapt to Morey's revolutionary system.

The drawback is that this has never been done before, making the results uncertain. Good, reliable efficiency stats have not been around for long, and no team has made it their priority the way the Rockets have. It is possible that treating defense as a bonus rather than an emphasis when adding players may hurt the team too much. (Lee was highly praised by Morey because he fit his efficiency standards while also being a good defender. Martin on the other hand, was added with no consideration for defense). Also, targeting efficiency rather than star power may underestimate the intangibles a star brings - excitement, consitency, team identity, and of course, a go to option in close games.

So the jury is still out. Let's not judge the team too harshly yet. The team personnel will continue to change as the team adapts to Morey's new system from Dawson's traditional star-power/defense system. And the Rockets will win more games and forget this bitter start. But the fact is, the Rockets and Morey could be on the verge of something big, something that could have repercussions throughout the league for years. And that is what makes these next few years so exciting.