@Codman, I thought Nene was solid in that game. They key is his diminishing returns with longer minutes. So, keep his minutes low and maximize his energy while he is in there. When the team needs grit and strength, he needs to be in the game. If the Rockets face OKC, Nene will be a big part of holding down Steven Adams.
The goal is a championship. Would he like to play some more? Of course. But, he's very happy for a guy like Clint having a breakout year/playoffs so far. Everyone knows that players get "cold" when they sit for long periods of time, so yes, consistent minutes plays a factor in performance. But, the thing about Ne' is that he is always ready to play when called upon. It might not be the points, but he's underrated defensively and alters shots with his physicality. The And-Oooonnnnneeeeesss! were great, too. I'm biased, so I wish James/CP/Ego would run some more PnRs with him. He finishes strong almost every time. I find it a bit ridiculous to complain about his contract. Ne's playing on a very reasonable contract. And, if you remember what he signed for during his first year in Htown, that was a serious bargain. It may not be this series, but we all know what Nene did to the Thunder last year. Be patient. Show some love. Respect the loyalty, much like Trev's. This series could very easily go to 6 or 7 if we don't make our 3s or if CP3 plays like game 1 (Those turnovers were terrifying, especially the last one.) -Cod
Agree last year showed that Nene´s role, being small is key to our playoffs run. He is rusty, like most of the team.
I feel like his jumper is just as good as it has been, but his finishing at the rim has dwindled. I personally think he just needs to make an adjustment. All players at his age do.
He looks like he did at the beginning of last year. Nene really got into game shape over the season last year, and I feel like right now he's getting into shape again. Just what it looks like...
we're an old team, ariza, nene, paul, anderson and Johnson all are the wrong side of 30 and will keep losing steps.
I'm always conflicted with players who sign for less out of loyalty to his brothers/team/city. He would've gifted us another WCF berth if he didn't get injured. Whatever happens in the offseason, I hope they treat Nene right. Nene, we still still love you. Many here are still keeping the faith.
Someone recently asked whether Yao could still be playing with Harden at 37 if his foot injuries had never occurred. I looked up the careers of Olajuwon, Mutombo, Duncan, and Shaq. All of them played until age 39 - 41 (Yao is currently 37). HOWEVER - the stats show pretty precipitous drops at age 36 in call cases. 36 seems to be kind of a magic number of when players become "old" in the NBA. Anyway - Nene is 35, and I think we're seeing this.
Yao on this team as the starting center would not improve the Rockets. They would actually be worse. Capela can defend guards on the perimeter and sprints his butt off in transition which opens up the Rockets offense. Yao on the Utah Jazz would improve them.
That wasn't really what I was saying in my post. That was just someone's silly question that got me looking at the stats. That being said, it would be hysterical if we signed Yao to 10-day contracts to sit on the bench during this playoff run. Nene looked decent in last night's game. But he still has the old man game going.
I def agree he has lost a step or two, even from last year. But we have to help him out a little. You can not leave nene one on one vs a guard no matter what system you run. There has to be some adjustments and surely its on the coaching staff when he is isoed to death. His communication seems to be a bit off , i hope he turns it around soon because he looks bad out there. I would rather have ryno at the 5 spelling capela and goo all in on offense.
