I've sort of been disconnected from the NBA/Rockets last monthish. A month ago I was feeling disheartened. But I loved the Covington trade as I just love Covington as a player. How has he been for the Rockets? Green & Carroll as well. Do they have guaranteed contracts? What is our rotation looking for the playoffs?
It's refreshing to see a post like this and remember there are some sane people around here who aren't compelled to watch every damn minute of every damn game, then spend hours reading about the team until the next game.
We've seen some reasons for optimism... but we're gambling on small ball so only time will tell if it holds up for the long haul... Of course, good things happening means that some are back to declaring MDA as a genius - and anyone that has reservations is declared to be ignorant and clueless... in typical CF poster smugness... 9-10 man rotation is tight... just gotta hope injuries and MDA doesnt whittle it down to becoming overtaxing on our starters...
I think you're being willfully measured in your response as a way of downplaying what we've done. We don't just have "some" reasons for optimism. This team is 9-2 in their last 11, RoCo has something like 15 blocks in his last 4 games, and Russell Westbrook leads the league in points in the paint in 2020. Our defense has become downright smothering in the 4th quarter, and teams struggle to figure out how to properly defend our 5-out concept. Obviously time will tell if it will last, but he's asking about what's changed....A LOT has changed, and it's enough to have most fans feeling really good about where the team is.
Hope OP doesn't feel disheartened any more. Covington is definitely the glue guy a championship team needs. Ben McLemore is literally Klay Thompson. Danuel House continues to rock the Mickey Mouse hair for some unknown reason. Eric Gordon needs to be bubble wrapped and only suit up for the playoffs. Fertitta is still cheap.
not only that, but the team as currently constructed is the realization of MDA’s original vision. There’s no way we ditch our center with a more traditional coach. Theres a reason questioning MDA’s overall principles of small ball is met with criticism at this point.
I would strongly disagree with the "Gambling on small ball" verbiage that is seen here. You can go watch ESPN, or TNT and they will say the same thing, and they are usually wrong because they do not watch the Rockets. The fact is that we traded away Clint Capela and in return we became better on both ends of the floor, because we received a better player in return, both talent wise and schematically. We lost 2 inches in height and now everyone is calling us "small ball", which is bizarre. All the while Covington is better than Clint defending Centers. We are back to what got us there in 2018. A bit different, but many similarities.
Yes we are 9-2 in the last 11... but thats kinda a small sample size... and really we havent seen teams employ the level of adjustments I would anticipate seeing in a 7 game series.... so i'd say reason for optimism - but the jury is still out... WB leading the league in pitp is great! So glad he isnt chasing the 3 ball... WB's level of effort and tenacity is phenomenal! I hope our defensive effort holds up - I really appreciate seeing everybody working on D... I think with proper load mgmt and a lengthy enough rotation we may be able to maintain... I just hope MDA doesnt revert to his old ways of shrinking the rotation come playoff time - bc I dont see us maintaining the same vigor if that is the case... After 35+ years of being a Rockets fan... i've learned to temper my enthusiasm - cause sh*t happens...
I mean - this just sounds like the Warriors teams from the last few years. Their death lineup has become our entire roster - obviously with lesser players but the philosophy holds true.
Not having a conventional center is certainly a gamble... It's looking good to this point... We'll see if the methodology holds up in the post season when teams are game planning for a series and not just a random reg season game...
2018 WCF was all the proof I need that it works, personally. GSW was bailed out. They were confused on both ends.
Yes maybe, but execution between the two systems is very different. One was based around having lots of off-ball screens and ball movement used to free up two of the greatest shooters of all time. The other uses a system that's heavily predicated on spreading the floor, and allowing two of the greatest ISO players room to operate.
In the same boat as you. Haven't really followed the Rockets super closely since the New Year. I tend to just catch some highlights (in wins, don't bother tracking the losses any more) and peruse the stats sheets once in a while. I'm skeptical that small ball will get us over the hump in the playoffs. My sense, from afar, is its a gimmick that you can scheme against in the playoffs -- but maybe it gives us the best shot. Harden and Westbrook still don't inspire too much confidence in me as a post-season tandem. I am glad to see we've got multiple wing defenders to throw at the LA teams, should we face them. I'm somehow not too concerned about Utah or Denver, or anyone else in the Western field.
The media and the whole world is riding the "small sample size" train. But I doubt that Morey or D'A thinks there is a small sample size. It's not just 9 - 2 over the past 11 games of small ball. They now have 2.5 years of data reaching back to the 2017-18 season showing that the Rockets are a superior team with PJ at the 5 and Capela / other bigs off the floor. When added to D'A's experience with small ball lineups in Phoenix and the success of the Warriors Hampton 5 lineup, small ball doesn't need any more data sets. What it needed was a GM and Coach (and yes an owner) with the balls to go all in on the strategy and face the tidal wave of media scrutiny and jokes from idiots like Charles Barkley. The Rockets were lucky enough to have a front office with huge balls of steel. In retrospect, I now believe that Morey would have packaged Capela last year if it could have gotten him Jimmy Butler. I think since the end of the 2018 season, that Morey has been looking for the right personnel to give D'A his small ball lineup and that's why we went out and sold the farm to get Westbrook and RoCo. The media thinks that Morey made those moves out of desperation. I think this has been the plan from the moment the Rockets small ball lineup helped us push the Warriors to the brink in the 2017 - 18 finals.
