As we know, Dwight ain't exactly good at shooting freethrows. Some might say he's been terrible(it's terrible) these last two years in particular shooting below 60%. And without a doubt we be seeing this method used against us a lot this year. So how might we stop teams or lessen the impact of Hack a Dwight? Well some might say simply take Dwight out and play Asik for closing minutes. But I digress from this since Dwight is a much better offense/defensive player then Asik and in close games that makes a world of difference.However I say we should take it even further. If the opposing team does Hack a Dwight, here's what I think is a very viable tactic. Simply play both Dwight and Asik at the same time. If it is the prototypical two shot foul, have Dwight at least attempt to knock down the first one. Then for the second shot, purposely hit the backboard so it bounces towards Asik. Asik is definitely a top 5 rebounder in the NBA. Even with weak side position I would give Asik a 50-50 shot of grabbing any rebound against any big man in the NBA. This method would give Rockets alot of extra possessions and potentially deter most teams so hacking Dwight since it would result in a 50% shot that Rockets would get another possession and it leading to a 2 pointer or even better a three. So that's my theory/plan, what are some of your suggestions to stop Hack a Dwight?
The only way to stop it is for dwight to make his free throws. theres no method to stop it. i'm sure coach will have ways to try to prevent it.
Yeah but the thing about purposely missing and bouncing the ball of the backboard is that... Dwight might still mess that one up too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohHoK4-LeuY I mostly got the idea off this but more simplified since this is Dwight we're talking about.
I might be the lone wolf on this, but I honestly think last season it was all mental for Dwight just like he was saying. Yes, even back in his Orlando days he was bad, but last season his form was different and it rarely changed. In Orlando his form was all over the place.
If Howard can aim the ball well enough to get it to bounce Asik's way, why can't he aim it well enough to sink the free throw? But, I think it's worth a try, or at least a statistical analysis. Assuming the ball bounces in the right direction, Asik is still starting off out of position, with presumably the biggest opposing player blocking him out for the rebound. And, if it works and the Rockets do it often (often enough to deter hack-a-howard defenses), might opposing teams develop other counters to Asik grabbing the rebound, like sandwiching him between 2 rebounders in anticipation of the bounce?
He should just develop an elaborate Chuck Hayes-ish style free throw release so he can lead the league in lane violations received. Mulligans allll the time.
possible ways to prevent hack-a-dwight 1. dwight start making free throw (not likely) 2. blowing out every team (i wish) 3. trail less than 5 pts in 4th quarter then play your best ball in the last 2 min
Also even if Dwight can hit his freethrows, teams will still do it anyway since that's the idea surrounding him. Don't underestimate people's perceptions and inability to change. Like OKC fouling Asik 6 times in a roll in the playoffs despite Asik knocking it down since the third foul no problem.
Go to Dwight early/often and get other teams in the penalty. Rest him at times when teams typically use the strategy. Let Harden and Lin punish teams by driving to the basket aggressively. Hacking Dwight is a good strategy and there's little we can do but manage it. However, Hack a Dwight won't work as well when we have a guy going to the line 10 times a game without Howard. When we have Lin who can get to the line when given the ball. There's only a certain amount of times you can foul the other team before it starts being counter productive, and Harden is the best type of player for pushing teams towards that counter-productivity threshold.
Haha, you think he can purposely make a ball bounce a certain direction off the rim but can't make free throws?
The reaction of the bench! Chuckwagon was underrated for his unintended comic value alone. I'm sure Morey's been tracking that stat, though.
If Chuck Hayes can improve his free throws from "that" to 66%. Howard's promising...... It's all about efforts, reps.
