First of all- Great season. Not just by Houston Rockets and James Harden, but Clutchfans. There have been ups and downs, but overall, another positive year on the BBS boards, we are a strong community and we should be proud of the team we follow. Despite having a great season, here are some things I feel could be improved, as well as some moves I have identified that could really put this team over the top. Harden Awesome year buddy. You made us all proud, it was disappointing to see you bow out like that in Game 5, but I know you will come back stronger. Here's some things he could work on during his break. Three point shooting- In my opinion, Harden should continue to work on his three point shooting, not just off the dribble but off the catch. He shot around 37-38% this year from three, but I don't think he's maxed out on that front. There's absolutely no reason he can't become a 40%+ shooter from deep. I think getting his three point percentage up or around 40% will elevate him from a good shooter to an elite shooter. It's possible this transition will occur if Morey can find an upgrade at the PG position to allow Harden to play off the ball more. Euro Step- Harden went away from the euro step this season, and I'm not sure why. He still used it occasionally, but it definitely took a back seat this season. He should go back to it more, especially on the fast break. Just my two cents. Post up game- Look at some of the great players over the past decade or so, and they have the ability to score the basketball in a variety of ways. Catch and shoot, slashing, cutting, pull up, floaters etc. What do Bryant, LeBron and Jordan all have in common? They have/had a post game. I'd like to see Harden develop a post game that he can go to when he has a mismatch. Just like on his three point shooting, there's absolutely zero reasons that he can't develop a solid post game. Harden should continue to work on his one legged post fade and little hooks in the lane. Shaun Livingston uses his length to great affect in mismatches and often posts up on smaller players. I feel if Harden developed a solid post game his offensive game would open up even more, he's barely scratched the surface of what he can do. Cutting and off ball movement- We all know Harden can play off ball (this year's All Star game, OKC days). However this season I noticed he would often stand around when another player had the ball (perhaps this can be attributed to how tired he was from carrying the team). He is an excellent cutter, and is an excellent finisher at the ring, I'd like to see him cut to the rim more often. Next year McHale really needs to run some plays so the beard can run around some screens to get some easy points, but that's probably asking for too much General moves To me, the point guard position is the biggest concern. Beverley is a great energy/hustle guy off the bench, he's not a championship calibre starter. Mike Conley would be the perfect fit for this team, but that's a pipe dream at best. D.J. Augustin, Darren Collison, Ty Lawson and Brandon Knight are not sexy names, but would not break the bank (Lawson would require a considerable package) and fit the mould of what we need. If I am Morey, the guy I am going after is Darren Collison. It seems the Kings are heavily pursuing Lawson, and Collison would require seldom pieces to acquire. He shot 37% from three this season and put up over 16 points and 5 dimes per game. He's also solid on the defensive end. His salary is dirt cheap as well. Outside of the point guard position, acquiring 3 and D players or long athletic wings should be our first priority. Kent Bazemore is a guy that I would be extremely rapt with. 37% shooter from deep, 6'6", can handle the rock and excellent finisher at the rim. If Brewer or McDaniels exit, Bazemore should be seriously looked at. Instant offense player Keep in mind I am not an expert on the cap situation , but acquiring a player such as Louis Williams or Jamal Crawford would give the Rockets a third player who can create their own shot (assuming we upgrade the PG spot) and a player who can score. Too often this season we went through horrendous stretches of abysmal offense. Either of those two guys can play the Barbossa role off the bench and have the green light to score. Resign Smoove, let Brewer go For the record, I want to bring both back. But it appears that Brewer may be heading to OKC (relationship with Donovan). I have been a Terrence Jones fan, and still believe he could be a solid rotational piece for a contending team, but BasketballHolic was right: he's not what we need right now. Out of Smith and Jones (Dmo is our de facto starter at PF next season), I would package Jones up and use him to get a Collison/Lawson type player. As much as Smoove makes boneheaded plays, the guy is a baller. His performance in the playoffs alone is enough to resign him. I believe he would excel in a role off the bench next season as a secondary playmaker/scorer. Keep in mind also Cyberx said that Scola is coming back. A PF rotation of DMO/Smoove/Scola is very, very solid. It's a pretty basic overview, but you get the general gist of it. Obviously what happens will be what happens, but I feel these moves/improvements will get us to the chip next season. Our potential roster/rotation could be: Collison/Beverley Harden/Brewer/Bazemore Ariza/Bazemore Dmo/Smoove/Scola Howard/Capela/Smoove Looks pretty good, doesn't it? ^ Again, keep in mind: Not an expert on the salary cap, and a lot of what I have said may not be theoretically possible. I hope you all enjoy the finals and keep safe over the offseason, go Rockets.
Better coach. Better plays. Better players - pg and pf. Players getting better - harden, dmo, kj, Capella. Better health. Better fans - both at TC and here! You do three out of the five and we go further.
I've read nothing about defense. Defensive order and discipline, the main issues that keep this team away from real contention.
Brew is very very streaky. He is exceptionally high energy (which is just what the Rockets need some nights) and a very poor 3pt shooter. I don't see him as an instant offense type of guy like Jet or Crawford were when they were winning 6th man of the year awards. If Brew ever develops an average 3pt shot he will be absolutely lethal. Of course when the ball is dropping for him he is definitely an unstoppable offensive force.
In one word, Discipline. Defensive discipline and offensive discipline have been the Rockets Achilles heal the last couple of seasons.
This. Between Smith and Brewer I personally would rather keep Brewer even though he played awful against GS, a full season would do him well. I like Smith and would want him to stay but he's got to be reined in at times with some of his bone head plays and improve his rebounding and free throw shooting. He averaged 13.5 pts and 5.6 boards in playoffs and he missed an unbelievable 44 free throws. While Jones averaged 10.2 pts and 4.8 boards for the playoffs, between Smith and Jones total rebounding that won't get it done for the rockets unless they bring in another solid rebounder or DMO miraculously learns how to hit the boards with abandon. Rebounding when Howard is not in the game is crucial for this team, when they win the boards they usually win the games.
From what I remember about Scola is he had a heck of a mid range jump shot and none of the rockets PFs currently have that.
Coming into a game 1 or game 2 of the playoffs or important game prepared and poised Do not dig yourself an early hole. You have to play catch up the entire game.
His game is where it needs to be. But I question his heart and desire to compete EVERY nite (even if his shots aren't falling). That game 5 effort made me look at Harden in a whole different light
So many areas. Better ball protection. Defensive rebounding. Movement on offense. Those 3 are big but that's a lot.
