There are a certain percentage of all fans who always complain about mid-range picks not getting playing time. This happened last year with Marcus Morris. Ironic, isn't it. And yes, I did use the word "ironic" correctly, which a percentage of fans don't know how to do.
Inserting cold players into the game for spot minutes usually end up badly, both for chemistry and for player development. Players need extended minutes to get into a rhythm and comfortable. Just because you can make ridiculous subsitutions however you want in video games, doesn't mean it works in real life. 9-man rotation is basically as large a rotation as it gets in the NBA. Unless your bench is just oozing with productive players.
Look around the league and tell me how many NBA teams out there have a normal 13 man rotation?... The Rockets have some very important decisions to make coming up in the future with guys like Patterson, Morris, Aldrich, etc. Why would they immediately bench these guys just for the sake of playing someone with a year less of experience? These guys have busted their tail in practice for the past two years or so and deserve a half season head start on the rookies to prove that they belong. If they dont, they will mostly all be gone by the trading deadline, and then its rookie pallooza. Im seriously baffled by this. Have none of you ever watched a full season of Rockets basketball since the Morey era? Its like this every year. Rookies typically break rotation around mid season when Morey ships off the rotation players that are standing in their way if they are no longer considered long term solutions. See Battier trade/Budinger, Rafer Alston trade/Brooks. Come February I guarantee you Morey will make a trade that will move more than a couple of bodies. Until then, realize this is a great time for them to actually learn the game.
Agree with pretty much everything posted here. Hopefully, McHale was just waiting for his first loss before making substitutions. Now is the time to bench Douglas and give Machado about 15 - 20 min off the bench. If not Machado then White needs to sub in for Lin. Someone who can handle the ball. This front court rotation is also ridiculous. You play Smith the first game and he gives you real solid minutes and then you bench him the next two games. You've got Terrence Jones who actually replaced Patterson in the starting lineup during preseason and he's not getting a single second on the court. Motiejunas is another option atleast to put some points on the board when there is a drought. Morey needs to have a talk with McHale about this rotation business because it is pathetic!
If we had Damian Lillard on our team trust me McHale would be playing him. It took McHale a few games to name Parsons the starter over Bud and everyone was like WTF when that happened, but it turned out to be the right move. Plus all our rooks are PFs. PPat and Morris played great tonight.
Posted this is another thread No team throws rookies in when they arent ready unless they are trying to tank. Machado and White are projects and probably wont play unless they are forced to. I am fine with Aldrich playing over D-Mo. D-mo looked okay in the preseason but I dont think he is ready to play. I am surprised Jones hasnt played a minute but who do you play him over. Morris is slowly proving himself. Plus he is still young and can be considered part of the future. Patterson D is needed over Jones athleticism.
Out of tonight's games (20 teams)...only Houston (9) and Denver (8) played less than 10 guys tonight. Denver had rotational players out with injury. Rotations are growing. No one expects rotations of 12-13 players, but there's no reason they can't consistently play 10 guys. Obviously the 10th player would get very limited minutes, but that may be enough to give the other guys fresher legs. Lin Harden Parsons PP Asik Morris Douglas or Machado Jones Aldrich or Smith Delfino or Cook
I think Royce, Machado, DMo are headed for some time in the d-league. They don't seem ready. In interviews, the only rookie I have heard McHale talk about playing is TJones. So I expect to see him in the lineup at some point.
because last year's rookies are get it! Don't make me start a thread about whether last year's rookies are better than this year's rookies. seriously...don't make me do it...and Carl Herrera, stay at bay
When players are visibly tired after the 3rd game of the season, you as a coach have failed in managing their minutes. Even if the rookies "aren't ready to play" (which is a BS argument anyway, since how do know they're not when we have no visual evidence that the game is too much for them). And by the way, while we're not tanking, we shouldn't exactly be worried about playoff seeding either. We're just not good enough at this stage to contend for a championship, so to not give your rookies even a brief exposure of the game is inexcusable when your main rotation guys are exhausted. It's pretty clear McHale isn't much of a micromanager with substitutions, Xs & Os, etc.. Morey brought him in because he thinks McHale can be a leader of men -- that's about it.
correct my correction of your quote above. You meant to say "we", correct? This is always the reason given every single year by every single team about every single mid-range draft pick. Just like last year about Marcus Morris. This very same argument was made about Marcus Morris last year..."WE" don't know until "WE" see him play. Who is "WE", like the 5 coaches that Les bought. Are you saying that "WE" decide as fans...not the coaches. If "WE" don't see something in one year from a Big pick in mid-range of the draft then get rid of him for the next mid-range guy. stupid...statement. And I'm not even going to discuss Morris's stats or the natural progression and value of a rookie (Jones/DMo) to earn his time in practice against his competition in practice. We are not talking about Top 5 picks here.
no one replaces anyone in preseason. I don't think you know what the word "preseason" means...or have never witnessed one before. Seriously dude, explain to me what you mean by saying a player replaced another in the preseason starting lineup. don't bother.
We've seen players in the past that were supposedly not "game ready" and pleasantly surprise once they're on the court. Some players just click when the spotlight's on. I remember Von Wafer not getting PT until T-Mac got injured. Once he was on the court, he played well and earned minutes because of producing on the court. Guys like Jones, Machado, Motiejunas, White deserve a chance to showcase their abilities on the court, and if they don't play well, they sit. All I know is Patrick Patterson shouldn't ever be playing 38 minutes in a game. He may be our starter, but our PFs should be going in and out of the lineup given how many we have. Especially in a game where Patterson isn't effective (as shown with his -28 +/-).
I found this to be tremendously perplexing as well. What did smith do wrong to be replaced by morris? Why is jones not playing at all if he showed promise in preseason and during training camp? Machado seemed to be a mini-highlight reel in the pre-season and hasn't seen a single second of action, whereas douglas, who can't hit the broadside of a barn, is getting all of the backup PG minutes. I usually find armchair quarterback musings to be laughable, and I respect mchale's ability to go .500 last season with a roster that had very little star power, but his decisions so far have generated a series of legitimate WTF? moments, sad to say.
First off, the way they play encourages more than a 9 man rotation. I don't understand mchales decision to throw T.Jones in for spots during the game. I also seen t.douglas play most of the fourth qr, mchale didn't throw the starters in until the last 5 minutes. I actually thought lin and the others were injured or something because they didn't play the majority of the fourth qr because mchale had t.douglas and m.morris out there. Wow! That was one of the head turning coaching decisions that shocked me! I don't think he's new age enough to coach this team.
and both Patrick Patterson as a rookie and Morris now are in that category, don't deny that. Can't argue with that at all, except to point out that Morris was a +19. Don't bring in single game plus / minus bs. Let's just talk. When you say 38 minutes, you do realize you are talking about an OVERTIME game, correct. If you do, let's talk some more. This is just dumb. Coach played 9 players. Should he play 10, maybe, and he will. You certainly aren't advocating him playing 11. The PF position is stacked. Coach is making them win the right to play in a game during practice...or he waits for an injury. These are not top 10 picks we are talking about and Morris (our rookie last year) is being developed on the court. Welcome to the NBA
Because big trade is coming involving all 3 rookies...otherwise there is no excuse for coach to be burning out our players.
