Yeah, I was looking at the box score and my immediate reaction was WTF A guy goes 4-5 with 4 rebounds and a block in only nine minutes and you don't keep playing him?!
It was more than that, after the block the Bobcats started avoiding going into the paint. They seemed a bit intimidated. Hill should have played in the 2nd half. DD
Pssh... The Rockets just suck in the clutch. They get swept by the Pacers. They lost to the Sixers, Kings, Clippers, etc. They find their tanking groove... But when it comes down to crunch time, when tanking matters most, when everything is on the line for not getting that dreaded 14th pick, the Rockets choke. Memphis? Win. Utah? Win. Celtics on the road where they only have to tank for like 10 seconds...? Win. The Rockets, unfortunately, did not come through in the clutch. :grin: :grin: :grin:
I didn't get that decision by RA either. It is not as if Hill has not part of the rotation. He has, and getting significant minutes in many games. Maybe Hill was injured in the 1st half??
I respect JJ and the work he does as a defender is great for this team but how can you say Jordan hasn't earnt his PT? he can only do what he does in the minutes on the court and the numbers he got today in 9 minutes certainly warrant much more time on the court, especially when Luis was having a rare off day.
I think Hill is getting a little less playing time bc they have a good idea in what he needs to work on this offseason. Or maybe RA and DM's plans go beyond my comprehending. Probably the latter.
or maybe Morey is going to work in the off season and they know that Hill will be good so showcasing his talent isn't a good idea in case he is demanded in a trade.
I can be very harsh on RA during games due to substitutions patterns, lack of time outs, etc), but he is indeed a very good head coach. He has these Rockets players finishing the season on a tear, making them play as hard as they can. Just unbelievable for a team that has been told that they are out of the playoffs. This greatest push to win all the remaining games bodes well for next season. I wish I could say, "we will be a contender when Yao comes back", but nobody really knows if the big fella will be able to relatively compete next season, given the serious nature of his latest surgery. I believe this is the reason why we don't hear timetables as to Yao's imminent return. The docs just don't know. With that in mind, I think Morey knows he has to get a capable center who will do only two things: block shots and rebounds. No way we can REALLY compete against the elite with a 6'6" center. It is not fair to Hayes or the Rockets. In sum, either we get Yao back or a decent center, and I will say we will be a contender next year.
I think they are trying to do 2 things playing JJ heavy minutes. !. See if he is worth keeping and can really be a difference maker with the team next year. 2. They are show casing him for for draft day deals and summer sign and trade possibilities. JJ has a little over 7 million in salary coming off the cap next year. Shane makes almost the same amount of money in salary as JJ, the big difference between the 2 of them is height and versatility. JJ is a legit 6"11 and run the floor well and block shots and get good position to take charges. Shane however is a great at hitting the clutch 3. But in next years offense I dont know if the shot opportunities are going to be there for him when you have 3 point shooters like Martin , Brooks and Budinger. You can even throw Ariza into that Mix at times.
That's exactly the reason why the coaches don't need to play him any longer - They've known what he can do and where he should improve.
i didnt get to see much of the game but did catch the end, the most important, but wow wat an impressive 'non playoff team' i mean this team play balls out and these last games have playoff intensity without hope of advancement, thats a high character team altho we would be a playoff team in the lowly eastern conference.. we would be better and more dangerous than the Bobcats I hate the playoff seeding
I thought the moment to put JHill in was when we went up 10 in the 4th. But the Bobcats had a couple of 3 point trips down the floor and that was over with. RA keeps Scola on the floor for offensive continuity, even when his minutes are long, so things flow. Playing JHill and JJ at the same time in the 4th *could* have worked, but the Bobcats were packing the paint pretty well. Do you trust both those guys making jumpers? At this point I'd have a little more confidence in JJ hitting a jumper late in shot clock, like the Memphis game.
Game wasn't on Fox Sports so didn't see it...but glanced at the box scores... Ariza stands out....near triple double 17 pts, 9 rbs, 8 a, plus 1 bl and 1 st Solid all around game...
I think we should play Hill more, but what do I know? I'm just a fan. Anyways, I'm excite that with one more win we'll have another winning season, but I'm a little pissed that if we were in the East we'd have the 8th seed sewn up
Nice post. I figured last night that it was something along those lines. Increases JJ's "asset value" this summer for a potential deal, and helps cement the staff's opinion of his "on the court value" for Morey when making judgements on who to send to another team to make a deal work. Another point? He looked damn good last night, clearly becoming more comfortable with RD's system and his teammates. Jeffries did a great job of rotating on defense, defending his man, and moving without the ball. He had 3 assists and was +9 while he was out there, easily the best of the Bench Brigade.
The current team could probably get 45 wins. They just sucked before because of injuries and because they had incorporate so many new players (Hill, Jeffries, Martin). It seems like they've really found their groove. Imagine an offseason of training + Yao Ming coming back...
Yeah, RA hasn't a clue. He lucked out winning over 800 games, rarely missing the playoffs, with several WC Finals and 2 NBA Finals appearances. Pure luck. The guy always had incredible teams made up of All Stars, like the team here in Houston that got to the second round for the first time in like forever. Good thing he has a great staff! Adelman is hopeless!!!
