Atl is almost their whole starting 5..korver is the only one who's a single threat, but he's top 3 in that area. I haven't watched them a lot, but they seem like a good example. I've seen them have the ability to turn it up defensively and they don't even have a lot of length or size. Spurs too..most of their rotation is composed of double to triple threats.
Morey went full r****d on "guys who don't need the ball" this season. Other than Harden, most of what our perimeter guys do is spot up for 3s on offense, and many of them are not even really good at hitting 3s. It worked well enough in the regular season. The defense improved enough to make up for the decline in offense. Harden had an MVP type season carrying the team. But as expected (and pointed out by people here and commentators in the media, and even Mark Cuban), in the playoffs the opponent could scheme to focus on Harden and forced other guys to do stuff. The team still beat Dallas because Dallas just isn't good enough, especially with Parsons injured and the Rondo drama. But a half-way competent defensive team like the Clippers (ranked only 15th on defense) stifled Houston's offense. Meanwhile, that supposedly revamped and improved defense and the supposed savvy of the additonal veterans just have not shown up.
Motley himself said on grant land something along the lines of the ideal player next to Harden is a defender like Beverly or a shooter like Jet Triple threats be damned
Think about that for a second..that means neither is really ideal, as ideal would actually be a guard who defends AND shoots well...actually, ideal would drive and pass too, if we want to be literal. I doubt Morey is looking to turn away well rounded guards.He just said that because that's the limitation placed on the spot by the numbers he crunches and well, because it fits his argument, as that's who he has next to Harden right now. He's not going to say he doesn't have the necessary talent around Harden in mid playoff run. And it's not about having full triple threats across the board..that's not very realistic. We just have to shift the roster more in that direction. We can't have half the roster and most of the rotation filled with players who all struggle with passing, shooting, and dribbling.
Rv6 -basically you're talking about what I've been stressing for years,especially since Morey has been at the helm. Whether its the McGrady-Ming era that included singular dimensional players you've descr8bed or now its the same, just different to top guys. I think the biggest flaw is trying to find a fit in which your best playmaker is a poor decision maker. Is he too stubborn to come off the ball or can a personality like Ty Lawson function alongside? Much like Dragic, I think lawson is good enough to take the ball out of Hardens hands and allow him to be a play fin8finisher vs a playmaker. The Rockets ,despite the beating their taking is only 1 real key player and a couple of bench players away from being a true contender. They also need to stick together and minimize the roster turnover that Morey has been doing.
I figured he did it before because it allowed him to build a winning team for cheap and keep flexibility. I'd like to think he knows better than to keep doing it. We pretty much ended up with his plan d this summer though and signing Smith cheap would be hard to pass up. We'll see what he does this summer...
Very good thread! Brings some perspective to the fatal flaws of this team. We had 3 great triple-threats on that 93-94 team in Dream, Max & Cassell. Kenny, Horry & Elie were very close to it and Thorpe only lacked getting past his man. We now only have Harden. Truth is though, there are not that many triple-threat type of players available and with Morey valuing cap flexibility over short term success, that will probably not change.
I agree wholeheartedly, OUr offensive system is wrong. We don't have the players to run a free offense with creativity. We need structure t exploit strengths and minimize weaknesses. That's a coaching failure. We also shoot the ball terribly as a team. We need better shooters.
Smith is a good passer, driver, finisher and occasionally a passable shooter for his size/position...see Dallas. Of course he has been straight ass this series. Otherwise, there's a name for these true "triple threat" players - all-stars and superstars.
While I agree with the premise, the Rockets are still in the foundation building process. They clearly want that third star player before filling out the roster with role players. The role players we have are basically scrap heap.
The problem with Smith is that his poor decisions cancel out his skills half the time. I wouldn't say triple threats are synonymous with all stars and superstars. Look at Dwight. But again, we just need to shift the roster in that direction. Full triple threats all around isn't realistic.
Josh Smith has never been an efficient offensive player at all-- and has a history of being even worse in the playoffs. His .506 career regular season TS% drops to a .483 in the playoffs. So, his performance vs. Dallas was the exception, fueled by a favorable matchup with an aging Dirk and Dallas generally not being very good on D, and not the rule. Josh Smith does have offensive skills, but these skills are best utilized in small doses against specific favorable matchups.
BUMP- Proof writing was on the wall. This was almost a year ago. This current team is what you get when the extra hustle and effort is gone...and pride. Rockets seem unsure, lack confidence...that becomes frustration. updated to : Jones, Dmo, Harden, Beasley, Harrell, Goudelock and Dekker are or are closer to triple threats than everyone else...but of those 7, only 3 (Harden, Bes, Dmo) play, and of those 3, only Harden is a lock to play significant minutes every game, or at all. Brewer, Ariza, Smith, Capela, McDaniels, and Howard are practically in the same group. None of them excel at passing, shooting, or driving. That's just over a third of the roster and the bulk of the rotation. Smith has his moments, but that's not enough on this team. Beverley is just a 3pt shooting threat, as he's not a creative passer or even really tries to be a passer, period. Doesn't look to drive much, if at all..has had trouble finishing, when he does. If he's not making them, like in this series (25%), then he's just another guy in the red group. Terry is a grandpa. Notice how the worst group, in this context, didn't really change..They just lost Dorsey.
