I call it jumping the gun to try to save money. The Rockets think they have put together a team that can get to the finals. And if this happens, McHale will command more dollars. That's why they lock him up. This could backfire.... you have coach that hasn't been out the first round and if the rockets don't get out the first round you're stuck with him.
I was expecting this to be a "Dwight Howard needs to step up" thread. I was going to laugh and say keep dreaming. I agree with everything you said. D-Mo must be our 2nd option. Period. Posting Howard should be ahead of only posting Dorsey and maybe Ariza isolations in the game plan.
Does Hakeem still work with Dwight? After the 91/92 or 92/93 season Hakeem had an awakening. He changed. I believe he reconnected spiritually, but it transitioned to the basketball court where he trusted his guards to shoot when he was covered. He basically realized and admitted he could not do it by himself. That took humility. I wonder if an all time great like dream could get through to Dwight and lead him to his awakening?
Dead freaking spot-on analysis. The only other thing I can think of is that if we can score 62 points in the paint against a team of giants like the Bulls have, we should probably attempt the exact same thing against smaller teams instead of pursuing this three-point obsession. Everything you mentioned would greatly help that.
Good initial post. Don't have time to read the whole thread. I think there is a strong possibility that McHale and Dwight are already transitioning to what everyone is talking about-- having Dwight cut back on post up moves. while DMo ups the number he takes. BTW we do not have to go to the extreme of never having Dwight go to the basket except for pnr's and putbacks. Agreed DMo should have the bulk of the pure post up attempts as he is better already and is still developing and seems to have much more natural ability or perhaps just long learned ability to do so. However that is not to say that Dwight can't get a little bit better though he will never be great at post up moves after all these years of trying. There are times that it is good that he has the somewhat limited ability he has. I still remember when he took Robin Lopez it seemed like ten times in a row to start one of last years play off games though the sheer number did get the whole team out of sync.
Well, tonight, we got the Dwight we needed. The effort from him was obvious -- just look at two things. Rebounding balls on the farthest extreme of his radius that he does not get to when not giving effort. Weak side help on defense. Dwight was a load, and when opponents have to deal with his effort, that requires the commitment of additional resources down low, freeing up rebounding and scoring opportunities for Smith and Dmo. It's Dwight Howard's version of the popular NBA phrase "gravity". Tonight's game was a great example of Dwight utterly dictating the outcome of a game without scoring much at all. He got 11 free throws because Cleveland couldn't do a thing when he got a rebound. What's more, his energy level is contagious, and you see Smith blocking shots and crashing the boards, Brickriza and Greyhound patrolling passi lanes. Dwight's energy level is a huge key, and I did not see the repeated ineffective post ups. Dmo didn't get as many touches as I'm advocating, but did get 10 shots up in 27 mins (Dwight had 13 in comparison). That's fine considering the game Smith had. Smith got more mins tonight because he and Dwight together completely shut down the paint. That's a great focal point for that duo on the floor and should be the point of emphasis there.
No, if they don't get out of the first round, Les will demand that DM replace him with someone who can, damn the wasted salary. Morey knows this.
Effort is about attitude and effort. If Dwight gives effort, nobody keeps him off the glass. Opponent does not matter.
