I still don't know what kind of offensive sets we run...I swear we have like 3 plays we run. I found this quote pretty interesting from an Arizona paper, quoting Dan Langhi (ok, not a star).. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "They play a different way. They iso (isolate) a lot more than we do with Steve and Cat (Mobley), and space on the weak side." "We will do some of that at crunch time, but they do it the whole game." http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/0219suns0219.html
No wonder Langhi couldnt cut it with us. He obviously does not know how to properly recognize an ISO. We have rarely run ISOs this year and we definitely dont do it the whole game. Langhi doesnt get it.
From the nationallly televised games I have viewed in CA, the Rockets have ISO's sprinkled throughout the entire game, a large percentage of Cat's and SF's shots come from ISO/penetrations. It's a large reason the Rockets suck when SF is out, their offensive plan depends on one guy ISO'ing and when he's out, their *play* doesn't really work that well unless Cat is hot.
I don't think the Roxkets iso all game, anymore. Langhi made that statement. I am sure he is basing much of his opinion on his time in Houston when the iso was the playbook.
who else thought it was funny when cuttino got iso'd on dl around the end of the third i think. he blew by dl so fast and layed it in it wasn't even funny, and dl was giving him space. that was definitely a case when i was begging for the iso. it's probably not nice to make fun of dl so much but i'm sure that check he cashes every 2 weeks helps take some of the sting away. man is he a horrible player, did he do anything last night??
Sorry but I'm going to have to disagree with those that feel the Rockets don't ISO much anymore. Hardly a day goes by that there isn't at least 1 new thread complaining of the lack of ball and player movement or alluding to Francis's lack of assists. Or SF "getting it". Yet no one posting so far sees all the ISO going on? One play the Rockets run repeatedly is the low post entry pass to Yao where the passer (usually Posey, but SF and Moochie and lately Cuttino) passes and cuts through the paint or goes baseline. Observe the rest of the team stands on the weakside with little to no movement. This too is ISO. Further, watch what the dribbler does after the high PnR. Watch Mo Taylor every time he has the ball. It's 1on1 or an entry pass to Yao. It may not be as obvious as 4 players weakside and 1 player with the ball but it's still ISO.
I agree with you. Our whole playbook is basically ISO. As Francis 4 prez's example showed, Mobley and Francis are superb 1-on-1 players because of their quick first steps and dribbling skills. On the other hand, IMO they are not so good motion, off-the-ball players because of their lack of court awareness and instinctive passing skills. And I don't know if they can ever develop it. So I can understand that Rudy runs ISO with Francis and Mobley. What I don't understand is that Rudy runs ISO with Yao too who IMO is not a strong 1-on-1 player at least not yet. Rudy should realize that Yao's no Hakeem yet. We shouldn't wait for him to become another Hakeem to fully utilize his skills. Run some motion plays to suit Yao's skills please!!!
On the Rudy T show(once again generously provided by edc), Rudy himself stated, even emphatically, that his primary offensive philosophy is still ISO. Go to around the 18:30 mark of the show: What ever happened to our "motion" offense? However, as usual he is wishy washy in his later statements, and tries to poo-poo the fact that we play a lot of ISO. Go to around the 49:50 mark (in response to Smeggy's call). Rudy the politician
moomoo you are making too much of that quote. That quote describes Dallas's offense as well. Dallas is penetrate and kick, pass, pass, pass. They are based on spacing just like us. Watch Dallas tonight, and tell me that is not similar to what we did against Phoenix. GATER, the wing entry to Yao Ming described as an ISO is a stretch. First, that cutter is not just going through the motions. The cutter is hit a lot of times. Thus the play has a proven, capable option before the ISO even happens. The ISO becomes a decision, just like the give and go is. Once Yao decides not to hand off or drop a pass, then that becomes an ISO situation for him, I agree. Even in that situation, Yao reacts immediately, which he often does, and passes, the rest of the set is a nice flow of Dallas-type cutting. What do you expect? That is exactly how Jabbar was used. Yao is not a Divac/Webber or a Karl Malone, yet. He cannot anchor a motion passing team, yet. Let him do the give and go play and decide to ISO and read the defenses. If he is pushed out too far, then the cutter is open. If he has good positions well then....go ISO, you are 7'5 standing 8-10' away from the basket and the defense will react.... Also, the wing entry is really our second option. We try to get Yao down the middle first. Failing that, Yao will swing to a wing entry. What we do a lot is wait for the reaction before our weakside cuts. I would like a lot more off-ball picking, too, but I'm more interested in improving the first options (Yao), than trying to get this team to time off-ball read cuts without getting out of time and bumping into each other and causing busted plays and turnovers then losing faith in each other. Keep it simple with penetration via dribble or via passing to the 7'5 man, and get comfortable with read the defense react....just like Dallas. Watch Dallas, and compare them to Utah's off-ball picking.
Do you think Rudy knows what off-ball picking is? I'm not sure because I don't know if we have ever set picks away from the ball.
Is it me or has the whole Dan Langhi era been absolutely amazing. He's a star... it's as simple as that... the man's a superstar.
Gater, I agree we do ISO are big men sometimes, but I think the main thing people are concerned about is when me move 4 players to one side of the floor and try to isolate Steve or Cuttino on the other side. That rarely happens anymore. I think some people are getting "ISO" confused with our guards still not moving the ball enough.
Now that I think of it, I don't ever recall seeing one off the ball pick. No way that's possible though. No way.
I don't understand it either. Off-the-ball screens could allow Yao to get better position, where he is absolutely unstoppable. Sometimes he's so far out on the wing, it's not taking advantage of his height.
That's easy. Rudy never tried to implement a motion offense. I think that was just something made up by the BBS.
Not sure who it was that brought it up (HP maybe) but apparently Rudy had the team working on this in practice (with a situation like Yao cutting across the lane with one of his teamates setting a back pick to free him up or to prevent him from being fronted to easy) and the team never could get the timing down right.
