from reading the board to listening on the radio this morning. Lance Zeirlein (who I can't stand) was talking about how Clint should be sent to the D-League. He is playing horrible and never had a huge jump from the off-season. He didn't add any weight, he will never be a double-double player. He can't block shots. This system makes him look good, etc. Matt Thomas tried to point out how he is not in position to play the 4. I think people don't realize this is basically his Rookie Season. He may have hit a wall. He played a total of 90 minutes in the regular season. 127 minutes in the playoffs. His game will develop within time. D-Mo took a while to fill his body. After James, Clint is the 1 or 2 other Rocket I want on this team long term. Where do you guys see Clint Capelas game in 3-4 years? Compare him to an NBA player (Past or Present)
Because he's a liability when he's playing right now. Can't make free throws, can't catch the ball, has trouble finishing wide open lay ups or dunks, and has not really been impactful on defense/rebounding anymore. He is playing at the 4 because Jones is a complete abomination and Smith is inconsistent. He's only getting PT by default right now.
Capela is a traditional back up center. He has been asked to come in and play PF when his body is still developing. He is not quick enough to guard PF, nor score. The short version, he is being put in situations to fail. JB has been forced as Jones plays no defense and DMO has been hurt most of the year. Lets just hope we get some help at PF, and Capela can go back to the center spot where I believe he will feel much more comfortable.
Capela should be sent down to the D-League but this roster needs him with the utter failure that is Terrance Jones and the Injury to Dmo. The D-League isn't a time out punishment. It's meant to help young players develop skills.
Mostly agree with this, with the exception of the harsh words for TJ. I have admitted to not being a huge fan of Clint's, but I'm not the biggest KJ fan, either. Both guys are plain raw. Like another poster wrote, Clint is a definite liability when he's out on the floor without Dwight. Offensively, he needs time to develop, and he still needs simple motor coordination drills. I get frustrated by his inability to catch the ball consistently. I don't want to believe he has stone hands, but he misses countless opportunities because he has difficulty catching and finishing. The free throws are bad enough, and when you play soft around the rim, no one is going to respect you. At this point, teams rotate off of him because they believe he's going to turn the ball over or miss an easy one. Defensively, he's had a few good games, but he's foul prone and isn't yet strong enough to bang with veteran forwards/centers. He needs some time in the weight room. The D-League would be ideal for Clint,but until cooler heads prevail, we need him available, on the bench.
What is weird is that it seemed like last year Clint's hands were good and he finished with more authority. This season he seems a bit more timid at the rim. Maybe it is the extra minutes and he is thinking too much or is overwhelmed. But at any case, one his his best attributes, finishing, has gone down hill and that is a big issue.
I still think Capela is a potential above average starting center for this squad, sooner rather than later. He's had a down stretch... but he's (i) very young, (ii) has been experimented with too much in and out of starting lineup and position, (iii) suffers like everyone else from the disaster that is the team defense on this squad and the random lineups. He's no Dwight defensively and never will be, but doesn't mean he can't be solid defensively sooner than later, on a solid overall defensive squad.
I also think that Dwight's probably the worst guy you can ask to mentor a young big. I'm afraid that overexposure to Dwight Howard's habits have been detrimental to Capela.
Because these are the whiney lil dweebs who cant play a lick themselves and complain about every lil thing.
This. The perimeter defense on the team is so bad that the guys in the post have to cover so much. It's not fair frankly. The perimeter needs to play better defense less Pat Bev.
I think that's fair. I think the expectations of Clint are too great, mainly because of our slow start and current issues. He's being asked to do more than he probably expected, and if we're honest, Clint isn't ready for the offensive and defensive challenges night in and night out. He's not the problem on the Rockets, but he certainly isn't untouchable. I also agree with the poster who suggested that Dwight isn't the best mentor for Clint. That's not a shot at Dwight, but throughout his career, he hasn't been a go-to guy for his backup support. Ask the Polish Hammer... I think Dwight helped TJ out a season or two ago, before his injury and lackluster play. Either way, Dwight seems to focus more on himself. I'm okay with that. Keep giving us 19/13. (...and no more techs/ejects)
I've been saying Clint needs D-league time for months now. Many people have disagreed. But, you have to remember that Clint was never supposed to be playing big minutes with the Rockets at this point in his career. Clint should be working on his fundamentals and adding new elements to his game. I think Clint is capable of much more offensively, but he really doesn't get the chance to work on anything during games, like he could in the D-league.
Les just spent $12 million on a toss out McHale. He doesn't want to spend $100k a session with Hakeem to help out Clint. That's the real back story right there.
He has been pretty bad and wildly inconsistent the past month or so. Of course, his missed free throws and layups have been discussed but his defense is what is most frustrating to me. He doesn't seem to understand what his main duty is to protect the paint. Too many times, he is over helping on perimeter player, leaving the paint WIDE open. Its like he is treating perimeter guys like Steph Curry and over-extending to guard them on the perimeter then he takes way too long to get back into the paint. He is a center. His main job is to be the last line of defense in the paint. On offense, I don't know why he is trying to post up, especially in close key moments of games. I think on Saturday, the Wizards were on a run and Ariza gave the ball to Capela and he automatically went into his post move then he threw up this ugly hook which missed badly, setting up a break for the Wizards. I understand that this is really his rookie season and that Capela is a project but its something we don't need right now. We need consistency more than anything right now. Having very inconsistent players like Capela, Jones, Brewer, Lawson and Thornton getting key minutes for us has hurt us a lot this season. Prior to the Smith trade, I don't understand why Morey did not find a real veteran big men for that extra spot on the roster. We had room for another player with a MAJOR need for a big guy and Morey did NOTHING. Smith doesn't exactly solve that need since he is perimeter oriented but Morey should have found some free agent big men who we could rely on when Howard is out/resting and Capela is struggling.
