This isn't a rant thread but more rather a frustration thread because these things are happening game after game after game. There are so many things wrong with this Rockets team and coaching staff which are hindering us from going out there and winning. It is so bloody obvious - why is it so difficult for people in positions to actually make a change see? 1) The biggest issue I have with this team is defensively. Our defensive philosophy is just absolute garbage. There is absolutely no reason for everyone to collapse into the paint every single time someone manages to penetrate. I'll take a contested layup over a wide open 3 pointer every day of the week. Every game you can see so many wide open shots from the opposition because all our perimeter players are told to get into the paint. This is absolutely stupid, and has been happening for a while. It honestly isn't that hard to fix since you can pinpoint the problem - however we don't have the coaching staff to implement this since I get the impression they're in for a quick fix instead of wholesale changes. 2) Allowing Harden to just casually dribble the ball up nearly every single possession. We aren't a good half-court team and we have NO OFFENSIVE PLAYS WHATSOEVER. Why in the world our coaching staff would want to allow the opposition another 8 seconds to set their defense and correct any mismatches is beyond me. 3) Our coaching staff does not recognise the individual talents of players. - Explain to me why they do not utilise Harden in the post - Explain to me how Ariza is given a very long leash to pump fake and penetrate which very rarely results in anything positive; yet the player most suited for that in Lawson is relegated to setting up camp beyond the perimeter most of the time. - Explain to me how Terrence Jones gets any minutes whatsoever ahead of Harrell. Clutch made a comment how this might be the turning point for Capela a couple of weeks ago I believe and I commented back that I'm not getting my hopes up because every time Harrell has played he's ALWAYS outshone Jones. Same old ***** different week. We aren't rewarding players who are actually better. Whether this has got to do with showcasing Jones I don't know... but personally we're doing more harm then good since apart from two games here and there his allure is nosediving. 4) We rarely are prepared with a game plan against opposing players. Take tonight for instance - there's absolutely no reason anyone could make for putting Harden on Redick instead of Pierce. Now Harden hasn't been covering him on each of JJ's triples - and this isn't a comment made to disrespect Harden - but it is common sense not to put a player known for ball watching and not keeping track of his player - on a player who is one of the best in the league at moving without the ball. The entire coaching staff needs to be replaced. There is too much of McHale left on the sideline and that is a bad thing. It's been harped on so, so many times on this thread before but for crying out loud it is so frustrating.
We don't have a system. One night we randomly decide oh lets go give Dwight the ball forcefully, then the other night lets not. Look at me, I'm harden, I will facilitate this quarter and then other quarter I will only look to score no matter what. This is not a system. Coach fired, but assistants not? Morey should be demoted and banned from making basketball decisions.
The harden "walking it up just avoiding an 8 second violation" thing is the worst. I've noticed this game in the first half the team doesn't even give it to him until after they bring it up.
Harden needs to play team basketball on both sides of the court. Stop taking possessions off, play unselfishly, give full effort.
I can't even believe I forgot the whole "switch on every possession" philosophy. It's like we dare the other team to beat us by shooting wide open 3s. Idiotic. But I digress.
Schematically, there are fundamental issues with the way the team plays on offense and defense. Conclusion, a better and more disciplined coaching staff will go a very long way in cleaning up this team and allowing our players to play to their max potential.
Our defensive rotations are high school level bad . We have at least 2-3 guys that consistently have no clue who to go to , quite often we have 2 guys running at the same guy . Even worse , frequently no one runs out to their guy . Clint and Terrence and Corey really have no clue . It can sometimes work for Corey if the game is muddled up and chaotic enough . Capela has the brief explanation that he is practically a rookie . But those guys gotta pick it up . James probably knows where he is supposed to be , but has true effort issues .
Our players are just lazy. I've watching 20 years of Rockets basketball and sadly this is probably the team I have hated the most. For me, a lot of it has to do with the high expectations which were not unwarranted after out successful season last year. It's frustrating watching our best player take a step back. I really love Harden and truly appreciate having him on the team, but he drives me absolutely nuts with the lack of dedication to the game. I hate watching basketball right now. I keep watching the Rockets like a sucker thinking they will turn it around but it's tough been staying engaged. I have season tickets, so I force myself to go to the games right now. I just can't stand the lack of work ethic from our team. Every time they talk they say the right things but they don't apply what they say. The team sucks defensively and that's the reason we are just not going to go anywhere. The rhetoric that Morey spews from his mouth about no team wanting to meet us in the playoffs is pathetic. Until this team learns how to commit to defense, we are not going anywhere. They were committed last year, I am not sure what happened this year. They continually gamble, they never box out, they switch every damn pick rather than fighting through it, they ball watch to much, etc etc. Howard does a great job of challenging at the rim, but no one ever has his back. Just watching this Clippers game right now, the Rockets have played some decent defense in some possessions but just won't close out the play since they allow their opponent to get the rebound. It's ****ing irritating. This is one of the most basic defensive fundamentals but they struggle with this. It's worthless that we play 23 seconds of good defense and not be able to come up with the rebounds. Another problem, I hate all the ****ing switching. They always lose their men, all the time. They get lost in those switches. I am also surprised at their lack of feet movement. They can't seem to stay in front of their man at all. They always have to do the lazy Harden reach around. We have young players with good legs, I have no idea how they can't stay in front of their man. This team is plagued with players that could do well but chose not to. Harden has proven he can be a good defensive player, but has decided to shut it down for the year. Same with Ariza, he just isn't the same aggressive player he was last year, even though he is still playing good defense this year. Jones is Jones, just does not know how to box out and only gives the occasional effort. Brewer, he just wants to gamble, never has any interest in actually good solid defense. Thorton, he seems to try, but just has poor lateral movement. Terry, well he is old. Lawson, I don't think he cares. This team depresses me. I am glad I have plenty of other hobbies outside of the Rockets, but at the end of the day, it really want to see this team do well and I hate it that they aren't delivering. They have good talent. I don't really have faith in the coaching staff, but that's who are running with this year, so whatever.
Since McHale, besides Parsons and Beverley's first and maybe second year, we have never even come close to shutting down an opposing best player / highest scorer. Team effort to shut down a player has never been our mo since JVG. RA's team just had great defensive players and principles, but once Yao, Deke & Battier were gone, there was not much left to work with and Adelman was a better offensive mind anyway.
Miller made one remark during the game. Harden and Lawson didnt know what to do on switch and Leaving someone on the perimeter open for 3. Miller said what everyone here has been saying one of them has to commit to guarding someone, you gotta stop looking for a bailout after awhile. The switching will continue to kill this team
We cant defend the 3. Transition D is jacked. Defensive rebounds are hard to come by. We boast a fast style of play yet take very few FGA overall. This thing is a wreck. It can definitely be corrected without changing the personnel. I'm not confident it will be.
Our offensive doesn't require the defense to think. High PnR with James, while the other 3 players stand around waiting for an open 3, expending no energy on the defensive end. Compared to SA or GS who are constantly on the move, all 5 players on offense. I tape all games and only watch the ones they win, I saw the score and said, everyone hung out last night in LA except Dwight. Ariza and Harden being Cali boys, just a lack of professionalism in your craft. The defensive concepts are worst at best, the slightest pick, James begs for a switch, there are options to defending the PnR and we never change up during the game. We could switch, which is our 100% option, fight through the pick, or force to sideline and double team. Bottom line, defense wins championship and right now we aren't playing smart D.
