And I really do believe that most of these players will make up a championship caliber team in the years to come! I also believe they deserve the time but these 3 things are what stand in between this core of players and rings... 1. Turnovers Probably not the first time you've heard that right? I don't know whether the answer is practicing better handles as a team or getting a true ball handler which this team lacks...but I also don't get paid to make those decisions! It's killing them, plain and simple. 2. Team Defense To me, it looks like they play like 5 guys on defense. Not 1 team. Too often the energy level on D is too low. Too often guys are not rotating or coming to help down low. I think it leads to a sputtering offense when they press to keep the score up because of lackadaisical D. Shouldn't be saying this with the kind of athleticism and defensive talent this roster offers on paper. 3. Consistency on Offense Everyone has bad games, I don't mean to poke the bear but I think the Rockets could really use a player who isn't so streaky. Think Luis Scola, you could count on him with his terrible athleticism and funky shot to get open and nail down 18 footers like they were layups. This team needs it so bad it hurts, geez, Terrance Jones? C'mon bro, you can't shoot 3's. It's not a big deal. Take a few steps in, if it improved his shooting percentage (I bet it would) I'd be ok with it. Honorable Mention goes to giving up offensive rebounds to the opposition. 2nd chance points. Bah. Anyway, enough harping. Like I said, I see great things in the future but the next building blocks, the next steps they need to take to become champions are becoming clearer. A quick 3 things that make them potential champions: 1. able to share the basketball and the spotlight quite well. 2. Offensively, when it's on it's nuclear. 3. Depth and lots of youth. Lots of potential and I know that's a tricky word but it's better to have the arrow pointed up than the alternative... Thanks for reading! GooooOOOOO ROCKETS!
Sorry Derp - I think your post is solid and I agree on all counts. I just don't see either of our PG's as the answer as starter on a true contender.
Well, this thread went south fast. Way to tank a halfway decent thread, guys. The answer to any question on this BBS, as always, is Jeremy Lin.
The Rockets are 5th on offense and 8th on defense. It's pretty hard to improve on these numbers without adding in star talent.
I think something that people tend to forget is that we have a number of players that are getting major minutes and have until this season, never really played meaningful minutes before. Beverley, Jones, and Motiejunas are young and inexperienced, asked to play heavy minutes, and contribute on a team with realistic goal to the finals. Not to mention, you have guys like Harden, Lin, and Parsons who are in their mid twenties still learning as well. The more this team plays together the better. That and learning how to get the ball to Dwight.
He will hold us back against the elite teams if he continues to play like last night for sure - not trolling at all - we need a better starter, neither guy is fit to start on a true contender. Am I not entitled to my opinion? I think he plays with great hustle and emotion (CP got under his skin more than the other way around - hence the 4 turnovers and 6 fouls) but not enough skill to be other than an energy off the bench player. I honestly think we need a very dependable 2 way player as a starter - Bev's man doesn't have to work hard enough on D and when literally everyone was struggling at the end of the game, especially Harden, all Bev could do was keep handing off to him and watch him get mobbed.
It's crazy how fans have turned on Jones all of a sudden... Isn't it a major coincidence that as soon as Dwight starting playing great, Jones' numbers declined. The opposite was true in December.
It's not just that - he looks as lost as Lin out there most of the time lately- on both ends. Hope they both break out of their collective funk very soon.
A solid take OP. But ... Defense is not developed overnight. Top defensive teams are stable teams. CHI, OKC, SAS, IND. These teams have had the same players playing together for years. It takes time to develop almost perfect defensive rotations and tag distances. Turnovers. High risk. High reward. Like defense, turnovers are decreased when players understand their teammates. But high powered offenses are typically turnover prone. MIA, OKC. Consistency. Scola is not an efficient offensive player. What is the point of being consistently inefficient? Bosh would have been a much better example to use, but he is a borderline superstar and therefore is unobtainable. But really good take.
It's not a matter of numbers, the team plays significantly worse when he's on the court as of the last 10-15 games. He really needs to turn things around.
