answer what. you didn't ask a question that made much sense. Do you think you're the only one who knows an all star is also a capable playmaker? that's already been addressed above . There's a huge difference in your lone "playmaker" you keep rambling about and an all star the rest of us are talking about.
This is freaking YEAR ONE of MDA's system. Let him have an off-season where he can address the roster top to bottom.
and in that first year, what many believed would probably be a bottom level playoff team or struggle to even make it. Now that the bar is raised because they have the 3rd best record in the league, the talk is how to take out the likes of the gsw/spurs with our lone star. Don't know about anyone else but with our lone star, compared to others that field multiple, houston has shown they can hang with any team in the league which is quite impressive imo
I see the point for someone like Taylor who could theoretically make plays, but trying to integrate him into our lineup at this point is foolish. Aside from Harden penetration and the 3, we really don't have any diversity in our offensive arsenal. It's not a lack of another playmaker, it's the fact that our offense is too predictable! Even if we did have that extra playmaker when Harden is not on the court, all it would be is a lesser version of what we do when he is on the court. I believe we can compete with the likes of GS and SA as long as we force them to adjust to us on defense. This can be as simple as better off the ball movement, utilizing back door cuts when they suffocate the 3 point line, etc. Hell, even dumping the ball to Nene once in a while wouldn't hurt (I know this is blasphemous). It's just painfully obvious when we play disciplined teams that there is a formula to slowing us down, and this will only be compounded in a series.
The Rockets will make changes. Daryl Morey stood pat after the Rockets reached the WCF believing that the team deserved a chance to compete the next year. He won't make that mistake again. The Rockets have moveable pieces and there are plenty of free agents on the market that fit the Rockets needs. That doesn't even include trading for a useful player under contract. The Rockets are interesting, because they are being built very system specific. The Rockets are able to target players that they believe will be better players after joining the Rockets system. There is no doubt that the Rockets need another player that is legitimately capable of shouldering the load when Harden is being locked down or struggling. They got the closest they could at the deadline when they got Lou Williams. It will be interesting to see if the Rockets decide to target someone like Hayward (not coming) or Galo; or if the team decides to focus hard on adding a elite interior defender that will help the Rockets win tight defensive games. If the Clippers decide to reboot (I doubt they do), I could see the Rockets offer Capela and other assets for DeAndre Jordan. He isn't the passer the Rockets would like, but he is the epitome of a rebounder, finisher on the PNR and can shut down the lane. He also needs a fresh start outside of the Clippers (the all have checked out).
You said the defense will take away the 3 leaving just Harden/Capela or forcing others to "beat them off the dribble." So you are retracting that now to say Lou and EGo can beat ppl off the dribble, and GSW was picking a poison. That's not true of Lou and Gordon and Harden. But it was true of Harden last game due to wrist. What you're talking about exists with Ariza/Bev/Ryno even when Harden is the playmaker. That will not be improved by a dleaguer. And your ball dominant dleaguer will just be switched on and forced to beat Draymond Green or Iggy off the dribble while no help is sent off the perimeter. He'll be put on an island where he doesn't have the skills to do anything but weakly swing the ball. That won't work ... But 5-out motion and Pistol to more easily shed defenders off of Lou and Gordon and get them better driving lanes will. And there we are back to a 4-guard lineup that you said earlier you are not suggesting. Every single minute Harden is on the bench, we go 3-guards, and you are now saying we inject the 5th guard by replacing Anderson/Dekker minutes without reducing Bev's. You actually have no viable plan....except 4-guard lineup, and you apparently don't track the Lineups well enough to even realize it. There you go, calling ppl stupid for not believing in your Made for Hollywood movie script of wondrous imagination. MDA is installing more movement with the bench, which doesn't require the ball dominant playmaking you describe. MDA's system went 14 mpg without Nash nor another real PG, and you're saying his system always needs a ball dominant PG on the court. MDA does not agree with you. Sorry. This isn't theory ... this is what MDA is doing. ========================================= bottomline: You can't just claim that your dream scenario with a dleaguer is better, and not allow anyone else like MDA to say Lou and EGo can excel more without a ball dominant dleaguer. Any dleaguer will be switched on by Green or Iggy and get put on an island to either weakly swing the ball or try to attack them, when he's not nearly as good at is as MDA's system he's running for Lou and EGo. oh, one last thing: Harden will play 40mpg in the playoffs against GSW and SAS. You can take that to the bank. Further diminishing any returns your dream scenario might (might) deliver.
I am retracting nothing. I said they were scorers. I said they could drive and finish. But they aren't good enough against the best teams. We need another playmaker on the floor that can create shots for others and dish effectively. You are convoluting everything else. Nope. That's not what I'm saying. It's not what I said. Blatantly false. I track more lineups than you do. When you iso lineups against the Spurs, Warriors, and other playoff teams, come back and we'll talk. Let me be crystal clear. It I'd stupid to believe we need to sign a superstar to win a championship and to not believe we need more playmaking now. The two things are congruent so to believe one and not the other....is stupid. LOL. 1. The Suns didn't win a championship. 2. The Suns had multiple playmakers who could create shots for others and dish the ball besides Nash. Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw, Barbosa, Bell, and Jim Jackson just to name a few. 3. The Suns didn't win a title. 4. The Suns didn't win a title. 5. The Suns didn't even make it to the Finals. In the playoffs our lack of playmaking will be exposed if we don't do something about it beyond sets. You have no idea what MDA thinks about this issue. He's working the hand he's dealt. Don't believe everything you hear and red in the media. We're not going to hear whether or not MDA thinks he needs more playmaking. They will shimmy try to fix it internally. Just like with the bigs. They're not telling us we need another big. We all know we need better defense in the paint. We tried to get Bogut. When that failed the organization put on this happy face and said they were happy with our bigs. We all know they ain't happy with our interior defense. Just because this is our roster and MDA is using smoke and mirrors to squeeze every drop of efficiency out of it doesn't mean he thinks we have enough playmaking. We.do.not.have.enough.playmaking.to.beat.the.Earriord.and.Spurs.when.they.scramble.is.at.the.three.point.line. No amount of motion and getting these guys to throw the ball around more is going to fix it. In fact, one of the secrets to us keeping our turnover count artificially low this season is the fact that we don't pass the ball. We are the least passing ten in the league. Motion and mire passing is going to lead to a significant turnover increase. IT.WON'T.WORK! And you can take that to the bank.
I agree with most of this....if anything the Warriors game showed and tested another small ball wrinkle variance against the Warriors. Another thing to consider is throwing Anderson at the Center position via another DEATH LINEUP for about 10-15 minutes in the playorffs..I'd love to see a center come out and defend anderson...total Blitzkrieg offense for 10-15 minutes
If Anderson is healthy.....and we don't get a defensive upgrade between now and the playoffs.....then I'm for this.
that's nothing new. When both teams were healthy in the 1st meeting of the season they used him at the 5. And at other situational spots he's seen time at the 5. That's why he's pretty important in a matchup against GS bc it makes their best defender either have to stay home or pick and choose his spots compared to the most recent meeting where DG was allowed to roam anywhere he wanted all game long
Came to say the same thing as YOLO. We put Anderson at Center to close the game and all of both overtimes in our win vs GSW. MDA has run Anderson at the 5 in lineups with Harden. This is nothing new. As a standard rotation beyond closing the game, that would be new. But I'd count on seeing it in the 4th Q in the playoffs when we are down. On a per 100, it's actually producing a +14.9 net, but on few minutes. I'm sure there is more minutes of this though, but bref is not very thorough on Lineup stats.
I'm thinking more of a "standard rotation" to see what happens in the playoffs...here and there....having said that you bring up the obvious....only game Rox won this season SO FAR against the warriors was with Anderson in the lineup yep
like HP showed statwise as a "standard rotation" not just to close games... but bottom line tis that the Rox beat GSW only game with Anderson in the lineup....the other side of the coin and why I'm optimistic is that GSW tried and thought they ran the Rox off the court in the 1st quarter of the game...punched them in the mouth hard...Rox woke up and responded utilizing the small ball lineup with Lou. You could see GSW kinda stunned by it and worried. Now we know KD didn't play but Anderson didn't play....Harden's wrist kept him from being fully effective and they went 5-31 from the 3 point line and only lost by a few points....if these teams cross roads in the playoffs it's gonna be a DOOZY
Yes, Lou is a better playmaker than Livingston. Lou is a combo guard who can create offense for himself and others.
