[ClutchFans] Morey: Rockets lack third-best player on a championship team

I just meant it as he getting more and more respect for his game but I get you

 

Chandler Parsons

 

Didn't read the thread, but here are my thoughts:

Any excuse about this team's performance that involves Parsons being hurt is complete BS. If he's not even good enough to be the "third best player on a championship team", then I don't want to hear how him being out of the lineup is a big deal and affecting the team's performance in a major way.

The idea that your "third best player" has to perform up to a certain level for you to be successful is a head-scratcher. The Rockets' third best player when they won their first title was probably Vernon Maxwell. For their 2nd title it was any number of guys. Why are we now looking at "third best players" as being so important? Is it only because Miami decided to sign 3 max guys? Who was the Mavs' 3rd best player when they won the title? Is our 4th best player good enough? What about our 5th or 6th?

The truth is, it's your best player that matters most. If you're worried about how good your 3rd best player is, you probably didn't get the first 2 right.

 

My man. This post is so full of win I don't know what to say, would rep x100 if I could.

 

These losses were on James Harden. He has to get better at dealing with tough defenses. That's what superstars are suppose to do. Plain and simple. Right now the issues isn't anyone but Harden and Howard. It's their team, they need to step up and score when everyone else is struggling to.

 

yep. i find it hard to believe most of the debate is about the pg's when both our supposed stars haven't played well in these games either.

 

To give harden benefit he's asked to do a lot with our system he is not a PG, and if you notice Conley got picks all day from zbo, harden does not get those when we have casspi out there playing pf, jones standing in a corner, or Howard to lazy to set them. Harden needs to step up yes but some of the blame needs to go to Morey for having casspi play PF with harden needing picks

 

Harden and Howard need to perform better.

 

BENCH!!!: rolleyes:

 

When Harden scores 25-35 points and we still lose then yes, it's the supporting cast not helping him out. But 16 points on back to back nights? He needs to do more. He's the leader. He's got to figure out how to break those defenses down. If he can't do it one on one he needs to figure something else out. Move the ball or make better passes. But mainly we need his scoring, and I have confidence he still hasn't hit his prime there, but he definitely needs to get there for us to beat these teams that are capable of playing stifling D.

 

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. The bottom line is when you have two of the top players at their position, the team should not be performing the way it is unless your two stars and underachieving. I see a lot of debates about the PG or the bench and I think those concerns are misdirected. I got news for these people any realistically attainable piece to improve those spots will marginally improve the team, maybe from a first round exit to a second round exit. But that's not what we play the game for. Its about CHAMPIONSHIPS. This team goes as far as its two stars take them. And coaching has a lot to do with maximizing the talents of the two stars and ensuring they don't underachieve.

 

This. How did our 2 superstars only get 24 field goal attempts TOGETHER?? It's not like Harden was chucking, he shot 50% from the field. If anyone, he needs to be more aggressive in getting his points in a game like that - just keep attacking - you get the calls so....Also, that would have opened up the game for the role players once Harden starts to go off. Disappointing.

 

correction - he shot 46% from the field, but still.

 

We can win with Harden and Howard.

We need to get better role players. This third-star nonsense is killing me. Parsons, Lin, and to an extent, Jones, have shown they can take over a game if need be. But our bench is atrocious.

 

Ha. Just came in to say pretty much the exact same thing. Maybe just abandon the three star plan and just try to fit players who work well with each other. In this case compliment harden and Howard.
For parsons to hit 10 threes in the second half and us still lose is baffling.

 

I agree, but I also think as another poster said, that we are making Harden work too hard to get his...and Howard too.

What is so hard about running Harden off a screen or double screen to get him a wide open shot, 3 or midrange? What is so hard about letting Harden and Howard run more PnR to make it easier for both of them to score, or force the defense to help more and get another of our players wide open shots?

I wonder if the coaching staff doesn't know how to coach these simple plays, or doesn't know how to get our players/superstars to BUY INTO them. Either way, it would make the game easier for them.

 

Way to lay down the law.

Clutchfans likes to compartmentalize everything, in order to say "we can't win because our PG isn't championship level", or "our 1st man off the bench is not a championship 1st man off the bench". Or my personal favorite, "we won't beat Team X because their players are better than ours at 3 positions".

A team is not the sum of its parts.

 

It's not clutchfans. It's the internet/video game and to a lesser extent the statistical (mainly those who purely look at things from an analytical standpoint without the context of game tape) generation. They think that if player {A, B, C, ...} > Player {A2, B2, C2...} then Team > Team 2. It's not that simple.

 

The Blazers, Spurs, and Heat have all taken their lumps. It happens. The Rockets just need to stay within striking distance of the 4th seed until Morey can swing a deal at the deadline. He's going to bring in help at the deadline, right? Right?

 

So you're saying the Rockets have an Olajuwon on the team as the first option?