[ClutchFans] Podcast: What in the world is wrong with the Houston Rockets?

I don't think GS was lucky. They proved they were the best team in the regular season, and the post season. They were fortunate to avoid major injuries to key players.

I also don't think the Rockets were lucky. They were a good team. They won 56 games in the regular season with major injuries. That's not good luck. They also won 54 games the year before that. The Rockets were a good team.

Some people will say that the Rockets were lucky to beat the Clippers. But I say they Clippers were lucky the Rockets weren't at full strength, or the series would have never gone to seven games. The Rockets made it to the Conference finals fair and square. The Rockets were a good team.

Something happened over summer. I don't know what happened, but something happened. We are not the same team.

 

I'm still bent about us getting Dekker instead of Jerian Grant. Sure would've been nice to have that kid instead this broke back over-tweeting twig.

And then Joshua Smith was looking good, but we let him go so we can get Chuck Hayes who we then waive so we can have a 14 man roster w/ 1 injured Forward Center, an in & out starting Center, an injury riddled PF, and an undersized PF.

Then about the other Josh Smith...we prioritize McDaniels over Smoove, rub Smoove the wrong way, only to send McDaniels to the dleague with the contract size he has...

Bev can't stay on the court for s**t. Ty's head is elsewhere. Harden playing like he just cares about this "brand" and Ariza & Brewer are playing like they took a 3 month moratorium on shooting practice in the offseason.

 

One thing I'll say here, especially concerning how Ty Lawson was supposed to be implemented here...

...and how all of this inexorably seems to filter back to what you need or expect James Harden to do or to be for this club...

...is that it is still, in my mind, CRUCIAL offensively to diversify the offensive approach that the Rockets currently have.

And that means, inevitably, moving Harden off the ball more often, and finding a facilitator. And also doing what works for the personnel on hand.

Interesting, the mention about Tracy McGrady, and about how he was always the defacto point guard, regardless of how Rafer Alston played. A great deal of that approach came from Jeff Van Gundy. As with most coaches, you will do whatever you can the win the next game in front of you, and it takes a different mindset (and track record of success) to deviate from that logic, particularly when you have a player or players who you can effectively give the ball to and tell them to do whatever they feel like doing. It was always easy (especially in retrospect) to fault McGrady for how poorly the Rockets performed (particularly in the postseason)...but often the reality is that this is a team game, and good teams beat great (or even marginally good) players more often than not...

Most of the time, you don't give that much offensive responsibility to someone who can't handle it. But oftentimes, the idea (and the need) to diversify has to come from somewhere other than the players on the floor.

If the idea was to diversify the Rockets' offense (and move it away from James Harden routinely bailing the Rockets out every other possession), that plan had to be implemented and adhered to back in the preseason.

The attitudinal adjustment (just like everything else) would have been problematic...but necessary, if the goal was to improve as a team from last season.

Dwight Howard's offense, in particular, was never really so much about what he could or could not do himself (an overestimate from the very beginning, for my money), as it was what his presence often dictated.

When you have a big guy who can finish plays down close to the basket (it never mattered, really, WHERE Howard got the touches, as much as it did WHEN he got them―decision-making, in another language), you need to be able to exploit that as often as you can....

...the interesting thing about the development of the Rockets around Hakeem Olajuwon during the championship years, wasn't really so much the improvements personally and professionally of Hakeem (important, without a doubt), as was the adjustments made by the players around Hakeem to accommodate him....

Rudy T coached and preached that everything that the Rockets did had to start with getting the ball inside to Olajuwon. From that basic premise, the guards and forwards started to recognize and understand that they needed to clog the paint less themselves (Sam Cassell, Vernon Maxwell, Mario Elie and Robert Horry were all mid-range/slasher players at heart)...and began to understand that they could better contribute by evolving from the established gameplan of dumping the ball into the paint to the Dream...

...they won a couple of rings doing just that. But again, the basic idea came from the coach. The players had to adjust, because that's what the coach was committed to doing.

Firing Kevin McHale a dozen or so games into a contract extension wasn't going to fix this at all...it didn't even save face for the organization.

If the current state of the team is on James Harden (rightly or wrongly), then it's long past time somebody reached him and let him know that...

..or maybe, just a thought...

 

LOL. How gross.

 

I mean Clutch's opinion on the matter would be interesting (even though he's pretty much saying what he thinks in the short time we hear him talk about the matter) but look... all 30 GM's could be polled and have their results sent in on Jones' value, and you'd just argue about it. Jones is such an un-healthy obsession for you that its impossible to have an objective opinion based on merit about the matter.

Jones is worth what a team is willing to give up to get him. A player's trade value is always current and its based off of NEED. The Bulls might only value rights to a Euro-scrub for him, while the Sixers might value him as worth a late lotto pick. Does that mean that his value is in between?.... Absolutely not.

The value is ALWAYS based off of current need and subjective. So why you continue to try to modulate this opinion into fact for your agenda is beyond me. How many threads do you need to create to ask the same question that will not ever be able to be answered until a deal is actually done to trade for Terrence Jones?

............

For the record for those who haven't paid attention, or have been wanting to pay attention, I was pretty adamant that BACK IN JULY, and prior, the Rockets shouldn't actively look to shop Jones for whatever they can get because they couldn't replace his value in REAL ON-COURT Production at the cost level.

I don't need to be right or wrong, but look at the injuries and the lack of depth at the big spot. Everyone was so damn convinced that Harrell would surpass Jones, D-Mo would be healthy, small ball would work etc. that I was frankly laughed at that the Rockets would need Jones.

IF the Rockets were a good team, or they have a massive turn around in the next couple weeks then Jones will be a necessary evil to keep around for depth purposes as he's about the only semi-reliable big not named Clinty that is healthy to show up most nights and at the very least be over 6'5".

I agree that if the Rockets continue down this path and look to be out of the playoff race, yeah... you're unlikely to retain him (even though there is still a chance you can re-sign him with a bargain deal) so yeah as a REBUILDING TEAM (depressed its coming to that again) you should move him if you can get a 1st rounder of any kind back. Multiple 2nd rounders???.... I dunno maybe, but team needs to look pretty much out of the playoffs. Right now, if they are still planning on making the playoffs, they need every body over 6'5" they can find.

 

I don't agree on the view with Lawson. He isn't that bad. I mean the guy needs the ball in his hands and dish. He is more comfortable dishing than sitting at the three point line, and to be fair, that's what he was placed to do for the first 8-10 games...

I am not that worried about this team yet. I would worry at the end of Dec or early January if we are still having same issues.

I think this team will change from a run and three point team to being a bit slower and doing more post ups than last year

 

another set of rankings, this time from CBSSports, this has us 27th ahead of the Nets, Fakers, and Sixers:

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/powerrankings

 

Awesome podcast Clutch & MK....even though it was painful to hear. Like KlutchQT said, things we thought, but painful to hear others say.

I would love to get an CyberX's take on the Harden/McHale disconnect. Seems really strange.

 

Beverly has two more years at 6m and 5.5m. Year after that is team option.

Not having enough three point specialist has been a problem stretching back forever. Not having another big man for when Dwight misses yet another game, especially since they knew D-Mo was going to miss half the season.

It's on Harden first and Morey second.

PS, maybe Josh Smith bailed, because he knew things that the FO didn't know? Maybe he saw the iceberg ahead when no one else did?

 

It's preposterous. They should be above the Bucks for sure.

This season is gross.


About Ty if this continues until the ASW then we can say hello to falling from prime. And as it always happens with midgets pgs it's sudden and huge when they fall. But it's still plenty of time.
Bev may not be perfect but it's the best we have. I thought from the start that Lawson should come off the bench to have a balance at least of perimeter defence in the starting lineup.

 

Last year, the rockets overachieved their goal. But this team never had a winning chemistry even when it was winning. The team is one-man showing team, when the man can not show up, everything else falls apart. I already said that LAC and rockets were overrated at beginning of this year. But the black dude in ESPN keeps saying LAC could win the west. Even some people in this site said that LAC would be scary this year, yes it is scary, but just for the LAC fans. As for the rockets, they could have many problems to be solved before doing a great thing.

 

I was wrong thinking that keeping the team intact would help out the team this season. Now the team is a big mess and the only way out is to tank the season or dare I say make trades to save the season.

 

This. If anything has to do with luck or flukes, it's this season we're seeing right now, not last year. It's utterly baffling because the Rockets haven't merely reverted to form - they've self-destructed in literally every single aspect of the game. If you didn't know better, you'd think the roster had aged 10-15 years in a couple of months and developed basketball amnesia at the same time. I'm honestly not sure I've ever seen what was basically a flawed but still very good team go south so quickly.

 

I thought this was a great podcast thank you Clutch. I honestly think they need to try and move Lawson. It's clear Harden just doesn't fit next to a guy who can only have success with the ball in his hands as well. Lawson is a poor defender and isn't a spot up shooter.

Money tried to give the team a 2nd playmaker and I applaud him for that. However he needs to make a change. Harden is this teams PG this team will go as Harden goes 95% of the time even if people don't like to hear it. I have always thought a guys like Avery Bradley would be absolutely perfect next to James. He is a good defender and has steadily improved his 3pt shot. He's making 43% this year on 5 shots a game I believe ( could be wrong didn't double check ) Bradley with Bev backing him up IMO would be the most ideal situation. Especially once DMo comes back.

 

The players are beyond pathetic with their effort and attitude, I don't root for players who give up. I will root for the ones who at least try. I never liked Harden nor Howard, but at least the latter is trying. I lost all my respect for James Harden and how dare he not stand up for McHale. He's the guy who allowed Harden to become who he is. He could do whatever he wanted and not be held accountable and he still could not handle it. Harden is worse than T-mac right now. We need to go back to Paul George vs. James Harden. This season is a lost cause, let Dwight walk, try to trade James and let Ty walk as well.

This is the end of an era and it's time to recognise it. Our philosophy of threes and close range shots is just dumb and we need to abandon it. Go back to normal basketball and take shots that are available, just basic mid range inside the 3pt line freaking basics. If we stick with Harden and this philsophy then say welcome to the era of the worst basketball results in Rockets history, given the talent level and expectations.

 

You may want to put down the bottle..


It's not time to panick and trade the entire team let alone you're franchise player

 

Franchise player? Yeah, I don't think so. Quitters and people who do not work hard will never be franchise players. And why not trade him? Let someone else deal with him. He has his money, the fame, the shoe deal, the 'girl'. He doesn't want a ring and couldn't care less about fans.

 

I didn't say the Rockets were not a "good" team. They obviously were, being able to win 50+ games. But were they the second best team in the West? That's what getting to WCF is supposed to mean. I don't think so.

When they got blown out by the Clippers at home without one of their best players, you pretty much knew what kind of team this was. This team just didn't have the fortitude to play well against good teams for a long stretch. The one comeback against the Clippers, as sweet as it was, was a fluke. The frequent losing of big leads and getting blown out, on the other hand, was no fluke.

 

this is what i thought about as well from the beginning and i think everyone has failed to mention. Harden hasn't even acknowledged the Mchale firing. Any franchise player who realistically wanted to defend their coach from being fired would have spoken up in some way shape or form. Especially immediately after taking place. At the end of the day, he really didn't care for McHale and this event pretty much confirms it. Guys like howard and brewer already touched on the subject when it happened.

 

Exactly. As much as I hated McHale's coaching deficiencies, he made Harden grow into the player he could become. Harden owes McHale a lot and he did him dirty, plain and simple. I lost all respect for him. I don't care what he does for the rest of his career, as long as he doesn't acknowledge his immature ways and addresses them, he can break his leg and never play ball again or all I care. McHale did not deserve this and I'm happy he's away from this malcontent of a 'franchise' player. McHale can finally relax now. Remember he had sleepless nights after losses. Can you imagine how many years of his life he lost because Harden refused to listen to him and lead the team the way he was supposed to? More than we will ever know. This guy coached right after his freaking daughter passed away and Harden cannot do one simple thing for this man in return?