Nah, other way around. DMo having to run and hustle in D'Antonios pace and space game in Dec, Jan, and Feb creates a stiff back that we saw at NOLA. (Remember, Capela was out from Dec 20th to Jan 13th, so DMo gets heavy minutes early in his return.) And he doesn't make in to March 1st without Rockets spotting a problem under heavy scrutiny ordered by Morey to assess whether or not to pick up his $9m guarantee on March 1st. He would have failed under high pace and heavy scrutiny by our doctors. ppl just need to drop the idea DMo was back 100%. He seemed to have a set-back with his back at NOLA very early. How else do you explain the stiff play and lack of sustained hustle, exemplified in the quick series of 5-min games after his over-exuberant start, and then another batch of 5-min games, even before Cousins comes back. And Asik was out. NOLA and Davis was a perfect fit for a hustle and energy guy to show that he's back....they had a glaring need at C and Backup PF. bottomline: I'm convinced Morey does not pick up the $9m guarantee on March 1st, after watch DMo try to hustle without pain through Dec, Jan, Feb.
I didn't watch much but I mean he didn't have camp to get back in shape and get rid of his rust if he had just signed the offer sheet as everyone else besides BJ suggested Dmo to do. Oh well, I don't care either way like I said, just feel bad that his career has fell off. He definitely isn't the same player that we had 2 seasons ago when he started.
And I'll repeat from my previous post: Neither did Varejoa in his 2008 holdout...or any other holdout...nor any NBA player in the 2011 lockout year. The rust excuse only lasts for about 5-10 games. DMo got worse in the latter of his 20 games at NOLA before Cousins...not better. I'm convinced he had a set-back creating stiffness in his back. This was all pre-Cousins.
Rose I think is one of his clients and just signed for the minimum one year. Doesn't seem like there are any/many success stories with him
I don't think DMO's back was 100%, but the training staff did wonders with Nene, EG, and Anderson. Who is to say they couldn't do the same with DMO? Plus players tend to play through the pain if the goals of the team are different. All my posts read like I'm white-knighting DMO.
So, players on a 1yr minimum playing for their big pay day ... those guys just give up and play stiff and lazy like DMo did at NOLA, because their goals aren't aligned with the team? Do you make that up yourself? I guess you just forgot the whole phenomenon of NBA players having their best hustle years when playing for a contract. And this is why under high scrutiny of the doctors, Morey would cut him on March 1st. He wasn't 100% and it was obvious even to fans....unless you buy into your argument above that players give up out of spite wrt team goals and shoot themselves in the foot in Summer free agency. ------------------------------------- Remember the contract You got to remember: Morey's offer that was on the table that DMo rejected from us was same money per year with 2nd year guarantee trigger-data likely on July 7th, since that's what Morey put into the revised offer. BKN designed that Offer to make it hard on Morey to match based on a March 1st trigger date. Morey still would have brought all analysis to bare come March 1st.
No, people who give that childish troll attention are my trigger. You're going down in this thread. So, that's your response to me pointing out that guys on 1yr min deals who need a pay day have their biggest hustle years. DMo apologists ... pfft. Y'all need to stop with this past stuff of thinking he was actually worth $38m, much less would have survived his March 1st guarantee date and even earned that money. He didn't hustle. He was stiff and slow, and overall not moving much, like someone with a back problem...not someone looking for a pay day, who is at least showing a high motor out there. This is further confirmed by getting zero offers now. I don't think you watched him. And, I'm willing to bet other teams have a way of asking NOLA for a recommendation. And he isn't getting any good ones.
DoMo and Terrance _ones both heading out of the league looks like Incredible that Clutchfans had about 500 threads and 10232193498 pages of DeMo vs TJ comparisons and crap shooting from both parties...
to @heypartner Sabonis not even on a team, got NO GO from Indiana. And even if he would have , he is still behind D-mo 3-4 years.
I mean, I have my own theory why DMO didn't play his best in NOLA. A lot, I feel, was a combination of not being able to translate his skills with players that don't pass, pass in the post, or cut, and not being selfish enough to "get his" like TJ tried to do every time he stepped on court. As a hustle player, DMO never got hustle stats. Box-outs (don't @ me), running the floor, and being in the right place defensively don't show up and aren't as appreciated on other teams like they are here in Houston. Even when DMo did get a chance he didn't shoot well anyway. I watched him plenty. Even with a good back, not sure DMO would excel on any team not named the Houston Rockets. Man, I like DMO, but I don't like him enough to debate his worth or lack of worth. So many keystrokes lost defending a player I didn't lose sleep over when he left. I regret replying to this thread.
@heypartner is already mad at me for @ ing you in jest. Stop getting me in trouble. I have no association to this dude, hp!
DMo's biggest mistake was holding out not signing the QO. He could have gotten some guaranteed money there. If he was able to perform in the following season then, he could get even more. Once he ditched the QO, it's all downhill from there and there was no saving grace for him no matter what "rights" BJ had in his twisted mind.
Ppl blame BJ but DMo overvalued himself from the jump. He had a good half season but was never the player he imagined himself to be. Maybe he believed the hype clutchfans gave him. There was a time ppl here valued DMo higher than Bev lol. Dmo sucks
