I would love for that to be true. I didn't miss him against the Mavs, and it turned out he wasn't necessary to get us past the Clippers. But against the Warriors, we really missed him and Beverley. Those two guys would have played big minutes in that series and almost certainly would have given us enough to win at least one more game, if not two.
I voted yes but I could have as easily voted maybe since a good GM is always exploring every option to improve. DM knows how important chemistry is and he knows that we have a squad that's developed a lot of chemistry over the last year and would benefit from more time together. That said, there are no absolutes when it comes to GM's and there shouldn't be. There are so many variables and I expect that the people that feel Ariza should be untouchable would be okay with moving him as part of a series of moves to get a LeBron to use the most hyperbolic example. Nobody involved with the team (players, coaches, GM) seems to want to see it rebuilt but everyone knows we need one and likely two more pieces. And you have to give to get.
Way off base. He's a down to earth, extremely regular guy in a very public position specifically because of his rare gifts. PR isn't his natural habitat.
You got to the conf final with 2 starters out and Harden disappearing acts for at least 2 games. I don't think you want to break up that team. Just small changes here and there. But of course, always on the look out for opportunity, but he's not seeking any major changes. I don't believe him. But if I'm Morey, I'm happy with these and want them to stay - Smith, Bev, DMo, Brewer, Ariza, Cap. And I want these replaced and upgraded - McDaniels, Prig, Jones, Johnson, Pap, Dorsey, Terry.
I think it has a lot to do with flexibility. Our system is simple enough to plug in players more easily than if it were more complicated. It's designed to get the most out of our stars and also allow for great flexibility in rotations. McHale took brilliant advantage of this during an injury-plagued season and made me a fan of him as a coach in the process. Will's post was smart. His posts are always smart. But I think he underestimates what we've got. We absolutely need one or two more key players. But that's all we need. Harden will continue getting better and I expect each year to be better than the last for him for a while. He's only 25. And Dwight, who is always reasonably a worry wrt injuries, just got done showing us he has a lot of great basketball left in him when he's healthy. Capela is excellent insurance as is D-Mo.
With the stability and the players more comfortable with their games, I'd love for the Rockets to improve their offensive efficiency. Where their half-court offense is all they need to survive and the "fast break points" are just value add. Part of that might be adding another playmaker into the mix. The Rockets made great strides defensively last year. They were near a top 5 defense. I'd like to see them make the same strides offensively.
True of Smith. Not so of Harden, imo. It's just easy to say and point to in the current situation. The Warriors could go to Klay, could go to Green, had Harrison Barnes effectively close out the Rockets. Harden has no one else to go to. Aside from that historic comeback quarter, which was as much about the Clippers freezing up as anything, the Rockets are useless without James. James used to do a lot more cutting. But as the team lost offensive playmakers, more is on his shoulders. The turnovers go down when you have better teammates to pass it to, and more importantly who require much more attention of the defense. Yes, agreed. Even on DMo. He's a great #4 type option. Maybe #3 on a good day, if he improves. Definitely has some post skills. But can come and go. He's Draymond Green, or Harrison Barnes. Definite keeper, but still need better. I think it's about players principally, and only about the system a bit. Watching the Mavs, Clippers, and Warriors... everyone is doing the same thing. It looks a little different... because of the players. The Warriors beat us with PnR after PnR. It works so effectively for them because you have to pay SO SO SO much attention to Steph and Klay. It worked slightly less effectively for the Clippers. This was especially true when JJ was off. But it still worked pretty well, and especially with Blake. It didn't work great with the Mavs, because they don't have the horses. The Cavs offense is basically all PnR. Even the Spurs run PnR to death. It's the wise thing to do. The Rockets PnR ends up turning into what it does because the roll-guy can almost never create for himself/other off the pass. Dwight, Smith, Jones. The difference between passing to Blake or Draymond for Harden would be night and day. It forces the defense to rotate more and longer, and get confused. Yep, agreed. I don't think chemistry or health guarantees anything here. I'd still go after a big fish.. Aside from the ability to do that, the hard part is the offense/defense balance. The "needs" all seem to be find a better PG/PF. And certainly that would be better on both sides of the ball, but a lot of the focus would be on the offensive side, where James has no help. But the Rockets still need to get better defensively.
Patrick Beverly was the 35th best PG in the NBA last year. http://www.cbssports.com/nba/playerrankings/regularseason/PG Replacing him in the starting lineup does not hurt your stability, it helps it. If Morey can replace him with any one of the guys ahead of him, he would be a fool not to do so. Stability doesn't necessarily mean standing pat. You can still improve while maintaining your stability. Losing Harden, Howard or Ariza without an equal replacement would be the only really disruptive moves.
Add a real PG and need to find some big's that can rebound (when the rockets rebound they win) and hit a mid range jumper plus a defensive coach. This is probably going to be one of Morey's easiest offseason's as there are not a ton of holes he needs to plug like so many other seasons and he knows exactly what the team needs now. Their very close.
the only reason he keeps changing hte roster is cuz its not good enough to contend, bu tnow it is. unless there's a star player, he wont make huge changes.
I think the major acquisition could end up being Sergio Llull with the MLE. There's been plenty of speculation about the guy. Back in March, there were reports that Morey met with Llull and his agent and offered a contract of about $17 million over 3 years. Sounds like the MLE to me. Llull has a good handle, is a low turnover guy, a good passer (sometimes spectacular in that department), a good 3 point shooter, an excellent free throw shooter, reasonably long (6'3"), a good defender, loves to run, strong in the pick and roll, excellent in transition. Llull's 27 and would fit in very well, in my opinion. We paid $2.25 million to the Nuggets for his draft rights and have been working forever to get the guy over here. This could be the year. If Bev will take a reasonable salary to resign and we keep Terry, then those 3 would be able to hold down the one, in my opinion.
Agree with the sentiment... though it should be noted your link also ranks Monta Ellis as the 10th best point guard, ahead of Teague, Conley, Westbrook and Dragic. This all sounds great. Just wish I knew more about Llull, and felt confident in his ability to be a meaningful enough improvement.
I agree with all of this. The Rockets are stuck without an offensive system to create plays relying on passer/playmakers who have too much variance, as Morey would put it. Something has to change. Either institute a new system, which is unlikely since it would require a new coach and staff, or change some players, which is more likely.
I sure hope he was serious, I've been saying this for the psst 3 years #CHEMISTRY. That was HUGE and that was a HUGE PART of the championship teams back in the 90's
Believe it or not, we did have 4x 35% or greater 3PT shooters during the playoffs. Although those overall percentages were above 35%, some stuggled at certain areas -- Josh on corner threes and Trevor above the key, for example. Motiejunas, if healthy, could have been that extra high percentage floor spacer. Click on the spoilers below for the shot charts; stats are in the link ... James Harden - 41/107 [3PTM/A], 38.3% Spoiler Trevor Ariza - 36/96 [3PTM/A], 37.5% Spoiler Josh Smith - 27/71 [3PTM/A], 38.0% Spoiler Jason Terry - 29/82 [3PTM/A], 35.4% Spoiler Pablo Prigioni - 12/41 [3PTM/A], 29.3% Spoiler Corey Brewer - 12/42 [3PTM/A], 28.6% Spoiler Terrence Jones - 3/19 [3PTM/A], 15.8% Spoiler
Would be funny if this is the off-season we stand pat. I get that we've achieved a lot with the Headband of brothers, but we need consistent shooters. Also, people are quick to forget that Beverley looked horrible this year at running the show. His defense also hurt us a lot, so let's not kid ourselves that he would've made the world of difference. I love his attitude and hustle, but we need something better.
I really hope Llull will come. I've been intrigued by this prospect for so long. From all that I've heard, he sounds like a good fit.
