not really when the Rox still have Tucker which not only solidifies, but magnifies his importance to this team for those that think he's some throw in for a trade
Agreed. I get that everyone is afrad of Harden playing at the SF position but Harden's defensive strength is guarding near the paint against players that post up. You'd think the Rockets are going to put him in a position to guard the bigger/slower PFs while Tucker spends his time on the quicker/better forward. Hypotheticals: If it's GSW, Harden would be on Draymond while Tucker's on Durant If it's Utah, Harden would probably be on Favors while Tucker chases Ingles
Cp3 - Knight E.G. - Green Harden - Ennis Tucker - Melo Clint - Chriss???? Strong 10 man reg season rotation. Starting small is a little concerning, but the numbers show that teams just couldn't keep up when we had JH, CP, and E.G. Playing together. a lot of points. Should be fun.
its a good mix and match where the rockets are trying to get as much production as possible. They're still trying to maintain the same defensive identity they had a year ago as close as possible which is very good to see. Instead of just putting it to the side and going all in offensively. The balance looks good on paper. Can it be just as good is the real question.
Melo would be fine with this, he comes into the game for CP3 at the 8 min mark and play the rest of the 1st quarter.
Gotta say I freaking LOVE hearing Melo say that he's looking at this as a second chance for him and Mikey D to "rewrite our story"... Please God. I swear, I'll stop making jokes about "dear little baby god" for a year.
Melo still pretty much getting a shot at starter minutes, like EG did, I presume... Good incentives for him all 'round. He can play himself into whatever role he wants. It's not so much about what he's DONE, which is indisputable, as what he's got left, which I presume is potentially pretty great. Sounds like he's being pretty positive.
I think it's very unrealistic to think that Knight can provide big numbers. I hope he won't end up as the Brandon Wright of the season. I'm cautiously hopeful that Knight will be to play by December/ January and be ready by the playoffs.
I like MDA's flexibility about inserting Gordon as a starter. I don't expect it to last for a long time, but it should take place in situations whenever it's needed. Melo can come in at the 4 off the bench, along with James Ennis at the 3. Chris Paul or James Harden can stay along with them. MCW has to step up, so Paul can get a breather whenever he needs it.
C'mon guys. This is all preparation for Jimmy Butler as the starter. By saying Gordon is the starter we artificially increase his status and indicate he is in great shape and playing well. Thibs be all 'o rly?'
I bet you see tucker defend 3’s and Harden defend 4’s and Harden is actually pretty damn good at defending 4s. They are slow enough to where they can beat him off the dribble and he is strong enough that he can handle most thier post moves... this might actually work!!!
We're not going to have good defense, huh? Let's see... #1 has 4/5 solid defenders and #2 has 3/5 solid defenders. I'm leaving out Harden even though his defense was average. However, he was above average in the post imo. Killer lineups on the defense too. Just like last season, when offense doesn't work, kill them with defense. That's how we won 65 games.
both lineups consist of 4 capable defenders surrounding harden. that's the whole idea. rather than 3/5. it's very unlikely you can put out an elite defense needed to win with anyone else on this roster
Ryan Anderson began last season as a starter. Our defense vastly improved when he was replaced by PJ. RA was also one of the highest isolation targeted defenders on the team. The defensive addition by subtraction in this case is extremely overlooked. With Melo coming here, he would basically win that Title from RA, but he would also receive a title that EG currently holds (Most wide open 3pt attempts last year). If Melo can get those type of shots as a sixth Man, I would be okay with Gordon starting. 2nd unit = (overall strengths at position) Paul/MCW/Knight = Playmaking,Length,Shooting Green/MCW = Shooting,Energy,Length Ennis/Green = Length,Energy,Shooting Melo = Shooting,Isolation Chriss/Nene = Length,Energy If MDA plans to keep either Harden or Paul on the floor for let’s say 90% of the time this season, this team could and probably will be better than last year....IMO....
If Jimmy Butler is here, it seems that Harden having Paul to take pressure off creating and Butler/Melo then to take pressure off the scoring. Perhaps a slightly improved Capela. He should really be able to elevate his all-around game. Harden then turns into a lock down defender with 20ppg 8assists and 1st team all nba defense !!!
