He didn't get blown by like Bev has been lately. Of course Bev plays high and tight, Prigs seems to leave some space and play more cautious. But that's a smart player who understand the game and their own limitations. I also saw him maneuver pretty well around screens again using smarts by anticipating and reading the opponent set.
I am amazed by the amount of data and analysis Clutchfans community members collect from one 16 minute stint off the bench on one individual role player. AMA-ZA-ZING!
I hope so... I thought Pablo would fill a need, and so far he definitely has. I think this might wind up being a sneaky good pickup.
You were VERY close to the bench yesterday, I would love to know if you were able to hear what was going on. Anyone say anything interesting or something that you werent expecting?
He better continue to get minutes after Bev returns. He needs to be out there when Harden isn't. He can be our backup playmaker along with Smith. You saw what they were able to do in the 4th quarter last night. The ball movement was a thing of beauty.
I've liked what I've seen from Pablo so far. He knows & plays his role very well. I'd like to see him get more minutes.
Nope, I've seen him play plenty on the Knicks. Sometimes it's just ugly to watch him on D against quicker players. It's been a big issue for him, this isn't some made up issue. But his overall defensive awareness and sneaky hands makes him acceptable on D. And on a team with a healthy Dwight, Smith, Ariza, Brewer, etc... Prigs' poor D on quick players won't be as much of an issue in HOU as it was in NY. Prigs brings a ton to the table, BBIQ being #1. But he definitely has his shortcomings that you guys will become annoyed by once this honeymoon period is over. I still think he's a nice addition who should see 10-15 MPG.
I have yet to see a SINGLE nba player be able to stay in front of quick point guards. Some are better at it than others but it takes team D to stop quick point guards.
Man... I so wish they were mic'd. There were so many times they were super animated, but it was too loud to make out what exactly was being said. Few things I did notice: - Jet is by far the most vocal guy on the team. He coached in the huddles a LOT (a little more than Harden), and they all seemed to hang on his every word -- Harden included. Harden was all basketball in the huddles, pointing out little mistakes and what needed to happen next... Jet was the motivator, just hyping and encouraging. I heard lots of "WE CAN BEAT THESE GUYS!" from him, and he kept randomly getting up to pat guys on their heads to tell them they were doing a good job. Including KJ and Joey, lol. - Jet was also super interactive with the crowd and would *not* let the area behind him get quiet, which I LOVE. At one point he stood up, turned around and said, "Y'ALL AIN'T LOUD ENOUGH FOR ME!" Nobody said anything, so I said, "I AM!!!" He goes, "Well, yeah... I hear YOU!" x_x That pretty much made my life. - Josh curses a LOT lol. I lost track of the F-bombs. There was also a guy right behind me kinda trash talking him about the missed FTs -- Josh was on the floor at the time so he didn't hear, but I don't think the guy knew Josh's dad was sitting directly behind him. Awkward. - On that note, I recognized Josh's dad from one of the broadcasts and had a brief convo with him before the game started. Told him I wasn't sure what I would think about Josh before he got here, but that he had been really great for us and that I was very glad to have him. He said he was happy to hear it and that Josh is happy to be here. Very nice guy. - Harden was OVER CP3 and the refs letting him push off. In one huddle, McHale was trying to talk to the guys and Harden spent the whole time whining to DMo: "Do you see that ****? THEY DON'T LET ME DO THAT ****!!" - Bickerstaff is clearly the guy who takes them to task. He was in their asses in every huddle and was the guy being tough with them when necessary. It's obvious McHale is more of a players' guy. He tried to give DMo a talking to about something on one occasion (I couldn't hear what) -- but DMo ended up talking his way out of it and McHale just gave in. What I could make out: McHale: You gotta [not sure what] DMo: I try, but he *gestures wildly, says something I can't hear* McHale: No, that's not what I'm talking about. That wasn't the wedge... DMo: *gestures wildly, says more things I can't hear* McHale: Oh. Well, okay then. *walks away* Even the lady who was sitting next to me who knew zero about basketball or the Rockets was like, "Well, he sure talked his way out of that, didn't he?" x_x I think that's about it -- I guess I'll post this & some of the pics I took in the game thread. Was just tired/lazy last night.
I'd love to see Prigioni get 10-15 minutes, knowing Mac wouldn't drastically cut Bev's minutes like that.
I was pretty upset when I first learned we traded for a 37 year old 3rd string PG from the Knicks, but I'm coming around after seeing him play; he's not the big splash at guard that I was expecting, but he may turn out to be a very servicable back-up and I LOVE the way the offense flows when he is in the game, even if it is a very small sample size. IDK how best to split up the minutes when Bev returns, but I'll be happy as long as Bev is not asked to be the primary ball handler when Harden is on the bench. <BR>
You're right that team defense is required no matter what. But certain guards are absolutely better at staying in front of guys than others. I've seen very averagish guards toast Prigioni. Prigs really struggled to keep guys in front of him in NY, ask any Knicks fan. But at the same time the Knicks are a joke and he should receiver better coaching here and he definitely has better defensive support here. Plus he knows how to get his hands on balls and create turnovers so it's not like I'm saying he's a zero on D. I just want to make sure people know that "Prigs struggled to keep guys in front of him" isn't some myth. Give it a few more games and you'll see it. He's still a really nice addition for the backup PG spot since he gives us a completely different skillset from what he previously had.
Enough to know that it was a refreshing 16 minute change of pace from 43 games of Patrick Beverley (who, while scrappy, does not have the simple fundamentals of a PG).
Just wait for his next 1-4 game and make couple bad passes and all the posters in here will just blame Morey to bring in another Shved.
