This 16-4 record was a dream most clutchfans users had; a dream that always transitioned to nightmares of Damian Lillard's shot on loop, Harden's defensive mvp campaign video as well as seemingly losing to our arch nemesis Mavericks in the offseason. Here is my spin on how events have unfolded pros 1. We're 16 and 4, smile! Through the trials and tribulations that at one point saw us down three starters and our backup point guard, the Rockets did a great job of accomplishing their main objective: winning. On top of that, we're doing it with defense? Its hard to say who exactly to give credit to, but one cannot deny that our defensive philosophy has reflected our offensive philosophy(close out hard on threes, and crash down and trap in the paint) 2. Harden looks as if he has truly turned his game to a whole other level. It was easy to believe what he was saying in the offseason, but I was not going to be convinced until I saw it in action. We've all seen it in action, and look at that, I'm convinced! The man has worked his ass off on both ends of the floor and has kept this team afloat. He is definitely in the discussion for MVP. 3. Just as I was skeptical of James Harden's promises, I was twice as skeptical of our bench. Once again, I was wrong(does my track record delegitimize this post?). Canaan stepped in and played more than serviceably before his injury, DMO's ability is no longer being hindered by his confidence, K Pap is basically in the same boat as Canaan and Jason Terry of all people is contributing as well! Last but not least, our second round pick gets called up from the D league and has also produced. Maybe its a hot streak, maybe this play will translate to consistent bench play 4. This team is united. Kevin McHale said it best when he said nothing makes a team/player better than scar tissue. The guys seem to genuinely like each other and a good locker room will keep the team from falling apart when we encounter future road bumps. Cons 1. This pace is not sustainable. As much fun as it has been to watch this bench brigade ball, the calvary must arrive soon. Luckily the team is on a three day hiatus, but these wins are costing heavy minutes on guys like Harden and Ariza. Expect Harden's back problem to be persistent if he has to keep putting up 40 minutes a night just to scrape by. 2. Adjusting back to our original starting lineup will cost us a few games. As painful as it is to start bench players for an extended period of time, it is painfully awkward when the injury has healed and the bench players have been productive(Lowry and Dragic cough cough). Minutes will be cut, rotations will be changed and some rhythms will lose the beat. This is necessary for the long run, but it will be painful to breakup the dominance we have enjoyed at the beginning of the season. 3. Troy Daniels............ I've had these thoughts on my mind for a while, and I knew you people would be the only ones crazy enough to entertain my postulations. Let this thread be a place to share any thoughts on the first 25% of the season. In Joey Dorsey we trust, Amen.
Pros - Harden is having an MVP season, Dmo is looking like a stud, guys stepping up, our bench looks much better and of course 16-4 Cons - Injury Bug has stuck us bad, losing to Lakers
Couldn't agree more. I think they need to send Troy back down to the D League and use him there the same way they plan to use him for the varsity team. So, off the bench, hit some open shots, sit back down. He needs to prepare for his role or make some kind of leap on the defensive end. Also, LeBron liked Troy Daniels in the offseason. I keep hearing he's playing GM in Cleveland. Maybe we can get something valuable for him that completes a bigger trade for us, but with our team relying on defense... he seems to be left out.
