Sources: Rockets leaning towards D'Antoni is also a way to show Dwight the door

Offense --> $$ --> LE$ --
| |
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----------------MDA <--

 

In fairness, the Rockets were abysmal on both ends of the floor.

Just improving the defense would get us some small incremental improvements, but then we would still be stuck with the 'no offense at all' offense.

I mean seriously, how many times did we end up scratching our heads this past season, watching the Rockets play, and feeling like we were watching one team (the opponents) playing actual organized offensive basketball, playing against another team (the Rockets) who just looked like a bunch of guys who just met at a rec center, and decided to play some pick-up street ball?

This isn't a situation where you can say 'This one thing was our problem'.

Our problemS were a complete lack of any offensive structure at ALL other than 'Let James make something happen every time', a complete lack of any structure or competence defensively, an utter lack of competent coaching at every level, and a roster that did not fit the 3&D 'philosophy' which has been forced onto this organization.

It ALL needs to be fixed.

Les and DM *can't* not know this. And sya what yuo want about either of them, but they did not get where they are by not being basically smart guys.

I know we have seen nothing but failure after failure from D'Antoni, but maybe he has something inside him which could help to repair the teams offensive woes. I don't know, and I am not overly optimistic, but it's not like the cupboard is COMPLETELY bare - he would have SOME pretty good talent to work with. So maybe Les and DM know something we don't.. we'll see.

And as much as I love JVG, and while I am sure he could at least get some better effort out of this team defensively, what about the offensive end? Again, I just don't know, but I do know that we have never seen a really strong offense on a JVG-coached team, so that's cause for concern as well.

Bottom line is, this team is in a bad spot all the way around, and no one thing or person is going to fix it. It's going to take an all-fronts effort. So while I totally get peoples' lack of enthusiasm for MDA, and also understand their enthusiasm for JVG, I think we should also take a step back and reflect on how bitter the season was last year from the very first game, WHEN EVERYONE HAD SUCH HIGH EXPECTATIONS AND EAGERNESS.

We have all seen the pitfalls of false confidence and baseless enthusiasm.

That means the knee-jerk reactions cannot be the ones to rule the day.

Just take a step and think about the ways that MDA here COULD work.. not saying it will, just saying it's worth considering.

What if we end up with MDA, maybe steal Sampson back from UH, grab Conley somehow and Whiteside as a free agent, maybe make a nice trade or two, and find another 'Morey Special' in the 2nd round..

That could be something there..

 

I definitely don't think the rockets were abysmal on the offensive side of the ball. Can they struggle at times yes but that's with any offensive in the league. The good teams rank in the top on both ends of the ball. The offense was good enough not to be a team that ended up .500.

Now on the other side, the rockets were absolutely abysmal on the defensive side and we all could see that is the #1 problem. its just puzzling to see the guy getting the most attention for a HC hire is a guy that doesn't address defense, accountability, and discipline. Everything this team lacks.

 

Good point. You mean D'Antoni might just be a transition guy while we are rebuilding? Like what the Lakers did? You give me some hope, man!

Wait... but I thought McHale was hired as a transition figure to groom the next head coach after the end of the Yao-McGrady era.

 

Yes, the Rockets scored some points.

But scoring 114 while giving up 125 to TERRIBLE TEAMS does NOT mean your offense was good. If you take the JVG route and slow things down, and really get going defensively, then with an offense like ours was, now you are losing games 92-85..

I agree that the most obviously glaring holes were on the defensive side, and yes, the MDA hire would scare me. But I am in NO WAY 'ok' with our offense from last year, and I think in reality it is just as much in need of a total overhaul as the defense.

It ALL needs a complete re-work.

 

see what you're saying but to me you give yourself a great opportunity every night to get a W if you know you can rely on your team defensively. shots aren't always going to fall and that's just a natural part of basketball. Either way I'll hold off on a complete judgement until the entire staff is brought in. Just the initial surprise to me.

 

Paging cyberx. What do you mean by this title? Please let this all be a smoke screen for JVG to be the head coach.

 

Stupidest **** ever

 

Lakers weren't in rebuilding mode.
Kobe was healthy, they got Gasol, Howard and washed Nash.

 

LOLOL

 

The Rockets improved offensively this year, at least statistically. They did so by virtue of being more iso-centric, but it is what it is. By ORtg, which is points per possession, they were 7th in the league. They had better eFG% than the prior year. They were exactly the same in assists per game (though it should be noted the rest of the league seemed to share the ball more this year). They actually had fewer turnovers per game.

I think your trying to say they DO run great offense, but considering how bad they are defensively, maybe they should consider giving up some of that offense to gain in defense. Slow the pace. That type of thing.

And that may be true.

But it also seems to completely miss the point.

The Rockets suck because they suck defensively. They got much worse defensively this year than last. While offensive rebounding stayed the same, they went from 18th best defensive rebounding team in 14/15 (already not great!) to 27th in the league in 15/16. There is no defensive scheme. They don't know how to play a pick and roll from one try to the next. Their bigs, with the exception of Dwight and Clint, can't rebound, and Dwight become much slower this year - slower to switch on PnRs, slower to do a double jump, etc - and Clint was still a little too green and got completely screwed by a bad season that saw him barely play, then start at PF, then go back to the bench, then barely play again.

The Rockets offense DEFINITELY got to be too robotic and predictable, with not enough motion. That's getting better offensive players/creators (and the only one you can blame for the Ty Lawson fiasco was Ty Lawson... he sucked, not the idea to get him) and tweaking the offense.

But defensively... you're talking about a total overhaul being needed.

Which makes the MDA potential hire the biggest head scratcher.

 

So now the Rockets are desperate to get Dwight out of Houston.

Safe to say that signing wasn't one of Morey's best. He was never a superstar here outside of a few good runs here and there of elite play.

 

I think howard will opt in to mess morey jerk plans and try to trade him. If d antoni is the coach rockets will be a lottery team nx yr... Howard new agent is a genius because he handled shaq before. 23m is a lot of money to turn down...

 

If things were that bad between Howard and D'Antoni in LA as reported, then yeah, Houston would be sending a pretty clear message to Howard.

But if you think about it, it's really a d*** move. It'd be like the company you work for deciding that they want you gone, so to force you out they assign the guy whom you have a terrible relationship with as your boss.

 

I like Dwight Howard and I do want him to stay here, but he deserves somewhere since we have a stupid owner. We should have a great coach to help him play well.

 

That's a strategy bound to have every free agent running for Houston. Everybody loves a liar...

KD: Hey Dwight, how was your time in Houston?

Dwight: Terrible man, they couldn't figure out how to fit me into the system and lied to get me out of there because they didn't even have the respect to say they want to move in another direction.

 

After reading these threads it's as if the rockets hired a high school coach. I'm not that impressed with Pringle boy myself, but just image an offense that doesn't have harden dribbling 22 seconds then kicking to ariza for brick. Harden may have had in put on Pringles, he has played under him during the Olympics, he may feel as if he is capable of keeping a team together. Also if you get a good sound defensive coordinator just imagine the opportunities. Kevin Sampson turned the rockets into a great defensive ream under McHale. As much as I don't like him as a coach the more excited I get thinking about actually seeing plays ran.

 

Waiting for the next cyber bomb telling us Rockets waiting to hire MDA until Dwight contact situation resolved. .....5......4.....3

 

It's been over 14 hours now since it was announced we were finalizing a deal for MDA. How long does it take to finalize a deal guys? Where's the terms? When's the press conference?

 

Do you know something we don't??