Oh, and of course benching KT (or forcing him to pass the ball) won't make the Rockets a 55-win season... but if you know of one small change that Rudy T. could make that would make that achievement possible, please do mail it in. In the mean time, I'll take marginal improvement whereever it can be found.
Jeff, you're right. It must be all Kenny's fault. He's just an average defender no better than Maurice or Eddie, who's getting all the minutes, because Rudy likes his offense better, but his offense is failing us and is the whole reason we don't get Yao involved enough. Let me ask you something Jeff. When the opposing team has the ball, how do you watch the game? What do you look at?
It's funny how everyone calls KT a black hole because he really does pass the ball, certainly more than EG and probably more than MoT as well. It's when KT goes into his stop and stare mode that he stands out and it seems he doesn't pass. Last night I didn't see KT do this at all and nobody seems to have noticed. He did throw up a bunch of horrible looking jump shots which are probably not his game but I think ultimately everything rests on Rudy's shoulders. He's the coach and these are his plays. If his plays call for KT to be 20 feet from the bucket and he's wide open should he just not shoot? Then KT will be trashed for letting the shot clock run down. He's not playing well offensively but some of you really aren't watching what's going on out there. Mo Taylor does KT's face and stare down with horrid looking jumper and nobody says a word. KT and Mo both need to be posting up and slashing to the basket a lot more than shooting 20 foot jumpers.
It's not the # of shots that bothers me, it's the fact that he holds onto the ball for dear life, everytime he possesses it. We must have ball movement for our offense to do anything, but this idea has left KT's mind, as he is playing for a contract. Either re-sign him to a deal (so he doesn't worry about a contract) or trade him.
THANK you. I wouldn't blame it all on KT by any stretch of the imagination but the issue is not his 8.623517 shots per game; to me, it's when he catches and keeps....and keeps....and keeps....and clangs the ball that absolutely kills any notion of the so-called motion offense. Unless you refer to the seconds ticking off the shot clock as "motion."
This statement belies your thread title and first paragraph in your opening post. It annoys me when people start a thread based on a rant about a role player to protect Steve Francis's faults then change their tune to insist that the role does have faults and how can we argue it. No one is arguing that Kenny doesn't have faults. But you directly said he was to blame and not Steve for the offensive woes. Steve sputters more than any other Rocket. I don't like to blame one person (it is never that simple), but in the context of your thread placing blame and deflecting blame, the common reasoning goes that the sputtering of the star players always contribute more to a sputtering offense that the sputtering of role players. Just be glad our defense is ahead of the offense.
To me, all the people bashing KT are missing the point here. We have 3 supposedly good PF's on this team (including KT). If one of them is taking awful shots, or holding on to the ball way too long, why is he doing this? Is it because he's in a contract year? Well, if that's the reason, why isn't he pulled from the game for not taking shots within the coach's scheme? I genuinely believe that a good proportion of Kenny playing like he is, is down to the coaching. And I'm not saying this to bash Rudy, i'm just posing the question. Is Rudy really that weak that he feels he can't take KT out? Of course, you could argue that Thomas' defence is keeping him in the game. But a good number of people on this board believe Griffin is a stellar defender, so how can that be the reason?
ROXTXIA, sheesh guys, where am I defending Kenny's shot selection. I am in fact cringing as much as you? I've said it in many threads. If you feel that I'm just a publicist trying to prop up Kenny, then answer the same question I asked Jeff, "When the opposing team is on offense, how do you watch the game? What do you look at?" Why is Kenny getting all the minutes? (And don't say it is because we are showcasing him for a trade at the expense of player development and wins.) Is Kenny's defense average and no better than Eddie's? How would Eddie Griffin's publicist answer that question? If Eddie's defense is equal to Kenny and Kenny's offense hurts our team, does that mean Eddie's offense is worse? Are there sum gains here? Or is this just a doghouse issue and Maurice being injured still? Why is Kenny getting more than twice the minutes to Eddie right now? If we are going to keep pounding Kenny into submission and scratching our heads as to why Rudy keeps playing him (for the entire 2nd Half against Seattle, no less), can we constructively answer the questions above that I pose? Seriously. Answer the tough questions. Check out the last question by GBRocketsFan, too?
I have hardly seen KT pass the ball to Yao. Ironically, in the first offensive set of the last two Rox games, it was Yao getting the ball in the wing, and feed to KT for his one-on-one play. Either case was not successful as you already knew. In addition, I have not heard or read anything about acknowledging Yao from KT like other players (SF, MoT etc. ) did, which led me to speculate that he might have some grudge against Yao. The fact is if it was not Rox's signing Yao, KT might have already got his contract extension.
i agree totally with you guys...kt is stinking it up this season. it is sad to see kt on the floor, knowing he is pressing b/c he did not get a contract extension. the situation is horrible for kt b/c last year he shined, and was the only bright spot we got out of last season. now that we have a log jam at the PF position, there is no way he can duplicate his numbers from last year, and it doesn't help that he is putting so much pressure on himself. if kt would just relax and let the game come to him, rather than forcing it, he would again be a vital part of our team, as he was last year.
LMAO CD must be the plumber cuz i hope he sucks that crap out of here. Kennys post moves are quick and aggressive which i like but he travels too much. His shots are inconsistant and he shoots from the outside with too much time left on the clock when we could have gotten something out of it. The crap should leave for another team.
heypee: i'll be str8 up and tell you that kenny's man2man position defense is the SOLE reason he is getting minutes. the fact that we have no other "physical" low post defenders dictates such. that said, he is ridiculous on offense. it's not just the 8.6 shots...it's the style of ball he plays when he touches the ball - which is much more than 8.6 times. it's the fact that no one can reasonably expect a good pass when kt has the ball. it's the fact that it's frustrating to watch someone be so obtuse offensively that they keep trying the same damn move and the same broke ass jumper over and over and over again. there's the answer to your questions, and there's my complaint.
Note my smilie back, but you still didn't answer my questions. verse, so you agree that Kenny is to blame for our offensive woes, and he is stupid, untrainable, and must be traded, despite the fact the Rockets are currently winning on defense alone, and the fact that your description of Kenny's offense currently describes Maurice and Eddie, as well. Why can't Kenny change, if we all assume Mo and Eddie can regain form and learn to play, respectively? so, what do you think of Timing's take. imo, it is much more practical to expect Rudy to corral Kenny, where we have 100% proven reliability on defense and rebounding, than it is to expect Maurice's or Boki's offense to take us to the next level this year....I have very limited hopes for Eddie this year given the abuse he is receiving on defense.
KT is the team's best defender. I watch him on the defensive end and there is no question he is the best defender on the team in those situations. However, on offense, he should be option #4 at best. The problem is that he doesn't get the ball in the flow of the offense. They call "his" plays and run them, but his plays consist primarily of ISO's. Unfortunately, Kenny believes he needs to have the ball in his hands in order to score. He doesn't often get points cutting to the basket and I can't recall the last time he got a shot in the pick and roll. The problem is that his offensive game bogs down the game of the Rockets AND, because of the zone defenses, is largely ineffective in most situations. Defensively, I think the guy is tremendous. I just wish he would learn to be more selective about what he does on the offensive end. I'd rather see him as a guy who scores based on opportunity rather than necessity.
no, i don't think that KT is solely reponsible for our offensive woes. i believe not running the offense through yao ming is responsible for our offensive woes. in fact, our offensive woes this year (when yao is not in the game) are not much different than the woes of last year. nothing's changed in that respect: still too much one on one. still too much dribbling. still too many eddie 3's. still not enough ball movement. as for kenny and being stupid: well...yeah. i do think he's stupid. common freakin' sense, damnit! don't keep shooting that dumbass 20 footer off the faceup when you haven't hit one in 4 games. how about getting a freaking layup first, then moving out?!! rudy, i have noticed the last 2 games or so, starts the game off by going to kenny in the post at least twice in a row - an obvious effort to try to get him going early offensively. ok, so what does kenny do? either faceup and and clank, or that damn "hooker move" : spin around and getted stripped every time! and why must kenny pump fake before he shoots a jump shot EVERY TIME?!! is kenny a white man in disguise? does he not know what rhythm is??? can kenny change? yea, but not here. why? because he already doesn't trust the organization. that much is apparent. so, imo, he has the "me against the world" mentality going on. he understands that he can't go 1 on 5, but he also doesn't want to just get "lost" on the court. so he tries to pick his spots. unfortunately, his "spots" have almost all been terrible. seriously, the best thing kenny thomas can do is to become jerome williams. don't you think the coaching staff, players, et al have intimated that to him? then why keep up the stall and clang and "hooker moves"? the same as griff and mo? um, no. griff does not take 6 seconds to make a move. in fact, he doesn't make a move. he just hesistates once then shoots out of rhythm...a simple mistake to correct (makes me wonder if anyone has talked to him about it). and motay does not do the same thing either. motay has been mixing it up about 50/50 between the short jumper (which is better than kt's) and the baby hook. at least he's being definitive and going towards the basket. heypee....i understand what kenny brings to the court. it's defense. unfortunately, he is playing like a person who needs a new contract. but, hey, guess what? that's what he is!!! can you honestly say he's willing to sacrifice for the team over himself? i cannot. as for Timing's take: 1) kenny DID do the "stop and stare" move against sacramento. 2) motay is a much better low post player than kenny thomas (and i never thought i'd say that). 3) rudy's an idiot for not putting kt on chris webber fulltime from tipoff to final buzzer. 4) rudy's an idiot for starting kt out 20 ft from the basket. 5) rudy's an idiot for asking kt to feed yao in the post!
Yeah, if so, kt won't get shooled by G Wallace who, by the way, had a career high 21 pts. I thought it should be the opposite way around: rudy's an idiot for asking Yao to feed KT in the post!
walterw: it's both!!! kt and yao are a horrid strong side tandem. think about it: having yao feed kt is just freakin' stupid. why take a 7'6" center, put him 20 feet from the bucket, and have him feed an undersized pf that can't score in the post? on the flip side, you have an undersized pf who can't shoot a jumper or throw an entry pass trying to feed the post?!!! of course, kt's man just freakin' sags down on yao - practically DARING kt to shoot! oh, and gerald wallace is a worse matchup for kt than webber. wallace is waaay too athletic for him.
You are just locked in, aren't you verse. When you say Eddie's offense is a simple mistake to correct, and Kenny is a cancer forever on this team...all I can say is that you are locked in. Make some tape....let's talk another day.
Kenny Thomas could become a nice fit offensively if Rudy would just get him to play off the ball more. I wonder if these plays for KT in the post or isolation situation are more Rudy trying to call the play to experiment rather than KT trying to hog in the post. From the various quotes you hear from Rudy, it sounds like he is trying to experiment with different methods and seeing what works even though the Yao post up has been the most consistent offense thus far. Personally, I dont think this season is a time to be playing around and experimenting; go with what works, this team has to make the playoffs this season. If they dont, there is no question Rudy should be fired. Hate to be so blunt, but I have been watching this same ball dominating bs for the last 3 yrs and frankly am just tired of it. It has been mentioned by some that Rudy allowing Francis and Mobley to develop "tunnel vision" and gain reps was great for them in the future to become go-to threats and such. That due to all the injuries, it wasnt worth making them play a team game. Fine, now Rudy has to uncreate the monster he has developed. The team is having to rely on top notch defensive efforts every night to pull out tough wins b/c the offense is completely bogged down by players who cant/wont pass it into the post. Can the Rockets continue to play defense this well? I really dont know, but they will need to if they want to continue winning. Steve Francis is definitely not blameless in all of this b/c he is the one that handles the ball most in the offense. KT can be frustrating at times, but in the end, the flow of offense or lack thereof falls squarely on the point guard's shoulders. Steve Francis does not have to average 10 APG to be considered an effective PG, that really has nothing to do with it. Eric Snow is a very effective PG and only averages around 7 per game on a regular basis. Its more to do with setting guys up in the right spots and making sure everyone is getting the proper amount of touches. The PG needs to be smart enough to realize "Well I have a 7-6 player in the middle who is not getting enough touches and needs the ball in the post." Then the PG can clear the other players to the weakside or what not and make an entry pass into the middle. This type of problem would not be as bad if the team had a third guard that played and thought like this or atleast an off guard who took part in a major chunk of the ball handling and thought like that as well. The problem is that of the three primary guards (Mobley, Francis, Moochie) none of them think in these terms.
