I think Papa is a playmaker from the point forward position like Chandler was. Harden is the best non pg playmaker in the NBA. Not sure we should be panicking just yet. Agreed Beverly is not much of a playmaker for a point guard.
Title is misleading..... we have facilitators Harden, Nikolaou and other guys filling the void We need a PG that is supposed to be the header
It is technically possible to win this way. Think of the 2006 Miami Heat championship with Wade and Shaq. They weren't exactly a well balanced team and relied heavily on Wade relentlessly attacking the basket and going to the line. (Sound familiar?) But that team also had an aging Shaq, who I'd still rate above modern Dwight, not to mention some solid veteran presence and contribution in an old Gary Payton, Alonzo Mourning, and I mean, they still had Jason Williams, who was no slouch. Did I mention Pat Riley? Point is, stylistically, technically you can get away with playing the way that we seem to be playing and be successful. But I just don't think we have the coach and the personnel to back it up and make a deep run. That's why even guys like Bullard are calling for a lower seed this year. The West is just too good. But I'm not really in panic mode. I think the Bosh chase was the right play, even if it didn't work out. Ariza was the right signing. I'm less convinced that Parsons walk was the right thing to do, but I definitely think Dallas heavily overpaid and I'm cautiously optimistic Morey will be able to capitalize on the fact that he stuck to the plan rather than panicked when presented with a bad situation. Let's just give him and the team some time to what's out there, and hopefully in the meantime the team can grow a bit. But let's be realistic, with the guys we're rolling with right now and the "system" we're running, you won't be seeing a San Antonio style offense any time soon.
We lack several things: 1. guys that can create for themselves and others 2. Solid, consistent production from the 4 spot 3. a scoring punch and a good big guy off the bench Now we may already have all this on the roster - and Morey has several assets available to make a trade (and he will). But so far we are an unfinished team. The good news is: we already have the main pieces in place, our guys have one more year together under their belt and we still are very flexible in what we can do. Let's just try to win as many games as we can as we work to complete this roster.
This. KPap is really a pleasant surprise. He can play and facilitate. Ariza can help facilitate a little in the starting line too. Main problem of this team is bench depth. Would be great if Terry is a few years younger.
Could not disagree more with the thread. At least not based on what I've seen so far. And I think people are selling terry short on his facilitating ability. He makes some really good passed.
Probably not realistic, but my dream power forward target would be Greg Monroe. He's an above average passer from the power forward slot, and Detroit seems to have hitched their wagon to Josh Smith, at least for now. On the other hand, rumors are circulating that Smith could be the one that's available. If I were Morey, I'd keep a close eye on the Detroit situation because they have 2 capable power forwards. Can't really see Morey chasing Smith though with his current contract unless he really feels like the market has dried up and we have no shot at a big fish like Durant.
Not sure if I agree with this. Kostas is a far better facilitator than anyone not named Lin on the bench last year. He and whomever fills the backup PG spot will be an overall upgrade over Lin/Garcia (should be noted, Terry only has one assist thus far. That's an aberration. He will average more than that. Even last year when he was hurt he averaged 5 per 100 possessions). We lost a little going from Parsons to Ariza, but I also expect Harden to average more assists this year than last. We'll see. I think the offense has looked fine thus far.
I stopped reading about there. The only that hurts worse than losing Lin would be actually having Lin. He was hot garbage on Tuesday. He was hot garbage last night. He is what he is, a risky player who makes tons of mistakes and bonehead plays mixed with the occasional flash of excellence. And those flashes of late have been very, very few and far between. That's not what the Rockets need, "facilitator" or not. Though he did help facilitate an easy blowout victory on Tuesday, so thanks?
I've gone back and forth on this. Would you rather have the player who is extremely inconsistent, but averages a halfway decent line? or would you rather have a guy who gives you a lesser line, but you know what you'll get from him more reliably? I don't know the answer to that question.
Good thread. We have a team full of guys, who, if you get the rock to them in space/where they need it... they'll take care of business. For now, we need a guy out there that's a natural leader w/ experience, not only a facilitator...but a scoring threat...that can play defense.... We'll have a scary flow...contender status.
Is there a deal on the table for Rondo that Morey is sitting on? He tweeted out about this part of the year being hard to project the trajectory of young/old players, whether they are on their way up or declining, plus how much the injury factor plays in. I'm wondering if Morey is closely watching Rondo to make sure he looks good before we pull the trigger on a deal for him. Thoughts Plow?
I brought this up as a concern back when Parsons was not retained. I was of course assured by many that the Rockets would get a starting PG to fill the void, but that never happened. It's hard to complain too much with the numbers our offense has produced against the two bad teams we played so I'm not freaking out, but I would feel better about getting someone who can help with initiating the offense. And that's even with a healthy Bev.
Bingo! I was going to bring up the Spurs too. Outside of MAYBE Parker, who facilitates their offense? Parker is more of a scoring guard than a facilitator. Their player and, especially, ball movement is what facilitates their guys getting shots. To the OP, you named two guys on the Rockets who can facilitate, can you name more than 1-2 on any other team? Durant and Westbrook and? CP3 and? Lillard and? Lebron and Irving and? Again, it's player and ball movement. But, I saw some great ball movement by the Rockets reserves against the Lakers at times (didn't get a chance to see last night). DMo, Papa, Terry, etc were really working well together. But, when you have two star players, and they are on the floor, you have to make a concerted effort to get the ball in their hands to effect the defense, sometimes sacrificing the team ball movement.
