Agree. Actually, this roster would be perfect for Sloan who make average talent over perform in a system. Byran Russell, Marchall, Eisley, Vaughn, Shandon Anderson, Mathews, CJ Miles, Millsap, etc. They are all comparable to some extent to Parsons, Delfino, James Anderson, T. Jones, GregSmith, Garcia, Beverly, all smart and/or hard working.
We play with high amount of freedom on offense. The players make lots of decisions. So let them get crushed. Let OKC take our high octane offense and anihilate it. Put these ideas to shame. Have us average 20 points below our season scoring average. There is two ways these guys can learn. They can decide that what they do is no longer effective, and particularly ineffective against the best teams. This would potentially trigger more ball movement and have them adapt their style. The other way this can go is they can keep trying to go at it the way they have been doing, without making any adjustments. They will get swept and we will know of at least a few players with a bball IQ too low to deserve to play in a free offense. Changing the plan now is not an option. The free offense/structured defense idea is not McHale's. It's the organization's. McHale is into it, Finch is into it and Morey is into it. That's what we're running, and I think it's a fantastic idea. Keep the core players, and substitute rotation players with others who are good decision makers. Until we get the guys around Harden who know when to make cuts, when to pass, when to shoot, where to move, when to move, how to force Harden to give up the ball, etc. Understandably for some people a structure-less offense is worrisome given we are so accustomed to see a huge amount of plays planned. But I'm confident our players will improve as a result of this, and that this will enable us to rate players more accurately.
That seems a little reductive to me. You're playing one of the best defenses in the league, running the exact same two plays 50 times each: spread pick and roll and 5-out with dribble handoffs. How, as a player, are you supposed to go "oh hey, this isn't working. Let's suddenly change this into a working offense by changing something I do without the coach otherwise adjusting the offense at all"? Bottom line is that if McHale returns next season, the "young team" excuse won't fly anymore for having a 3-page playbook. He's going to have to start coming up with a plan. I'm not going to overreact and say that it's impossible for him to turn it around, but he has to put in some work in the offseason and training camp to use his talent less predictably.
I seriously doubt they will make any adjustment. McHale already said it that he will not change much go in into the playoffs. This blowout didn't surprise me. I knew we had it coming when team regressed so much in the last two weeks. This regression began when we had problems scoring against the best defensive teams (Pacers and Grizzlies). This is a different team than the team that dismantled the best defensive teams earlier. Bulls hadn't allowed any team scored more than 100 pts for a long stretch until they met us on xmas day. We also ran a great defensive Grizzlies out of the stadium. Blew out Knicks both time they played. Those games seemed like______________distant memories. What really happened to this young team? They jelled well and SUPPOSED to play better as this year winding down to the post season. When they had problems beating Suns, the worst team in WC, the last two times they faced, I knew deep in my heart that we were slowing sinking in the quicksand. The more we struggle, the deeper we sink.......it's really disheartening to watch.
We ran a cool out of timeout play that resulted in a Parsons alley oop. And then went back to our offense of nothingness
We do run plays, but they're like those plays in NBA 2K that I keep running but usually end up doing nothing.
As much as I disliked Sloan when he coached the Jazz, I think you are right here. The concern is that his personality only works with some players. I feel like it would work with James, though. I've read that he does fairly well with a coach that is pushing his buttons a bit... something McHale has done occasionally, but it's not clear that Harden respects McHale as a coach as you would think he'd respect Jerry intuitively. I'm not sure what Sloan would do with the PG issue. It's not just that McHale is apparently not great with PGs... or that Lin appeared to be in way over his head last night... but that Harden seems to require a specific type of PG next to him... like pretty much all great SGs throughout history have needed - Fisher, BJ Armstrong, Mark Jackson, Terry Porter.. something I don't think Lin will ever be - not that he can't be a solid PG, but that he doesn't thrive as that type of PG. The Rockets used to have plays. Heck, the first two games of the season were full of back-door cuts, etc. There is something about the last few weeks / month that has definitely changed. I wouldn't be shocked if the PF situation plays a role. Consider that Smith can't hit threes (like PPat and Morris can), and really isn't much use offensively other than the occasional pick... but even then isn't that useful. Also, I definitely saw the Rockets TRY and run some plays last night, especially early on. But they were being bumped of screens they were trying to set or the Thunder were simply playing super aggressive AND very solid man and rotational d, and the plays got screwed up before they even started. We do have to give the Thunder some credit here. Even when there was a lot of ball movement - plays or no plays - the Thunder were rotating fantastically and if it was an open 3, it was an open three that was very quickly turning into a contested open 3. Recall the 3 Beverely hit in the first half of a Lin assist. jeremy drove the lane, drew 3 Thunder players to him, kicked it out to Beverely who was wide open. to his credit, Beverely hit the three, but it was also only a quarter second from being blocked from a 4th Thunder player running hard from behind. They just play hard, aggressive, fast and smart... there's a reason they are a favorite to make the finals and the Rockets are the 8th seed. All that said, as one more on the side of McHale support than hate, this thread clearly points to my biggest issue with McHale. Be it defensively or offensively, he isn't seemingly teaching set "plays". Offensively its obvious. Defensively it the same, if less obvious. It's more of a here's how you play defense, no go out and do it, then anything specific being taught and called. Did they try any traps on pick and rolls? Did they ever try changing from going over screens to under or vice versa? Have they tried to run a zone even once during the season. Was there any defensive strategy? At least in one game against the Thunder during the season they seemed to have a pack the paint and let Thabo shoot the ball strategy. I like McHale as a general leader... but think in that sense he needs a supporting coaching staff akin to what Phil had. I would absolutely change out McHale for a coach obviously better. I don't think that is JVG, Adelman, SVG, etc. type. All of those coaches have limitations, and when provided with similar rosters seem to over or under-achieve to the same degree. But Jerry Sloan would be a no brainer. Phil would be a no brainer. Maybe someone who hasn't coached before would be an upgrade (though hard to guess on that). How about Mike Budenholzer?
Read: hmmm, this is some serious-business defense they're playing... hmmm... React: LOL, take a bad shot and run away!
You know Sloan was mentioned by media and fans after just about every coach that was fired for the last few years. "According to a source close to Lakers/Nets organization, legendary coach Jerry Sloan...." Sloan actually acknowledged that not once did he actually receive any call from any of the teams. NOT ONCE! Sloan was an alcoholic (maybe he still is) and it let me believe teams do not trust on his ability to handle the daily grind and stresses that come with the job.
It's funny though, when they ask McHale about the problems during the game, he says we need to move the ball more. Regardless of who is handling the ball it looks the same on every possession. Call for screen. Pass ball back to screener. Take handoff from screener. Then either a) take jumper or b) drive into the heart of the defense looking for contact or c) streak towards the baseline and attempt miracle pass to Asik/Smith. That is our play. I call it the wishbone.
If it's too late to change our offensive schemes, then we must play the players who fit our scheme. That starting unit was too stagnant; Smith and Asik kept losing the ball or turning it over. I propose DMo for Smith. We need to play Brooks, Anderson and Garcia more--people who can create their own offense. and move off the ball. Garcia in place of Delfino who has lost his shooting touch. Brooks alongside Harden could be kind of interesting. Never mind the defense first. Just get that offensive flow back. Because guys' confidence comes from our offense, then effort on our defense follows.
So the plan is to let a bunch of young players play without any guidance, making it up as they go along and condemning them when they inevitably fail? Or are people really expecting that along with executing an offensive plan, a group of inexperienced players will also have to come up with said plan in the first place, like a legit NBA coach? SMH. Where is the player development going to come from? This is why the Roxs offense have been aptly described as "gimmick". It has been pointed out by many posters since the start of the season that McHale is not doing his players a favour by running such limited, simplistic plays if at all. The freedom of inexperienced players should be curtailed and their youthful energy channeled into a tried and true offensive system which will cultivate discipline and chemistry simply by running and perfecting the same plays over and over again. Would the Roxs have sucked the majority of the season if they went down that route? Definitely. But the pain would have been worth it. You don't learn and excel at a complicated offensive playbook overnight. However, this is much more preferable to the current fate of the players which is to go into the offseason only to learn that they have been persevering down a blind alley and get humiliated. It's like a lost year of development.
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