that's the point of "trust" lol. he doesn't "trust" montrez did not get eaten alive. he doesn't "trust" montrez to fit in with the rockets strategy. we are on the same page dude haha. we are saying the same thing...
Wow, not a lot of love for Harrell on this board. Not sure what some of you watched this year. I love Nene but stats don't lie. Other than his clutch and cagy game, Nene essentially is Harell. Pts. Reb. Assists Harrell 9.1 3.8 1.1 Nene. 9.1 4.2 1.0 Since Nene is out, you play Harrell. Why all the Analysis about him needing to be a stretch 5. Nene wasn't. According to many of y'all he cant shoot, rebound, pass. Than neither could Nene. Stats don't lie.
While there's plenty of holes in his game, if you need a rim runner for Harden hes the guy. You definitely don't want him out there without Harden. Curious to see what Dantony decides. Problem is Capela kinda the same predicament.
Your probably overselling Nene - at this stage in his career he wasn't a defensive stopper or a top quality rebounder. About all he brought on that end was vet know how which is valuable but I wouldn't say he will be that far ahead Anderson and Anderson gets a big boost being s guy you have to guard way out there - that makes a difference when you have a finisher like Harden
And then there's watching the games because some things aren't measured by stats. Well they are by advanced stats I guess but these aren't those. I said earlier I wished D'Antoni would play Montrezl when we're not hitting shots, when we're lackluster, because he's energetic and athletic enough to change the pace of a game singlehandedly at times. I'm a Harrell fan. But there's no denying opponents feasted in the lane when he played. That's not in your stats. It's in some stats, but not yours. Neither is the five guys that shoot 3's lineup we'll trot out if Anderson plays backup center. It was effective against the Spurs and even though I kept sort of hoping Harrell would come in, in the end I was glad he hadn't. You can hardly argue with the results. If we should be so lucky as to make it to play GSW the Anderson at center lineup will be even more effective. When we beat them we did it by outscoring them and outplaying them at their own game, the second best offense maybe having the best chance to put a dent in the best one. But I'm not predicting Harrell won't play. Only saying if he doesn't it's probably because he's a liability on defense and doesn't make up for it by spreading the floor as a 3 point threat.
Sometimes he brings great, infectious energy that resonates throughout the team - like when we beat the Warriors this year. When that happens, he's no liability. If he doesn't have that confidence and energy (it happens) - he's a liability. In the regular season you can play guys like that to see what they give you and proceed accordingly. In the playoffs.. it can get dicey. I doubt we see him, but if he plays I'm fine with it and I'll have my fingers crossed.
If Harrell can step up we can be better than with Nene. Even tho Nene is much more experienced and a much better defender and much stronger. Nene can coach Harrell from side and give his veteran insight and it could still be effective
I kind of like Clint with second group without Harden, to be honest. Lately, I like Clint with every group.
I feel the same way. Like I said I've wanted his energy in our losses to change the tempo out there. In D'Antoni I trust. I can see Harrell helping in certain situations for sure. He did a lot of good in the regular season. I was just doing my best to answer OP's question; based on what I saw in the regular season Harrell isn't the guy you go to to hold down the middle on D.
I'm guessing Harrell fell out of the rotation because he started pouting at the end of the trade deadline when everyone thought the Rox were gonna trade for Ibaka or another big. He even twitted about being concerned about his role. After the break Harrell got put in MDA's dog house and he would get spot minutes here and there, similar to the forward we traded for nothing at the deadline (forgot his name). It was noticeable to me because prior to that he was actually alternating MP with Nene, it's crazy to me he was doing fine before and then suddenly be kicked out of the rotation. Apart from Harrell, one guy I would love to see is Troy Daniels. I'd like to see him get time at SF and PF, I think he's a major matchup nightmare and would be able to guard either LMA or Kawhi well given his length and athletecism.
