When DHo was out DMo did a great job on defense. Not the same as Dwight but was nearly as efficient. Offense and defense matter. BTW- if Dwight continues to decline his defense will too, already you see him not contesting at the rim much any longer. DD
Lol I don't get some of y'all...Have you watched Love this year, dude is the poster boy for matador defense...Even Cleveland fans are turning against him...On team where we pride ourselves on defense and playoff experience there is no way you trade a 3x Defensive player of the year (could win it this year as well) who has been to the NBA finals for a guy who has never even made it to the playoffs...Our defense would suffer tremendously and Kevin Love's offense hasn't looked top tier this season either Not to mention that ramifications that trading Dwight would have on the locker room, free agents wouldn't want to sign in Houston because they wouldn't feel that we are loyal to our stars...Josh Smith would cause an uproar for trading the main reason he came to team...Our whole dynamic would be in Jeopardy So in short...No...I find the idea laughable
He falters in the playoffs. . . . I will be ready to ship him but You guys would have traded Tim as soon as he lost a step for Kevin Love too Rocket River
I think Cleveland does it in a heartbeat. Hurts their offense, sure, but between Lebron and Kyrie you have confidence they can figure it out. And Dwight is one of a handful of players who can single-handily turn around a defense.
If we kept Asik or found a new center quality center, sure. Love is 3 years younger and his game doesn't rely on athleticism (bigger championship window) and fits our offense PERFECTLY. But that's all a fairy tale, no way are we trading Howard off after just 2 seasons, If Howard leaves it will be because his contract ended or he demands a trade (which also will not happen).
Exception that proves the rule: When you have an all-time great and two all-stars leading the league's best offense, and a scrambling, high-pressure defense that harasses teams on the perimeter, you can get away with the absence of a rim protector. ... and even then Miami was on the precipice of losing to teams like the Pacers because they were so soft in the inside.
Sometimes I feel you people still wouldn't be happy with the roster if they had a perfect season. Dwight is easily a more valuable player than a stat padder who hasn't proven himself as a winner
Dwight's been so bad lately, I've been longing for Tarik Black and his hustle. But I'm not a fan of Love's either. The guy is not a winner. Like I said in similar thread, we're kind of stuck with Dwight so we just have to hope for the best. BUT, I'm all for letting him walk after his contract is up and the Rox investing elsewhere.
So do people here only look at box scores? The defensive impact Dwight has on the team is so unappreciated here. Even if his blocks per game are down, him standing in the paint can literally scare opponents from driving. You think Kevin Love could give us that? We already have a fine PF in D-Mo, we don't need Love. Get a point guard who is capable of playmaking, hitting the 3, and puts forth effort on D. Get a backup for Howard. That's it.
Tim competes night in and night out, Dwight does not. No, I would put it this way, say you have a rating of 1-10 for both offense and defense. Defense with Dwight and DMo at those 2 spots - 9 Offense with Dwigth and DMo at those 2 spots - 6 Defense with KLove and Dmo at those 2 spots - 7 Offense with Klove and DMo at those 2 spots - 9 DMo and Dwight = 15 total Dmo and Love = 16 total Overall team upgrade. That is just how it looks to me, it also balances our team out some with defense and offense. DD
I don't know if it's that black and white. If Dwight's knee is really bone on bone then what do we have? This season and maybe next to produce a championship? If we do get to the play-offs and Dwight plays like a maniac does he cost another game due to free throw shooting like he did last season in game 1? Are the Rockets good enough as is to win a championship? Even with a point guard upgrade of Tye Lawson? I just don't know what the answer to those questions are. What I do know is that Love is an elite offensive player that would fit perfectly in the Rockets system and add a dominate scorer when Harden is not in the game. Is that enough to off set the loss of Dwight's defense? Once again I just don't know. With all of that, Love is only 26 and in reasonably good health. He is barely in the prime of his career and with lots of years to figure out how to best win with him and Harden. Still, if we have a realistically good shot at winning the Championship this season with Dwight I would keep him. But I just don't know. I do think the whole "Love is Fools Gold" thing is overstated. Bosh was fools gold before going to Miami as was Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen before winning a championship together in Boston. Some players IMO, just need to be on the right team in the right situation.
I was thinking the same thing. I haven't had the opportunity to watch every minute of every game this month, but from what I've seen Howard is still anchoring the middle on defense. He looks a little slow and not quite as explosive but that could very well be attributed to that lingering injury. I've never been a huge fan of forcing him touches on the post but ignoring (or not seeing) what he's doing on defense is doing him a disservice.
Good question. Our defense hasnt been as good as it should be considering all the defensive players we have, yet our offense also has come to a screeching halt at times as well because Harden makes us go. Love would alleviate our issues on offense IMO as he can create his own shot, is a great outside shooter, and would be great in the post. However Losing Howard makes the inside of our defense softer than a marshmallow filled ball of Charmin. I also believe Howard to be the anchor of our defense and drives the rest of the team to perform. I would ultimately say no, although Love may be a better player overall than Howard right now.
Yeah, I'll admit that watching him work in the post is pretty tough to watch haha. BUT, think how bad our defense would be with Love and DMo. This Rockets team is successful because of our defense this year. Why would we tamper with that? Some people man
Those are totally arbitrary numbers. The defense with Love and DMo would be a 5. Absolutely no rim protection and barely any post defense. You think we get manhandled against the Clips and the Griz currently? Wait until after we lose Howard.
even still you'd have the problem that we have had mostly in previous years...guarding elite PFs. In the west there are tons of them. Blake, LMA, Dirk, A.Davis... Besides, Love's 3 point shooting is over valued. It's not Dirk, he's not Dirk. Hitting the three and stretching the floor is what Cleveland is asking him to do and it's a role he's having problems adjusting to. Love is not just a guy you want sitting out there spotting up shooting. His value is on the glass mostly and around the paint and occasionally hitting the three...so umm...like D-Mo except you could argue Dmo is a better low post player AND better defender. As such, why acquire Love when you have Dmo AND Howard?
