TJ & D-Mo are Rockets players who proven their value, Harrell is a rookie and will not get much playing time when both are healthy so what is the problem? Is all of this to just a prove a point, which I'm guessing is that TJ is awful, D-Mo is the re-invention of Dirk and Harrell = Faried on steroids and the next to have a who should start thread, which would mean TJ is going to be traded? Is that pretty much it?
All this is about the Rockets winning a championship and who the key player on the team is. I maintain that key player on this current roster is Clint Capela. Because a championship team needs 48 minutes of paint and rim protection and at least one elite rebounder on the floor at all times when the game hasn't been decided. Capela is the only player on this roster capable of being that second defensive/rebounding anchor behind Dwight...without another player acquisition. At this point, DMo is not the re-invention of Dirk. No way. No how. However, he's a much better post player than Dirk while being just as good as Dirk defensively and about 85% of what Dirk is on the boards. IF DMo could ratchet up his aggression and learn to lower his center of gravity and grind down on the boards and if he could improve his perimeter face-up game to within 80% of what Dirk is/has been on the perimeter THEN we could really have a force at the 4. He'll never be Dirk because he's got more of a tendency to get in the paint and operate. And he'll most likely never equal Dirk on the perimeter since Dirk is very possibly the best perimeter face up 4 of all time. But DMo has proven he is extremely talented and he's got a ton of basketball iq. If he could become 80% of what Dirk is on the perimeter offensively then he could become very special. Harrell in my mind is not the next Faried. Faried has elite rebounding instincts that Harrell does not have. Faried is a rebounding specialist. It's the one phase of his game that is above average NBA level, that Harrell simply doesn't have and probably won't develop. Faried is instinctual on the glass in a similar fashion to what Rodman was, except not quite as good as Rodman was obviously. But the same instinct on the glass to know where the ball is going and to get to where the ball is going ahead of time. That's a special trait. Harrell doesn't have it. Doesn't mean Harrell won't become an above average rebounder. But he'll never have that added gift Faried has. Most people unfairly link Harrell and Faried together because they both sport the long locks and they both get up and down the floor like gazelles and finish with thunder. But that's probably the only likenesses to their game and the pony tail is not a basketball trait. Defensively I'm confident that Harrell is the superior man-on-man defender right now. Harrell is bigger, stronger, and has about a 4 inch advantage in wingspan and around 1-2 inches in standing reach over Faried with the same or at least close to the same speed and athleticism as Faried has. And Harrell battles in the blocks defensively. He bends his knees, he takes contact well, holds position well, and maintains his positioning well. Doesn't get faked out very often. As for Terrence, Harrell, and Faried.....Terrence isn't as fast or as athletic as Faried is. He's a little bigger than Faried but not nearly as explosive. Harrell is a little bigger and longer than Terrence and has explosiveness comparative to Faried, which is more explosiveness than Terrence. Terrence is the odd man out here. DMo may be moved too along with Terrence but if Dmo is moved you can bet we're getting a premier 4 man back from somewheres. And the only way Terrence stays is if we have to throw Harrell in with DMo to make a deal for a special player and we have no other alternatives at the backup big spots but to keep Terrence. Note: I do not expect Harrell will eclipse Terrence in the rotation out of the gate. Even though I'm convinced that Morey and McHale are going to agree fairly quickly that Harrell is the better player and the better fit for this team over Terrence. That's simply not how things are done here. It wouldn't surprise me if Terrence is the starting PF for the first few games of the season or even the starter as late as the trade deadline. It will surprise me if Terrence is still starting or even on the roster after the February trade deadline. I expect he will be traded away at or in advance of the trade deadline. Or at the very least he'll be waived and picked up by the Sixers or Blazers after the deadline passes and we pick up some other big man that is available in free agency after the trade deadline. But somewhere in the course of this season, if we don't trade Harrell away in some monster trade for a 3rd superstar, Harrell will eclipse Terrence and Terrence will be tied to the bench or off the team in trade or release.
Yeah because starting Draymond Green at center was 48 minutes of paint and rim protection and elite rebounding.
We're not the Warriors FTW. Our system is not their system. We've got to do our system better than what they do their system. Our system is predicated around 48 minutes of paint and rim protection. That's why Dwight is here and Dwight is the centerpiece of our whole defensive system. And rightfully so. We've got to get that second dominant defensive and rebounding presence in the paint for us to maximize the efficiency of our system. Hopefully Capela can get it done. NOTE: GSW slid by a team that was missing 2 of it's 3 superstars and other parts in the Finals. Ultimately, we'll have to build our team to beat the Cavs. There should be no doubt that if they were healthy, they would have beat the Warriors 3 months ago and it would have been the Warriors struggling with matchups and playing double big to deal with the Cavs size. You cannot build a team one-dimensional and expect to win a championship in this league. The Cavs (and Warriors) are multi-dimensional. They can go ultra-big. Or they can go small to ultra-small. Broaden your horizons. Look around. Consider all the possibilities. And look forward to what we're going to be facing this season, while keeping the past in the rear view mirror and not forgetting anything we learned from last off season. One of those lessons being that Terrence doesn't match up well with bigger bigs nor with smaller bigs. He can't defend the Blakes and LaMarcuses. Neither can he even slow down the machine that is Draymond Green nor a smaller player like Harrison Barnes.
Since when you downgraded and may have even completely removed Cole Aldridge from your list of elite defenders?
I didn't have a list of elite defenders. I had a list of free agent targets. Aldrich was a free agent target until the Clippers signed him. Now he'll be coming off the bench with Josh Smith and the Clippers just seriously upgraded themselves at their biggest weakness, their backup big spots. The Clippers are undoubtedly a top 4 team this coming season barring serious injury and they are going to be dog-fighting for the #1 spot in the West and very well could unseat the Warriors. I don't see the Warriors repeating. I think one of the Clippers, Spurs, or possibly the Rockets (if we can make a couple more tweaks to our roster and rotation and if we stay healthy and if Capela really turns it up or we get that distinctive backup big behind Dwight) will unseat the Warriors and go to the Finals against the Cavs.
I was always impress that Dirk turned himself into a rebounder. By the time he was 22 he was avg 9.2 and went on to avg just below 10 for most of his career. DMO might be one of the worst if not the worst player at rebounding that is 7+ feet tall. I love him otherwise. T Jones, can do it all but has the motor of a 1950's honda motocycle.
I would like to see more of Harrell. Did you watch his college games? or just summer league? Also, for me, rookies are rookies unless proven otherwise, and he has not played a single minute of NBA basketball.
I agree with most. Except two things. First that DMO has a hope to develop 80% of what Dirk has been in the perimeter. Totally dream and ridiculous. Secondly taht Jones MAY BE WAIVED. That is absolutetly insane and sadly it's your own agenda that blinds you becaue otherwise you made a very good post. Ainge is starting to netotiate with Sullinger and Zeller. But it doesn't look that they will come ot agreement. They could be nice targets for us. IMO.
Thanks. I wondered if even with DMo not getting the rebound #s we'd expect if that was really costing us at the team level. I think if we pair DMo with Howard, Capela, or even Montrezl, we should be ok.
yeah pretty much, dirk's shot release is one of the highest of all time (combined with his orbit shot at times) which much of it is predicated on, dmo's shot release is pretty low, although he's got the orbit ball going. Dmo would rather shoot a hook shot than jump shot at 10 feet, that said, he can shoot that shot.
Watched about half Harrell's games. Has good defensive fundamentals especially when iso'd in the post. Has quick feet laterally. Downside is he's not aware sometimes off the ball (like Terrence). Does get caught asleep and this is what initially turned me off to him. His jumper wasn't very good but he has worked on it and has already improved his mechanics substantially before starting his NBA career. (A major difference between him and TJ.) He's a superior shooter to Terrence right now. Yes rookies are rookies and as such are going to go through a learning curve. He's gonna commit fouls that will be called on him that won't be called on a 3-year vet making the exact same play. (That's NBA officiating for you.) But come playoff time, aggression is rewarded, not penalized like the regular season. I've seen it over and over in the NBA. Overly aggressive regular season rookies turn into the perfect difference making hard-nosed Mr. Hustle in the postseason.
-Donatas Motiejunas - returning from back surgery, just started to be able to run again -Montrezl Harrell - injured (might miss first game) -Chuck Hayes - See Harrell contract/hard cap... he gone -Josh Smith - he gone -Terrence Jones - back from injury today ...... So all the jackasses thought the Rockets should trade Jones ASAP the second the Rockets drafted Harrell... you still feel comfortable about that move now???... Of course you do.... that's what I thought, and would expect nothing less. I'm sure it will take a whole 2 preseason games for Jopat or someone of his intellect to prophesy that Jeremy Tyler actually is the Rockets future at the PF position. I can't wait for the flood gates of Bull S$%^ to start flowing. The Rockets NEED EVERYONE this year. Get healthy guys.
We shoulda traded Terrence when I called for it, which was when he started playing with the starters in November of 2013 and his 3-point percentage was hovering around 40% for that first month he was in the lineup. That was when his trade value was at it's peak. Guys like dobro act like there's no been no other power forwards made after Terrence. They'd like to think he's indispensable. The truth is we could trade Terrence tomorrow for a future second rounder top 50 protected, then go and sign Reggie Evans and we'd be better off. Because Evans is an elite rebounder, one critical skill area on our team that we need to strengthen. And Terrence has zero elite skills.
And that's why you have very little credibility. Houston better off with Reggie Evans is plain stupid sounds like something you would say since you think Aaron craft is an elite defensive guard who should be in the nba
And that's why you have no credibility. You can't identify elite skills that are needed for this team's championship success and you can't identify what players have those skills and what player DO NOT have those skills.
