I am not Nook but Chicago hasnt' crystallised yet their frontcourt lineups due to Mirotic horrendous shooting and Pau's incredibly bad defence. They are still in experimenting phase. So we dont' know who would be available yet. Taj has been playing pretty well though but his style of play doesn't fit the coach offence. Little do they know that having 4 one way players two of which have non existant range outside of close to the basket, and 3 of which are old does not make a good frontcourt. They will see soon as the losses start piling up.
My opinion is that if Chicago is serious about winning this year they don't really have the option but to keep all four bigs. They all four are so different but are needed for their different skills. Bigs just seem to come at a premium nowadays so I just don't know where to go to get one. Boston has a surplus but anyone that helps? I dunno. I think the Rockets defensive problems start at the 1 then go to the 4/5. It's bad all the way down. Too much ball watching and lazy switches. Ty had been exceptionally bad but that was to be expected but it's hardest on your D when your first line of defense can't (or refuses to) keep his guy in front of him. Laziest PG in the league??? Maybe. Maybe a Ty/Brewer for Rose deal is one to look at? What do you think we should be looking at if Ty continues to look like the worlds worst fit ever next to Harden and on a team with the worst defensive accountability.
There's a very big chance taht they will lose or cut lose two of them next year. Noah who is expiring and Gasol (player option). If you think Ty is bad you can't imagine how bad Rose would be in this team. HOrrible. And that's without taking into account his huge contract that will make it impossible I think to go after Durant, and his injuries which happen every couple of games. I can't think of one good way that Rose would fit next to Harden. As much as something needs to be done, this isn't trading Ty. It's only been a few games. Wait for him to play well and if he can't fit in, move him to the bench and put the ball in his hands. If nothing else he will get a chance to regain his market value if you want to move him even then. But there is not a big market for Lawson anyway. Need for a starting pg have only a few teams. Brooklyn Utah (no way they go after Lawson) Philly (same) NY (they will have to get rid of Calderon's bad contract and we can't take it). If we had more flexibillity and weren't hardcapped and if Karl remains and has any input anymore which doesn't seem to be the case, maybe we could work something with Sacramento since they have to play Rondo too many minutes and trade Collison for Lawson. Or maybe we could work something with Detroit but Jennings isn't back and noone knows when he will be back and his defence sux too. But all those things aren't possible with being hardcapped. And Lawson is about to get a big suspension in the near future too. Not very enticing for any team.
The Rockets bigs are similar in that they are one dimensional .... more on that below. Yes , the Rockets problems start at PG and end at both the 4/5 spots .... Their problems offensively are much the same. Offensively Howard , Capela & Harrell are very similar in that they can finish at the rim and have no range. You cant play two of them together and get the most out of Harden as it packs the lane with defenders. This causes problems on defense and rebounding as you have only one big man on the floor and .... 4 guards , two of which are poor defenders. The opponent drives past one of those poor defenders , the big defends and you have a mismatch with a big man on a guard help defender. He either gets an easy shot or an offensive rebound. Jones has all the tools .... just not the IQ. Just too many brain freezes .... (insert brainfreeze cat). Harden and Lawson are a poor match .... on both ends of the court. Both need the ball to be effective offensively and Lawson isn't a good enough shooter to play off the ball. When Harden is running the offense , teams are leaving Lawson to double or help. Teams aren't going to double off Harden .... so he's not going to get a whole lot of open looks because of Lawson. Defensively they are both ... not very good , even if Harden has made improvements on that end. Playing them both at the same time and having only one big on the floor is a recipe for disaster. Having Lawson play only when Harden is on the bench , you cant justify the $12m of cap space ..... Harden leads the league in minutes played (Lawson is 3rd). They just aren't a good fit and that's the bottom line , you get all the negatives and none of the positives from Lawson. Every time I think about it I come to the same conclusion - Harden should be the point playing with another SG who excels at playing off the ball , is a good defender and who can handle the ball some when playing with PatBev ... more of a combo guard than a pure SG. Just look at what they did with Terry playing with Harden as the defacto point last year. Fixing the big man situation .... is a more difficult proposition as you just cant move Dwert or Capela. DMo is part of that solution but you need another big that has some range , rebounds and defends well. Maybe you can get by with Jones coming off the bench .... Getting the right guard to fit alongside Harden is probably the most impactful move they can make ... Top of my list is Courtney Lee. Solid 3 point shooter , very good defender and can handle the ball , run the offense for short stretches and get to the rim. If Memphis keeps struggling , he could be had and is expiring.
As bad as things currently are, upgrading the PG spot doesn't really concern me. The tools and talent are there. We just have to find a mix that works. Maybe Bev needs to start? Maybe Lawson would be best leading the second unit with more freedom? Maybe Thornton deserves the nod once everybody gets healthy and plays their normal positions? We have three talented players that are capable of holding down the fort; each with unique skill sets and strengths. I think we'll be fine at the point. It's the other positions that concern me.
No. The Rockets bigs are not so one way players like the Bulls bigs. This comparison is not fair to the Rockets. We are talking about a player who can't make a simple layup and is left completely unguarded and ignored a lot of time from the defence (Noah) and we are talking about two players who can't guard their own shadow. (Mirotic, Pau). The Rockets big are not that onedimensional. And I agree about the perfect fit next to Harden. Someone like Klay Thompson and Khris Middleton. An elite 3+D sg but can't think of anyone available and not sure about C.Lee. But Lawson hasn't had enough time to conclude that he is a terrible fit next to Harden. The season is very young. They still have both a lot of time to adjust playing with each other and get better synergy. That he is not a perfect fit that's obvious but the situation is not beyond salvation right now. As for a pf who has range and is a good defender and rebounder :those players don't grow on trees and teams dont' let them get away. Esp someone cheap to be your backup. Most pfs who have range are bad defenders and vice versa.
Fournier and Nicholson ...for... Jones and Dekker (plus a pick if needed) Move Harden to point --> Lawson leads 2nd unit / Fournier & Ariza start at the wings both can play off the ball / Nicholson is a stretch 4 (on the cheap at the end of his contract and misused on his current team) only helps the team with spacing. Bev and Brewer are both up for trade at the trade deadline.
What are the odds that all of these players suck at the same time? It's gotta be a combination of lack of preparation, no leadership, no direction and a little bit of the "I don't give a ****'s".
Dwight Howard for Jokein Noah, and Taj Gibson.. Terrence Jones for 1st round pick.. Fire Mchale, rehire Thibs since hes got defensive chemistry with these two.. Jokeim Noah Taj Gibson Trevor Ariza James Harden Pat Beverly Look like a way better defensive team, let Lawson and Brewer come off the bench for scoring.
If you're betting against a team with Thornton on it & he's got the hot hand during a game. He's the player you wish the opposing coach plays in the fourth quarter because you know you can rely on him to go cold or disappear in crunch time.
Despite everything, Howard is still an amazing physical talent. It's some issue with the officials and his health that need to be worked out.
Haha no this is just a hot stretch for Jones. This is the exact time you're supposed to trade his scrub ass. Look who's guarded him the past few games
The Magic already have problems giving all their young players playing time. The least thing they need is more young players esp someone who is going to get off his rookie contract and some extremely raw rookie that both play in the position of TWO of their other young players (Gordon and Harris). But they did make a big mistake not extending Fournier. Even if to trade him later. Now Fournier is in his contract year manages to get playing time because he can score and they will have to overpay or let him an asset go for nothing. But because their GM is very smart I dont' think they will let him go for nothing. Maybe they will trade him later for a good vet. They have young players in all position except backup C and backup pg. (at least they dont' have a blue chip /good prospect in those positions).
