Ric Carlisle is exactly the kind of coach Harden needs. David Lee is exactly the kind of player you surround Harden with. Guys like these don't grow on trees -- you have much more of the young thugs who are talented but not conducive to winning -- if you're a GM you pounce on the opportunity. Bickerstaff is a patsy. Mchale is a patsy. Morey is a patsy but thinks he knows how to call the shots. Leave that to the guys like Honey Bear in life. The Pat Riley's, Jerry West's, Phil Jackson's. People with a natural leadership ability who corral the best from those around them and get them to play consistently. That's the Rockets pressing issue - all the superstars in the world won't fix this, but they'll keep your average fan excited.
I am not sure why the fat geek doesn't go after guys like Lee He will automatically be the best PF on this line up. He does two things that no PF on this team can seem to do and which we lack severely - REBOUNDING and hitting a ****ing JUMPER Yeah his D is not the best but I guarantee it's not as bad as TJ Freaking Mauri needs to get off the spreadsheets and statistical models and look at actual talent out there. A big with championship experience and in a position of need just gets released and our rivals sign him up while we continue to trot out Josh Brick a Smith and T crap Jones
You may have been somewhat correct in predicting that Lee would do well in Dallas, but the rest of your points are very questionable. David Lee may be a decent pickup for the Mavs, and he's a viable vet for any team, but he's not a team difference-maker that you should surround an MVP-candidate likes James with. I'm a fan of DLee, but if we're talking about building around James for the future, a competent GM would go after the all-stars in the league to create a devastating 1-2 punch. David Lee is more of your veteran support off of the bench, or when needed, a guy who can slide into the starting lineup and drop 16/7. But, there are plenty of guys in the league with DLee's skill set, and as much as I like his game, he wasn't going to get us over the hump, especially this season. We're not "patsy's" for not going after David Lee. If you understood our current financial situation or the market for TJ/DMo, you might not be so brash with your description of our coach, GM and owner. I'm not the biggest Morey fan, but he's taken some huge risks to create a competitive roster, even if all of the moves didn't work out as we hoped for. I'd even call him brave for trying to move DMo, a guy who arguably is talented, but still unestablished and unpredictable. If you want to call any organization "Patsy-like," look at the TWolves. Your last point is just your style of narcissistic humor, and I know you don't truly believe any of it. Or maybe you do think you're like Phil and Jerry, yet no one else sees it. I guess self-confidence is a good thing, as long as it's warranted. And, most of us aren't looking to be "excited" fans. We care about the Rockets winning, not whether or not the seats at the TC are magically filled. This isn't the old "Highlight Factory" in ATL with JoeJoe and JSmoov. If you're looking for "exciting" plays and fans that are in attendance with the hopes of seeing some spectacular plays, I suggest you go check out the Clippers, with Blake,DJ and CP3.
He would have been worth a flier. I'm sure playing for Rick Carlisle helps more than playing for Bickerstaff, but given our PF situation it was probably worth it to consider more.
We don't know that he didn't try. Who wants to play for this year's dumpster fire led by a lame duck coach?
Tangent to this thread. But Codman brings up a great point about Carlisle. Great coach that maximizes talent. And look at Terry Stotts and the Blazers right now. It is VERY frustrating seeing teams AHEAD of the Rockets that are less talented but are playing better. And A LOT of that has to do with the coaches, coaching up the talents on the roster.
Yeah. Wow. Everybody's so excited he got some numbers against NBA's elite teams Denver and Minnesota. Terrence Jones made 16 and 9 against the Wolves in January and this guy is a complete mess in 2016. Boston is in the hunt for Homecourt and having issues on the big positions for years now. Not part of their future plans means, he simply wasn't good enough for them. So no reason to overvalue a guy that can't compete with Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk. He's an ok acquisition, nothing more. Dirk/Parsons/Matthews group pretty good? That's correct, if you're aiming for the seventh or eighth spot. I guess you still remember what Dwight and Josh did to Dirk last Playoffs. Parsons will never be the star player he believes to be, while Matthews might never again be the player he was. Happens to a lot of athletes after such an injury. And what young players are you talking about? Everything you say about Carlisle is correct, but he can't develop players for ****. He simply can't. Jae Crowder was the first Mavs Pick that signed a follow-up contract since Devin Harris, who they drafted in 2004. Mavs are among the oldest teams in the league and that's no coincidence. I simpy don't get why people suddenly praise this mediocre team. You are right - they play hard and that's the reason why the Rockets, who don't, are behind them. But still, this team is not good at anything and going nowhere and that's not going to change with David Lee in town.
I just disagree with you on a few points. I am not claiming that DLee is an all-star or an acquisition that would put any team over the hump. I wrote that, too. Boston has amazing things going on, with much of it being related to their overhaul of youth. DLee was more than good enough to play in Boston, but the choice was made to rock with the younger guys and some of the Bigs who had better chemistry with IT. Sullinger and Johnson are studs, but I'll take Lee's SKILLS over Kelly's any day of the week. That may change as KO develops though. DLee could play significant minutes on any team in this league (he has on previous teams) and his individual stats suggest that he is better than what your post implies. His career numbers are 14/10, but he's also had seasons of 18-20 ppg, along with 5-10 rebounds per game. If those aren't decent numbers, we simply have a different opinion related to on-court contributions. Regardless of those stats, DLee will still have a pretty long career because teams will always need a PF who can spread the floor and nail pick and roll jumpers. I do think the Dirk/Chandler/Wes/DWill combination is formidable enough to compete, even if I hate the team. I didn't bring up what the ROCKETS did to the Mavs last year because it's irrelevant to the discussion. Any Rockets fan recalls how Josh and Dwight destroyed NOT ONLY Dirk, but Tyson Chandler, who is still considered one of the better defensive-minded centers in the league. Just because we were the better team does not mean that their group of forwards/guards are trash. Yes, we had the better season, but if you analyze the numbers of those players individually, and then what they get done together, the results have been fairly efficient. They're a couple of games ahead of us, and if we don't get it together, they may stay at 6th or move up to 5th if the Grizz can't handle Marc's absence. Again, it was not a comparison of US versus THEM. True, Parsons may never be an all-star, and Wes Matthews may not be the guy he was in Portland. I understand injuries, but again, that was not part of the discussion in my post. Also, Chandler has been playing pretty well lately. Take a look. We're just going to have to agree to disagree about Rick. You mentioned on name in Jae Crowder, but Jae's greater success in Boston does not necessarily mean that Rick cannot develop younger guys. Part of my appreciation for Rick's coaching, besides what I already mentioned, is his ability to develop younger players ( The list goes on...) and the fact the he is one of the few coaches that still works on developing the games of veteran players. That directly supports your insult about the Mavs age lol . The reason they can continue winning with old knees is because Rick is great at putting guys in the best positions to be effective, but also recreating their game so that playing closer to the ground isn't a detriment. With Dirk, you'll notice how Rick has switched the offense up over the last few years to put Dirk in a diverse post-up spots, instead of keeping him at the elbow or depending on the perimeter game. He's greatly modified the game for Wes Matthews as he's trying to play back into his pre-injury form. Wes has been getting open shots through off-the-ball movement over going hard to the rack like he did in Rip City. if you look at interviews, he says as much and how he's been able to protect his body because of the adjustment. So again, I'm not "praising" the Mavericks as much as I was just discussing the obvious. David Lee was a good signing for them, even if he doesn't get them to the WCF. We can disagree about what DLee is capable of doing NOW, but his stats from every season with the exception of his time in Boston, have been pretty damn good. I guess you can argue "good" is subjective, but consecutive seasons of 18/10 are currently better than our main trio of PFs. Again, he's not LaMarcus, but his jumper and general post offense will help the Mavs establish a better rhythm come playoff time. Their core group of guys have been playing well enough this season, and guys like CParsons of late, and despite their age, Rick has continued to implement an offense that has been more efficient than not. He's known for being a mastermind when it comes to developing offenses that maximize the strengths of both young and old players. Are they going to beat the Warriors or Spurs in a 7 game series? Probably not, but our chances aren't great either. We may have youth on our side, but our depth hasn't shown up, and sometimes veteran leadership and experience can beat out a team that is inconsistent or one that plays chaotic, sometimes without direction and passion in long stretches.
OK, when I was saying people praise the Mavs, I wasn't specifically talking about you. Still, you're mentioning his career numbers and the past. But in 2016, Lee turns 33 and didn't show up for almost two years. In Boston, his Net Rating was -4.0. Only four other Celtics players have a negative rating (Zeller, Rozier, Young, Hunter). Their offense collapsed with him on the court. If you're explaining that with better chemistry, system or sth. like that, we indeed disagree. To me, it just shows that he's not effective anymore and not good enough in a team, that really needed a player type like him. You're argument about spreading the floor and nailing jumper isn't valid. Over 70% of his shots this season came from less than 5 feet. Just above 10% came from over 10 feet. That's not spreading in my eyes. Meanwhile, you didn't mention that he always has been and always will be a terrible defender. The formation you named is formidable to you, that's cool. But where does formidable guide you to? Nowhere, as I said. The Mavs didn't make it out of the first round since they won the title in 2011 and they won't as long as Dirk is there and they overpay average players or keep on going for veteran players that have had their days. Yes, Carlisle is capable of bringing some juice out of old scrubs like Villanueva or Felton, even D-Will is kinda looking good again. But is that your goal? Being NBA's old people's home? A nice place for old folks that nobody wants anymore you can rejuvenate a little bit so they get four or five more playoff games and one more first round exit to their vita? That's their identity. That and overpaying average players because no star wants to come there - although they have such a great coach, apparently. Continue winning, you say. Winning what? Most first round exits in a row? Even if they make it to the fifth spot, the Clippers will eat them for breakfast. Back to Carlisle. I don't see him developing players. As I said, he can only work with finished material that fits into his system. Crowder was quite good in Dallas, but as mentioned the first guy since Devin Harris who the Mavs picked and signed a deal after his rookie contract. In 10(!) years. How can you still say he is able to work with young guns? Which young player really improved with him in charge? Other than Crowder, can you name any? I can't think of one and Jae does way better since he is with Brad Stevens. Now that's a lot talking that has nothing to do with David Lee. To the point: Lee is not making them significantly better or improve their status and I don't get why some Rockets fans are angry or envious because of that signing.
Shame all you can do is evaluate a known fantasy-league-only player by fool's gold stats alone. Mavs are 3-5 since signing Lee, losing their last 4 games, only 1/2 game ahead of Rockets now. Boston is 6-1 since Mavs signed Lee.
Another 10/8 game for Lee, and another loss for the Mavericks. That's five losses in a row. Calm down, Mavs sitting at .500 and 8th seed Did you call that?? sucker for a fantasy-stats player who has no impact on wins.
LMAO owned. Lee has always been an efficient scorer and rebounder, but his D is legendary and it is not coincidental GSW started winning when he stopped playing: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/courtvision-david-lees-interior-defense-a-k-a-the-golden-gate/ Apparently Lee was letting his opponents score 61% in the paint, basically he was turning his opponents into elite franchise big men LOL. And that was 3 years ago, his D should be even worse now. These are the kind of things lost on people who concentrate on stats, like when they praise Parsons and say he's way better than Ariza.
Lol. With or without Lee, the Mavericks are going to suck. They're mediocre players with low ceilings but a great coach. Lee's 12 minutes off the bench weren't holding Boston back from making a 6-1 run. I can't explain the level of denial when someone is so hurt, so jilted, that through their tears, they use the W-L record for a player coming off the bench for 15 mpg to try to measure his value. Well girl, you tried. You certainly did, and it's been noted. Mavs are 1-5 when Lee plays under 20 minutes, and 2-1 when he plays over. That includes a 2 point loss to the Nuggets where he had 18-12. It's not a different situation to Boston. Playing him 20 mpg isn't going to change much for a team without high ceiling talent. To summarize for the stat nerds - Lee is an intelligent player who fits well around high talent pieces, rather than other average guys in a good system like Dallas or Boston. He helps a Rockets team needing a player with any sort of IQ, as opposed to another athletic but clueless tweener with no consistent jumper.
Yeah, it is the role player averaging nearly a double double that is at fault. And if you don't think he would have helped the cesspool that is our PF spot you are dumber than I thought. DD
