Since 1/1/2017... With Harden on the floor, Rockets pace has been 103.49 With Harden off the floor, Rockets pace has been 99.35
I agree with you @Brown Lost It. The playoffs are a game of adjustments. D'Antoni teams tend to get 60 games during the reg season but then often get bogged down in the playoffs. I would say D'Antoni has a better *finisher near the rim in Harden over Nash. D'Ant has better perimeter shooters now than w/ the Suns. Better size at the 4 (Matrix) that can shoot in Ryno....power at 4 w/Nene... a little versatility @ the 4 w/Dekker/Ariza/Harrell (minus the shooting w/Harrell).....like Marion. Having said all that, I would like a bigger force at Center to rebound/rim protection to go with Capela. An additional 3-D wing. I've mentioned how the Warriors will force a switch of Durant & Livingston on smaller point guards and then take them into the post. Curry forced switch with opposing Center on the perimeter. During the past week or so the Warriors beat the Cavs, OKC, Houston using these tactics (Cavs use same tactic with LeBron/Irving/Love). Those who saw the Warriors game saw Durant take Beverley down into the post about 3 times with some success. For this reason I'm personally not to keen on more small bodies behind Beverley & Gordon. Harden has the role of backup PG duties in hold. I would feel better if the Rockets bring in a SG/SF wing. Nobody will take Brewer w/o a 1st rounder. Rockets don't want to give up a 1st rounder. So when the Rockets say Brewer brings a lot of intangibles.....that's gearing the masses towards the cold hard facts that Brewer probably isn't going anywhere. I expect only a Jordan Hamilton type trade using Ennis/KJ near the deadline. Rockets are probably going to play the hand they currently have. Hope I'm wrong. *Dunk it Home while getting fouled.
I'm honestly not concerned. We've played what 9 games in 14 days? I'd be more concerned if lack of urgency was there, we played hard. We're just tired as ****. We need some rest. If we were performing like this and had 9 games in 18-20 days, then yes, I'd be my usual pessimistic self. We've also had some injuries.
Busy schedule? Tired? Rest? Re-charging your battery? I don't know. I guess I'm way too old. You're playing basketball for a living. Re-charge your batteries? Every morning you should get up and get on your knees and thank God that you're playing basketball for a living. Someone is actually paying you, in some cases millions and millions, in other cases hundreds of thousands at the minimum to play basketball. If you have to re-charge your battery to play basketball, I understand re-charging my battery that I've done three double shifts, I'm laying cement, and I come home. I understand that. I don't understand that, re-charge your battery for what? To be able to come out here and play basketball for a living? If we have to do that, you're in the wrong sport, you're doing the wrong thing. This is a high energy game that requires total commitment but it's a joy to play. It's fun. You tell 'em Kevin! Tired? From playing basketball? You're in the wrong sport! It's a joy! It's supposed to be fun. Get on your knees & thank God you're able to play basketball for a living.
Who are you quoting? Kevin McHale? btw: quotes like that somewhat annoy me, because it's all relative. You have to be fresher than the next guy. This isn't a matter of playing a fun game for millions of dollars...you have to have better legs than the next guy, or you will lose. So yeah, when they have a day-off and you didn't, they have a significant advantage. As for comparing professional sports to our jobs...I hate that crap. I guarantee you the guys who he accepts needing to recharge their battery "doing three double shifts, laying cement, etc" are not competing with co-workers to see who gets to do all the work and who gets to rest and watch from the sidelines.
Yes, Kevin McHale in 2013. When you have 2 days of practice like this, how much of it is just physically and mentally recharging the battery? I don't know. I guess I'm way too old. You're playing basketball for a living. Recharge your batteries? Every morning you should get up and get on your knees and thank God that you're playing basketball for a living. Someone is actually paying you, in some cases millions and millions, in other cases hundreds of thousands at the minimum to play basketball. If you have to recharge your battery to play basketball, I understand recharging my battery that I've done three double shifts, I'm laying cement, and I come home. I understand that. I don't understand that, recharge your battery for what? To be able to come out here and play basketball for a living? If we have to do that, you're in the wrong sport, you're doing the wrong thing. This is a high energy game that requires total commitment but it's a joy to play. It's fun.
I do agree that playing a sport for a living for millions of dollars should motivate you to work hard at your conditioning the entire year, to avoid dead leg periods during the season, so that you can play at your highest level every minute, because it is fun to do so. But then again, have you ever had to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes.
we peaked, then league caught up. now we adjust and reach a new summit this summer when we are holding the larry o'brien trophy
Yep, folks are forgetting this point. They're also forgetting that Anderson has been sick, Gordon is having foot problems and isn't the same player he was, Capela is still shaking the rust off and Harrell hasn't been playing as well of late.
Most college teams play about 28 reg season games (grant it they have college courses to contend with too). Euro basketball league teams tend to play about 22 reg season games. They get paid usually less than $3 mil. Some players play for multiple leagues or Euro teams. So there are breaks between leagues. It's an 82-game marathon with plenty of bumps & bruises along the way. Just the travel can take its toll. Half the games on the road living out of suitcases. The team probably has bag personnel to handle luggage; but still there are fools pulling fire alarms or calling in bomb threats or prank callers or gold digging groupies that are hanging around the hotel lobbies wanting to take advantage of the players. Then you throw in Miami, La, New Orleans, Atlanta, NY, etc night life. These are 20 year old kids basically. We the fans want them staying in the hotel rooms studying their playbooks; but good luck with keeping any 20-something year old person in their room in an adventurous city. Regular traveling salesmen/women don't usually have these outside interferences like autograph seekers. I can't stand the globalization of the NFL/NBA....its so blatant. The trips to China/Mexico City/elsewhere take a lot out of the players. It's one thing during preseason; but during the season is a little too much. Money driven scheme that the players only benefit slightly. Yes I know, the more money the league makes the more money the players "will begin" to receive. Players are often asked to participate in autograph sessions/functions. Charity functions within their communities (during the season moreso than outside the season). Harrell/Dekker/Capela are not use to playing this many games in a season. They make up a third of the rotation. Sorry for the rant. This is not just your ordinary desk job. Many jobs are tough. I use to dig ditches for practically the minimum......blisters on my hands & feet. Nobody ever paid to watch me work construction. If only I was 6'6" instead of 5'11"...." I could've been a contender."
This team is soft inside and that's the problem, period. An offense built around one super-star in this age, and a defense with a very soft underbelly isn't going to contend for a chip. That's the bottom line.
Just piggy-backing on post because it's right on point. If you were to ask almost any team owner and general manager, how they would feel if they were told this before the season: - you'll have a new head coach and assistant coaches - you'll be incorporating a new system (or at least implementing majors changes to a system) - you'll have at least 3-4 new key players - you'll have only training camp, and the preseason to get ready And within the 1st 2 months of the season... you'll be one of the top 5 teams in the league. I bet ANY owner/manager/team would take that in a heartbeat, and be ecstatic about it. That just doesn't happen... at least not often. It took GS years to become the team they are, and with a lot of luck with draft picks and acquisitions. Cleveland got Lebron, plus 2 all stars right away. SA has been steadily built over the past 15 years. Etc., etc.... So it's actually pretty miraculous that the Rockets have come together and gelled this quickly. I thought it would take at least 3/4 of the season for them to put it all together and start playing their best. I think this is why Popovich, Carlisle, Kerr, and many other coaches have been saying that this Rockets team is very dangerous and scary. Because if they're this good with only a few months of experience together... imagine how good they might be with a years worth of experience, and with some additional personnel tweaks. All of that said, what the other poster said is so true... all players and teams hope for is... a CHANCE to compete for the championship. That means putting a quality team on the floor with a good balance of talent and chemistry. And then it comes down to X factors, like matchups and injuries. And sometimes yes, peaking at the right time. Anyhow, I think this Rockets team is doing fine, and they're way ahead of track IMO. I'm a firm believer in Pat Riley's old quotes, "You have to lose in the playoffs... before you can win in the playoffs.". And, "Defense and rebounding wins championships.". As for defense, I think the Rockets definitely have a long way to go to improve to the level of defensive consistency that's needed in the playoffs. But that's why they brought in the defensive coach. They just need more practice time, and much more game experience to solidify their defensive continuity and chemistry. The Rockets have plenty of veteran players on this team, 3 with NBA finals experience. I think they are going through the inevitable ups and downs of the regular season. Teams are scouting them and preparing for them a little better. They are a bit worn out. And they haven't even built a true foundation yet, a foundation that they can fall back and rely on, every single game. That takes time, and it has to be developed over the course of playing games... and learning from both wins and losses. Here's hoping that they continue learning each other, learning the system, and that they keep improving. And then, maybe make some good runs at a championship.
Agree, we need to be healthy at end of season, but in a top four seed. The scheduling has been brutal tho
Last couple weeks a function of schedule & injuries? What happened the last couple weeks? Actually we won all those games. I'm going with that alternative fact thing. -Mike Anthony
