When things get ugly , you put Luc in the game and his ability to do all the little things was very key to us. He’s our best defender. He’s very key vs the Warriors.
First round should be okay, could get killed in the 2nd round without him. Jazz and Blazers are good! Bench: Ryan not good condition JJ and GG could be shut down in playoffs These 3 are soft.
Your statement can co-exist with the half-full view that he could be ready to go by WCF. Luc is key to our defense. But if we are going to be a serious contender, we need to be able to weather a loss like his in the first couple of rounds.
Someone please answer this question: It takes 3 weeks to heal, but 6 weeks to be fully healthy. Should Rockets ask him to play in 5 weeks?
People keep saying "he's our best defender." Your best defender doesn't typically play only 21 minutes a game, and usually your best defender closes games out, which Luc does not. Luc is a really, really good player for this team, and it's definitely a loss......but if you guys think that HE'S the key to a championship this year, then you don't have very much faith in this team. Ariza, PJ, Capela, CP3, and Harden all play equally significant roles on the defensive side of the ball, and are more than capable of picking up the slack for a round or two in the playoffs. Hell, even Gerald Green has shown the ability to bear down on defense in key moments. It's not the end of the world, and more importantly, I do think we'll get him back after the first round.
That was expected, but really need him for the WCF and Semis even. People like this guy above @Fyreball still not believing he’s our best defender will see. It’s not about minutes. Ariza is our starter, because he’s been with us for years and a steady force. You don’t replace with a guy on a 1-year minimum contract. Make no mistake though, he’s clearly the better defender. On offense too, though Ariza can be more reliable from 3. Anyway, it’s a hard blow, though Tucker would’ve been worse given his strength to guard really big guys and just gets dirty and has a knack for rebounding. Mbah was doing so well too with the steals, from three and his cuts to the basket and taking it to the hoop really diversified our offense. The sky is not falling, but one role player can definitely be the difference between a hard road to the WCF / Semis in which you can lose and a team that you truly believe can make the WCF or even win the trophy. We are a team and everyone has a role. Take one part away and the rest suffers. How much depends on how well Ryno, Joe and others do. Several guys have to take it up a notch though!
Luc missed 15 games last time, so basically a month. But he might rush back as early as possible this time because of the playoffs. If we're playing in the WCF I'm sure he'll try to comeback.
Agree. IMO, with so much data out there now, there are some that are *too* dependent on it. Luc is a very good defender, but when comparing him to others on the Rockets (namely Ariza/Tucker), his numbers need to be placed in the proper context: 1) Luc averages in the low 20s in minutes per game, rather than low 30s like Ariza, which has a strong correlation with how much he's able to exert himself on a per-minute basis 2) Because Luc comes off the bench, he's also playing more minutes against opposing backups than Ariza/Tucker are, which gives him a greater probability of success Luc is very good defensively, but there's a reason Ariza averages nearly 10 more minutes per game and a reason Tucker was the guy to replace Ryan Anderson (and also why Tucker is the guy MDA has been campaigning to get on the All-NBA Defense Team). And no, it's not because they're "different positions," as I've seen some allege. In MDA's scheme, there are basically point guards, wings, and rim runners. There's also a reason why Ariza/Tucker have generally been in MDA's "closing lineup" against the opponent's best offensive players, and Luc has not. None of this is meant to criticize Luc... he's very good, and especially as the Rockets play tougher opponents, they'll need all the depth and small margin advantages they can possibly get. For now, though, the defense should be fine with giving slight bumps to Ariza/Tucker and more PT to Green (who I agree has been surprisingly solid on defense of late). And anyone cherry-picking numbers from Luc's prior absence is just being silly, because Harden missing 6 games, Capela missing 4, and Paul missing 3+ games in that stretch are all way bigger factors, as was picking up Green off the scrap heap and suddenly throwing him into a 30+ mpg role with subpar conditioning (no training camp) and minimal knowledge of the team's defensive schemes. And then there's the matter of the resulting fatigue up and down the lineup for those who DID play, courtesy of the cumulative injury toll. Luc's absence didn't help, but there were a TON of things that went wrong in that mid-December to mid-January stretch, and his absence isn't at the top of the list. Also, I pointed it out on Twitter earlier, but in Mbah a Moute's first three games in January after missing a month, he averaged 11 ppg on over 30 mpg on a ridiculous 52% from the field and 50% from three. So for those worried about potential rust after the layoff and his three-point form, it didn't hurt him the first time.
You are calling ME ignorant by making such an ignorant assumption. How do you know I have no idea how dislocated shoulders work?? My "it's not too bad" remark comes from the fact that IF after the MRI, people are saying second round or WCF, then yes it IMPLIES that it's a more serious injury. But Woj said that AFTER the MRI, Luc will miss the first round. This appears to me that it's not AS SERIOUS as we initially feared. You're right, we don't know how long he's going to be out but judging by what's not said, it seems more positive than negative.
Confirmed out for life. Rockets are clearly done without him. Might as well skip the playoffs and start planning for next year.
Thanks for those. Funny so little people replied to my thread about PJ or Mbah for all-defense team when it's clear Mbah is right there in stats as best in the league!
This!! The success to dynasties like the spurs isn’t the ability for the system to function next man up. It’s not the player it’s the system. We gotta just trust the system... look how gerald green stepped up. Joe Johnson has not had the opportunity to show up in the system because he just got here.
