It's the Green Gang vs Mobley Mob / Suggs Thugs / Barnes Buddies / Kuminga Comrads. I know we're drafting talent over fit. But dang, if all talent equal... get some players with defense pls. (Suggs/Mobley). This young Rockets team is in desperate need of a defensive boost.
Does anyone read entire posts anymore? That's the real peak insanity here. The point I was making that you didn't read enough to understand is that solving this year's defensive issues to get a little better on defense next year(a short term need) shouldn't be our goal because we are rebuilding and that means we need to take the long view of what takes us closer to being a title contending team in the future and having an elite offensive player is far more important than having an elite defensive player for teams that win titles. You can grab good defenders for your team along the way but elite offensive guards and wings are the hardest type of player to trade for or sign. Those players mostly get to pick and choose where they want to go once they have established their value so it's important to prioritize bringing them into your system via the draft when you have the opportunity.
By any metric, Mobley is both an elite offensive and defensive player. And yes, defense does matter. It's what most casual fans overlook the most.
I sure hope you aren't implying i'm a casual fan because you would be dead wrong there. I'm well aware of the importance of defense but we are still YEARS away from that being a chief limitation for this team - we have holes all over the roster. Our strongest bet to get back into title contention is to prioritize elite scoring guards and wings. ....Mobley plays like a big and what do elite bigs NEED in the league to get to the Finals in this day and age? Elite scoring Wings and Guards. We don't live in the old days of inside out basketball anymore - rule changes have tipped the balance in favor of scoring wings and guards and the overwhelming lesson from the last 20+ years of contending teams is the team with the better offensive talent with wings or guards, generally wins. I've said it many times here - AD hardly sniffed playoff wins until he played with an elite wing in Lebron. Embid is probably the best offensive big of this generation but the lack of a consistent scoring guard or forward around him is killing his chances. Even with a guy like Giannis - his team's chances are directly tied to whether Middleton or another guard on that team can step up and deliver - when they have, he wins, when they don't he loses. Denver lost their best scoring guard and went from being title contender to a disappointing end despite having an elite MVP big on their team. Even a guy like Gobert who is a perennial DPOY candidate has only seen his team go as far as Donovan Mitchel will carry them. In fact THAT team is particularly interesting because they spent the last few years trading defensive strength out for better shooters and got farther this year than they had in previous years. And don't even get me started on KAT. I'll also remind you that playoff basketball is more about exploiting the other team's weakest defender in individual matchups so while having an elite defender(or several) on the team is ideal, ultimately your team's playoff chances will come down to how well the Steph Currys of the world defend on key possessions because they are the guys getting isolated by design from well coached teams.
I've said about a month ago that Green was more laid back than MJ/Kobe judging by interviews and how he sounds like Michael Jackson. Shaw dispelled that by saying he wants to win at everything....sounds a little like MJ and Kobe; even at cards. Sounds like my type of player.
I gave you a chance to make light of situation but instead you went for indignation? You dont call a person of color "boy". It is inflammatory, insulting and just plain stupid.
I was not referring to you specifically but to the more vociferous defenders of Green, quite apparent in this very thread. Pointing out Mobley's singular games vs. Utah and Gonzaga. As if 1 or 2 bad games are the epitome of Mobley's potential or future as a player. Its hypocritical, no?
If only he wanted to win in the G league enough to put forth any level of effort on defense, perhaps his team wouldn't have been so terrible with him on the court in their one playoff game.
The waters are testy for sure bro - I agree. Just need to navigate accordingly. Check the sociopaths and keep your Chi intact! Its all about KPJ anyway right? Riiiiiiiight!!?? lol
Incremental progress is better than zero progress, or worse negative progress. I'm not a believer that a team must be the absolute worst for X many years before they can get better. And get better does not equal championship contender. Adding poor or unengaged defenders is a regression IMO and more importantly it is a culture killer. Rockets need to focus on growing their winning culture just as much as winning on the court.
