ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Spurs 12/21/2011 (PRESEASON)

Because we just picked him up a few days ago?

 

I really hate to say this because i am a big fan of the guy, but the team looks ok without Martin.

 

I agree. He hasn't had the time here to develop with the team, but thats the business. As far as Flynn goes, he should model his game after Rondo, not so much Aaron Brooks. I think he has had like 15 assists in these two games and he has also played defense.

 

I wonder if the team will try to trade Flynn and is kind of showcasing him a bit. He's probably a capable NBA backup, but if Lowry and Dragic are going to be the first two PGs, paying more than $3 million for the 3rd string guy doesn't seem to make sense. I'm not saying Jeremy Lin is great or anything (if he was, he wouldn't have been a minimum wage waiver wire pickup), but he sure is a lot cheaper.

I can see, for example, a deal with New Orleans. The only proven NBA PG on the squad now is Jarret Jack. Their backup, it seems, is a gentlemen named Carldell Johnson, who is a 28-year-old rookie.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/carldell_johnson/index.html

I would think that the Hornets wouldn't mind taking a flyer on Flynn and see what he can do with Eric Gordon & Co.

 

I really want to see this set:

TWill handling at the top
Morris and Lowry on the wings
Patterson or Scola on the block
Whatever big man (Hill/Thabeet/Dally) for garbage.

 

Lowry at the wings? Why would he do that when he's the full time starter pg? You'd probably this second unit quite a lot though:

T-will/Dragic/Morris/Patterson/Hill

 

Because Lowry can and does play off the ball all the time. At the same time, he give you good D. You've got to have a point on the floor. Lowry on the floor as a secondary penetrator would be very good.

I have wondered if TWill could actually play the point guard position. He sees the floor tremendously well. And he finds the open man. And I'm convinced he'd be a menace defensively at the point. I'd actually like to see him at the point with two wings (Morris and somebody else, either Martin or Lee or Dragic), a big (Hill/Dally/Thabeet), and Scola or Patterson at the PF.

I'd like to see TWill get some opportunities at the top as the primary ball handler in some sets. I was hoping McHale would experiment with this during preseason.

The one thing that kinda sticks out to me with TWill is he doesn't space the floor very well and he always kinda goes to the basketball. I'm sure it's from his time at Louisville when he really was the primary handle and playmaker for that team.


Defensively, at the point, I think he would give the bigger points fits. Guys like Westbrook, Rose, DWill.........I think he would really disrupt their games and bring down their efficiency considerably. Some of these teams like OKC are built with a primary focus on point guard offense. OKC is a two-headed monster. You take Westbrook away from that team by putting a bigger, athletic defender on him and they turn into a very pedestrian team. It's their Achilles heal, if you please. Westbrook always slaughters us because we don't have a defender that can match up with him physically. He's too big and athletic for Lowry. We need a guy like TWill to work on him.

The other thing we can all see watching TWill is all the bigs have to do is come up top and set some sort of half-a... screen. TWill is so big and athletic that the defense has to play that screen way early. They have to react to the screen before it is even set. Otherwise it's a dunk. And when the defense reacts too quickly they leave themselves wide open for a cutter and TWill standing there at 6'6" delivering a rifle shot right down the lane to the cutter.

The best use of TWill offensively is not to have him spot up on the wing. We will be better served when he is on the floor to run the offense through him a good percentage of the time. He's a playmaker that can score, not a scorer that can make plays.

 

I would like to see TWill get some minutes at PG.....where we go big.

DD

 

Just for previous reference, here's the thread where this was discussed last season.

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=199614


After watching him for more minutes during preseason, I'm even more convinced that he should get run at the top and have the opportunity to develop into something special.

 

By the way, DaDa, I don't believe TWill has a negative attitude. I just think he's got a totally quirky personality, the kind of personality that drives other people nuts. I'd hate playing with him and him running his mouth all stupid and stuff. But he's got enough talent that I'd want to play with him and somehow get him to shut up with the stupid mouth run. I really think the guy's main problem is how to win over his mates. He wants to lead so bad. He tries too hard at it. And becomes a nuisance in the process. He should just go out there, take over, and shut up, and earn his mates respect, work on just pumping up his mates after they throw down one of his passes. Then he can start popping out the stupid humor and craziness a little bit after they get with him.

 

I agree.

DD

 

Tony Parker did the damage. Maybe they need to try starting lineups based on matchups this season.

 

I think Williams at point could be very special, but honestly if he wants to be a star, he needs to develop his jump shot. We've seen him make shots in practice, but can he do it with the bright lights on? If he can, I say play him at SG. He would function great as a secondary penetrator, and a back court of Lowry/Williams would dominate both sides of the ball.

 

He's performed better, but to me, he's still a sell high guy. Once he gets trade value, make that trade.

 

Okay, but what do you trade him for? A semi-good player that keeps us toiling in mediocrity again? Unless it nets us a superstar, I would not pull the trigger. T-Will is an extremely tall (for his position) young guy with athleticism and upside on offense as well as defense, exactly what this team needs. Marcus Morris fits that bill too. Courtney Lee as well, minus the extremely tall for his position.

 

Anyone else notice morris playing the 4 all the time?

 

Yeah I have no idea why we keep playing him at the 4 as Morris doesn't deserve to be on an NBA roster if he's a 4. I guess its because we have no one to space Scola since Patterson is injured, and Mchale is playing hill as the starter at the 5.

If you watched the game though MM played the whole time as a 3, majority of his shots were just outside the shaded area Paul Pierce style. He shot some 3 IIRC.

 

it was preseason lol.... we're going to need him when the real games start

 

with scola only playing 12 minutes, we probably just needed to put a body in there. i'm sure he'll start playing 3 more as the season progresses

 

Yes.. The Paul Pierce mold, and yeah, the fact that we dont have a legit backup 4 right now is the reason he was playing the 4 (besides adrein).