I'm starting to feel this team despite the focus on getting better defensively by McHale is going to have the same problems last year. Partly this is because of the players we have in Martin, Budinger who are focused on offense and are just not that good on defense. Question is, are we just bad defensively or do we lack commitment on defense ? Martin for example seems to be fine with him scoring points and not contributing much on defense. For me the lack of commitment is indeed the problem and was the problem last year, only then we had a leader in Hayes who lead by example and might have held guys accountable (since RA didn't really do that). Dalembert after last night's game expresses my concerns perfectly: “You have to believe in a team defense, believe in the concept. If you do your part, even if it is small, I think as a whole, it will show up on the court and you will defend teams. We just have to believe in it.” Feigen: So far, the Rockets have only experimented with a commitment to defense. What do you guys think ?
It takes effort and intensity. I long for the day when McHale shakes up the starting lineup. Particularly the SF spot...
You might as well throw Scola in that category too. I love him but Z-Bo shooting 11-14 for 23 pts and Gasol shooting 6-8 for 20 pts is inexcusable.
Yes playing Martin/Bud/Scola together is always going to cost us big in defense. Dalembert alone wont solve our defensive woes. We need a glue guy on the perimeter as well.
Yes, but some of those shots were not at close range. I believe some of the shots are the kinds you would want Randolph and Gasol to take away from the basket but they just falling in last night. Most of the inside scoring was done by other players layups and dunks.
Jordan Hill can't defend the center position, period. Stop it, he's too light in the A and is just as afraid of contact as his boy Chase from Arizona. We have the worst defensive starting lineup in the L. Scola < below average Chase < below average Martin < below average Hill trying to guard centers < below average. Hello, he's a PF not center. Dream, Moses, and McHale could work with him and it wouldn't change anything.
Maybe, just maybe, and I know this is a stretch... It's possible that 3 games into a season with no training camp and entirely new coaching staff, the team may have room to still improve. I know everyone else missed a regular offseason too, but every team we've played so far, Orlando, Memphis, and SA have a more veteran team with basically the same rotation as last year.
True but Jerry West said it best and I paraphrase. "The reason you can't play defense, is that you can't play defense" DD
Dalembert needs to start, bud does not and also give them at least 20 gams lol there was a freakin lockout. Defensively, ive seen things i did not see last year.
Trade Scola and Martin for Gasol. Oh wait... My knee jerk reaction to improve defense.... 1. Dalembert, Patterson (when healthy), Parsons, Lee, and Lowry need to play more together. 2. Budinger needs to be traded. He doesn't fit without a good inside presence. Try to get something from Minnesota where he fits the offense. 3. Martin needs to be traded. Would be perfect with a dominant center or good defensive team. I'd try Chicago to get either Asik or Mirotic. 4. Should try to trade Scola for a PF/C that can play some defense.
To be fair to Scola, Randolph was shooting over everybody and making the shot whether there was a hand in his face or not.
If we wanted to get bigger and more defensive minded knee-jerk post 1. Trade Bud and Lee (and maybe a future pick) for DeRozan 2. Trade Martin and Flynn/Dragic and rights to Sergio Lull for Jefferson 3 team trade Rox Trade- Scola, J.Hill Get- Batum, RoLo Blazers trade- Batum, Oden, 2012 1st rd pick (lotto protected) Get- Scola, G. Hill Suns trade- G.Hill, RoLo Get- J.Hill, Oden, 2012 1st rd pick (Blazers) Result Lowry DeRozan/ T-will Batum/ Parsons/ Morris Jefferson/ Patterson Dalembert/ RoLo
We have fewer and fewer good defensive players by each year. Then we have a coach who can't coach offense like RA, can't coach defense like JVG. The bright spot is this is a short season and the next draft is deep.
Martin is horrible on defense, Scola isn't much better and Bud is a turnstile...explains a lot. They will get better as the season unfolds but those three are the main issues with our "D".
Dally and Lee should start. For those that say Lee is too short... would you rather have Courtney or Chase guarding the other teams' best perimeter player. Enough said.
Chase has been playing very good defense this year.....but if we can upgrade the SF position through trade, that would be fine too... DD
Sam needs to start - thats a no brainer... he somewhat offsets KM and Scola. Lowry is gold at both ends... Let the SFs know that the best defender is gonna be on the floor... As for Scola and KM... let em know, once yer man puts up 10pts (or whatever) - yer on the bench for the balance of the half...
