I agree with your point of view that it wasn't Aldrich play that lost us the game. It's just that the rebounding short-cummings of the other four players become more apparent when he is relieving Asik. I guess we are getting used to Asik level of rebounding. I also agree he is not a very good player. ............ ............ ............
"Is Cole Aldrich the most useless POS in the NBA?" Yes. Only because Greg Smith and his floating-around-defense-doing-squat-POS is in the D-L unable to challenge the title.
If this was true, how come Cole did not get the backup position since day one? Cole's emergence as the backup C is more of a "one night stand" than a love affair.
Agree. I personally think this is just another case of "Who is this grizzled old veteran who is getting PT over the YOUNGER player I would rather see play?"... which will ultimately come back to the"Fire McFail, he no play rookee" sentiment here here on the GARM. -However, As I said earlier, I do not think Aldrich will be a Rocket next year, and I do think the front office would like to get SOMETHING for him in a trade here the next week or so to a team that needs some frontcourt help, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's a bad player by any stretch. As a backup Center who can give you 10 to 15 minutes a game off the bench he's a good fit... especially on a cheap contract. Also, is shows the short sighted views of fans here. I think Smith will really benefit from a short stint in the D-League to work on his own offensive game where he has a multitude of touches down low, and also this helps him realize the importance of learning the nuances of defense. After this D-League stint I guarantee you he will pay attention a little bit better on his defensive assignments.
I agree, and I tried to make the same point in the game thread last night, but most people were determined to throw Aldrich under the bus for last nights poor performance by the Rockets. Cole has the size and bulk we need in the middle, but it looks like most fans don't want to give him an opportunity to show us what he can do. Look, I admit that Cole is not a good player. But I don't blame McHale for playing him since Smith is a huge liability on defense at this time. The coach is trying to improve the team by trying something new, and I see nothing wrong with that. Sometimes these experiments work out and sometimes they don't.
Seems like a lot of posters keep continually letting their emotions get the best of their opinions. Look at the facts, use some evidence, take context into regards, and then make your post. This formula has worked since the dial-in BBS days. Nothing like a bad loss to make people abandon it. Go punch a heavy bag or something instead of throwing tables and chairs infront of your GARM colleagues .
aldrich may be a bum to most, but at least he's better than thomas two sandwiches hamilton, terrell bell, mirsad turkan, and serge zwikker lol.
Cole Aldrich has played backup center before just this game. This is not knee-jerk. This game was just the boiling point of my frustrations with Cole.
I would hate to see Motiejunas played out of position as a center, but I would prefer that any day over Cole ever setting foot on the court during a meaningful portion of the game. Both would get pushed around on defense, at least Motiejunas has skills on offense.
he grabs rebounds and plays defense and he plays pretty strong. it would be different if he was our starting center. he's just a backup center so you can't expect him to be a 20/10 kind of guy. he's just there when asik is in foul trouble or needs a breather.
I saw about 5 minutes of action in the 1st half and dude was getting abused by Cousins... yes, let's play cousins tight 15+ feet away from the basket! makes perfect sense... except for the fact that that is the exact shot you want Cousins to take and Cole should know he's a horrible lateral defender anyway... didn't see the 4th quarter meltdown so i assume it got worse.
I get that is why he is in there, but he's a huge liability when he has to come into the game. He's awful at rebounding and defense for a center. I don't see any value with him besides the 6 fouls he provides.