Lets assume hypothetically the trade of patterson and morris doesn't happen, does Dmo get playing time? The reason he got playing time is not that he suddenly became NBA ready but because of lack of options at the 4. Conversely, the reason Lin got significant playing time on the knicks was not because he was NBA ready but because there was a void in the PG position with injuries to Baron Davis and Tony Douglas playing subpar .
Funny, your hypothetical situation occurred before the trade. Once DMo became ready, Morey traded Morris and Patterson. Patterson and Morris were more NBA ready than DMo.
Actually Delfino at the 4 has the best adjusted +/- on the team, and it isn't even close. I like the way the Rockets have brought along rookies in DLeague - Landry, Brooks, Morris, 2Pat, Greg Smith etc. All have done well after half a season or so in the DLeague, Smith/Morris a whole season. Repetition, putting skills learnt in practice into real-game situation etc. I've also been unequivocal that DMo is our highest upside rookie and highest upside big man, and that he was probably stashed in DLeague prior to the trade deadline so other teams couldn't get a good look at him. What I believe though, is our coaching staff/GM does a great job preparing our young guys so that when they do get time in the NBA, they are put into a position to succeed. Some guys didn't need the DLeague - Chase, Parsons, and Beverley, partly because they were older, more mature, and experienced, and probably partly because they were more high-level 'role players' in college which translated better to the roles they were going to play in the NBA. And they were successful right off the bat. What I'm saying is it's better for DMo to gain more minutes and experience as a back-up, playing 15 to 25 minutes a game, and gain confidence before throwing him out as a starter. He'll be unleashed when the coaching staff believes he will ace this next assignment, because he's not groomed to be a role player like 2Pat/Chase etc were, he's going to be groomed as a bona fide starter/star. That's always being my belief of what DMo's ceiling is. So let's take it one sure step at a time.
Funny, the facts don't reflect that. Mchale stated he never signed off on the trade. It was more of Daryl Morey forcing his hand to play the bigs.
I am starting to think they did hold DMo back to play PPat and Morris so we could trade them. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. In fact, it is the only thing that makes sense. DMo's ceiling is so much higher than either one of them, it would of have been hard to trade them if they weren't playing as much as they did.
I expect that most competent analysts have known about D-Mo's potential for quite a while. The only reason he fell out of the top 5 in the draft was because of questions about his rebounding, attitude and motor. He may be Morey's biggest draft coup ever, much bigger than even Parsons.
Wish we had Scola/Landry really miss those days... But Dmo looks like has a lot of potential and I hope he improves with this increased PT
One thing that impresses me with D-Mo is that even though he doesn't have the strength to back his man down consistently, if you watch his game he is an expert at establishing position. There are many times just watching him when he is off-ball when he moves around and then suddenly pins his guy deep under the basket and puts himself in perfect position. Of course, many times our players don't want to make the pass because they may not have the best angle or something but then there are other times like against the Clippers when he saw a defender under the basket and just pinned him there for an easy jump hook. It's an attribute that is very easy to overlook, but it is so key in being an efficient post player.
Well, Mirotic is shackled to Real Madrid until the summer of 2016. And I personally believe that D-Mo will be a much better player than Faried.
He has a knack for finding the right angles and getting his shot off uncontested. He uses the dream shake and pump fakes, up and under move to catch his defender off balance. And he can go either right or left with the same consistency as well.
The +/- could end up being higher with Dmo but we won't know until he gets some more playing time. I could also understand them letting him build his confidence up like you said but if they don't start him I think he should at least get 20+ minutes a night, I think he needs the game experience to continue to improve.
Yup. The coaches were effusive in their praise of DMo up until the deadline. Obviously Morey knew exactly how they felt about DMo's ability before trading Morris.
He's getting them now, and luckily he's still on the team post trade deadline with two PFs ahead of him gone. Should be happy
