While we've got one of the best offenses in the league, we have one of the worst defenses. When Asik sits we're a lottery team. We've had Patterson playing back-up C for two seasons and now Delfino or Parsons logging extensive PF minutes while Robinson is getting burn as a C. With three talented play-makers in Harden, Lin, Parsons and another prospective one in Beverley and the addition of Brooks is it necessary to have a stretch 4 or small-ball so much? The Omer & Donatas front-court looks very promising, and Ohlbrecht looks like he'd be a great back-up C. Perhaps it's time to let Greg Smith or Robinson log more rotational minutes at PF and have a more 'traditional' C/PF front-court. It sacrifices spacing but we have talented scorers and play-makers, while Donatas and Ohlbrecht look like competent interior passers. It may be able to address our defensive lulls.
Of course not. Both Harden and Lin are elite pick and roll players, and either D-Mo or Thomas could fill that hole at pick and roll big.
No! If the rockets ever want to win a championship, going big with a legit half-court offense is the way to go. But that will actually mean McSuccess running more complex plays (if at all!) and improving his in-game coaching big time.
He's already hired really great assistants. It really is a time to back off. This young team should be chasing 8th, not defending it. "McFail" is making it work and I am shocked by his ability, considering the players on his bench. He's been going weakness (to his experience) all year. AND he's still won more games than anyone would have expected. Go McHale! He's out performing his contract, which I guarantee, had more failure written into it than he's put forth.
Nah I don't agree. When you look at this roster there's quite a bit of talent actually. More than Utah, much more. More than Golden State also. Rockets should definitely be a playoff team with this roster. Missing the playoffs would be a disappointment considering the overall talent level, I don't care about youth. It's a factor but not an overwhelming one, at least when you're talking about simply making the playoffs as an 8th seed or something.
I don't think this is true. A small ball team can definitely win the title. Suns were some bogus ref calls away from the NBA Finals. Nets played a pretty fast paced game. If you can get a bunch of easy shots and hold your own on defense it's doable.
The fact is that they won **** all. The Miami Heat is the only team to have won by playing small in the last 20 years and they are the worst example that small ball apologists can point to : the Heat won not because of small ball but because they fielded a line-up of Lebron ,Dwade and Bosh. They won in spite of small ball and being dominated on the boards.
That may be true, but generally speaking the players with the greatest defensive impact on a team are those who play in the front-court positions - PF/C and those players are usually bigger. And one thing that is certain is that our existing line-ups are awful defensively.
Your right and I think that is what we have now with Dmo in the mix, he can post up and play from inside to out when needed and still drain the three.
A small line-up going up against a legit big one will definitely give up a lot more of high percentage shots around the rim than vice versa. You can defend against speed by slowing the pace down and forcing a half-court grind but you can only defend against size by going big yourself. This is the simple truth of basketball and why a dominant center is still the most prized asset.
In certain situations small ball is the only way to go. But then there are other times that it is less effective. The most obvious sign that small ball is not working is when the Rockets start losing their rebounding edge. And if you are expecting to play the Heat you better have a great small ball lineup because they tend to eat alive slow big centers. However the coaching staff was behind the eight ball much of this season with the transitioning roster. With D-Mo coming into his own the Rockets starting five are tall even by NBA standards. And McHale has stated his preference for a PF that can post up, which only makes sense given McHale's experience. It will be the off season before the coaching staff and players can integrate a post up PF into the offense.
OKC has one good big and a bunch of tall scrubs, same as us. Clippers half-court offense is thanks to CP3, not the bigs. Grizzlies and Nuggets are not contenders.
Just saw "who plays big" didn't see contender part.. But hey it does not matter if OKC has some tall scrubs they still play big Clippers same thing. They still play big.
The Grizzlies are the only team that are a legitimate, traditional "big" team and they are the least scary of all the teams ahead of us. The only way any of the other teams are bigger than us is that their bigs have more years of NBA experience (which, of course, is why McHale does the small ball lineup). This thread's premise is completely wrong. This is an experience problem, not a size problem.
