Well, until the Rockets find its 2nd star, everything IMO isn't big enough of a deal. Yes, we can stand to be better on transition D, penetration, and guarding the 3pt line. Yes, we turn the ball over. Yes, we iso Harden too much. But fixing any of these problems doesn't change the fact that we are too talent deficient to be a contender. But assuming Parsons stays on the team, the dream scenario is for the Rockets to acquire a versatile defender that can guard multiple positions. A prime Artest or Pippen(defensively speaking) that can guard both faster SGs and stretch 4s to play with Parsons and Harden at the same time.
Here's a pertinent article I found from ESPN Insider. Josh Smith ranked number one. http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8894024/nba-ranking-league-top-10-perimeter-defenders
It's not the greatest list. I found it on a Pacers forum and they were all complaining about Paul George not being on it lol. I agree with them that it's a travesty he's not on there, but overall all the names on that list are good perimeter defenders. Any of those guys would be big for us defensively.
Asik is a great paint defender, but he was out of it against the suns from having extended minutes on both back to back games. He is depended on too much to carry the load on defense due to everyone else's lack of. Great defense starts at the perimeter, so if the knicks are still willing to trade shumpert in the offseason I'd say get on it. (only after Morey lands his nest star)
Thanks for posting, but just based on the fact that Vince Carter is on this list you have to look at it with a grain of salt. I don't care what the numbers say here. Anytime I watch the Mavs Carter doesn't fight over screens, is super lazy closing out and gets constantly lost. He doesn't belong anywhere near the top-10. Smith could and occasionally can be special, but he isn't always engaged, has brain-fart moments every now and then and bigger guys can give him fits in the post. One of the better defenders in the league, obviously, but by no means is he a better defender than LeBron or Tony Allen. Iggy might be better, too. He's more consistent, at least.
The problem with that list is that most of the guys are too old for us, hopefully Morey finds, or drafts the right guy. I brought this up because I think this is usually the most over-looked aspect of building a contender. I'm not part of the "We need a second all-star camp," because we already have no trouble putting points on the board, and between Lin, Parsons, D-Mo etc., I think we may have our guy already. In most of our losses, especially recently, it was our inability to get critical stops that killed us. My dream scenario is for Parsons to develop into a Scottie Pippen type (one of the most underrated players of all time, there is so much he did that doesn't show up on a boxscore). They have similar builds and skill sets, but that's not something we can assume will happen. So I think we should go after a lock-down 2 to also give Harden more rest. We can't replace his offense when he sits, so let's try and limit the other team's offense. This is almost more about getting Harden rest. Younger fans probably can't grasp how dangerous playing too many minutes, even when you're young, can be. Just look at guys like A.I., Vince Carter and T-Mac. They played too much when they were younger and it really hurt their careers down the line. Kobe is a freak of nature, but having Shaq around to draw the defense in, really helped his future. I am really worried Harden might follow a similar career arc. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say no to another all-star, I just don't see it happening this off-season. We won't get Howard, and I'm willing to let someone else pay Jennings and Smith hand out max contracts (I promise you someone will).
I don't know, Josh Smith personality is... cancerous. If he ask for the ball, Mild mannered Lin and Harden arent the people to say "NO!"
I was thinking the exact same thing. Also, any top perimeter defenders list that does not have Avery Bradley on it is immediately suspect in my eyes. That guy changes the outcome of games on the defensive side of the court.
Morey said he had a frontloaded contact offer to an international player after this trade deadline. That possibly meant Sergio Llull. A signing bonus would be a fully guaranteed multi-year deal. Who else would they offer such a commitment? I think Morey will carry on riding the hope of signing Llull this summer. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/film_session_sergio_llull_2012_02_27.html <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bQyWmaTSzNs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It's also missing guys like Sefolosha or however you spell it, Paul George, and Deng. To HMMM: Carter was really interesting. Had to do a doubletake. Haven't watched much Maverick's games this season but apparently defensively Maverick's are better when he's on the court than off. But that stat is misleading since it's dependent on many things like who his backup is, the lineup he's playing with.
Taj Gibson, Danny Green are missing too. Carter is not really that bad of perimeter defender but certainly not elite or top 10 level. Stats geeks like Morey and traditional old schoolers like McHale all agree that most of championships are won INSIDE the paint and NOT at perimeter. There isn't much debate on this. There is a reason why perimeter defenders are not getting max pay. It's a simple of demand and supply. The best perimeter defenders, without being an offensive threat, are paid around 3-5 mil/year (Green, Allen). Anything more, like Taj at 8 mil per, is overpaid. Will Morey pay max to a premier perimeter defender like Iguodala? I serious doubt it. Iggy is not a serious offensive threat and not worth the max. It's easier to find a good perimeter defenders out of drafts and wiser to lock him up at rookie scale contract. It will retain cap flexibility for the more important aspect of defense -- interior paint protection.
Llull is a high energy player, offensively and defensively. But should not be included in a conversation of defensive stoppers.
You don't spend time looking for Toney Allen, Thabo Sefolosha, or Bruce Bowen. You spend your time looking for Zach Randolph, Kevin Durant, or Tim Duncan. Then once you have then, you sign a 3 million free agent, or trade a late first round pick for them, or pick up someone who's been cut a couple times, like Allen, Thabo, or Bruce. Or you sign Battier for 3 million. If you have a great team these guys will find you.
Honestly, when it comes to defense, I just go with who the coaches go with. Coaches are notorious for choosing the better defender on the roster when they're stuck in a conondrum. There's too much noise otherwise unless said player is ungodly good. FWIW, the stat used in the article is the same ones that both point to Jeremy Lin being superior to Douglas as defender this year, as well as pointing to Chandler Parsons being a great defender last year. In the case of Parsons, the stats coincide with McHale's rotation. In the case of Lin, not so much.
I can actually live with Parson's D because the way his O is awesome and he's only going to grow. I think the problem lies more on the mechanical part of the game instead of the players themselves. How often do you see James Harden and CP25 became ball watcher instead once the shot goes up? Little things like that lead to many freebies because of the cutting lane. Having an above average PF would definitely help as he can provide weak side defense and provide covers for whatever grounds Asik has left. Our PF is the really weak position right now, especially on the defensive end. Dmo's work ethic and Trob raw athleticism are both great but they are not the solution RIGHT NOW. They will be really good Rockets for years to come but they are the weakest link in the rockets defense right now.
