I'd have to go back and study some tape, but that sounds about right. Since we heavily featured the longball (even more so when Omer sat), perhaps the staff thought that letting them have some 3 pointers of their own, and focusing on shoring up the lane of easy looks, we could hold the fort until Asik got his wind back.
We have seen for years the effects of not having a stopper in the paint. It at times compromises the entire defense. I actually can see the Rockets having a top 5 defense next season. After all they were 7th when Asik was on the floor last season.
Problem with this is that defenses can close the lane down and also put pressure on your 3 point shooters. I don't think it's practical to say 70% of your offense can come at the rim or 3 point line.
Lol If they are closing the lanes down and putting up enough pressure at the perimeter to disrupt that then the mid range is not going to help much either. What is needed is a lot of ball movement and get the players blocking the lanes into foul trouble.
Why not? Houston only had 27% of their shots from 3-23 feet last season. I actually think that % will drop some next season.
Dwight & Asik should develop midrange games; to draw opposing centers out of the paint, from time to time, but still earn their bread & butter around the rim overall.
e Exactly. Glad to see someone making sense. Stop taking the less valued shots all together. Play the best odds.
This is silly. Is someone actually arguing that all you have to do to win a title is run a more efficient offense? Do you think more mid range shots would have made the Rockets better last year?
If you run a more efficient offense and have a top 5 or so on defense you are well on the way to the WCF.
Sorry, that was a rhetorical question. Nobody is saying that more efficient offense will win a title by itself, but some people are saying that you have to win a title to prove the system works, which is silly.
Well I think if D-Mo got a lot of playing time, he might hit 35% and if TJ got a lot of playing time he might become at least a league average defender next year. But, of course, separately those achievements don't count (and may well be mutually exclusive considering the probable need for playing time), so yeah, you're right, that one is pretty unlikely. There's one condition you listed that I think that doesn't really need to happen: newcomers (apart from Howard) don't need to break into the rotation. If Garcia plays well, and either TJ or D-Mo plays well (other listed conditions), then that's an eight or nine man rotation (enough for the playoffs): Harden, Howard, Parsons, Asik, Lin, Bev, and Garcia, as well as TJ or D-Mo. Not saying it wouldn't be nice for someone else to force their way into the rotation, just saying it's not at all necessary. An young eight-player rotation is large enough for the playoffs. And a nine-player rotation is completely standard.
