ClutchFans Game Thread: Pelicans @ Rockets 10/5/2013 (PRESEASON)

Thoughts...
1) turnovers still a BIG problem. Harden and Howard turning the ball over 2-3x is acceptable because of their usage rate, but the others have to really limit theirs. If this means slowing the game down and making less risky passes, then so be it. This is why i think we need a veteran pf and pg to steady the ship and limit youthful mistakes.

2) lin and beverly rotation reminds me of brooks/lowry combo. A good thing for the rox.

3) we really need asik to anchor that 2nd unit. It is a layup fest when dwight is out of the game.

4) i dont see brewer or smith sticking with the team. Covington and canaan both are going to the dleague this year.

5) we are just one significant player away from legitamate title hopes. I think that player is a defensive '4' who can rebound well and hit the occassional jumper. Anybody know where we can find one of these?

 

When I read that I was thinking soon Bev will soon start over Lin like Lowry did with Brooks. But that is a good combo

 

We need a garbage man veteran power forward. Chucky Brown type to hit a 15 foot jumper, defend, and rebound or a veteran stretch four who can hit the 3, defend, and rebound. Don't think DMo is that guy unfortunately.

 

Do you do anything besides troll? You need to go into therapy for low self esteem.

 

exactly

someone proposed Lin for Jordan Hill/Steve Blake.

works from cap standpoint

Hill is a rebounding machine and Steve is one of the most prolific off the ball spot up shooting PGs in the league today

 

Overall, agree with your post.

But Dmo playing better defense means doing it without having to foul to be effective.

When he can defend AND keep his fouls down, then I will be onboard with the idea that his defense has improved.

 

Yeah, my impression from the first game is that D-Mo is a better fit with Howard, and Jones might be a better fit with Asik.

 

Happy with the 1st unit.

Dwight and Harden will be a killer combo. Parsons looked good. Lin was good. Beverly I love, does all the little things great. Jones IMO should be considered as PF or at least in rotation.

Not happy with D-Mo at times. Too many silly fouls, but he is ok.

My rotation

C- Howard
C/PF- Asik
PF- Motiejunas
PF- Jones
SF- Parsons
SF- Garcia (Too bad he didn't play)
SG- Harden
PG- Lin
PG- Beverly

I'm torn on 11-13 on Active Roster. I think 14-15 are Cannan and Covington. And both are D-League bound.

So down to.

Ronnie Brewer
Marcus Camby
Aaron Brooks (I love Brooks so much, would love him to be security guy in case of injury)
Reggie Williams
Omri Casspi (Impressed me, likely in rotation then, SF/PF, with Garcia also a SG backup)
Greg Smith (Do we keep him, or Camby, can we get a 2nd rd pick for Smith)

 

Nice breakdown. Of the remaining guys, and assuming we don't trade any of them, I think we'll keep Casspi and Greg Smith.

 

Also side-note impression-

Looks like Dwight really slimmed down from last year and the year before. Looked much less bulky but looked very agile.

 

Rockets got Assist of the Night on NBA.com
I like it when they get these "of the Night" plays' recognition, this is the first of many to come this season.
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9 nights out of 10 our starters are going to dominate the opposing teams starters. We just need our bench to hold serve and once Asik gets back on the court I don't see any reason that won't be the case. In the past under Morey our bench has always been deep and strong and I believe we will find the right mix this year. Greg Smith is another guy that when healthy can be a bit of instant offense.

As for the power forward spot I'm not seeing much out of D-Mo and for everyone saying Jones would be better off the bench because he doesn't mesh as well with the stars I would point out that he played a superb complimentary role on those Kentucky teams. I just think he has much better defensive potential and once Asik gets back it won't necessarily be about who starts but who gets minutes. 96 minutes to go around between C and PF and I think by then end of the years we see a 3 man rotation with some Greg Smith mixed in as well as the occasional Casspi/Parons small ball. If we can get our hands on a solid veteran before the season or at the deadline without giving up Asik it would be interesting.

 

In Sacramento he was here around this time last year

 

wow dude u dont see much with Dmo out of whole 10minutes he played with starters... anyway what did u expect when he is fifth option on offense? Dmo looked alright on defense except some dumb fouls, he passed well, also he battled for rebounds. Also him fouling out is not an issue really, he wont be seeing more than 20mpg this season anyway.

 

Harden looked good.
Dwight looked real good.
Parsons looked decent.
Lin looked pretty good except for his TOs. Needs to shoot when he's open also.

Beverley was a freakin MONSTER on defense. He made Jrue Holiday look like Jeremy Lin against Chalmers when Linsanity ended.

 

To sum it up:
1. Clutch looks super cute in pink. Best mascot in the NBA if not all sports.
2. Holiday should change his name to Stress-Leave.

 

The difference is that this wasn't Jrue Holiday's 10th game as a starter.

 

Yeah, except for those 6 dumb fouls....

Anyway its not all about this preseason game. I didn't see anything from him all of last year and he played in 40+ games. He looks so uncoordinated out there, I have never seen a player spend so much time on the ground, he falls down constantly. I just don't think he is a rotation player at this point in his career. I hope he improves but I think he is going to see significantly fewer minutes than Jones this season.

 

Just watched some highlights from the game, I am again amazed at how good our starters were together. Couple of sequences near the start of the game where Harden got 3s, but only after a lot of beautiful ball movement, reminded me of the best of the Spurs. I know it is just one preseason game, but they looked really good.

About DMo, watching the clips, I am more impressed at his off the ball awareness than I was watching the game. He seems to know how things are unfolding, where the other players are, and where he can go to best maximize the chances for other players.

Lin doing a good job at playing his role, distributing the ball. Initial indications of how he can play off of Dwight are good.

Chandler - again impressed me,. Whether he is scoring or not, he's such a crucial part of this team. His off ball movement is probably the best of the starters.

Harden and Howard -looking like superstars. And, there are still rough spots of course. But Howard just seems to fit with the team. And he seems happy to be here, which is a great sign.