Dwight looked like a guy who was a little tired and there to do what he could. Back to backs up to Utah have a way of doing that.......ask Hakeem.
I know for a fact that Dwight will be one of, if not the most, criticized Rocket in the GARM this year, but what folks will fail to realize is that despite the things that he does that are aggravating(turnovers, poor post up possessions, free throw misses), its his sole existence on the floor that really matters, and what that allows the rest of the team to accomplish that will ultimately pay dividends. The fact is teams plan for Dwight, and suck the defense in to account for his physical presence which leads to open shooters, etc. I really hope that teams start to feel as if Dwight no longer needs to be guarded and teams gameplay to strictly stop the perimeter players instead. Then we will truly see how much of an upgrade Dwight is from Asik offensively when teams decide to not guard him with basically two guys like they do now. -As for Dwight buying in- The coaches and players seem to know that Dwight needs to get some touches even if its not an incredibly efficient shot. You don't need a steady diet of Dwight post ups, but you need to keep him active in the offense either way. Also, even though Dwight hasn't been able to convert much of his post ups, I like how he's been able to get position, and his initial move to the basket is solid. As the season goes on, he works more and more with McHale/Hakeem, and the game slows down a little bit for him, we should see a bit more efficient post play from Dwight. Lastly- keep in mind that McHale and Hakeem have been trying to get Dwight to use his speed in the post more from a little bit further out since they feel that he has the edge against slower centers. As Dwight isn't really accustomed to putting the ball on the floor as much, and driving, this could be what is leading to more turnovers when he's making his moves to the basket. I expect this to be corrected when the team has lulls between games when they can put some good practice and one-on-one sessions in. Fact is- He should get even better as the season goes on. Dwight is bought in because he has a franchise that is 100% bought in on him, and they know that Dwight is the key to this team contending for multiple titles even though Harden is their best player. The Lakers didn't realize that. The Rockets sure look like they do.
Please stop. Those announcers were atrocious. The color guy was worse than Sean Elliot (Spur's color guy). And then I realized that their color guy was actually Matt Harpring and I nearly threw my remote at my TV.
Favorite moments were when Harpring GUARANTEED that Kanter would get a double-double in the second half (didn't happen). And when he asked someone back at the Utah Jazz studio if they still thought the Rockets, after that first half of basketball, were perennial Western Conference contenders (hinting that he should retract that prediction). The guy basically responded with "I'm not going to retract my prediction about a team based on one half of basketball". In a nutshell, **** Matt Harpring.
Buying into it 100% ? You must be referring to when he keeps on asking for the ball in the post despite repeatedly turning it over.
We do need to keep Dwight at top form on half court sets. That's gonna be bread and butter during playoffs.
He isn't close to 2009 Dwight at least offensively. I still feel he could do better on the offensive end but then again that's maybe because he isn't getting as many touches. But still, even though we won the Utah game we had no business being down 19 to the freaking JAZZ if we have the best SG AND C in the league. But for now, I won't worry and we're still 3-0.
It seems from watching the first few games the DH when he is in the post, he has a hard time muscling his way to the basket to create a good shot attempt. I know it is early, but he should be making 60 percent of his FGs instead of 50 percent he is now getting.
Looks pretty good to me although there is still room for improvement...as long as Dwight is happy, getting his touches, and being that elite rim protector we know him to be this should be one hell of a season for us rockets fans.
