Dwight is not a two way player to begin with. He is 1.5+ dimensional. He is elite at what he is doing at D and below average to average at the other end.
I think DMo's viable as the backup center provided he plays alongside one stud perimeter defender. For the past year+, it's basically a layup drill against us when Asik/Dwight's out. During those minutes, a stud defender goes a long way to help. I don't know who that may be, but hopefully that player can be part of the Asik deal.
Probably, but it is all about leverage - how much did Kareem weigh, or Ralph? Dmo needs to get lower and learn, but he could be a backup center to Dwight - and add a contrast to Dwights play. DD
This could be valid if Donatas was here to stay but what indicates that either Dmo and/or Jones won't be used as a filler in a trade? Morey might not even think ahead like you. If he stays and we get someone like Nene, Biedrins (any average C or hybrid C name)...in that case he is still getting minutes exclusively at the PF spot.
That info is about 3 years old, when he was still a twig. He was 260 this summer when he was bulking up. He might have trimmed down to 250-255 after that though, because he looks a bit leaner than how he looked in the summer.
I think there should be another way than just bulking up. You need the skills and strength and IQ to defend your man.
D-Mo has skills and IQ. When I see him on the low block I am just amazed by his post game. At such a young age. Strength? I have no way to judge. But after watching the tape of the Denver game he was moved just once against his will by an opposing player. He got a two handed push in the back by a Denver player that put him in the first row. Hibbert looks like he is every bit of 290 pounds. But he is possibly the biggest NBA player since Shaq and Yao. In the preseason game in Taiwan Howard could not move him at all. Nobody in the NBA today is going to budge that mountain, so they better learn to go around him.
As much as I like Dmo, he gets pushed around way too easily. Probably the biggest piece of the puzzle right now for him.
D-Mo has both the skills and a really good BBIQ (fact). I'm not yet sure if that IQ has translated when it comes down to NBA defensive schemes, but I'm sure he will get a hang of it in time. His IQ is leaps and bounds ahead of the Terrence 'What am I doing here' Jones. Now, regarding strength, it seems to me like he could still use some lower body strength. That would be an area where he should work during the next offseason. Other than that, he should get bigger as he matures.
I think D-Mo should be promoted to the rotation instead of Casspi. Casspi is a 3 but D-Mo is a true 4 with better skill sets and post game.
For now I agree, and not sure where he goes from there, he could be a mobile center with range or a PF with the same. But having a post up game is a rare commodity, and the Rockets are wasting it by not using him at the moment. Most teams do not know how to defend quality post play these days. DD
Hopefully he earned some additional PT with his performance in the Denver game. He definitely has some areas of his game that need improvement, but I think his problems are fixable and he'll get better the more time he spends on the court. I believe his game compliments TJ and DH very well as long as he can avoid picking up a bunch of silly fouls.
I like the fact that he can drag the 5s out all the way to the 3pt line, and he can also manhandle the majority of 4s with his moves in the post. It's a "pick your poison" kind of situation for other teams on the defensive end.
I also think Casspi should be the backup swingman to replace Garcia. I prefer a slasher rather than a pure shooter. IMO Casspi's playing style is very similar to Parsons' because both excel at catch and drive. Casspi is also a very good passer and a decent shooter while Garcia's game is very one-dimensional. I really like Casspi and I think he is a much better all-around player than Garcia.
DMO played great the other night and I think he deserves a shot in the rotation because of his size, skill level, and versatility, but the problem with him is he doesn't move terribly well on defense and he gives you nothing in the pick and pop game because he can't hit a mid range jumper. A real underrated aspect of Asik's game was his effectiveness reading the ball screen defense and slipping to the rim. Since the Rox offense depends almost disproportionately on ball screen action, you aren't going to see a ton of traditional high-low action or post up opportunities on the low blocks. DMO is at his best spotting up in the corners and the left wing or posting up, though his post up game tends to clog driving lanes unless you have a stretch player (Casspi or Parsons) next to him--in which case you have the worst post defense in the league. If Jones can get some consistency to his perimeter shot, then those two would be a nice pair.
