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Funny how no one complains about Harden Iso's anymore

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Sweet Lou 4 2, Mar 26, 2014.

  1. Sweet Lou 4 2

    Sweet Lou 4 2 Contributing Member
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    I guess that's what happens when a coaching staff commits to letting a talented player grow into a killer closer by letting them fail over and over again doing something despite fans moans and groans. They get ridiculously good at stepping back and popping a long range J.

    Hmmmm, maybe we should keep dumping the ball into Howard.....
     
  2. Voice of Aus

    Voice of Aus Contributing Member

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    DD i mean murray has been complaining about it all season
     
  3. ish1973

    ish1973 Member

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    Lets discuss it again until he hit some iso game winners in the playoff.
     
  4. FeaR

    FeaR Member

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    How many times Harden failed ? I think the two years he is in Houston, he had a poised offensive game. He had his isolation plays but a lot of times he trusted his teammates. Last year He trusted Delfino to take crucial shots.This year he gave the pass in the corner for Bev three(vs Pho), last game he recognized the double team quickly. Of course there were games matches which he was out of control(like Sacramento) but it's not sth usual for Harden.
     
  5. rolyat93

    rolyat93 Contributing Member

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    Harden's got that left handed Paul Pierce step back now.
     
  6. count_dough-ku

    count_dough-ku Contributing Member

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    He still ISO's, but they're not like they were earlier in the season where he'd frequently dribble out the clock before taking a desperation 3 or dishing off to a teammate who's then forced to heave it before the shotclock goes off. He takes a lot more midrange stepback shots which are far more likely to go in than the last second 27-footers. He's also become much more effective at passing to his teammates when they're actually prepared to shoot.

    I never had a problem with the Rockets giving Harden the ball and letting him create. Miami does the same with LeBron and Wade and OKC does it with Westbrick and Durant. The issue earlier in the season was that Harden wasn't doing a very good job of making plays.
     
  7. DonnyMost

    DonnyMost not wrong
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    No one complains about it anymore because we have alternatives and use them.
     
  8. OremLK

    OremLK Member

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    His midrange game has really developed this season. I think that was one of the last steps for him to be a complete offensive player; the only thing left I could think of is developing his post-up game, but that's probably not necessary anyway with all the post options we already have on the team.
     
  9. bilaal14

    bilaal14 Member

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    maybe because those isos are netting him about 8-10 assist a game lately, and the fact that he has been draining buckets almost every time down while looking to attack.
     
  10. Old Man Rock

    Old Man Rock Contributing Member

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    What a ridiculous thread. The problem was never ISO'ing the problem was dribbling out the clock which he has cut down. It also helps that he is just shooting and playing better. As for dumping it into Howard more that was your plan.
     
  11. torocan

    torocan Member

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    I'm not complaining as much about Harden's ISO's because he's making *better* decisions. He's passing faster and he's not forcing nearly as many shots.

    Does he still ISO at the wrong times? Sure. Does he still sometimes force up a bad shot or wait too long to pass out? Sure. However, it's not nearly as frequent, and that has made it a lower priority on the complaint list.

    On the list of stuff that I'm concerned about right now, Harden's iso's are WAY down the list versus the perpetual force feeding of Dwight in the post...
     
  12. yummyhawtsauce

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    This. Harden still ISO's a little, but like Torocan says, he's passing the ball faster and making better decisions. He seems to share the ball better too as a result.

    The new problem is dumping the ball to Dwight when clearly he's ineffective, managing the minutes a little better for parsons and bench.
     
  13. jtr

    jtr Contributing Member

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    True. But in the fourth quarter give me the Harden iso (without the pounding of the rock) all day long. He has become the rare NBA player who can put a team on his shoulders and carry them to the win. When Harden gets going in the fourth it will most likely be a Houston win. Go Rockets.
     
  14. count_dough-ku

    count_dough-ku Contributing Member

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    Dwight has reverted to his early season form where he seemed uncertain of himself in the post and turned it over a lot. It's probably due to the ankle injury cuz his post-ups were pretty good during January and February. The problem is Chandler is slumping right now too, so with the starting lineup, it's pretty much either calling a play for Harden or dumping into Dwight(with the occasional one-on-one for T-Jones).
     
  15. jtr

    jtr Contributing Member

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    I too am concerned about the PPP on Howard's post ups. However there must be some strategic or personnel reason behind the strategy. McHale and his coaching staff, backed up by the evil genius Morey, are great basketball minds. I thought for a while that Howard's post ups early in the game were oriented towards forcing defensive adjustments. Reconnoitering. But I am not sure anymore. Perhaps I am over analyzing the situation, and it is just an attempt to get Howard engaged in the game. But Howard post ups early in the game are featured nightly. As the game wears on they seem to become less frequent. But I have not run the numbers.
     
  16. count_dough-ku

    count_dough-ku Contributing Member

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    True. If there's one blessing in disguise with Howard's mediocre free throw shooting, it's that it guarantees he'll never be the first(or second or even third) option in the 4th quarter of a close game. If he scores a basket late in a game, it's off of an offensive rebound or an alley-oop.
     
  17. yummyhawtsauce

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    Sometimes, I prefer Harden to ISO when other teammates' shots aren't falling. There was a few times where Harden passed when he shouldn't.

    I think dwight pre-ankle injury at certain games, his post ups were not effective either. I think they should still go to dwight in the post to mix it up a little, but dwight just has to a) react faster, make a move faster so the defense doesn't settle b) if he can pass it out faster, the defense won't be able to react to the pass as fast.

    He needs to get it out of his head that he needs to go 1on1 in the post and dominate his opponent every possession (unless of course, dwight is clearly destroying him).

    Bev has been playing well with shooting the open 3, no complaints there, but maybe some fouls. Chandler is just...blah. His ability to get to the rim and finish in traffic is amazing, but he needs to not force it at times when his shot is straight up laserbeam to teh rim with an audible brick.

    I think McHale could distribute more mins to Lin as well - he should be getting more than 20 min when he's playing reasonably well. Maybe take some from Bev and Chandler (chandler gets too much)
     
  18. KingLeoric

    KingLeoric Member

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    Why would anyone complain if we keep winning?
     
  19. HR Dept

    HR Dept Contributing Member

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    This, to an extent.

    IMO, the difference now is that he does it most when the offense begins to stall or in crunch time. And when he does it, I just get the feeling that something good is going to happen. Similar to how I felt 2-3 years ago with the Texans when Schaub (Rest his soul) came out of the bootleg and and let it fly. Or when the defense was on the field with a 3rd and long.
     
  20. split41

    split41 Member

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    It's because Harden is playing like a superstar, and we're winning - so he can do whatever he wants :p
     

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