Why do you refer to Pau Gasol as "Lurch" and "Ostrich"?? Come to think of it he does kind of look (and walk) like an ostrich.
I do not disagree with you pertaining Harden's D. I have expressed many times my disdain to Harden's D, and it might be some of the worst effort I have ever seen in the NBA. When I recorded every defensive possession for 3 games in the regular season (previous thread), I was not surprised that Harden was the worst Rockets defender each time. I do not look at defensive stats very often; my opinion is that they don't tell the whole story. However, if all of them say Harden sucks, it is hard to deny those numbers, for people that do not utilize the eye test. I also agree with your statement that the Rockets go as far as Harden's D will allow them. However, say Dwight gets on Harden for being lazy, and he improves his defence to, say, Dirk level. I make this assumption that he will continue to be lazy while playing on ball, but not so much with rotations and getting around off-ball screens. Do you think the Rockets will be able to overcome the other 3 defensive liabilities, and a more attentive Harden (still not a plus)? None of those four had a particularly good series offensively, yet, the Rockets still had good offensive stats due to Howard (and Daniels). Clearly, defense needs to be prioritized: the offence is fine, and I am confident to say that it will continue to be fine relying on Howard. You can bench either Lin/Parsons/Jones, but all three? All three are young, are clear rotation/starters, and will get more attentive and sneaky as they age, but that is a major gamble to take.
I don't think we disagree. If there are improvements to be made at any position by any means, the team should make it. My guess based on the data is that if Harden had been just a slightly below average defender (like 45th percentile) as opposed to a horrific one (like the 5th percentile), the 2013-14 team would probably be good enough to have a top 10 defense, which would make it a much more realistic "contender." They'd likely get pass Portland in the first round, too, given how close that series was. Just a couple more stops could have been the difference.
28 is old now? It's like some people don't watch pro basketball. Tony Parker says hi. Lowry is better value than Carmelo at the max, no doubt about that. You can bet Morey knows this as well, seeing as how he's the one that unearthed the gem that is Lowry. Low over Lo and Love.
This is what I would like if we don't get Love or another COMPLIMENTARY star (not Melo). Gasol and Howard is a very good combination that was improperly used by the Pringles man, and could be made effective by a good x's and o's guy as an assistant coach. We all know about Lowry.
Kyle and Beverly on the floor at the same time pressuring the other team. Now that sounds interesting. bet some wild stuff would happen ! Go Rockets.......................Off Season !
Anyone who doesn't think Gasol would substantially improve this team on both ends might be inept at thinking.
Gasol is a notably better scorer, defender, rebounder and passer then anybody at our 4 spot. He's also a smart veteran with championship rings, he would be a nice leader for this team. Yet people still are skeptical or against him.
Yea and Asik would probably have to be traded away to create cap space to sign Gasol and or Lowry in the first place. A three man Howard, Gasol and Jones rotation would probably work nicely.
I love it. Thank you for posting something other than Melo, Love, etc. I think both are doable and would allow us to keep our core intake (ie Parsons). Lin would have to go, , but he'll be fine and so will we.
Gasol and Lowry would be a homerun, assuming they both accept the role given to them. Lowry would clearly be 3rd option and Gasol would have to accept that he's here to play defense and facilitate the offense. But if you can get them both to commit and fit them within the cap space, that's a hell of a starting five. And I think Lowry would fit the mold of the "3rd best player on a championship team" that Morey wants. I think Morey will feel out Bosh (if available) and Melo early, then quickly move to something like this if he feels that the odds are slim.
