Because I'm sure it's not going to be Beverley. At least it better not be. I rarely start new threads but I'm curious to see what we do here. Some of the topics/issues heading into the off-season were to get a new coach, find the elusive 3rd superstar, get better at the PF spot, improve defense etc. but rarely has finding a new starting PG been brought up and I think that was our most glaring weakness and is now moreso than ever. I love Bev as much as the next guy but he's just not cut out to be a starting PG (yet). Especially with the roster we now currently have. If for some magical reason we end up getting Kevin Love in a deal that includes Jones + assets who's going to get our Superstars the ball? This is another reason why I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of Melo or Bosh even though I was open to the idea of getting Bosh if it meant retaining Chandler since he can pass and make plays. With the loss of Parsons and Lin that's 8+ assists that others on the team have to make up. I'm excited for Ariza's defense but passing and making plays for himself and especially others was never his strong suit. Conversely, his game is spotting up and shooting open 3's which is where he found the most success last year but who's going to get him those open looks? I think Bev will struggle to make the timing/type of passes/open looks Wall was able to provide for Ariza. Furthermore, this puts more pressure on Harden to handle the ball more and make plays because he's now our ONLY playmaker with good ball handling skills. So we will have to look forward to more Harden ISO's and Harden trying to create buckets for others which will lead to more fatigue, and this is all in addition to us wanting him to give a better effort on the defensive side of the ball. This also means no easy buckets for Dwight... we can hate on Parsons/Lin all we want but they were able to find Dwight a couple times per game for an easy dump off slam or alley-oop. The last thing we need is a Dwight b****ing and complaining but I can totally see that happening. If we had a decent X's and O's coach who could simply draw up some simple offensive plays.. even then I would still be concerned but with McHale's incompetence to draw up even some of the most basic plays and Bev's inability to create for others on the offensive end combined with Bev's inability to create for others we are doomed. Last year Bev started majority of the season and played a very healthy 31MPG and averaged a dreadful 2.7 APG. That's just not going to cut it as a starter. Especially the way things have unfolded this last week. Morey, please re-deem yourself and make it happen. The deal you should've originally done. Yes, I'm talking about Rondo.
Harden. Over the 2 years with Rockets, Harden was the only consistent starting PG on this team. Looking for his AST to go up as Parsons and Lin are gone. Bev is good at what he does, dribble the ball cross, and pass to Harden or Howard, then wait to shoot for 3 and play hard D on the other end.
Im down for Rondo, or one of the Suns 4 PG's! **** they are like the san francisco 49's and WR's, hogging all of them.. Anyway, did Bledsoe already resign? if so Dragic?
Exactly. Same as last year. If OP means who is starting guard next to Harden, I am hoping against all hope for Lance Stephenson.
Beverley isn't a PG, just the player responsible for defending opponent PGs and knocking down 3's. Harden is our PG, always has been always will.
This is an issue that I think is getting overlooked, too. I think Jones can take a big step offensively this year and help fill the void left by Parsons, we just need to get a defensive-minded player to come off the bench when the situation calls for it. PF depth was definitely a concern, but veteran PG is what we really need too focus on acquiring.
Didn't happen. (Didn't even replace the two assistants...yet) Didn't happen. Didn't happen...yet. Happened. Kinda, sorta. ... They did try for Lowry but like everything else, didn't happen.
I think Brooks would be nice and we seem to be going for ex rockets (BRING ON GARRET TEMPLE lol..... no) Chauncey billups is old but has a lot of good experience, same with jameer nelson who is a beast at assists (which you stated was a problem) If possible I would want Lance Stephenson but really wouldnt be too upset with any of these guys.
Beverley, Harden is the play maker but Beverley is the defensive stopper Not all point guards are there to make plays
Who knows, maybe Bev has been working his ass off to become a better PG this offseason? Give him a chance.
We want and need to make things easier for Harden by getting the ball out of his hands. Harden averaged 6 assists per game last year and he did everything else except play defense. Now we want him to create even more opportunities in addition to everything else he does and play defense? Also, since he's our only playmaker he's going to see a lot more double and tripple teams this year unless we find help at PG.
Best "point" here is we have lost 2 playmakers and are down to one. What the hell are we going to do? We have to have at least one more.
Shooting is one thing but it's extremely difficult to improve dribbling, vision and passing skills. Usually those skillsets are there or not.
Rockets basically down to one playmaker now. Will be interesting to see what happens when Harden is resting or when he gets burned out from playing 40+ minutes a night.