Let's take a walk back in time a year ago when we were asking ourselves the same question to see where we are going again this year. -Last year around this time (maybe after the first few preseason games), we had threads being created about questioning whether the likes of D-Mo & Jones were even worthy of being in the rotation (and some suggested they be traded ASAP for little to nothing in return). -About 2 months later, Jones seemed to lock up that spot long term with some great 2nd year player performances throughout the season. Despite not having the shooting ability to truly be considered a true "Stretch 4", and despite not having the height to match-up to the couple teams with multiple dominant bigs, Jones finished the regular season boasting a very, very good PER, and looked to be poised for big things as the youngest player on the team, and a 2nd year player essentially in his rookie year getting real PT. -The playoffs happen, and McHale abandons his primary regular season lineup to try and match up to Portland's ultra big & stretched out lineup. -NOW, as we start training camp, and the verbiage coming from McHale's mouth seems to be that not only does D-Mo has a shot at gaining the starting spot, but even Jeff Adrien might have a shot at earning that starting nod for the season. ......................................................................................................... I wanted to start a thread to monitor this battle throughout the 2014/15 season starting with training camp. What has changed since last May? Who do you think deserves a shot? Who would the Rockets be best served long term developing at that spot? Are the Rockets in panic (must trade for ANYONE) mode? Let's keep tabs and discuss as the preseason & season continue Whose it going to be- -Adrien -Jones -Motiejunas -Papanikolaou -Capela -Dorsey -Harden (Please Note that this is not intended on being a random trade speculation thread. If Morey can TRULY upgrade the PF spot (not Ilyasova/Jason Smith/Bass type upgrade) I'm sure he will. I'm simply wanting to keep tabs on the battle for the minutes at PF from the players currently on the roster).
Man we haven't had a real PF since Scola...If only Tracy and Yao stayed healthy..That team was damn good.
Last year at this time we had a popular thread where people were arguing if Casspi would be the starter. I would go with the most obvious choice and say it's TJones' spot.
Jones will be the starter. He can shoot well enough to spread the floor a bit, he can dribble and beat his man off the dribble, he's athletic and can block shots and throw down some dunks. He's the best option the Rockets have. Motiejunas makes too many mistakes and doesn't rebound as well as Jones, and he's not athletic enough to put the ball on the floor. Adrien is too small. Adrien is only 6'7". Jones is considered slightly small for his position, and he's 6'9". So Adrien is tiny. He's good for getting in the game and giving a lot of intensity defensively and on the glass and wreaking havoc in small doses. Like a spark plug to get the team going. He's not a starter. Dorsey has good size but he cannot shoot at all. He would be like playing Asik at the PF spot. Not going to work. Although he's very athletic, so it would be interesting to see how him and Dwight would function defensively.
And Capela is too young and raw and Papanikolaou isn't big enough to be the full-time PF. He can play the stretch four spot when the team wants to go small. The "Delfino role".
Given the fact that our top offensive options are Harden and Howard, we do need a PF who can "stretch" the defense. Both our two cornerstones needs the open lane (in different ways) to be effective. I have given up hope that either Jones or Motiejunas will ever be an effective outside shooter. I still have some hope that DMo will toughen up and improve on his post game to be a solid backup 4-5 when Howard sits. Jones is kind of like Parsons in that he does everything okay but none outstanding. None of the other PFs on our roster has remotely any potential to be a stretch 4. So I kind of agree with the sentiment that our starting PF is not on the roster yet. Or else, be prepared to see a lot of small ball lineups.
I think it's Jones and it isn't even close. Then I think Adrien is going to earn the majority of the bench PF minutes. You'll see Pap at the 4 with the bench and the starters: Bev,Harden, Ariza, Pap, Howard Canaan, Terry, Garcia, Pap, D-Mo I think you see D-Mo get minutes at bench Center, with here and there PF minutes.
I think McHale is just trying to keep Jones motivated and keep him thinking he has something to prove. Jones is so young in the league and McHale needs him to keep competing for his spot. But at the end of the day, Jones is the best option we have at starting PF right now. Not counting RGV time, he's been in the league for 1.25 years. Last year he was a 12/7 guy in his first full NBA season. He COULD make a jump this year. But probably not enough of a jump to keep Morey off the market.
DMo's FIBA performance left a lot to be desired. He was taken out of games during critical moments and demonstrated little improvement in his long range shooting. Having said that, his help/rotation defense was noticeably improved and he actually tried to grab some boards. His post offense is the same it always was but he was impressive in facilitating the offense and operating out of the high post. Mchale claims that he is looking for better rebounding and defense out of all his guys. I expect no different from the starting 4 spot. If that is the case, DMo has a good chance of starting. However, we know pretty much nothing about what TJones looked like over the summer. I know he was participating in a pro am in Portland, but that doesn't say much. Good point in bringing up Jeff Adrien. At the end of last season with the Bucks, he demonstrated much of what Mchale is asking for. Of course, his ceiling is very limited and his offense is only slightly better than Joey Dorsey's. At the end of the day, I think the biggest factor is chemistry with Dwight and the starting unit. If he doesn't mesh well with the superstar, it won't matter if he is the "better" player (see Lin, Jeremy). It will be interesting to see.
Our only hope of landing a good power forward would have to occur during the season and depends a lot on other teams. If Nikola Mirotic turns out to be stud, and Pau Gasol plays really well, there won't be enough minutes for Noah, them two and Gibson. Maybe Gibson becomes available then. And if Indiana stinks it up then maybe David West. But this will also depend on how New Orleans performs, and whether that pick and TJones or another young asset can step up and increase their value. Chicago wouldn't care much for jones but maybe Indy.
Terrenace Jones, unless he didnt get any better over the summer, then Probably DMO. Those other guys have no reason being starting anything besides Harden
Slightly off-topic, but I'm watching the WSH-CHI game and it is painfully obvious that Pau is the starting PF we should have had (besides Bosh).
It will be Jones' job to lose, but if keep making mistakes on defense or can't hit a three and DMo continues his play from SL, then DMo can steal it. When DMo doesn't foul (rarely), he actually plays good defense - better than Jones. DMo also has a better stroke and fits in better with Dwight as a legit post player. Jones is more accomplished though and fits better with the other guys since he cuts well. I'm looking for both to have big years, since it is their 3rd year in the league. Hopefully Jones can play better defense and continue expanding his offensive game. And DMo just needs time on the floor. So many of his mistakes are due to not getting consistent minutes.
Tjones with Adrien as the backup 4. Think Dmo will play the 5 along with Dorsey in some situational stints at the 4 and 5
Seriously though... my take is that D-Mo is the PF they WISH they had to play the way he's perfectly capable of playing at times. But for some reason the guy just can't seem to put it all together for two games in a row. I'm not sure what's wrong with the guy, but its frustrating. Obviously I give Jones the edge and I think moving forward if he's the guy they move forward with I'm ok with that, but obviously I know they can do better IF they are truly able to upgrade the spot (AND NO ILYASOVA IS NOT AN UPGRADE). Jones is probably best suited as more of a 6th man type of big. Sort of a cross between Landry and Lamar Odom (before he turned into Lam Lam). Capela is a complete unknown but he has the tools to make the Rockets elite defensively if he's a player. Just going to have to wait and see what he can bring over time, but he has elite physical abilities which is something the Rockets haven't had in years. I see them possibly going small with Papanikolaou at the end of games, but I don't think McHale has the guys to start him at the 4 necessarily. Papanikolaou does alot of those intangibles that coaches love. I think he's going to get more PT than folks here think. But like I mentioned before, D-Mo is the guy who, If he could ever put it together, could be the guy that takes this team to another level. Sadly enough, I haven't seen enough to think he has what it takes to put together solid performances on a nightly basis. If its Jones, its Jones. I still think he's going to be a solid player at the very least. Just not sure the Rockets are ever going to be able to be elite defensively on the front-line with him starting, and would love to see him thrive coming off the bench where he could dominate his matchups nightly.