I don’t know man. These guys besides EG (you’ll probably say Green) have NEVER produced in the playoffs. They will double Harden and force him to give up the ball on every play. Like every play! I just don’t see how the offense will produce enough points. How will we ever get to 100 points?
It’s really not man. We’re a team that relies on a system that could not afford Russ being out. Maybe I’m being over dramatic because I have a feeling Russ will miss more than 3 games and he won’t be 100% when he gets back. But ESPECIALLY when we traded Clint we became a team that would not be able to overcome an injury like this. This team is not the same team as two years ago. EG isn’t as good. PJ isn’t as good. Both have slowed down. Roco’s shot has been awful. Don’t trust Ben. Don’t have a veteran like Ariza (I was never too upset we didn’t keep him to be clear but we got the most out of him and obviously we could use a playoff tested wing if we’re shorthanded). McLemore and House? Yikes. I’m not saying this to disrespect them. I just think it’s really bad luck and unfortunate. EDIT: with regards to Westbrook coming back from injury, I actually don’t know much about injuries but to me a strained quad is something that probably will be vulnerable for a while and can easily be re-aggravated if you push it. And if Westbrook is not going at it 100%, he won’t play his style and he will be god awful settling for horrendous jump shots.
I posted this in the Russ thread but posting here too How the hell can CJ play with a broken back but Russ can't play with a strained quad muscle????
I’d even add Gallo > Roco, House or Ben People will argue the Roco one but I’m not seeing it these days
To dumb it down we had identical records this season only we’re going to be without a player that averaged 27 points per game for us
I dont think Clint helps us at all in this situation. But Green at the 5 can be a secondary ball handler who is also shooting 36% from 3 and 80% around the rim. He is a true triple threat. Green needs to play more than 22 mins. And EGo should be able to play the Russ role, even if his shot is not falling from distance he can still drive and finish vs. the space created by Harden being doubled team AND no Rockets 5 crowding paint with his defender. I also think this will be a huge opportunity for Rivers to be that premium scorer he said he was. Playing in a 5 out system should unlock him. I am truly excited by how much more efficient on offense and defense the Rockets will be. But I will definitely miss the insane pace that Russ plays at and the killer attitude he adds to the team. You just cannot measure those intangibles.
