Yes. You could interpret this year's "all in" smallball strategy as an attempt to compensate for our lack of skill by out-smalling opponents and hoping that might produce more advantages than disadvantages. In which case the experiment, at least in this version, failed.
Morey needs to find a big man with talent to create but isn’t being used that way. Bam wasn’t always averaging 5 APG Bol Bol is less likely than trading for a third star.
You've apparently never hit the world-class nightclubs in Tomball with some of the hundreds of supermodels there, my friend.
I think this is very close. After losing Capela I always thought we were another wing away from being fully staffed in this style. That is a guy like Bam or in our case a guy like Ibaka. We needed more D. Our real problem with SKILLBALL and D'Antoni was the extra 20-30 3s a game that were LAZYBALL. I don't mind us shooting 50 3s in a flowing offense but there were too many times in almost every game where the team went without scoring for stretches of minutes because they wanted to take a break and launch contested 3s or just lazy, no pass or attempt to get inside 3s. The team never really had a warning sign as a team about going cold for so long and it affected the D and the overall O for long stretches even after. Its great when you go on a 20 point run but you cannot be feast and famine. It made our team Jeckyll and Hyde too many times. When he was working it Brodie's slashing layup style was such a plus because it was always get to business. If we needed to do more subbing to exert more effort it is such a shame that we used up Harden and always left DeMarre Carroll and others on the bench that could have saved our stars for more stretches. In many ways Russ attacking was far better than CP3 but some of the blitz from the staggering of Harden and CP3 was lost that I think really put teams on their heels. The first LA game clearly showed we had the ability to gas them out but instead our team never adjusted and was gassed. Ultimately that falls on the coach and Morey for not seeing the statistical relevance. This BS about numbers regressing to the means cannot be used when you can clearly identify from past years 5 minutes stretches in the beginning of the 3rd or this year the 4th where the team just takes a break. You cannot say its missing Harden while he is on the bench or anything like that. I think letting Russ take over 15 shots was a mistake again not because he did so bad but it was like OKC all over again with the assassin KD in witness protection. Too much of the games looked like that although Harden was more statistically efficient. If Russ has to have 30 shots a game to be effective then its not effective. 15 layups or short jumpers with his passing and rebounding is plenty effective. It feels like this got solved and then shelved in the playoffs because we didnt adjust and got lazy again.
It's easier to find skilled pieces that fit (can shoot & defend 4+ positions) under 6-10 than ones over, something that got more pronounced when Russ square peg dropped into the CP3 round hole. if the Rockets had kept CP3 but still shipped Clint for Cov that would be interesting to see.
I hated on this move but boy was I wrong. However I still think we couldn't had an absolutely dominant trio with him, CP and Beard.
I'm sooooo in disbelief. I can't believe Jim and the Heat beat Lebron, AD, and the Lakers. Oh....wait he hasn't won anything yet? I'll eat crow when Jim beats Lebron and is holding the Larry O'Brien. I will give him credit for not being a p***y and following major stars(Harden didn't either), making the NBA overall more competitive and less lopsided in the East anyway. Keep in mind Lebron and Leonard are longer in the East. I don't have to like the Tomball Gumby looking mf'er but I can respect it. Clippers losing is more surprising than JB leading the Heat to win ECF. It's all for nothing if he doesn't beat Lebron though so.....meh. Guess he can pat himself on the back? That it took him longer to get eliminated because Lebron and Leonard is in the West?
Regardless of some of our feelings about Butler, all of which he's earned via his dickish behavior in recent years, I still say he's exactly the kind of star Harden needs to be paired with: someone with alpha attitude but who still would'nt mind Harden being the focus. Of the 3 stars we've paired with Harden so far, CP3 came the closest, but his alpha-ness is of the barking little dog variety. Dwight is (ghost of Kobe speaking) "SOFT!" and Russ is... well, Russ. Harden needs someone who will (especially during the playoffs) step up and say, "Enough of the bullsh!t. Let's stop f$#king around and win this game." There are maybe half a dozen guys like that in the league, though, which is why you have to pounce on them when they're available.
Miami is just a better organization top to bottom compared to the Houston Rockets. Miami has made the finals in 06, 12,13,14, and now looking like they will make it in 20. better owner Better GM Better scouting Better coach
lol I was horribly wrong. I haven’t repented for my sins here but I’ve stated how wrong I was elsewhere. Yes I was one of those people. But also... shut the **** up
and more favorable officiating if not for the refs rockets beat durant's warriors and become the best team of all times miami were irrelevant in last 4-5 years and rockets were the only team in the ENTIRE ASSOCIATION who challenged the best team of all times for years... all other teams just flat gave up and threw their hands up in resignation...didnt even try... and ridiculed rockets for even thinking(!) such a thing is even remotely possible... but the rockets did it... just didnt have the injury luck and had a terrible officiating....otherwise they would have dethroned the mighty warriors... the best team of all times... TAKE THAT FOR DATA
