All the talk around here is primarily about Harden and Lin. Especially when it comes to defense but yet Parsons seems to get a pass. For the most part _ the best perimeter defenders in the NBA are guys who play the small forward position (or guys 6'7 and over). Guys who are long and athletic. They are harder to shoot over and get around. Examples _ LeBron, Iggy, George, Deng, Jimmy Butler, etc... Five teams who I think are legitimate championship contenders at this point are Miami, San Antonio, OKC, Golden State, and Indiana. Look at who those teams have at the small forward position _ LeBron/Battier, Leonard, Thabo, Iggy, and George. And a majority of the top defensive teams have either a 2-way small forward and or a defensive minded small forward. Parsons is becoming a one way offensive player and he's also handling the ball a lot more trying to become a facilitator. The Rockets have Harden and Lin for that which they excel at. All of Parsons increasing responsibilities in the offense seems to have taken his concentration away from the defensive side of the ball. McHale is not even using Parsons to cover the other teams top offensive options a majority of the time. TJ has been getting that job as of late _ like guarding Rudy Gay and Melo who are actually small forwards. Garcia has pretty much fallen off the map, Casspi is not a wing player, and McHale has no faith in Brewer (maybe because he suxks). There's only so much Beverley or Lin can do when guarding opposing point guards individually. And although Harden and Lin aren't good defenders _ when those two or clicking offensively (as they have for several games this season) they usually outscore and outplay their counterparts anyway... For the Rockets to take a serious step forward Parsons is going to have to be a beast on the defensive end who can step up and guard the 1-3 positions whenever needed. That allows Harden and Lin to run freely and do what they do best. And if Parsons (or Garcia, Brewer) can't do that _ maybe Morey can find someone who can.
Have a hard time understanding a point to this thread or if you are seriously wanting answers to a question here. How good is the small forward position in the NBA or just the Rockets??? Are you suggesting there is an upgrade needed? Are you advocating for a Parsons trade? What improvements does he need? Etc. Need some definition here please.
I've been thinking the same thing. We should see improvement over the course of the season though. The team really needs to practice their team defense. That would mitigate some of our woes on the perimeter. Too often, it seems that our perimeter defense isn't funneling drives toward the baseline into Dwight. It seems that we're playing defense, without the guarantee that somebody will assist.
If harden continues to be a defensive liability, you have to pair him with an elite wing defender. That means Parsons is the starter with the most danger of not being here in the long term. Beverly cannot help Harden on D because he can't guard SG and SF positions. A Lin, Harden, Iguodala/Butler/Deng combination has a much better chance of being adequate defensively than a Harden, Parsons, Beverly combo.
Five teams who I think are legitimate championship contenders at this point are Miami, San Antonio, OKC, Golden State, and Indiana. Look at who those teams have at the small forward position _ LeBron/Battier, Leonard, Thabo, Iggy, and George.--- I like this quote - i think we are one lockdown perimeter player that can hit the 3 away from being 11-1, Someone who can play with parsons and harden in the 4th. We need that player so we can throw him on whoever is the biggest risk at the perimeter is. Not saying he can stop them but at least slow them down. Bev could be that guy but he is just not tall enough or have the wing span to guard the 3 and taller 1s and 2s.
Parsons D has regressed each season he has been in the league while his Offense has improved. At this point we need D. He needs to focus on that and let our other playmakers handle the O
The only person I would trade Parsons for is Igoudala that would give us our elite perimeter defender that we have been yearning for so long.
I think he means that behind Parsons fancy stats(due to our pace and his usage)is he getting the job done from a defensive standpoint like he did as a rookie?..or can we get someone better.
Andre Igoudala would solve all of our problems on the perimeter defensive side. Our best lineup would be. Lin Harden Igoudala (After Parson Trade) Ryan Anderson or Ersan Ilyasova (After Asik Trade) Dwight Howard No one is beating that starting 5 not even Miami. Problem is Igoudala just signed with GSW and there is no way they are trading him to us. Even though he and Dwight Howard are really good friends.
Parsons can't afford to concentrate on D with that minuscule contract of his. Maybe after he gets his numbers and gets a 4 year 10 million contract in a couple of years he'll start playing some D.
Morey has the luxury of being able to be patient. However, if Parsons doesn't show improvement on the defensive end, I think he'll be out the door for an improvement on the defensive end.
It's funny before the season started everybody was talking about how they want to "guard the other teams' best players", "be defensive captain", "get back to playing good D", yada yada yada... Now everybody is either playing for offensive stats or playing it safe to avoid foul trouble.
Parsons' D has been bad since last year. But his offense have improved this year. He benefited a lot from Howard's double team. He seems to start finding his 3pt shots back, so he will be even better. His play making skills have improved as well, but I hope he steps up his D more. We really need that.
IMO Iggy is very underrated, he is a good playmaker and he is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. I would easily trade Parson's for Iggy. The only knock against him is his outside shot. With the way he is playing in GS, I highly doubt they would trade him. I think we should also look at Josh Smith, who is likely more attainable.
Of course you could always do better. A two way player at the SF position at a certain level would upgrade this team defensively without losing much if anything offensively..... of course, its all depending on the player. However, you could still upgrade the position without getting rid of Parsons. Chandler is versatile enough to play in many different rotations as are many of the players Morey will look to acquire. Also moving Parsons to the 4 might do wonders for him on that end if he can rebound the ball effectively. Much less responsibility to help out on the quicker offensive players who can normally blow by him. Just say... you dont necessarily have to get rid of Parsons to upgrade the SF position. If Batum, Deng, etc. became available, I do what I can to keep Parsons out of the deal at all costs.
