We all know the Rocket's offense is broken, and should be changed - but how? The knee jerk reaction is to say get a pass-first point guard and that will solve our problems - or implement a motion offense ala Sacramento. But, as this year has winded down, I took a good look at the offenses of teams like Sac, Dallas, and San Antonio. I have come to a couple of conclusions. First conclusion, shooters are invaluable. All these offenses are built around spacing. Proper spacing allows cuts to the basket and picks to work properly. However, proper spacing can only be maintained by the consistent outside shooting. When defenses can laoof off shooters and fall back into the paint, all the cutters would cut right into the strength of the defense. Sacramento's offense is so deadly because you can't leave any of their perimeter players open. Second conclusion, player must be decisive. Too many times, indecision on the part of the Rockets led to stagnant sets. In the Rocket's basic set, they would run a pick and roll. The Guard comes off the pick and then tries to decide if he should take the jumper or try to get closer. While he is deciding, a low post player flashes to the post - he may or may not get the ball. By that point the set is basically fubar. The Rockets need to be decisive. Once they come off the pick, if they're open, shoot it. bottom line. If the defense fights over the pick and you have a lane, just drive it. If you are covered, swing the ball. STOP HOLDING THE BALL. If the post man gets the ball, he needs to make his move or pass it back out. STOP HOLDING THE BALL. All the Rocket's players are guilty of this. Third conclusion, all player must be willing to pass. Rarely does a team get agood shot on the first pass. So all the players must be willing to move the ball around to get the best shot. Sacramento's PG averages about the same number of assists as ours, but the other players average way more assists. Its is often the third, fourth, or even fifth pass that leads to a scoring situation. Passing shouldn't be a last ditch option. Too many times the Rockets pass the ball to someone who tries to create something for himself, then after he can't passes. If you have a good shot, shoot it. If you don't, pass it. Fourth conclusion, have a plan. Take a look at the team you are playing and decide where you are going to attack them. This is Rudy's biggest weakness IMHO. Are you going to take advantage of a small team inside? Of a slow team on the perimeter? Know what you need to do against a team and execute it all game. Finally - play aggresive defense. The big advantage of having shot blockers is that it allows you to play up on the perimeter players and go for steals and create turnovers. This allows you to get your fast break going which helps keep you in an offensive flow. I would love to see the Rockets pick up a vet or two, but even with our current players, if we just become more aggressive and decisive, we would be a much better offensive team.
Why on earth should juugie be the coach ? If you have seen his posts,he hates on ming,and thinks amare is better than ming. psff subject,but jeff van gundy also said amare is better than ming. Ever since I heard that,I HATE jeff van gundy.God,I hope wind&sea was joking about JVG being the coach.Any coach that says on national tv he likes amare over ming,is one dumba$$ that shouldnt coach the rox.
I'm new here but Juugie makes excellent points. The problem is twofold: First, you do not have the coaching staff to implement a better offense. Rudy T and Co are stuck in the mid-90s as far as offense goes and that won't change next year. Rudy T has shown what he can and can't do and he cannot adjust to the new rules that allow zone play. Also, this coaching staff has demonstrated conclusively that it cannot teach and develop young talent. The play of Francis, Griffin and even Yao regressed as the year dragged on. That's coaching (or lack of) pure and simple. All you need to do is to take a look at Phoenix, Seattle and even Memphis for examples of what good coaching can accomplish. You did not see the same thing happen here. If this staff comes back intact, then expect 82 more games of dumbass, inconsistent basketball followed by a FIFTH straight year out of the playoffs. Second, you simply do not have the personnel to execute a contemporary NBA offense. Aside from Yao and maybe, maybe Francis, you have a roster stocked full of offensively streaky, defensively suspect one-on-one role players. THEY DON'T SHOOT WELL ENOUGH! This team has been stuck in the 33%-45% trough for the past 4 YEARS! That is why their offense is so ugly to watch. The only "play" that they ran this year that consistently worked is the alley-oop to the basket. This offense stinks because the players stink offensively. So much is wrong with this team that I see no reason to be optimistic for next year. This team needs a serious overhaul in the short term just to become competitive in their divison. After 4 straight years of backsliding, can anyone really say that the leadership has the balls to do what's required to take that next step?
