When D'Antoni was asked about Green not getting PT, he said something about Green needing to show more reliable defense to go with his offense. The last 2 games, I've seen Green work very hard on the defensive end and make some remarkable plays. To me, that was the biggest story in the 2 games. If he has this in him on a regular basis, I can begin to see a Rockets rotation with the depth of talent and all-around game to match up with the Warriors. Am I hallucinating? Is he crap when I'm not looking? Is his defense good enough to play him 30 minutes a night? Is it good enough to make him a major rotation guy in the playoffs? Is it good enough to make players ahead of him (cough, Ariza) available for trade? Or were these games just easy pickings because of bad offense by the depleted Spurs and Cavs? And are we just the latest team to see flashes of Green's potential, to be followed by the usual disappointment?
He still gets lost in the switches, unfortunately. But he has improved on it since coming on board, buy not yet to the level of everyone's who's been drilled on the help switches since the start of the season. He is getting there, though.
Gerald Green has been playing his heart out for his city, teammates. Hope he keeps it up. MDA will have to find time for him if his defensive effort remains as high as it was against the Cavs. Hopefully G can steal a few of Ariza and Anderson’s minutes.
He still makes mental mistakes, especially on rotations. His athleticism bails him out a lot, and sometimes, he makes the right play on defense like that block on LeBron. His athleticism also causes him to take risks on-ball. Probably why he he seems to foul a lot. I’d take the Cavs game out of the equation. Cavs looked dejected and uninterested from the start. In a nutshell, his help defense is good. His rotation defense needs work, but that’s to be expected when joining a team after the season starts. That type of chemistry takes time. He lacks defensive discipline because he’s so athletic. He’s relied on that his whole life. He’s still a great pickup
He hasn't been horrific on that side of the court, but you can tell he still isn't conceptualizing the team approach very well. When it seems like everyone else is switching smoothly and automatically, he still seems to get mixed up about who he is supposed to guard a few times a game. It isn't damning, but it is something he will need to work out before he gets the full trust. For example (2:43 in the video):
Gerald Green's overall basketball awareness is really, really low. He's playing very hard, he can shoot, and he's athletic. But knowing where you are supposed to be on the court, and what you are supposed to do as the play unfolds is too important. It's why the Spurs just keeping winning no matter who they seem to run out there. That is just as important on offense as it is on defense.
I think he deserves a min of 15 minutes per game with what he's given us so far, give him that with the rotation at full strength and adjust accordingly to his and our others wings play. I think we should take the SAS and GSW route and heavily limit everybody's minutes with a large rotation, we have the talent and we are a very old team that needs to be healthy and fresh come playoffs.
Love this thread and was surprised no one had one going last night. The rotation lapses here and there are becoming fewer as expected with more PT lately. But the effort is there on both ends. It’s great to see and I wish we had him locked in on a non guaranteed minimum deal for next year as well. Add die hard Htown rep on top of that. Beautiful to see
MDA might let him into a 10 man rotation for the regular season, but he'll revert back to a 7-8 man rotation for the playoffs. Green would improve greatly with a training camp; but unfortunately, I think he'll have to be used in an offseason trade.
Gerald Green's deficiency is his defense. If he will sharpen his defense then the Rockets will be really the team to beat when playoff comes. Home boy can put light outs in deep 3's and has excellent hops!
Harden is the Engine that drives this team . . no doubt CP3 IS the steering wheel but Green seems so emotionally vested I think he is what the team needed at the right time Rocket River
People need to realize that more than just the amount of money is negotiated when players sign contracts. Ariza, Gordon, Moute, Tucker, etc signed cheaper deals, but were most likely guaranteed a certain amount of minutes. This is why no matter how good or great Green plays it will be hard for him to take someone else's minutes when the team is fully healthy. As you most know, most contracts also come with bonuses and/or incentives players can earn. This is out of Dantoni's control. Expect Green to go back to the bench unless there's a trade in the making that will allow him more playing time (when the team is fully healthy) without upsetting and ruining relationships with players, their agents, etc. This shouldn't be too disappointing for us fans because when fully healthy the Rockets are still a pretty good team when Green is not playing.
