PJ is awesome . He is great . He was a force for us last year .... and started off this season playing even better . PJ tucker is playing too many minutes . Last year he averaged 27.8 minutes a game . This year he is averaging 35 . Last season he started 34 games . This year he has started 35 games (after tonight). I have no problem with him starting every game . I just wanted to illustrate the increased workload this season . PJ is 33 years old . Has there ever been a guy who has had his role expand that much at his age ? Prior to this year , the career high for PJ in mpg is 31.0 Why do PJ's minutes matter ? First , shooting . PJ started off the year unsustainably hot . But he is now ice cold and you can tell his legs being worn down is playing a factor . Next , overall injury concerns . PJ is a tough motha ... he can play through being banged up . But just because he can and even if he wants to .... that doesn't mean the coach shouldn't protect him from himself . We need PJ at 100 percent or as close to it as possible for the playoffs . We need him to be a reliable shooting option . We need him to be an interior defensive presence and ace perimeter defender . We need him to make passes or tear drops on the short role . If we aren't going to be commited to keeping him spry for those moments , then we aren't putting him in the best possible position to succeed. Regardless of if you think the rockets have no good options on the bench or needed to win a particular game by playing PJ .... I would argue that the long term is more important . We do have other players on our roster . Not everyone has been hurt the entire season . When the full roster has been healthy , we don't play a full rotation unless it's a blowout . The past is the past . PJ has already been played heavy minutes . What MDA could do now is limit his minutes going forward . It's so clear that PJ is getting worn down . A shooting slump , getting pushed around a bit on D , taking hard charges ... etc . He's taking a beating out there and is looking a step slower . Give PJ a game off . Give Clark 20 minutes one night . We don't have to rest PJ for 5 games in a row or anything like that .... but , MDA needs to do more than he is doing to get PJ (and a few others) some well deserved R and R time .
Bro I didnt read none of this but yes he is playing WAY too many minutes They did this same bullshit too with ariza
we have no choice, we dont have another rebounding PF. Tucker is our swiss army knife that masks a lot of our weaknesses, it's honestly not fair.
Gary can rebound. MDA is being stuborn.. Gary doesn't have to play a lot he just has to spell Tucker..
MDA just admitted that PJ and Clint didn't have the juice tonight . Maybe you shouldn't be relying on PJ for 35 minutes a night then ?? MDA has options . He could play Clark more ! When Ennis comes back hopefully PJ will play less , but it's jut as likely that green goes out of the rotation and Ennis takes his minutes . Either way MDA would rather wait until Ennis comes back than to give a promising young player a chance to step up and help the team . A bad decision IMO
We desperately need an mda approved backup combo F. Why we no look at Green or Scott and move so fast on MCW? Also, is Chriss this bad? Hes athletic, shoots 3s. Give him 10-15mpg.
I think MDA is committed to 4 out 1 in, so Gary unfortunately is left on the bench due to him not being able to shoot at all. I'm not really a fan of James Ennis anymore, but if he can return then that would be better than nothing.
This is the single worst thing about MDA's overrated ass as a coach, I thought we had all come to accept this by now? If he has a horse he can ride, he's gonna do it until its legs fall off... Every time. He ALWAYS overplays his starters and minimizes his rotations, and the Rockets' weak bench is only going to exacerbate that problem. I love this team, but people give MDA way too much credit for our success, and not enough blame for our failures [and injuries].
not sure if it's due to injury, but markieff didn't even play tonite. meanwhile we have like $25M in dead weight payroll just sitting around on the bench or wearing hoodies somewhere else. wake up morey
The bench isn't weak anymore. That's with CP3 and Ennis injured too. Haven't you been paying attention?
He is out with neck and back stiffness, and is going to see a specialist.This probably is the reason for him being DNP against the Hornets. Source ESPN. Sorry, I don't have a link.
Morey needs to get busy finding a 6'9 to 6'10 forward to spell PJ a little bit. When guys get 33 and over they need to be playing 30 minutes and under. Pj is gonna get hurt and then we are still going to have to get that guy anyway
