Landale sucked early last year coming off an injury. I've been surprised Adams has played as much as he has with as bad as he has played. I still think Adams will likely take full control of the backup center at some point, but Landale is really good for a backup. I think Brooks is playing great. I thought Amen and Eason would already be well ahead of him in this stat and dragging the backup center up to the top with them.
I’m no longer sure Adams takes the backup spot. I mean, he was a DNP - Coach’s Decision last night. Landale fits really well as a backup who is somewhat similar to Sengun, allowing our offensive scheme to continue without missing a major beat. Adams may end up just being good trade filler.
I think that was a scheduled rest day that they can't call a rest day because of the new rules. I'm sure they envision an important role down the stretch for him to body up some of the better bigs in the league in matchups. I'm pretty sure you'll see alot of Adams when we play Denver, Philly, etc. Based on what I'm seeing so far though it does look like Adams does not look like a full time starter anymore though. More of a specialist veteran situational big. Hopefully that means if they don't trade him they can resign him for cheap next Summer to a vet min contract. I do like what I see from Jock though this year, and the second half of last season. Solid backup energy big. Just isn't big enough to dominate the paint in the situations where we need that. I like the rotation moving forward needless to say. If they have to use Adam's contract in a mega trade though I won't shed too many tears as I'm sure Stone won't either. He's a nice luxury to have, and could play a pivotal role later in the season with certain games, but this team is built around Sengun as the guy in the middle moving forward.
I think the FO knows that Adams isn't totally healthy but they continue to play him in hopes that he retains value as a producing player. I think his only value is an expiring contract. Sitting Jock 41 games would cost us games IMO.
Adams upside is a lot higher than Landale assuming he has anything left in the tank and can recover. May be worth it to play him into shape if he can turn it around like Landale did last year. But man it is ugly right now.
I'd rather not see Adams play at all going forward. He looks washed. Jock and Jabari should get the backup 5 minutes.
Having a player like Adams is nice for playoff depth, but I think we have bigger gaps to address just to make the playoffs. I'd use him in a trade package that gets us depth at the PG / SG spot (preferably depth that can hit wide open 3s at close to 45-50%).
Landale's defense is surprisingly good. He's been very impressive so far. If only he could set screens like Adams.
Adams was a reasonable gamble. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he can return to form this year. Landale is an ok backup center, but we could use an upgrade, but at what cost?
I’d be down for it, if the price is reasonable. Backup center is upgradeable on this team, but pretty low on the priority ladder. Just like last year, Jalen insurance should be the top priority.
I wouldn't worry too much about upgrading the backup center spot. Landale and Adams are adequate as long as Udoka doesn't shrink Sengun's minutes. You can't have near-starter-quality backups at every position. Few teams can afford being that deep. We don't know if Adams is really washed or just need more time to get back into game shape. We'll see.
I'm not sure Adams takes the backup spot, but it took Landale a while to get back in shape last season after injury. Adams is still getting offensive rebounds at a great rate (even though bad for him) and scoring efficiency isn't that bad for not having much mobility. I expect Adams will gain mobility throughout the season, and it is just a matter if it is enough or if he gets hurt again. Landale is a good backup center. Jabari can play small ball center. I don't see the Rockets trying to upgrade the center position.
Landale is probably better than 2-3 starting centers at least right now with all the injuries. I'm not sure Tari, Amen, and Holiday aren't better than the Rockets starters 2-4. Just need Reed to become near-starter quality.
