We won every game Tari started since the break, and Ime ditches that the moment Amen returns. This is the stuff he does that drives me nuts. Remember when David Lee got hurt in 2014 and the Warriors plugged Draymond into the starting lineup? Golden State dominated the entire league from that point on. Now imagine Kerr immediately benching Draymond once Lee's hammy healed.
This complaint makes me laugh. People complained about JVG, Addleman, etc. As has already been mentioned, Boston won last season with an 8 man rotation. Golden State always had a short rotation. That's just how it's done. Basketball is a rhythm sport. I think the theory is, you gotta let players get into their groove. A player can't get into rhythm if they only only play a 5 minute stint. It's too disruptive to build chemistry and establishing flow. Having depth is great for an 82-game season to overcome injuries and keeping players fresh ...so the team is ready for the playoffs. Then you roll out your best players and go to war. But yea, it's painful to watch when nobody on the court can hit an open shot. I'm like puhlease! Do something different.
It's not as if the Rockets played bad when Amen returned. I didn't run the stats, but I'm pretty sure Amen's 1st game back was far superior to any of Tari's games during the win streak. Are you suggesting the Rockets would be undefeated if Tari was starting? Not sure about your logic here. And Tari played against Denver. C'mon, I love Tari but Amen is definitely better.
The FVV, Amen, Brooks, Tari, Sengun had a glorious 2.7 minutes last night. Defense wasn't as good as usual for this unit (my favorite though it is like trying to find a unicorn with how infrequently it gets minutes). That lineup cut the lead to 5 with about 5 minutes left in the 3rd. Denver scored 21 points in a little over 5 minutes the rest of the third. This is the unit I would want start or at least get 6 minutes a game.
Amen starting and Tari starting are not mutually exclusive options. Eason is literally the player that the Rockets play best when paired with Amen as measured by Net Rating. There is a reason the Terror Twins was fun.
The Rockets are getting WAY too much negativity from their fan base. They are 46-26 this year and have the 4th best record in the NBA. To say they have overachieved is an understatement - especially with the injuries and the lack of an elite scorer on the team. They are going from 22 to 41 and likely 50 plus wins this season - with the offense and defense improving each and every year. There are at least 3-4 teams in the West with as much or more talent as the Rockets that are below the Rockets. I wish people would just enjoy watching them play and develop and then this off season the organization can make some tough decisions.
Then who do you bench? Dillion? He's been the Rockets best 3pt shooter all season and has been getting better. It would be awesome if they can bench FVV but Amen isn't ready for that.
I will say the Rockets spoiled me. There are combinations of players that I just love watching play together. I'm frustrated as it seems those lineups are playing less and the Rockets aren't as good as they were when those lineups played more. I think it is obvious that Brooks's shooting and switching on defense are needed. I think it is obvious Amen isn't ready to run PG full-time such that FVV is needed for now. I think it is obvious that Sengun is the best center. Amen, Green, and FVV just aren't fitting together on the court at the same time.
As a follow-up, Amen, Green, and FVV just aren't fitting together on the court at the same time. Whether one wants Jabari instead of Tari, that isn't nearly as big an issue as those three guards not playing well together. Ime either needs to get those three to work together or he needs to pick 2 out of the three as starters. I'm not a fan of benching FVV as that is a bad choice, IMO, but it is better than playing three guards. I'd pick FVV and Amen as unpopular an opinion that is despite the numbers backing it up as the best combination of the three primary guards. And for all that is good, please limit the minutes with 1 or 0 of FVV, Amen, and Green on the court. The three guard lineup at least has upside as possibly being good some day if they can figure out the defense. The offense just doesn't have much of a chance with just one of them.
Maybe this is more about Udoka learning some lessons rather than the players. Just hope he doesn't throw everyone under the bus for his experiment.
I think the reason for a lot of the negativity comes from the fact that the Rockets appear to be a paper tiger.... there's not a team or fanbase in the West that wouldn't jump for joy at the prospect of facing the Rockets in the playoffs Also there's valid complaints about Ime's incompetence when it comes to managing rotations and lineups that could prove fatal when it matters most. So, sure, in theory fans should be REALLY happy, but no one hangs a "won 50 regular season games" banner in the rafters for a reason.
I don’t mind him shortening the rotation, but Bari and Tari have to play more than 15ish minutes in that case. They should be averaging 25+ minutes off the bench in a short rotation.
The Rockets likely are a paper tiger, they lack a franchise player and they win based in part of depth and extreme effort. I think a lot of those issues will need to be addressed in the off season.
I think they are a team more disproportionately reliant on 23 or younger players more than any other team in the league. Like it's kinda scary that not another team even is close to the Rockets AND that every team in the top ten are dog **** except the Rockets and Pistons. I think there is a franchise player somewhere between Sengun, Amen and Jalen. Maybe even two or maybe all three of them. The level of natural talent and ceiling they have is no worse than guys like SGA, Tatum, Booker etc. Who are all players who were their best player on teams that are or have been considered true contenders.
I think the Rockets would have issues with OKC, Boston, and Cleveland (though unlikely to play them). I think the Warriors healthy are a likely matchup problem in the playoffs. I'm not sure how the Rockets would do against the Lakers, Nuggets, TWolves if they just played their best lineups. Though, I may slide the Nuggets to the above group with how Murray played last night. I haven't watched them much lately and he looked bad earlier in the season. I think the Rockets best lineups destroy Memphis and the Clippers if they faced them and played their best lineups.
This is where I am. This team has deep flaws and makes some dumb mistakes, but the fact they're where they are using an organic blueprint (draft, develop, add some culture setting vets) gives us a lot to be proud of. This will be an interesting offseason, especially seeing how the organization uses the playoffs as input into what comes next.
I usually disagre with Sam"s takes on Green but they are right here about this playoffs for the Rockets shouldn't be about trying to maximize wins and advance. It would be welcomed but that shouldn't be the top priority. They said the last thing you want for this Rocket team in the playoffs is Fred dominating the ball. They said let Jalen, Amen and Sengun dominate the ball in the playoffs because it should be an evaluation of what the Rockets have in these guys. Fred even if it would help the team advance should not be having the ball in his hands much this playoffs. You roll with the mistakes the young three main guys will make under a new pressure setting they never experienced. There is no benefit to the future of this organization with Fred dominating the ball in the playoffs even if it maximized our offensive possessions and limits turnovers.
I agree with this - I would favor the Lakers and Nuggets over the Rockets because of experience and their high end guys are more likely to produce in key moments. The Wolves depend on how they are playing going into a series. Their best player is very good but I don't have him in a group with Doncic or LBJ or Joker.
