T-Mac out, Yao is the main scorer. Then who the hell is suppose to help out Yao? Whenever we're in this situation, JVG has no clue on who to nominate as the 3rd scorer. Is it going to be Luther? Rafer? Battier? Hell, Howard? Who the hell is it? This team seems like they are running around like headless chickens!
lol i expect a little bit more out of battier besides that corner three. maybe a little more in the post?
It can't be Rafer. He's shown that when he tries to do too much, the results usually aren't very good. Luther Head perhaps, but he's too one dimensional right now. A great three point shooter and that's it. I think John Lucas III looks to be a natural scorer. He's a good penetrator, a solid finisher (for his size), and he has a nice midrange game. He can hit the spot up 3 if he's given regular minutes. He could be our Earl Boykins, hopefully with a steadier jump shot.
Battier needs to step up his game now. He revels in doing anything to help his team win. So now he needs to start scoring more.
Collectively. We dont need one scorer, but collectively more plays. Our talent level drops so much behind Yao and Tmac. No excuse there.
Without TMac, what the Rockets miss most is a play maker. Alston is supposed to be one, but he is just too inconsistent. A very good ballhandler but that's pretty much it. You just can't count on him night in and night out to break down opponents' defense with dribble penetration and set up his teammates. His teardrop floaters can easily be called the worst shots in NBA history.
A better question would be "Who is going to score in the 3rd QUARTER!?" And why is this JVG's fault? The players need to step up, I'm pretty sure the coach is on top of it. Turnovers killed us, I think we had 10 in the 3rd quarter alone. And got outscored by like 20 pts. Poor defense, poor offensive execution, poor decision making....thats what lost us this game. The fourth quarter flrenzy just made it interesting but in the bottom of your hearts we all knew it was to little to late. CONFIDENCE AND CONSISTENCY ARE THE KEYS!
I wish we could trust Bonzi enough to be the sixth man of this team. He would make a great one, and Luther Head, when starting and especially right now, should score about 15 points a game.
Scary question. Especially when Yao has to go to the bench and Tmac out, I just think of 5 guys sitting on the perimeter playing hot potato. I've said it plenty of times before, and I'll say it again: I wish Battier would be more involved in the offense! This isn't a knock on him, I think he's fulfilled his role like a pro. But I know he's capable of doing more. Most of his points are on random hustle plays and the occassional open 3 in the corner. I don't know if it's on JVG or Battier or both, but I just wish he was more involved in the offense since the beginning of the season. If we're in close games, or Tmac/Yao are on the bench, or in the worst case (now) Tmac/Yao are out, it's not such a stretch to ask Battier to take more shots . I think he's capable of averaging 10-15 points a game, which would've been valuable today. Who would I pick as 3rd scorer NOW? It wouldn't be Battier, to go from barely in the picture to a major focus on the offense is too much to ask in a day. I hope in upcoming games it progressively increases though. Unfortunately I don't know if anyone can handle the load, by going down the list I'd have to say Head, just because he's been the next most effective scorer. I can only hope Bonzi has a breakout game soon or JL3 shocks us and can do what he did tonight for a full game against starters.
luther head is our poor man's T-Mac! he should be our 3rd scorer, relegate bonzi as our 4th option, then our team is as deep as an ocean.
We don't need a consistent 3rd scorer (though it would be nice). We need some people to make their open shots! Everytime Yao touches the ball, I see people swarming him. When Yao passes it out, more often than not, it results in a missed 3 pointer with a long rebound that Yao can't get and also initiates a fast break for the opposing team. If we shoot 35% from the 3 point arc, it would make a huge difference. These guys are NBA players, the best of the best, yet they can't make wide open shots.
