First, kudos to Adelman. I've been impressed with his handling of this team. He has sat veterans (SF and James) in favor of Brooks and Head -- very few coaches would be willing to do that. He has benched Hayes for not only Scola, but also Landry, who continues to be very productive. Most coaches would have taken a half measure and left Hayes as a backup. It will be interesting to see what adjustments he makes over the last 30 games. In particular: 1. Our offense is still prone to dry spells, particularly since Tmac hasn't been on for some time. Adelman's response has been to feature Bonzi a little more as the high/low post threat. Bonzi has responded fairly well scoring, rebounding and even improved defensively. 2. However, with regard to Scola, I think he can handle a greater role than he has been given thus far. He is a very polished face up and back to the basket player, and shoots a high percentage. In fact, of all our bigs, Scola fits the Adelman mold the best. He can shoot from mid range, make intelligent decisions and passes, and attack the basket. (Yao is not a threat to attack the basket from the high post). I would favor Adelman calling more plays featuring Scola, particularly on nights where he has a better matchup than Bonzi. In some respects, the two are interchangeable, in that when one is featured in a play, the other goes hard to the glass and are fairly elite offensive rebounders. I'd like to see this shift to further diversify our offense. It gives us multifaceted offensive look, much like the Sacramento Kings back in the day. 3. Scola can take on a leadership role out there. He has the maturity, experience and game to be a stabilizing force in the playoffs. Frankly, I think he has a toughness beyond Tmac and Yao. When he makes plays, it is clear that it was no accident, and I can see Scola wanting more responsibility -- but he is new and a great team player. This is not a huge shift we're talking about, but I think it can be an important one. Based on Scola's talent, I think it's coming this year or next. I'd rather see it this year.
First off, glad we are winning. Obviously the rotation is working. However, I have noticed that it seems like Scola rarely plays in the second half. Maybe I am not noticing him out there, but it seems like he sits the majority of the time. While I would like to see him get more minutes, I don't care as long as we keep rolling
I noticed the same thing, and i also agree, i don´t care to see him get more minutes this season, i hope he becomes that 3rd scorer, but it´s too soon.
Adlmean wants to give everyone time. This team is deep and everybody on it can play. Cept Mike James. He actually has demonstrated that he jacks up everything he touches and misses everything. Michael Redd he is not.
Adelman likes landry or Bonzi to finish the game. maybe it's just split playing time between Scola, Landry & Bonzi. But one big improvement on the Rockets very few talk about is rebounding. The Rockets are one of the top rebounding teams this season. Big improvement in offensive rebounding. It's a result of Adelman's adjustment in offensive/defensive scheme and a combined effort of the Rockets front court.
i think adelman is trying to make the transition from college/overseas to the nba easier for the rookies. if they start playing heavy minutes during the season, they will get burned out come playoff time
Adelman doesn't want to install this team a leader in Scola, he wants his players recognize that Scola is the leader they want. Yao respects Scola a lot.
Yeah, I guess it just took him a while to figure out how much of an offensive liability Hayes really is. All those open looks Scola gets, Hayes has to pass out of that cuz he really can't shoot the ball at all. Leave Scola open, he'll torch you, and he has the motor of Hayes. Landry too, he has the athleticism of Snyder with Scolas shot/hustle, minus the post moves, which will come... Feels GREAT not having to figure out how to fill the PF spot anymore!
