ClutchFans Game Thread: Grizzlies @ Rockets 10/29/2008

The fact that T-Mac couldn't even get over the PNR's should be telling enough that there is no way he will shake ANYONE by making any off-ball cuts. IMO his inability to penetrate off the PNR (his usual bread and butter) is why the entire offense looked stagnant.

And you are right, even when healthy T-Mac is not a guy who is going to make a ton of off ball cuts. That is why we have a coach...the beginning of last year T-mac was having a lot of catch-and-shoot oppertunities because that was the play Adelman called.

 

Cool. Best of the game.

 

Other than Landry and Brooks, the Rockets don't really have any players that are relatively athletic for their positions. Artest is crazy strong with quick hands but he's not fast and can't jump well. McGrady used to be relatively athletic for a swingman... about 5 years ago. Yao, Scola, Battier, Barry and Alston are relatively unathletic for their positions. I don't even care about Head.

The Grizzlies are young, long and athletic at almost every position, including off the bench. They aren't as talented overall and don't have the experience or total skill set to match up with the Rockets, or most any other team for that matter.

I still can't see the Rockets playing uptempo effectively. They should focus on playing stifling defense, especially when Battier gets back, and executing well on the offensive end. They have to play a slower style game as long as the team is built around Yao and T-Mac. The 2nd unit will be able to pick up the pace if Brooks can be a steady contributor this season to go along with Landry. Artest can play with the 2nd unit as well, regardless of whether or not he starts, allowing us to play faster when McGrady and Yao are on the bench.

 

Tomorrow is Dallas' 1st game..hope they are rusty

 

god it's getting awful to watch
i wish they had lost and could have put kids to bed earlier

 

PG is still this team's biggest weakness. It's a glaring one, because everything goes through the point guard position. Teams leave Rafer open for a reason. The Lakers and Celtics don't have great pgs either, but their point guards and even their back-up pgs are better than Alston. Rockets should've went after Mo Williams, but they still can get Kirk Hienrich. No way this team can defeat elite competition with Rafer logging heavy mins.

Adelman needs to cut down the mins of Yao and T-Mac as well.

 

I said if moutombo was there , gasol would have never got so many offensive boards. whats that gott to do with defense. damn some people need to.....

 

You are severely underrating rafer if you think the lakers and celtics backup pgs are better than rafer. I'll give you rondo(his shooting is even worse than rafer btw) but fisher is basically a wash.

 

Fish has something Rafer is nowhere near getting, Championship experience. Oh, and he knows how to guard Deron Williams.

 

Maybe I am, but nothing I've seen since he's joined the Rockets leads me to believe otherwise. Since you gave me Rondo, Eddie House is capable of doing the things Rafer does. His shooting is better too. Jordan Farmar is clearly better than Rafer and Fisher is clutch and can hit open shots, which Alston can't do. I've said it for a while now, but I just don't see how the Rockets can compete against elite competition with 30+ mins from Rafer Alston every night. Here's hoping that Brooks and Francis get well soon, because I'd much rather have those two playing the pg position than Skip.

 

you just shot your own argument down with mentioning Francis. We're in big trouble teamwise if the Adelman has to turn to Francis for PG answers.

 

I think that everyone needs to relax and realize it's a long season. They didn't look great but there is room for growth and a win is a win even it it was Memphis. However if they're still playing like this in a couple of months then...

 

Just one thing, you can not leave Eddie House, Jordan Famer, Derek Fisher open or they will make you pay for sure. On the other hand, you can always leave Rafer open because Rafer has zero threats (he can not shoot, pass or drive and finish) when the ball is in his hands.

Rafer is not a starter material.

 

Do not sleep on Aaron Brooks. He will help this team alot at that position.

 

I think I'll side with Adelman amd Morey's assesment of Rafer over yours. Not that they're the GM and the coach, it just that you don't know what your talking about.

 

Quit complaining and take the win. At the end of the season, every win counts.

 

I hope the Rockets play better then this against the Mavs.

 

And with the first game of the season over, all the chicken littles have come out to play!

 

Why Scola didn't get the minutes.

 

Exactly.

At the end of the season, when we're counting on all the other teams to lose and us to win or whatever, these games in the beginning of the season really start to haunt teams. If we can snatch whatever wins we can now, it will help us later on when we've found our rhythm and other teams have found theirs.

Plus the team was kind of shaky out there, but on the whole, I didn't think they played too bad for the first game of a team that added a major piece this offseason.