Criticize Adelman all you want, but he is a terrific coach and he knows what he is doing. The defense should have been better, but over the course of the season things will get better(it couldn't possibly get worse). If JVG were coaching the team Houston they wouldn't score over 70. He is as much offensively challenged as Adelman seems to be defensively challenged at the moment. But Adelman can coach defense, it just takes time.
DD, I agree with some of your points, except the part about ariza not able to defend quicker guys, but here is what happen when the scramble drill as you're suggesting. Shane is probably the best shot blocker on the team minus yao and maybe hill if he plays. Adelman thought it would be a good idea to start a 6'6 positional defender in hayes. So lets assume we trap ellis high with battier and martin. Who is at the rim on rotation? Hayes? Scola?Brooks? Lets rewind and say martin is guarding ellis and battier is the help off wright,but miller,or hill are at the basket. Big difference. Its really a huge difference even from a traditional set standpoint.When ellis or curry are curling hard, they have a clear uncontested shot anywhere in the paint. Why? Scola cant get off the ground and chuck is 6'5 and cant either. I dont care what scheme you want to draw up, when teams see hayes or scola at the rim, you might as well put lisa leslie or tina thompson back there. Hell, miller isnt scaring anyone either, but he's 7ft. This ties into the offseason and moves that were made also,buut thats for another time and thread.
If you send the letter to Adelman please let him now that also Scola is our most efficient scorer and has been for at least a couple of season so it would be a good idea to go to him more insted of forcing Yao inside who is clearly out of sync right now. I just can´t understand why we never let Yao focus on the defensive end, we have more than enough offensive weapons, we lack defense, let Scola do the work inside on offense, and Yao can do his on defense.
seriously this is a big concern how can we win even if we improve defensively and get a closer player, while Rick DOES NOT ADJUST?? i mean i just don't get it!!
When I saw Hayes walk out on the court as the starting center last night, I knew it was going to be a long long game. Hayes is exactly as you say '"a positional defender" and he's a very good one at that, but he's not going to make anyone think twice about attacking the rockets basket like they did all last season. Aquiring an extra rim protector should have been addressed in this last offseason.
Monta had a couple easy layups, but most of his points came from fairly heavy contests from Battier/Lee. There was no way the team could execute a strategy that was bound to fail in that Monta was hitting all of the low-percentage we were giving him. At that point, you're supporting a failing strategy, one that has no chance for success, because you think another avenue won't be successful. That's bad logic.
We don't have the personnel to guard Montae Ellis with Stephen Curry also shooting lights out, no rim. I don't know what kind of team we have with our personnel We can't outscore folks and we can't defend folks. **** the 24 minutes Yao gets, we aren't going to make the playoffs like that "We're gonna have a healthy Yao for the playoffs guys, yes, yes"! What playoffs? We're in the West. Yao is in his prime, get him conditioned. If he gets another injury **** it, we go another direction. I want to see the Rockets win a championship son, while our best hope is and has been to make the playoffs and make a little noise Edit: Since Dream left anyway
"Bound to fail"? You're making an argument in hindsight. Just because a basketball player hits 4 contested shots in a row, that doesn't mean you expect him to hit his next 4 contested shots in a row also.
50 points later, you still believe we were playing Monta correctly. At what point should we say that it isn't working (when it had been obvious all game)?
You can say its not working whenever he scores. That doesn't mean its not your best defensive option. Sometimes, players have exceptional nights, and you live with it. I'm not saying don't make adjustments, but you shouldn't sacrifice your defensive principles either. Electing to give up open 3-pointers or lanes to the basket to prevent a guy from attempting contested long 2s goes against what made this team a great defensive team in the past. Remember, that's what we're trying to get back to.
Double teams at the perimeter are very very risky. An alternative it is a face-to-face defense at full court, very used in europe, not that many in the NBA. You put a guy glued to Ellis all the time preventing him from recieving the ball, this guy does no helps (even at the strong side), his unique task is to deny the reception and everybody in his team knows it. In the end he's gonna have his touches, but possibly less, and you're forcing his team (and him) to work something more, call some sets, spend some time, slow down the rythm and the feeling... Lee could have been that man.
