Simple. On nights when the stars can't produce enough and have off nights, you need the bench and the role players including the PF position to take mor e shots.
Going to be Harden and Howard and whoever got the hot hand between Lin, Parsons and the Power Forward.
And that does happen. The Rockets have a decent to good bench. And role players such as Casspi who went 9/10 last night. But over the season, expect 5-6 shots on average from the power forward playing with the starters.
True, but lets let the first half of the season that the big 3 in Miami were together be a lesson to learn about star players and their roles. You need an identity to build that cohesion needed in the playoffs. You can't have a team with a bunch of star players that just take turns when the other guy misses some shots. Obviously you take a star player if you can get them any day of the week, but right now I'm more concerned with having that PF starter being able to do things that allow Harden & Howard to be better more often rather than take shots away from them on off nights. Howard and Harden are sure to lay some duds this season, but getting a player alongside them that helps do the little things to set them up & get them in the flow of their offense better might decrease those dud games more than someone that will take over and take shots away from them after they miss a couple shots. That being said... again... give me star players any day of the week. Those are good problems to have.
Smith - Dmo - Jones. One of those guys is not going to get much PT. Figured Howard/Asik are the only two big men who have established themselves. Then 2 of the 3 above will make it into the active rotation. Figure Camby is in case of injury. That's 4. Now you have 2 pt guards, 2 sf in Parsons and Caspi, 2 guards in Harden / Garcia. That's an 10 man rotation as it is. Hard to see guys like Brewer/Brooks/Williams getting in there, who would they displace PT from? These 3 will get their time on nights the other guys are tired from a back-to-back. Maybe Smith will crack in when other guys are in major foul trouble. Crazy thing is, when you look at our bottom 5: Brewer/Brooks/Williams/Smith/Camby - it's not a bad 3rd unit! In fact, it's pretty freaking good! We are all of a sudden a very deep team.
I like Smith but I just don't see how he has a place on this team. We need Camby for leadership and shot blocking. Can't cut him. Smith has pretty much the exact same game as Asik only not nearly as good. Smith does not spread the floor. Where does he fit?
He's a 22 year old rookie. Other 22 year old rookies include Robert Covington and Isaiah Canaan. I guess you don't like rookies. You must have been pretty sick to your stomach when for example Thomas Robinson was here and so many here on Clutchfans kept using the word "potential". Patience is a virtue, I guess. Not everyone has it. Not even when it's the first game of the preseason.
actually smith apart from being a centre, - their strengths are opposite . Smith has hands which can grab passes better on the offence, however he is loses to asik on the D.
man u being too hard on dmo. He looked pretty good with the starters. But really lost and bad with the 2nd unit.
I don't know if you watch last season but our PF position performance isn't that good. It's not so good that Greg Smith and Delfino were forced to play out of position especially at the latter part of the season. Position-wise, PG isn't the weakest link because at times, Harden can also serve as PG.
So basically we need LeBron at PF with instructions to take 5 shots max/game. (Btw, wasn't sarcastic...that would be an ideal solution).
Agreed. Smith has great hands and is a great finisher. That's why he had an extremely high true shooting percentage for a while last year. (It went down a bit after defenses realized he could finish and that they couldn't leave him open.)
Nice OP. I am wondering if you mind elaborating on what you think are the weaknesses of each player? I posted this on another thread before seeing this:
Thanks, TJ. I don’t know if I read that thread and your comment percolated in my subconscious (I don’t remember reading it), or it’s simply a case of great minds thinking alike. As for their strengths and weaknesses: D-Mo Strengths: Ability to run the floor for his size, passing ability, confidence, decent (and improving) ability to move off the ball on offense, some low post moves (not so important if playing with starting unit), arguable potential (let’s hope) to develop a halfway reliable three-point shot (based on form) Weaknesses: Very poor shot-blocking presence for his height and agility level, tendency to get shoved around on the low block (even by players of same weight), mediocre rebounding, mediocre positional defense (rotational, help and so forth—yet I thought there were good signs on this front in the first exhibition game) Smith Strengths: Very good hands and lots of strength which combine to make him a great finisher, decent rebounding with potential to get much better, defensive awareness that was far from great but was still probably best of the true-4 bunch last year, strength to develop into enforcer in the paint (which would help to protect Dwight’s body) Weakness: Not much offensive game farther than a few feet from the rim, plenty of work to do to polish his game T Jones Strengths: Best all-around athlete of bunch. Ability to run the floor, Shot blocking, rebounding, one-on-one defense and offense. Weaknesses: Court awareness on defense and offense, questionable three ability (but--who knows?--might develop it) Casspi Strengths: shooting ability when open, ability to move off the ball Weaknesses: everything else, and with less potential for growth than youngsters (I’m most curious about getting a take on his defensive court awareness, because Dwight and Omer can erase weakness so long as people go to where they are supposed to go) Asik I actually think that Dwight would play the 4, so the strengths and weaknesses here are for the twin towers as a unit. Strengths: Two great rim protectors on the floor at the same time. Defense would be very good. The question is: Would it be awesome, i.e. enough to make up for the lack of spacing on offense? Weaknesses: lack of spacing on offense, potential to wear Dwight out if opposing team went very small and that 4 moved a lot Parsons Strengths: With him at the four we’d really be able to attack on offense. Weaknesses: He has the length but not the size, so depending on his appointment, we might have difficulties if opponents’ big fours posted up. Plus, it would wear on his body (and he already will have plenty of wear and tear based on the minutes he is likely to play). None of my opinions are set in stone. I am no expert and I’m guilty of watching the ball too much. Plus I hardly have a photographic memory.
All of the rockets 4's have serious liabilities of one kind or another. There is a strong possibility that Morey deals for an all star caliber 4, either by the trade deadline, or at the latest next offseason. There's no point in trying to figure out who the 'ideal' or 'best' 4 is out of this bunch; there isn't one. All of these guys will be competing for minutes and it's likely one or more will be dealt within a year's time.
