First, love the thoughts, Smoothie. I strongly agree with most. There is one thing that Howard is not as good as Asik, that's PNR defense. Granted, I agree that PNR defense is a team defense, and the blame/credit is almost always on the coaching staff. That said, for some reason Asik seems to do that better in term of rotation. So, it is not so much perimeter players get beat since they will get beat each time when they get picked off, but it is what to do when they get picked. That said, I am also not saying it is always Howard's responsibility to rotate with a pick, it can be any other player in the team. In short, our PNR defense just sucks right now. So, I agree with your big picture that ultimately our team defense could have been much better, and the coaching staff is to blame.
i agree. this is why i stated that they need a more complex half court offense. we have all the pieces to run various types of plays. play TEAM defense, secure the rebound, then go down and execute. that's what a championship team does. championship teams don't rely on turnovers sparking fast break points. sure they can get it if they could. why not? but when you have the talent to play TEAM defense, rebound, and score in different ways in a half court offense, you do that. because that you can do deep in the playoffs against good teams. teams that make the finals won't let you beat them off turn turnovers and fast break points.
Nice OP Smoothie! I think the main issue with the team defense is a total lack of discipline. Good passing teams get the Rockets completely out of position. When I see teams pass the ball I see multiple Rockets chasing the ball and usually leaving multiple shooters open as a result. James is the worst when it comes to chasing the ball because he is either lazy or slow to get back to his man. Add to the fact that fact that he does not fight through screens and shooters like JJ Reddick end up putting up superstar numbers against him. He is good when playing the man with the ball but scary bad when chasing a player with out the ball. He likes to take chances by playing the passing lanes which leads to steals and fast breaks but also serves to get him out of position when he does not come up with a steal or deflected pass. Beverly and CP25 both suffer when chasing the ball but Bev at least has the quickness to get back most of the time. CP25 is still outstanding on the ball, but he has developed bad habits by overplaying passing lanes and showing a lack of discipline at times. I think you have to point to the coaching staff for the lack of team discipline but I think they see it as a trade off when players like Harden are able to steal passes and deflect balls. Personally I prefer more discipline. Stay with your man, don't chase the ball and trust that your team mate will be in the right spot on defense. In the post I love what I'm seeing from D12 and TJones. Both guys like to block shots. The only issue happens when both players go for a block and there is no left to rebound the ball. Carl laid out the difference between Omer and D12 very well. Omer's defense is based on perfect technique, hard work and positioning. D12's defense is based on superior athleticism and great timing. He does get occasionally lazy on defense where Asik was a tireless worker. D12 is generally more impactful on defense but Asiks discipline give him an advantage over D12 when when guarding players like LMA out on the floor as well as in pick and roll situations.
I think your offensive play suggestions are great and obvious at the same time, which I would agree in pointing back to the coaching. Someone enlighten me on why we can't use some off-the-ball motion offense. Even with the latter post offense option going down low to Dwight, it would be helpful for the players not to appear clueless in running it effectively. Obviously, players will have limitations and attitude/behavioral circumstances as well, and we'll obviously get better over time, but you would think the coaches would have some things addressed and prepared for prior to the season or fixed quickly (or in-game).
Very good read and good replies. It's probably too early to judge the coaching. When you have great talents, coaching is the difference between a good team and a great team. I'll give them some time to gel and see what happens. I do think that if we are not a top 10 defensive team by mid season, the coaching staff has to be held accountable.
