Simple, how do we stop turning the ball over so much? This isn't a new topic or anything since we had a lot of turnovers last season also. I think we do need to slow down the pace a bit and just make better decisions with the ball. Harden, Howard, and Lin are the main culprits. So does anyone think we can get better at taking care of the ball? If not we won't make it far in the playoffs.
I don't think the Rockets need to slow it down at all. There are at their best when they are pushing the ball.
I think Howard and Asik are just naturally high turnover players so I don't think you can do a lot about that. I think the nature of the offense is why there are so many turnovers. There are no set plays so it's mostly just a free style out there and the players have not been together for many years to know each other well enough not to make a ton of turnovers. Combine that with the way Harden makes stupid passes when he needs a bail out on his iso type plays and Lin constantly jumping to pass or getting into the lane without anywhere to go and the result of it all is a ton of turnovers. I wish we'd run more set plays, I think this would cut down on the turnovers.
While I agree that both Lin and Harden need to tighten up, they aren't being done any favors by the big guys. Honestly, we drop more passes than anyone else in basketball, and of course the passer gets blamed for it. That goes for assists also. How many easy buckets can one team miss???
The passer should get blamed for poor entry passes and bounce passes to big guys on the move in traffic. Throw it up high or don't throw it at all. Just because there is a chance to complete a pass, doesn't make it the right decision. Guys like Casspi and Garcia also need to stop trying to do so much with the dribble. Players have to know who they are, and Casspi shouldn't try to beat his man all the time. On a closeout, that's fine. Otherwise move the ball. Know your role if you are a spot up shooter. If they can't do that, then trade for a perimeter defender with a jumper who can take care of the ball and bench Casspi and/or Garcia. Lin also needs to be benched when he doesn't take care of the ball. I'm tired of watching him force things that aren't there and jumping up in the air with ball with nowhere to go. He isn't in middle school anymore and should know better. Harden has to make better decisions too. He makes a couple of boneheaded plays a game but we may have to live with that. We can't live with it from everybody though. Everyone needs to take better care of the ball, and everyone not named Harden or Howard needs to take better care of the ball or sit on the pine. Successful teams can't give away points this way. The live ball turnovers are killing us.
It's not just bounce passes. They just don't have good hands. Ironically, the bigs usually have humungous hands which would make you think they had better control. As far as Lin, not for a moment has McHale hesitated to bench him so I don't see your point. Jeremy had 4 real turnovers and 1 bogus call that went off of Rubio's knee. He has 9 TO's (8 really) in the last 5 games since the 8 TO game. This was posted in the game thread: "So far this year Dwight turns the ball over on 15.4% of all his possessions. Parsons 10.5% Beverley 12.2% Casspi 12.5% Harden 14.5% Lin 15.4% Brooks 17.0% Asik 25.0%"
It wasn't a bogus call. The ball went off Lin's right leg AFTER his pass bounced off Rubio's leg. No kick ball either. Just because Lin complained to the official doesn't make the call bogus. Edit:
"Lin also needs to be benched when he doesn't take care of the ball. I'm tired of watching him force things that aren't there and jumping up in the air with ball with nowhere to go. He isn't in middle school anymore and should know better." haha when lin did that , Clyde Drexler the commentor said "there goes jeremy lin again jumping with no where to go" And right there he passes it out to Beverly the open man and BEV scores a 3. HAHAHA Clyde got owned right even before he could finish that sentence.
I prefer more ball movement and some turnovers and win the game. It's better than no ball movement, no turnover and lose. Turnovers will low down after they have the Chemistry.
TOs doesn't matter much as long as there's a win. Eventually it will lessen as the team develops more chemistry. Give it at least a year and it will be different. As long as the ball goes to the right player at the right time, you know that the system works.
It's not about slowing down the pace at all, it's more like pay attention to spacing and the defender. A lot of stupid TOs on just passing to Dwight in the post there it gets stolen or deflected. Stop doing that then the TOs will go down. Also everyone seems to be focused on just the 'passing' the ball as part of TOs. Parsons/Casspi/Harden gets called for travels. Asik for moving screen at least once per game. So there are other areas too. Unless I'm wrong, I think those are considered TOs too.
Total TO's don't matter with this offense. However, when the game gets tight, we absolutely need to execute on the offensive end without turning over the ball. Fortunately, I think this is more related to early season chemistry issues rather than something unfixable.
