Probably beach volley ball. But I would keep him, work him, coach him, feed him and play him all I could. If he could just stick with Durk and get a hand in his face in the playoffs he could be worth a 12th spot. When I look at some of the big men that have 10 year careers in the NBA, I cannot see why Dmo won't.
Smith did beat out every other PF after the midseason trades. D-Mo got his shot, Jones got his shot, and Smith beat them out for minutes. Probably, not being a fan, you didn't notice. It's was and is obvious to everyone that Smith is pretty limited on his potential to be a great player. But, last season Jones and D-Mo made all kinds of mental lapses and rookie mistakes that Smith didn't make, so he got the trust of the coaches to not screw things up. This season, Jones' game has tightened up and his natural ability put him ahead of Smith now on the depth chart, but D-Mo's game has not tightened up.
Just poking fun at you. No, I dont. Jones won the rotation spot AFTER the failed TT experiment, and played well enough to solidify his spot in the starting lineup. The Asik pouting and injury came AFTER Jones EARNED rotation minutes. Your memory seems pretty fuzzy from the way you are recalling everything happening. Smith beat out every other PF LAST SEASON. This season we have barely seen him put two games together because of injuries. However I'm sure Morey and McHale hated the fact that Greg Smith was the best of the worst last year because his skill-set will never maximize the abilities of the starting 5 with this core group. They would surely have preferred a better offensive player from the perimeter to spread the floor to complement the drivers and the center better. For those who didn't follow the Rockets or dont want to recall- The reason why D-Mo was first in line to get the starting nod first before any of the other young PF's left after the trades was because the front office and maybe the coaches thought D-Mo's skill set could maximize the abilities of the starting core with his ability to potentially space the floor, run the floor like a deer, and help defensively with his size. D-Mo quickly showed everyone watching that he was not yet developed enough physically and skill related to contribute to that role yet, and even after something like 6 or 7 starts in a row, the coaches finally pulled the plug on the experiment and had to go with a more reliable Greg Smith. Anyone saying that McHale doesn't play rookies, or that Morey doesn't force McHales hand to develop young players either has a really bad memory or just simply wants to choose their own revisionist history. D-Mo got his chance in his rookie season and wasn't up for for task. That's a fact. Could he stand to get MORE chances to prove himself THIS YEAR... possibly, but I think there is still quite a bit of evidence to suggest that even if he is improved, the coaches are still going with their best option to win right now even with an improving D-Mo. He still needs development to help this team win, and it doesn't look like there is much more patience on both parties anymore to make that happen unfortunately.
He loved Parsons from the get go. A smart kid who picked up things really well and didn't b****. But TJones played good in summer League, preseason, and early on but McHale had no use for him. I b****ed a lot on here to give him some time. But even after he was forced to at the end of the season and TJones performed well and I b****ed he deserved more minutes McHale went back to Delfino. There is a pattern here. McHale likes cerebral players. He wants a player he gets him right away. He has very little tolerance for players that don't get it right away no matter what their talent level. TJones is slow, even now he struggles at times with D concepts but he is a talent whose physical abilities can contribute now. McHale had to play someone. His problem with DMo is probably a language thing more than anything. Of course I am just speculating but I could see McHale getting frustrated with the language barrier. Having to repeat things and not having the patience to develop someone who doesn't easily understand him. Maybe it's that or maybe he just doesn't like him. But certainly DMo deserved at least a few minutes more this season. That doesn't explain his treatment of Jeremy Lin. Go figure.
You can't say with certainty that Dmo game didn't tighten up, until he is given some consistent playing time. It's very simple to understand the way a player plays with a few spot minutes here and there, and the way a player can play when given consistent minutes in the rotation are completely different. This is more true when you have somewhat of a skill position like Dmo's post up game is, it takes timing and confidence to execute, you need to feel comfortable. Greg Smiths game is just coming in running hard and getting rebounds. Smith's game is ok, but you already see that he doesn't have the upside of Dmo. Mchale is to stupid to realize this and that's our loss as fans, the Rockets have a player that doesn't have a chance to realize his potential on this team because our coach sucks.
----- "D-mo!" "Coach?" "You play now." "D-mo plays now? What you want D-mo do?" "Make baskets. Don't suck." --- "Jeremy!" "Coach?" "Why didn't you run the play I called?" "I tried, Coach, but"---head-points at Harden---"cooperation was not forthcoming." "Ah, jeez, more Harvard-talk. This guy talks like a walking Amazon Kindle." ------------ "Patrick!" "Coach?" "You're in for Jeremy." "What play do we run, coach?" "Uh, just go with, 'Harden Save-my-Job'. Just play D."
TJ has better efficiency number in Dleague(24 vs 20)...and yes TJ is a better defender as well while being younger.
When I watch dmo, the raw skill is there. He has quickness and agility for a legit 7 footer. He has a developed post game already. He might not get the 3 shot, but his mid range jumper is consistent. He even runs the floor. Dmo is like the ideal prospect to make the next Dirk. For a supposed hall of fame big man, I don't see why McHale can't develop him. He's the same raw player from 2 years ago. First McHale runs off our pgs and now our bigs want out too .
He is better, all he needs is playing time to develop - if he is not going to get it here, he needs to move on, he is wasting away on the bench. IMO - he should be the backup center now and live and die with him as he develops. DD
I don't like Mchale's handling of D Mo. I'm still upset about Dwight playing 45 mins on NYE. He's a nice guy. Posted this before but I got to chance to chat with him outside Uchi while we waited on our cars. He wasn't shy about telling me that he wants out BADLY.
The guy couldn't beat out a sophomore who barely played any minutes last season. It's D-Mo's third season. What makes him think he will get minutes somewhere else?Everyone hoped he would pan out and be the starter because it means we have a 7 footer playing PF who can spread the floor and score. It didn't work. I knew from T-Jones brief starting stint last season he would get the start. He brings much more to the table than D-Mo. I do wish McHale would play him more, but it could cost us some wins (and you guys know how much ClutchFans hates losing).
I like what I saw in the Memphis game. Mchale thinks it's playoff time already. Coaching like a guy that isn't too sure about his job security.
That is 100% how I read it, McHale doesn't want to take any risks because he might be gone next year - I hate that - he is not looking out for the good of the franchise, but rather his own job. I honestly wish Morey was a bit more of a leader here, where he would force McHale to play guys for the good of the future of this franchise.... DD
Correction, it's his second season. He didn't come over the year we drafted him. That's beside the point. His competition is also a sophomore who hasn't played much in the NBA. I do recall D-Mo getting opportunities earlier in his career and it's clear he wasn't there. He needs to work on his defense and rebounding (when was the last time you saw him go up and grab a board?). The guy is seven feet tall. Jones gets his minutes because of his defense and rebounding. D-Mo doesn't bring enough to the table offensively (I agree we haven't seen much evidence to strongly conclude this) to warrant the playing time. Harden isn't happy when a Donatas takes a shot and misses when he's on the floor. James is the best option on the floor, but he can suck like that sometimes. As for that Grizzlies game, so the guy blocked a few shots. Big deal? Z-Bo gets 1" off the ground when he goes up for a lay up. Go look at the box score and realize it was just an entertaining moment for the fans with a fun bench reaction.
I fixed it. You are the guy who is suggesting we trade him this early. We traded up to draft him. He's young and he can have a long NBA career if he is patient and keeps working at his game. The Rockets are lucky if they get offered a mid second round pick for him at this point. If that's what you want then by all means trade him.
