We are 18-11, 6th in the West, 2nd in SW division Predictions by the media before the season: Solid 4th in the West (not being the division leader 5th in the West with better record and HC advantage) What we know: -) The Houston Rockets are a good team offensively(3rd or 4th Offensive rating) with up and downs on D(9th or 10th in Defensive rating) Still D is shaky. Overall we allow too many points. -) We rebound well offensively but defensive rebounding has been average to below average -) We are highly TO prone, we have an inconsistent bench and veterans, offensively we become stagnant and don't move the ball as well as last season -) TT project did not work and spacing got better throughout the games Dwight - is a defensive presence, elite rebounder, and can can take over games Harden - elite scorer, but not his best season, trying on D some games and most games he has coasted Casspi: decent in most games, isn't the shooter Delfino was but can have a defensive impact in certain games and good for 9-10 points and couple of rebounds per game. Solid contributors: Beverley, Parsons -) We can beat most Eastern Conference teams but we lose a share of games against mediocre WC teams and we rarely win against contenders not named Spurs -) Best wins of the season: Spurs, Portland, Denver, GSW, Mavs, Atlanta, Toronto, Detroit, Memphis, Chicago, Boston -) Worst losses of the season: Mavs, Indiana, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Philly, Suns What we don't know: Injuries Chemistry X factors: Lin, TJones (inconsistency) Aaron Brooks Other guys to watch: Dmo, Garcia, Smith, -) Asik: Problem, Solid contributor or traded soon? Outlook: (3rd) or move down to (7-8th territory) We look for: Flexibility, Trades for picks, roleplayers and veterans
Injuries and soft players, like always. Rockets are in desperate need of some veteran leadership, someone who can hold them accountable and show them how to act like a professional. We have a bunch of girls on this team right now, a bunch of sissies who would probably miss a game if they had a 99 degree fever.
It's hard to be consistent when one or more of your main guys is hurt at any given time whether it's Beverley, Harden , Lin, Asik, Parsons, etc.
My players review is quite different. Key and solid contributors are Harden, Howard, Parsons and Lin like it should be. Harden needs to improve effort on D, TOs and ball movement. Howard has improved his post game, needs to improve TOs, passing out of double teams. Parsons has improved his shot and is in a good groove. Lin needs to imrprove leaving his man on D, sometimes TOs and get better chemistry because his playmaking hasn't been up to his capabilities. Harden has been most concern injured, Parsons next because he just doesn't look right and while Lin has been injured, it doesn't seem chronic. Solid contributions. Beverley give you what he does, good to great defense, hustle, rebounding, low TOs but only fair of offense. He's had his share of poor percentage shooting games. T Jones is going through growing pains, I think he's talented. But he has a lot to work on and it'll just take time. I think the bench has underperformed, Casspi at times and Garcia the most. DMo is not playing and when he does he's not effective. Brooks can be an offensive weapon when he's on, he's a great guy to have. Asik just hasn't played enough and he's obviously not happy with his new role in the team. I think McHale needs critiquing for in-game adjustments which he doesn't seem to do very well. And team defense needs a lot, lot, lot of work. Merry Christmas.
What makes me happy, in a way, is the fact that we could've & should've beaten at least 4-5 teams if not for lucky last second shots, the team gelling process & TT experiment. We could be 22-7 right now if it weren't for those 3 things, as well as the injuries Things are looking good in H-Town.
IMO they are looking to be one or two impact players (borderline allstars or key starter and key bench player) away from being Top 2-3, cautiously Number 1.
Turnovers are crazy with this team! All the driving to paint shows lack of half court sets . I expect spurs to dominate today
Injuries have been the biggest factor for underperformance. A lot of missed games. Our best player has not been himself in many of the games because of nagging pain. Also, underproduction from Asik (and DMo) has made us look small on many nights. Having said that, the team does not appear locked in and hungry by any means. Too much goofiness. On the opposite side, a counteracting factor relative to expectations is the high hit rate on Morey's reclamation projects. Garcia, Brooks, and Casspi have been pretty much written off by the league, so they have massively overproduced relative to what was reasonable to expect from them. This team can only be re-considered as championship contender if Harden gets in top condition and Asik gets back. (Assuming no roster changes)
I wouldn't criticize Lin for his playmaking this year - as he been relegated to score off the bench. Unless you meant better playmaking as in less TOs when making a pass then that is something I can agree with. We thought we had the one of the deepest bench in the league but our bench lacks toughness. We don't have a big guy coming off the bench (I Don't even count Asik anymore). I really wish Greg Smith didn't go through his injuries, I think he would work really well with Lin. They always run nice PNR together and he can finish the pass. Casspi is hit or miss. Sometimes he does a really great play, othertimes he tries to go And1 street ball and does something stupid and TOs. he needs to play within his role - and be more similar to parsons aka, cut to the basket, shoot open jumpers, make the right pass. Garcia well...has been in his shooting slump forever, nothing to say about that other than just keep shooting. Defensively he isn't as good as last year either. Brooks is solid. If it were up to me I would have him come off the bench and Lin starting, and Bev would share time with Brooks or Bev used for defensive purposes.
Parsons should be more than a 'solid contributor' I feel like. At least on a different level above Bev.
Players who have underperformed: * Harden - Injured or not, there's no reason for not trying * Beverley - Cannot set up our offense, takes dumb fouls and misses simple shots * Garcia - Just garbage all around, does get some blocks but just not doing much other than some three pointers 1 out of every 5-6 games. * Casspi - Does not play well defensively, is a weak rebounder, does not box out, loses his man often and is way too inconsistent + is not a PF and should never play that position again * Asik - his pouting has cost us some games and although it's understandable he is upset, I thought he was more professional than that. * Brewer - has not defended all that well and cannot shoot Players who have done what they are supposed to do: * Howard - Has been a rebounder, paint protector and serious offensive threat * Lin - Has improved, key off the bench, is shooting better * AB - He has come in and played solid overall Players who have overperformed * Parsons - I think not many expected him to improve this much over last year. His 3pt shot looks a lot better, he is creating way more and can handle being the 3rd main guy. * TJ - for a guy not getting many minutes, he has been great. Sure he is inconsistent but that will change. The only knock on him: he needs to work hard again, not thinking that being a starter is enough. Smith and D-Mo I have a hard time rating, one because of the injuries, the latter because of lack of playing time.
This is a good assessment by and large but you can't discount Harden's injuries this season. Also at this stage I think it's fair to say that Dwight is starting to exceed our expectations which is greatly encouraging for the future of this team.
a solid summary. what i know: injuries have taken a toll on our record. the starting lineup should be dwight, tj, bang, beard, bev. the bench should be lin, casspi, dmo getting most of the minutes, with garcia and smith filling in as needed. asik should be traded for cap space and a pick. mchale is an average coach, but not a championship coach. we'll need an upgrade if we really want to be contenders. what i don't know yet: what can we really get for asik? what star players will be available at the deadline? how good is our team when healthy? is dwight or james mentally strong enough to lead a championship contender to a title, or will it have to be the 3rd star like rondo? those are the questions i'm watching to see. we'll find out the answers after the trade deadline and in the playoffs. but as it stands right now, its been a disappointing season to say the least. most of the blame is on injuries and coaching, a portion is on james for not working on defense.
Agree! Parsons has taken over for short stretches and showed a much better mid-range game this year. His ability to stretch the floor and to take it to the basket is a great asset. He's also a decent defender, passer and rebounder for a 3. His ability to rotate to the 4 when we play small ball is huge bonus also. He still is improving and will continue to get better. I've been frustrated with his FT%. He's an above average shooter and should be at least in the 78-82% range.
