Yesterday or maybe the day before, the 790am morning show was talking to someone with the Rockets. It may have been director of player personnel. And they were asking him specific questions about D-Mo and TJones. He said that at this point D-Mo just isn't physical enough. He said D-Mo is getting stronger, but that he needs to adjust to how physical the NBA is. The guy from the Rockets also said that D-Mo and TJones just aren't good enough yet on defense. Watching D-Mo in the D-League games, he has real talent on the offensive end, but he does get pushed around pretty easily. D-Mo just turned 22 and TJones just turned 21, these guys are still so young. Maybe they will see some minutes later this year maybe they won't, I really don't think it makes much difference in the long run. Another year of summer league, another training camp, and another preseason should make a huge difference for these guys.
Aruba, you are right in that PPat is better and needed for a playoff run this year. For me though, while I will enjoy the playoffs if the team makes it, I am more interested in watching them develop. I think PPat is a very nice player, but not a difference maker, so for me, I would move him while his stock is high and go with a higher upside guy in Dmo. I am not concerned with the playoffs this year, but rather finding guys that just MIGHT develop into championship level players in a couple of years. I do agree though, PPat is the much better overall player today. DD
What I dont understand is why not play D Mo against 4s that wont exploit his lack of physicality and rebounding? When the other teams PF on the court is Jameson, Bonner, Rashard Lewis, why not throw D Mo out there? This guy is the key to our offense. I know it seems like we dont need much help there, but good teams have been able to shut down our pnr game by making the other guys beat them. If D Mo is setting that screen for Lin and Harden, they cant just leave him to trap the guard. This is going to give harden and lin so much more freedom and space
I believe DMo is better than Favors. I just feel mentally he's there with the best of 'em. My dream scenario would be shipping PPat and MM for Jsmith and giving DMo full time backup duties at the 4. And in the offseason if we don't re-sign Smith, make a run at D12 and let DMo start with TJones off the bench.
He's not even close to as good as Bargnani. Come on now.... IMO we should trade him now while is perceived upside is high. I really doubt he will pan out and better to get some assets for him now.
I felt the same way as you at the beginning of the season, and especially around the time of our losing streak. But now I think that making the playoffs will do as much to advance our prospects of building a contender as developing our young talent will. The reason being that other stars and franchise players are starting to take notice of Houston. Players want to play for a winner. We've got Harden, and if we can show that we're a playoff team, great players will want to come here because they know we can contend with their help. So projecting a winning image and creating a track record of success will help us bring in the additional pieces we need to be a true contender. If we can do that while holding onto guys like Jones and DMo, all the better.
You're horrible. Derrick Favors is a true beast defensively, he will win DPOY at least once in his career. He would eat any of our bigs alive in the fight for any rotation minutes
My guess is that Daryl Morey and the Rockets coaching staff would love for Donatas Motiejunas (I can't bring myself to type out "D-Mo," as I find these sorts of ubiquitous pseudo-nicknames to be completely annoying) to turn into Ryan Anderson (the New Orleans stretch four) in a couple of years.
First it is nice to see you back. We need to make the play-offs this year to complete the T-Will obligation; but like you and would like to see D-Mo get a few steady mins. to develop, too. What I have seen of him (summer league) he plays more like a small forward / stretch four which is a "fit" on the current team (draw back beast one day then absent the next - but same number of minutes in each game). This is just Patterson's 3rd season and Morris' 2nd so we are playing young bigs, just not the ones most of us want. You are right Drummond and Favors both nice players - but it is not the Rocket way --> GRV just give time, time. PLUS we have Jones, Smith and White, too.
DMo already has the best post moves on the roster and I think he's being hidden until after the trade deadline so they can dump one of the excess PF's on the team. You won't get much for Patterson or Morris if Motiejunas comes up and makes them look like scrubs. I personally think he's the future at PF for the Rockets which is why I like the idea of getting Josh Smith, he can play both forward spots and Motiejunas can play the 4 and occasionally the 5 so you could come up with all sorts of rotations.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/ningrim">ningrim</a> 245 if gain means I lose my speed no I don't any .</p>— Donatas Motiejunas (@DonatasMot) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonatasMot/status/296849582615326721">January 31, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
