We may not have the most efficient defense, but even with no plan Harden should be able to play off ball defense without looking like a gimp.
I wouldn't mind seeing IF Bowen can actually coach, it wouldn't hurt to ask and try him out as the Defensive coach.
This. Probably the smartest 99er in the GARM after Clutch and Bima. And yes, free agents want to win and they know that there is no winning with a clueless head coach like McHale. Didn't Ray Allen say something about wanting to play for a winning coach? McHale does more harm to this organization than most realize.
I've been complaining about what Bowen is talking about all season, suddenly it's true **** mindless zombies
You know, even the best players fall asleep off ball, they all get their fair share. The real killer with Harden was that he's not a high lateral quickness guy, so when he's on guys who can take him off the dribble, he's basically in a "go out and defend" scenario rather than a "lead them to where the help (Dwight) knows they're coming from and rotate to x" There is no framework except "try and stay in front of your man", people get beaten off the dribble all the time, it's not bad defense, the nba changed the rules so it would happen, it's what (doesn't) comes after.
Bowen has consistently been one of the most proven clueless "analysts" at ESPN who does nothing but b****es about poor defense.... UNTIL IT FITS THE NARRATIVE HERE... now he's a genius we all should listen to. Look... McHale has sucked at holding some players accountable on the defensive end... that's painfully obvious. But don't come in here acting like Bruce freaking Bowen all the sudden is the voice of clarity around here. Its ALWAYS easy for Bowen to complain about defense, but he's not the one in McHale or any other coaches shoes. Saying that Bowen is complaining about defense is saying that Sean Hannity complaining about the "Liberal Media" as if that is some sort of shocking thing for them to talk about. And don't act like McHale is the only coach that has had issues holding his star players accountable on the defensive end. Adelman had his issues with McGrady in the past at times, and had issues with Kevin Love the past couple of years. George Karl had issues at times with Melo. Spoelstra had his issues with Wade, Kobe had his moments, etc. etc. Its a problem yes, but b****ing about it without offering up real tangible solutions is just pointless b****ing. We don't have to accept it, but we need to realize that the front office isn't full of complete boneheaded idiots that don't see this, and aren't thinking through solutions. Obviously there was a reason McHale stayed with the team.
Parsons to Ariza= major defensive upgrade Lin to Canaan= defensive upgrade 2nd year Jones & D-Mo to 3rd year Jones & D-Mo= should be defensive upgrade Additions of Adrien, Dorsey, & Papanikolaou= TBD (good defensive pedigree but roles & adjustments undetermined) Harden upgrade= TBD (countless ridicule & tutelage of Thibs could help) Loss of Sampson= decline in defensive accountability & loss of defensive game planning Loss of Asik= decline in defense when Howard leaves the floor (despite what the stats say about the defense with D-Mo at the 5) -Last year the Rockets were ranked 12th in defensive efficiency which certainly isn't terrible. Unless Sampson's accountability is that important, I don't really see why the defense would get that much worse. at worse, the Rockets will slip down to maybe 15th at the lowest. However they have the upside to jump up in the top 10. On offense, I don't really see the Rockets getting that much better. I'd say they will be somewhere close to where they were last year. Staying in the top 5 next year would be fantastic, but probably not reasonable to expect. However Its pretty obvious that if this team can be in the top 10 on both sides of the ball (which isn't carried away to expect), I think they are still in pretty good shape. With a major talent addition (which seems like they are still planning to accomplish somewhere between December and next Summer), we should be pretty much set for awhile with a really good squad on both ends despite the issues we have with the coaching staff (which we should all assume will improve either internally or externally in the near future). Point being... There is no reason to start jumping off a cliff people. This team is still good, and was never really THAT BAD on the defensive end last year.
yo dude, was not ripping you; not sure where you are coming from with your comment. just pointing out that shutting down the best SG in the league in the playoffs does not make you a defensive stopper. don't have the tech chops to put together a highlight reel proving that point. so if you disagree with my point, explain why. frequent posting is only welcome from a handful of members here. are you one of those?
What's with the heavy reactions? I've heard a ton of complaining about this. Who is satisfied with our defense? Portland fans, maybe. The reaction to Bruce Bowen in this thread has been ambivalent at best. If you know what the defensive principles are in Houston, please answer Bruce's question. I'll get us started: 1. No sticky 2. Play harder
Do you really not get tired of saying the same thing over and over again in every ****ing thread? Give it a ****ing rest man.
So are we just gonna pretend Bowen didn't also say Tracy and Vince settled too much on the court? Them genes though..
