Sounds like what McHale said when asked about Marcus Morris not liking the D-League assignment a couple years ago. He was also a bit like that when asked about Royce White last year. McHale gets grumpy when asked about players being unhappy about management decisions. He's mostly happy to talk about on-court stuff (like the possible pairing of Asik and Howard) but not so much the stuff that's more in Morey's department. My guess is that Asik's agency told him not to directly contact the Rockets in the offseason and let the agent do the talking/making of trade request for him-- a sensible move that allows the agent to be the bad guy without messing up Asik's relationship with the team's coaching staff and front office. In the end, I don't think it's gonna be that much of a problem since Asik has never been a headcase.
What are you talking about? Are you forgetting (or didn't follow) how the Rockets were one of the worst 1st quarter teams in the league last year. They would come out of the gate either not ready to play, or off a little bit for one reason or another. Most likely because of youth. Delfino coming off the bench was almost always a huge lift offensively. No way last year's team makes the playoffs without Delfino. Delfino as a player is what football people would call a "Gun-Slinger". He's a guy that makes things happen when nothing's working. The Rockets will surely miss him at times this year if another player cannot grow into that role. I love the re-acquisition of Garcia, but I dont think Garcia has ever been the type of player that Delfino is/was. Garcia has always been one offensively to play off of others. A definition of a spot of shooter in the mold of a Steve Novak with defense. I dont think you can expect or should plan for him to give the Rockets what Delfino did for them. I know alot of people here are anti-Aaron Brooks, and I can't say I'm the biggest fan in the world, but coming off the bench going small with a Beverley/Brooks backcourt might be what we see from McHale quite often in order to give a little offensive punch to the bench. Back in 09/10 some of the Rockets best offensive lineups were with Lowry and Brooks in the backcourt with the other bench players Budinger/Landry. They might have to re-create a lineup like that with Brooks acting as the primary playmaker. That or they might have to acquire someone via trade during the season in the Jamal Crawford/JR Smith mold to provide playmaking off the bench. Needless to say... I would much rather the Rockets have been able to keep Delfino this year so we wouldn't have to worry about the Rockets needing to make a trade on a irrational confidence type of player, or going super small with Brooks/Beverley.
Very true.... Asik's agent made a public trade request through ESPN the night Dwight was officially acquired. They are lawyers who are going to do things the formal lawyer way. That's why pro athletes pay these guys in the first place. Also, who goes out of their way to talk to their boss on their day off? If you're a teacher, do you call your Principal for kicks during the Summer? All of those guys are going to see enough of each other in the next 8 months. Asik has always been known as the nicest or one of the nicest guys on the team. Do people think that McHale and Omer are going to go all WWE in the lockeroom or something?... actually, people on here probably would believe that.
Anyhow, one thing I found interesting: + this Feigen follow-up tweet: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Wouldn't want him chasing 3-pt shooters. Want him in paint. RT <a href="https://twitter.com/sandersandrew">@sandersandrew</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen">@Jonathan_Feigen</a> what 4-men do you think Dwight could guard?</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/statuses/382864861861928960">September 25, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Pretty sure most folks thought Dwight would be the one guarding opposing 4s, which I didn't love, because Dwight not only can be lazy closing out to perimeter 4s, he also don't have great perimeter defense fundamentals, whereas Omer is deceptively quick and obviously isn't quite as good as Dwight protecting the rim, so having Omer guard opposing 4's probably is the smarter way to go.[/QUOTE] I have been expressing my concerns about this,and I am glad McHale wants Dwight in the paint. Omer should guard opposing 4's in my opinion as well.
there is no point in having omer guarding 4's imo. Just trade him for real starting 4 if he dont want to come of the bench.
I agree totally, the better matchup would be Asik on the opposing 4 with Dwight at the 4 spot on offense. However, as long as neither one draws stupid fouls at the perimeter, either situation will be highly effective as the guy in the paint will always be a premier defender. TL;DR: Both are defensive beasts, if perimeter defender plays for the J without fouling, the paint guy can eliminate a lot.
Francisco Garcia Listed height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Listed weight 195 lb (88 kg) Carlos Delfino Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Listed weight 230 lb (104 kg) Garcia is one inch taller. He's lighter, but neither of them were being asked to defend huge post players, either. I don't understand how playing Delfino in and of itself developed everyone else on the floor. You can replace any player's name in that sentence and it makes just about the same amount of sense. Care to elaborate? Delfino's defense is severely overrated, especially by McHale. If you watched, it was Delfino who was almost always one of the players out of position on a rotation or who inexplicably left his guy to "help" defend by standing 4 feet away from two different players. Garcia played good enough defense that you didn't have to worry about his man beating him, and actually knew how to properly rotate. This is clearly shown in the numbers, where he averaged more than one block per 36 higher than Delfino. The problem with Delfino isn't that he is a bad player - it's that you don't need what he brings to the team. He was a supposed "sharpshooter" on a team that already had one of the highest offenses in the league. What they needed was a better defensive presence, particularly inside the perimeter, and Delfino wasn't that guy. BTW, Garcia's lifetime 3-point % is 36.1%. Delfino's is 36.5%. Delfino = 3 & no D Garcia = 3 & some (better than nothing) D I don't even know how to respond to this. First you call Delfino a "Gunslinger" and then imply that he was some sort of catalyzing presence on the offense. You mean like the guy who had the ball most often in James Harden? Or the guy who plays the actual "floor general" position in Jeremy Lin? Did you not watch the games where Delfino would dribble twice and then cough up the ball? At least Lin has the excuse that most of the time he was passing to someone. Do you really think that Delfino created his own offense and scored all those by himself? Then you say that Garcia is a Novak-type of player when that was almost purely Delfino's role last season. That's the point. Garcia and Delfino played the same role, and Garcia did it better because he provided more consistent team defense and didn't try to do ridiculous things like drive to the basket with two guys clogging the lane. Also, I'm confused - didn't you just call Delfino a "Gunslinger"? Doesn't that imply that he has a deadly long range shot? Kind of like...Steve Novak?
You are seriously underrating Delfino. He provided a huge spart for us last year and was somewhat able to create his own shot when needed, which is something garcia cant really do. Im a huge Garcia fan, but give Delfino the credit he is due.
My feeling is, both Dwight and Omer have the foot speed that is capable of chasing PFs in the perimeter. But Asik is more WILLING than Howard. I have said it before. Asik is one of the best, if not the best, PnR defensive center in the league mainly because he is able to "show" the ball handler AND THEN run back to guard the roller. That requires tremendous foot speed. Very few big man can and are willing to hustle like that. <iframe style="display: none;" allowtransparency="true" id="rufous-sandbox" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Yep, he can hedge hard and get back to his man better than almost everyone. At his size thats something thats very rare.
Kind of weird, because it you read the actual article McHale had just prior this remark answered two questions in a row about Jeremy, and said all kinds of good things about him. In fact when asked if Lin should be at all concerned about his starting role McHale had listed AB (Aaron Brooks) as first in line to contest for the backup pg position.
I have been expressing my concerns about this,and I am glad McHale wants Dwight in the paint. Omer should guard opposing 4's in my opinion as well.[/QUOTE] Good call. On offense, Dwight plays the 4 and Omer the 5; and on Defense the other way around.
You make no sense. As others have mentioned Delfino was fantastic. Mchale is right in not knowing who will get Delfino's minutes.
I think the idea behind Asik+Howard starting is that Asik will guard the PF. I do think he is quick enough to do it. His saving grace will be that very few Power Forwards will get past Asik and then Howard successfully. That type of player won't be as efficient creating and passing when dealing with those defensive juggernauts. Asik is a legit NBA impact player. Jones and Motiejunas can be used for a change of pace at this point until they show some consistency. Start Asik, keep his value high and wait for our 3rd legit player. I realize no one is high on trading Parsons. But a package based around Parsons+Asik+young pfs+draft picks could be the key to a top end third star.
This was a really good interview. Direct and to the point through his eyes. I think Asik will come in ready to play. It's just his hands sometimes don't like to catch passes. Isn't this a skill you could improve on -- just standing there and catching passes all day long?????
Good call. On offense, Dwight plays the 4 and Omer the 5; and on Defense the other way around.[/QUOTE] Cross guarding is the norm in today's NBA.
NBATV replayed the '87 Finals LAL @ Boston "Magic's Hook Shot Game" last night. Holy Toledo, McHale could flat-out play. Would love to see McHale vs. Timmy in their primes.
