Who'll do the scoring? By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle Sept. 29, 2009, 11:11PM Soon, the absences might not be quite so conspicuous. The players who are sidelined will not command more consideration than those who are playing. The Rockets will be about players other than Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Then the challenges will be inescapable again. The Rockets will not have Yao drawing double-teams and forcing defenders to leave his teammates open. They will not have McGrady, at least for a couple months, to trigger their offense. They will have to find ways to score with a roster of players who have never been asked to carry an NBA offense. And for all the talk of needing different players “to step up,” the Rockets began workouts Tuesday knowing it will be more complicated than that. “So much has changed,” coach Rick Adelman said. “The people we're missing are huge pieces. Guys are going to have to respond. We're going to have to see what people can do. “It's one thing to have Yao on the floor or Tracy and you have a role that you do. Now we're going to have to … see who is going to make a leap. It's going to be interesting to watch the team progress.” NBA offenses have increasingly become about getting the ball to stars to force defenses to double-team and leave players open. The Rockets believe they have players able to become those sorts of offensive threats. They also know they will have to find open shots in other ways. “We'll try to get easy baskets,” Aaron Brooks said. “I think that's the key. Teams are good when they have set defenses. It's hard to win in this league when you are in the half-court constantly. I think we have to get out and get easy baskets.” The first part of the Rockets' plan is clear. “We have to find shots earlier in the possessions,” Shane Battier said. “We have to attack defenses before they're set. We're not big enough to pound against teams in the half-court setting. We have to get out and in the open court.” The Rockets are unlikely, however, to be able to rely on fast-break basketball. They did pick up their pace last season after McGrady went out and the trade of Rafer Alston made Brooks the starting point guard, with Kyle Lowry coming in off the bench. Breaking down the break In the previous three seasons, the Rockets averaged 7.9, 7.4 and 8.2 fast-break points per game. Before last year's trade, they averaged 8.5, bumping it to 9.1 after the deal . They expect to score more in the open court this season, but it won't be enough to carry the offense, putting more emphasis on early offense than scoring on breaks. “I haven't seen very many all-out fast-break teams in the NBA,” Adelman said. “It's too well-coached and too well-scouted. But you can be a very good up-tempo transition team, and that's what we want to do. We want to get the ball up the court quicker than we have in the past. “If we can get guys up the court and attack the defense before they're completely set, then we can find things out and be successful. We can't just walk it up. We don't have the personnel.” Even an increase in tempo will not be enough. The greater challenge will be when the Rockets cannot get early open shots, particularly at the end of games when teams often must rely on the execution of their half-court offense. They will inevitably have to score without the open shots that came when teammates orbited Yao or moved off McGrady's playmaking. “That's what we have to find out,” Battier said of the Rockets' options in the half-court, especially late in games. “Our best option now is Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola in a pick-and-roll. That's what we're here in training camp for, to figure those things out. I think everyone will be surprised by who will emerge as go-to guys. I think we'll see guys in roles they've never seen before. “The last couple years, we played to the individual strengths of our best athletes. With Tracy, Yao, Ron (Artest), those guys are best in iso situations. We don't have those guys, so we have to rely on movement, spacing and energy to score.” Time will tell Brooks said he can penetrate and create in those situations, and Scola can be effective in the post. Either way, it will be awhile before the Rockets know if that works as well as when they counted on the players conspicuously absent. “Usually, every team has one All-Star or two All-Stars or someone you rely on who has been the main guy, who knows that role and has done that role,” Adelman said. “We're going into this trying to find out who that's going to be. That's not an easy step to make, not that they can't do it. I've seen guys make big steps. That's what we have to have happen.”
its going to be a dogfight every game. look forward to seeing what scola and brooks can do if they are unleashed
When the defense doesn't know who to KEY on . . . . it may make for a better team and better results Rocket River here's hoping
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6643998.html Just a tip, when starting threads put the link to the story at the very top.
If our best offensive option is Brooks/Scola PnR, then we're in serious trouble. Faster tempo doesn't necessarily mean better offense. It might get players nice looking stats, but it doesn't lead to wins in of itself(GSW, Memphis, etc.)
That's an interesting bit of information I had not come across before. I think in the future if I have stat questions like how much our fast break points improved after teh trade, I'll just ask Feigen about it.
I don't think it will be difficult to key on Brooks or Luis and either Ariza. The focus will probably switch to Landry when Scola goes to the bench. Andersen and Budinger/Taylor and the rest will have to do their best,to relieve pressure on the main scorers. Teams will adjust to the newcomers eventually too. We are going to be in for a rough ride.
It may, but usually it just means no one on the team is dangerous offensively. Who is going to score when the clock is ticking and the defense is clamping down? Right now, I can only see Scola or Brooks doing a mediocore job in that role.
"The last couple years, we played to the individual strengths of our best athletes. With Tracy, Yao, Ron (Artest), those guys are best in iso situations. We don't have those guys, so we have to rely on movement, spacing and energy to score.” Hallelujah!
For us to have a chance, Brooks and Scola will have to score 40+, combined, nightly. Hopefully, Ariza will emerge as consistent threat on offense, we all know he can play D. I really don't see how we can score enough, on a consistent basis, to win, but we'll see.
Defensive holes at the point and middle, Offensive holes everywhere. it is going to be a long season.
I'm sure that it won't take too many scouting resources to find out how to beat this Rockets team as currently constructed.
Even Rockets fans are comparing us to the lowest caliber teams in the league? I have a hard time thinking that way, we will make the playoffs, but i doubt tracy will get us out of the first round (assuming he is still a rocket).
It's really pretty simple, at least until McGrady gets back. Defensive pressure on Brooks and sag into Scola. Offensively, iso Scola and get him in foul trouble. Every team in the league that has a scoring 4 or 5 can use the down screen to rub off their defender on the switch to Scola. Then receive the ball and work Scola over. Use your guards to post up Brooks on the other side. Double Brooks and force him to give up the bball to inferior shooters. (Lakers did this in the playoffs.) Not real hard actually. We need McGrady back and/or we need Ariza/Anderson/Landry to develop into effective, consistent, efficient 3,4, and 5 option scorers. Don't see any of those guys being able to get their own shots once Scola/Brooks sit down or the ball is taken out of their hands. We need another scoring big and we need someone to perform at the 2 guard spot.
Anderson will have to play like Okur, except less in the paint. We'll run Anderson/Scola/Brooks double screen/pick/roll on every play.
Put battier in the low post a few times a game. He has a pretty good hook shot, and i thought they didnt utilize it enough last year. And Brooks and scola pick n roll should be a good combo this year, as scola has a good mid range shot.
i think our team will be well balanced. i know that we don't have a pure scorer, but the whole team is capable of scoring. it was just then the "superstars" where the go-to guys it made it easier for the team to fall back on them to score or not. In my opinion i really see a real basketball non-superstar team on the rise. making way for future all-stars on the current roster.
