ClutchFans Game Thread: Hawks @ Rockets 12/29/2006

Damn, apostolic, I was trying to be nice dude.

 

They both need each other in the long term, but short-term, you're right: the Rockets generally speaking can win more season (emphasis on season) games without Yao than they can without McGrady.

The way I look at it is this: T-Mac is the brain, Yao is the muscle...we need both elements at their peak if we're really going to make a run at this thing.

 

Well it's easier to double a post player than a perimeter player (ie. spacing). So yes it's better to have McGrady than Yao if one or the other, but it concluded both is needed for a championship run, wow Tmac made 13-18? I think this game is fools gold if Tmac is shooting that high of a percentage. (ie. see FTs 1-6) (ie. Atlanta's D sucks).

 

Red Aurebach said time in the weight room is time taken away from dribbling, passing and shooting.

Basketball is a quickness and skills game........

Ah...but what did he know...he only won 16 championships.



DD

 

Nick,

Practices during the season are mostly about your next opponent and scheming for what they do on offense and defense.

Not much time for scrimmaging, or getting a look at the young guys, the majority of the practice is getting the players ready for the next one or two games.

I don't think Novak is getting much time in practice or in games......and thus has little to no chance of breaking the rotation, barring injuries.

JVG is just not willing to let his job performance rest upon the play of rookies, it doesn't matter that it would be better for the team overall if he developed them......ala Rudy with Sam Cassell, Popovich with Manu and Parker......sure they screwed up, but the got better and better and thus the teams got better.

JVG....he doesn't do that.....and please don't toss out Luther Head as an example....JVG was FORCED by injuries to play him.....

DD

 

I thought quickness comes from working out.

From wiki...
Auerbach is tied with Phil Jackson for the most NBA championship rings as a coach with nine.
During the 1963-64 season, Auerbach's starting lineup of Bill Russell, K. C. Jones, Sam Jones, Tom Sanders and Willie Naulls, made the Celtics the first team with five black starters.
Did you know currently more than half the NBA is black? Because they are stronger.
Do you know this guy named Howard on the Magic's? He's a beast on the boards, he looks like a monster.

 

damn.. and just when tmac got used to the old ball..

 

good win but we won despite the fact that RAFER STILL SUCKS!!....4-15..when are we going to pull this guy...don't let the win cover up the fact that this guy is NOT right as a starting PG....

 

I thought I read somewhere that JVG gives his starters most of the minutes in games that are not back-to-backs because he allows them a break during practice the following day. Backups and scrubs, on the other hand, go full steam during practice to make up for the lack of playing time.

 

They don't scrimmage all that much in practice......and in order for the rookies to really shine, or show their true worth as players, they need to be playing WITH Tmac and Yao.....not with other end of the bench players.

Especially PGs.....their performance is directly effected by who is on the court with them......

V-Span passing to Tmac and Yao is better than V-Span passing to Deke and Padgett.

DD

 

Yeah but V-Span needs to first prove that he can pass to Mutombo and Padgett before he gets to pass to Yao and T-Mac. Plus play better within the team's defensive scheme. That's just how it is.

 

V-Span sure can and did pass ball to Padgett many a time. The problem is Padgett in turn "delegated" his own scoring duties to somebody else (say player X) who was not as wide open as Padgett was. X often had the expiring shot clock work against him, so he would end up missing the shot.

Padgett and Lucas are at two opposite ends. Each is of very limited use for this team.

 

Actually I think the opposite, he needs to learn who NOT to pass to....ala don't hit Deke on the move on a PnR, he is not going to be able to catch it.

This is why I think V-Span would improve dramatically if he played with the best players.

If V-Span started with Yao, Tmac, Battier & Hayes...I think you would see a much better start to games.....

V-Span could be the Tony Parker of this team......

DD

 

Why is it hard to believe that players who arn't very good don't get to play? JVG has said it before, ALL players get a chance for PT in practice. Do you really believe any of those bench players are "reserving" their true powers to just throw the fans, media, and JVG off when they do get playing time?
And of course their performance will be better playing with starters. If you play on a better team, not just better players, you'll have a better performance especially if your a role player. Some players arn't suited for JVG's style. Such as VSpan's hectic style and defenseless, reboundless Novak. But some guys like JL3 are getting in on the action because he can keep up with the faster guards and penetrate. Alston is the best pure point we have on the team whether you realize it or not. He's taking more shots because either T-Mac or Yao is out of the game. Yes he does not penetrate enough but he is better than what we have as a passer.
A good team needs the starters to play most of the minutes because that's how you get wins. If they can't handle all the minutes, that's not the coaches fault but the player. Look at Yao, who thought a guy his size could play so many mins/game. If Yao can do it, anyone physically should be able to do it. I'm sure NBA players in general are conditioned by the best.

 

O-oh.... Did I smell T-Mac??????

 

I don't care what Aurebach said. If you're a 4 in this league, you better be able assert yourself in the paint on defense and on the boards. If you can't do those two things(and clearly Novak can not), it will severely hurt your team's chances of winning.

 

I'm not hatin' on Rafer, but last night he was hard to watch. TMAC was smokin' hot having just hit a 3 and next time down Rafer came down the middle early third quarter with TMAC on the right wing OPEN....So what does Reefer do? He dribbles left and jacks up a brick from beyond the arc with about 17 or 18 on the shot clock without our bigs even set up underneath. I wanted JVG to pull him based on that one trip. EVERYONE knows when you got a hot hand, get him the ball. Rafer DIDN'T EVEN ATTEMPT TO GET TMAC THE BALL....opting instead for a brick. It's that kind of boneheaded play that drives me crazy about Rafer. Further I don't think he is a good entry passer to the post, when Yao or Bonzi or JHO is setting up he will often dribble to the other side of the floor. Uh, Why?

I know Billy is not ready yet, but geesh, in a 25 point game he almost didn't get off the bench. I found myself screaming loudly at one point "PLAY BILLY!!!" and just before the next timeout, he had everyone BUT Billy waiting at the table to go in. After the timeout, Billy was in but was clearly THE LAST PLAYER OFF THE BENCH. I think he deserves better, particulary when we have a HUGE lead.....Same with Novak. We saw in preseason the kid can shoot.

 

Like Nowitzki does?

 

Well the Lakers won more with Shaq in the line up and Kobe out than vice versa

 

The only thing they have in common is being white.