ClutchFans Game Thread: Mavericks @ Rockets 10/18/2007 (PRESEASON)

This is the end of only 4 players scoring in a game!! WOOT!! On the other hand i'm really concerned about our defense when Yao and Battier go out.

 

Coach 'A' still has one very big chemistry problem!!
One can't have your best Power Forward floundering with crazy selfish guards who don't know how to play the team game. We are only going to win the big ones when we also make use of Scola's abilities. Only Coach 'A' can solve this!!
I don't like Battier and Chuck in the starting five.

 

They seemed fine to me during that huge run to start the game.

 

Actually, I thought the defense looked fine when last year's unit was on the floor. Shane, Chuckie, McGrady, and Rafer were all rotating well, double teaming, and attacking the pick and roll with the one key difference being Yao not showing on the pick and roll. I actually think that unit is better defensively with the slight change of Yao staying inside providing more shot blocking and rebounding. He's learned or is actually being coached to stay away from the smalls on penetration early in the game to avoid fouls. That is the right philosophy, he is more effective defensively.

It's the second unit and the players that were not here a year ago playing for Van Gundy that are the problem defensively, mainly Scola, Butler, and Francis last night. Bonzi and James look decent defensively. But Scola was constantly out of position, reaching, gambling, and forcing everybody else to have to switch late to cover his man if he hasn't already fouled whoever he is closest to that has the ball. If I was the opponent and he was on the floor, I'd just throw the ball to whoever he is guarding and let them dribble it around for about 10 seconds. We'd be in the bonus the first 5 minutes. Him and Butler made Brandon Bass look like the second coming of Duncan/Stoudamire/Malone all rolled into one. Speaking of Butler, he was simply godawful, never in position, always late, last man down trailing every play, no movement or presence defensively whatsoever.

Francis simply looks lost on both ends. He is not applying himself defensively, just standing around out there watching the basketball.

Luther did not play enough minutes to be exposed and Dallas did not play Stackhouse to expose him although they did run out that Newsome kid who ate up the small defenders (Luther, JLIII, Rafer) when he got iso'd with them.

I imagine we will see a lot of one way lineups at the end of games with Shane and Chuckie coming in for defensive stops and Chuckie being replaced by Scola on halfcourt sets on offense with Shane alternating with Bonzi primarily, who can provide both O and D. Shane and Bonzi will alternate depending on what set we are running and whether we are looking for a 3 ball or not.

As long as Shane and Chuckie are out there, our D will kick it. As long as 111 has either Scola, James, or Bonzi running with them our O will kick it. Our D will get worse when one or both of Shane and Chuckie are out and our D will be porous with both of those guys and Yao out and more than one of Scola/Butler/Francis/JLIII/Luther/Rafer in.

Butler is simply the worst player on this roster........by far. I'd much rather have Justin Reed in there as our last big. Butler needs to get traded along with Sura, Snyder, Lucas, Reed, and whoever else to some team looking to get rid of a contract.

 

Obviously not a true Rockets fan!

 

Typical YOFs

Ye Li's and her hot UH classmates?

 

which one is hotter?
the one in white or the one in red?

 

Nice they were the ones I was looking at too.

 

Uhh what are u talking about, tmac has one of the best if not the best mid range games in the league.

 

Yes he has but it want down a little bit last season. ANd you know why? Cause he did not prectice in the offseason, it was all about his back. Right now his shoot looked really good against the Mavs. He just practiced hard on it That's all.

 

Dallas used Dirk, Howard, Terry, etc last night against Detroit.

I wonder why?

 

My goodness! What are you talking about?!

Mike James was horrible last night, in terms of being a point guard. When he's on the court, his teammates, especially those big men inside, would never get involved in the play. He never looked for a pass. His game is just one-dimensional. When ball was in his hand, what we could expect was dribbling after dribbling then followed by either a penetration or jacking up a difficult long-range shot, whether or not his teammates had made a cut/rollong or not. His game as a team player simply is unwatchable.

Admittedly, he made some of those dead-end shots last night and didn't miss a lot that has been more usual for him throughout his career. But so what? That was only in a preseason game and he faced a really crappy Dallas team filled with bench warmers. There was not serious defense whatsoever, to be honest.

When our starting unit were on the court and Ralfer ran the offsense, the flow of the game was so beautiful to watch. Everyone shared the ball and kept cutting/setting screen in the offsensive end. And they played a collaborative and suffogating defense in the other end. Watching MJ play, on the other hand, was more like eating crap. The game became his one-man show. He is a good player, but he's NEVER been a good team player and I doubt he will ever be one.

Since he's already in our roster and quite obviously he looks much sharper than SF at this time, so he would be a good 6th man for the team to create instant offense off the bench. But we should not let him play with Yao and TMac together. Eventually, I would imagine he will get traded again after Steve can find his offsensive game back. He'll be really a redundency for Rox by then.

 

Anyway, most peole just check out the boxscore and say he had a good game. But for people who watched the game yesterday, he didn't really do a good job as far as initiate offense goes. But did make some individual play.

 

Mike James just isn't very good. Unlike Francis, he hasn't made a career of burning up the nets. He had one fluke year with lots of playing time on a bad Raptors team. Otherwise...read on.

http://fantasysports.aol.com/ph/article.cfm/ID.9693/Pro Hoops

Point Guard: Mike James, Timberwolves
Anyone who couldn't see this one coming a mile away doesn't deserve any sympathy for drafting him. James had been a mediocre pro at best before having a career year – in his contract year – with the Raptors in the 2005-06 season. Minnesota was the only team dumb enough to give him big money (granted, there were other teams interested, but he ended up in the land of 10,000 lakes for a reason), and fantasy owners who used a high draft pick on him were just as stupid. James watched his numbers plummet to their worst since the 2003-04 campaign (10.1 ppg, 3.6 apg, 2.0 rpg this season) while seeing his role with the Timberwolves change seemingly by the day and with a mid-season coaching change. James can't do much worse next season, but certainly won't do nearly enough more to increase his value to where it was two seasons ago.

 

I like how you judge a player by a fantasy report.

 

Mavs played their starters in the last game vs pistons but not against us? What are they up too...

 

Who cares? How many minutes would they have played in a freaking preseason game anyway? And these starters would probably have just cruised the game. At least the 2nd string players played hard in order to secure their slot on the team. Which group is actually a more tough opponent in a preseason game is very debatable.

 

Yes I know that's preseason. It's time when you have to test your bench, rookies.

I meant they did not even start with Dirk and Howard