ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Knicks 1/17/2024

Sick of hearing this excuse.

Yes, we weren’t supposed to make the play-in this year. But the NBA changes in a flash. When one of your prospects emerges as an all-star, and you have the opportunity to make the play-in with 3-4 teams underachieving (Grizzlies, Lakers, Warriors, Suns) you go for it. Period. And that doesn’t mean you make a blockbuster deal. Moves at the margin like adding a couple role players to shore up our weaknesses (shooting, back up big) will do wonders.

Play-in experience would be invaluable to our young core and I’m 100% certain it’s a goal/expectation internally amongst Ime and the players.

 

Hopefully we can now get a little more realistic about how we view the team. If we remember that we’re supposed to be developing this year, the losses get easier to stomach and the wins become more fun.

 

The "stretch" is called home games vs road.

Rockets are pathetic outside of 610.

 

Yeah, until we go 3-0 on this home stand and everyone thinks we are heading for home court

 

You're not looking at the the lineup combos without Sengun.

J. Green - A. Holiday - J. Smith Jr. - A. Thompson - C. Whitmore - 43
J. Green - A. Holiday - J. Green - J. Tate - T. Eason - 40
J. Green - F. VanVleet - D. Brooks - J. Smith Jr. - T. Eason - 35
J. Green - F. VanVleet - A. Holiday - J. Tate - T. Eason - 26
A. Holiday - J. Landale - J. Green - J. Tate - J. Smith Jr. - 14
J. Green - J. Green - J. Tate - J. Smith Jr. - A. Thompson - 13
J. Green - A. Holiday - J. Tate - T. Eason - A. Thompson - 13

184 mins. So the Jalen only lineups would be 2nd on the list. It makes sense, watch how Ime rotates, he usually takes Jalen out earlier then brings him back in with the 2nd unit.

Or just look at the 2 player minutes. You'll see Green and Bari is right up there with our most played duos. Yeah he's going to have the most minutes with Sengun because they are both starters and will start and finish games.

You are right that Jalen doesn't really run an offense because he doesn't really seem to even be the focal point of the offense even when Sengun is out and I don't think that's Ime's fault. I think they've given Jalen a lot of space and opportunity to be the man and he simply hasn't yet.

 

I wouldve liked to see Cam get more minutes. Im honestly tired of even talking about jalen tbh. Sengun having a bad game is going to be hard to overcome. I hear what youre saying about Fred, i just feel like i saw this brewing. And once Sengun played like **** i knew Fred was going to be ultra aggressive.

Need at least one more guy who can push fred to a tertiary option. Maybe Jabari can be that guy.

 

Jalen in the paint was painful. Missed layup, blocked, or dribbled into a double and got stripped. This is rookie stuff

 

Championship or bust.

 

You forgot outside the paint too. Couldn't hit a 3 to save his anybody's life

 

Does he know Harden doesn't play for us anymore

 

Im pretty sure i recognize some of those lineups as jeff lineups but i started being unable to decipher who was who.

But i agree he doesn't run an offense, but i sure would like to see jalen and jabari PnP during bench minutes.

 

Yeah, I’m the same as you in terms of the Jalen talk getting tiring. Whether we’re for or against him, our opinion doesn’t even matter in the grand scheme of things and Jalen talk tends to derail whatever thread he comes up in. I’ll praise him when he plays well, criticize when I’m unhappy with him, and I think going forward I’ll leave it at that for the most part.

He’s clearly not the most important guy on the team right now and he shouldn’t be the lightning rod that he has ended up being this season. He also doesn’t need anyone of us getting overly defensive of the criticism—he’s earned the negativity, but a few weeks of good play will silence it all…if he has that in him

 

I really don't think Fred played selfish. I think the problem is the coach not having him feed more plays through Jabari and less to Jalen. Sure, Fred took 19 shots, but he had 12 assists. That's a lot of assists. He also only had 1 turnover. Selfish is Jalen taking 16 shots, with only 1 assist. Not only that, he had 5 turnovers. I get tired of watching him half the time. He just doesn't seem serious or physical enough. But....he always has a big ole smile when he makes a shot.

 

The fact this team doesn't use Jabari more is the most puzzling thing all year.

I feel like Bari is the only guy in the NBA that could go 60% shooting for a game.

Not because he's gone historically nuclear but it'll be because for some reason he has 5 f'n shots.

Dude can start the game drain 3 threes then never get a shot again until the start of the 3rd quarter. This is a failing on the team but also coach.

I do get that not every night Bari is hot but when he is he still doesn't get the shots up that he should. This is our 2022 3rd overall pick.

 

Alp is not an all star

 

Yeah that is why id like to see some actions ran for him during bench minutes. Some PnP, PnR with whoever, jalen has the best ability besides fred imo tho, and get this guy some looks.

He's really our only true shooting threat, on a team that severly lacks shooting.

 

I dont want talking about any basketball things at all after watching **** game six in a row

 

Of course the players and coaches would love to see the play-in. Derp. But the FO knows it’s a long shot and just want signs of significant progress.

 

I’m all for changes, as long as they don’t screw up our future in some stupid attempt at getting bounced in the first round. The rebuild was all about creating a perennial contender, not sacrificing our future for a couple of years of mediocrity before having to start all over again. Patience is the key, whether the fans like it or not.