You're insane if you expect MDA to change his stripes. Albert Einstein: "“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
What I said in the other thread. Morey better make damn sure Bzdelik is signed and committed to coaching next year if he doesn't plan to replace D'Antoni. Cuz if we're gonna have MDA without Bzdelik, we may as well tank next season.
Um... yes... they didn't beat the Spurs D'Antoni left but that was in the 2nd round then they got trounced by the Lakers in the WCF. Then they had a losing record the following year. It kinda helps when Antonio McDyess was the 6th man despite being old. The Phoenix years were also interesting not just because of the Horry hip check... but Kerr forced Shaq onto D'Antoni instead of just hiring a defensive coach
How can you blame D'Antoni when Capela was unbecoming a teammate?!?!?!? Lebron had Wade, Bosh then Kyrie, Love. Jordan had Pippen, Rodman. Superman, Superboy and Donkey. They have triplets, or three-headed monster. In Houston, we have 2 amigos and a nino. Or Two Men and a Baby. Or Two horses and a mule. Capela should explain why he let down his teammate with his mighty words that he doesn't back up. D'Antoni counted on Capela, Capela counted his money and bail the Warriors.
MK: It's going to come down to can James Harden hit big shots yes or no? Just because he hasn't yet doesn't mean he never will. I think you can win a championship that way but Harden has to hit big shots. I don't believe he will but I don't believe the window is closed because he still has the chance to do it. SAS: It's closed because Mike D'Antoni is the coach. He'll win you your 55 games, a couple of playoff series but when go go against elite franchises, everyone knows what he'll do. He throws no wrinkles into the process. ... He's terrific in terms of offense, pace of play, taking a great asset & running them until the cows come home. Mike D'Antoni can be figured out. It also restricts the players you can bring in. You can't bring Jimmy Butler in there. It's bad enough CP3 is standing around. You can't have Butler standing around too. Oh alright, so have Harden change his game. D'Antoni doesn't want him to. So what are you going to do. It also involves D'Antoni getting in your face & coaching you & forcing you to make the necessary adjustments. That has not been the case with D'Antoni. That is not his MO. D'Antoni will fill seats, the style is entertaining & will win you games but he won't win you championships. When you have CP3 go down in game five, you end losing game six & seven. Y'all were talking about if he was not hurt, they'd win a championship. Then to go against the Warriors the next year, for KD to go down, to then lose after that, tells me all I need to know about Houston.
SAS is right. Sadly but true. The combo of Harden and MDA won’t do enough and I agree that Butler coming here to just be a spot up shooter is definitely not going to win you games.
I agree with the youth movement sentiment. House, Clark, Hartenstein. We’re talking about using them as 8, 9 and 10 in whatever order. 6 and 7 will be Shumpert and MLE. You can’t yank them out for mistakes. I remember very clearly Clark getting thrown into an absolute fire in Denver and yanked 2 plays later. Yes he made mistakes but that’s how you shatter a young man. House getting yanked in GSW...yes he made mistakes but that’s how you shatter a player’s confidence. Hartenstein started the year out playing for nene who just can’t give a pro effort all year, the guy made mistakes but played with an energy level that was sorely lacking after being banished to (winning) the g league. Where’s his confidence to come from? You gotta die with em to live with em. What’s at stake? A real bench. Taller players, athletic players. 3 point shooters. Hustlers. Guys who give it up on defense so James can do his all-timer thing.
"D'Antoni will fill seats, the style is entertaining" It's like all the discussion about how the way the Rockets play ****ing sucks were all on my head.
As soon as I read the Chris Paul standing around point you know he has no clue what he’s talking about. And to think Butler would just stand around. Christ. The number of plays that Paul is literally just standing there doing nothing but waiting is not very many. I’d wager between 5-10 per game. And to go even further, the amount of times per game that Paul is just standing there spotting up and it actually results in a bad outcome is even more rare. Butler would be far and away our best guy with the ball in his hands after Harden and Paul. He’s just better with the ball than Gordon is. Gordon can put his head down and drive, but that’s about the extent of his abilities with the ball, Butler can do more. Butler gives you a more reliable option with the ball in his hands and I have no doubt we would utilize it.
Who would you want physically running SSOL. We’ve got Paul no Harden no Egod no Tucker no Capela no ( needs to stay near rim for d) Rivers possible House idk Green sure Shumpert idk Harty no How would you want a team as old as ours to play with a faster pace. Better yet a team that switches or has trouble rebounding pushing pace. I do not think ssol fits outback personnel we are methodical and half court. You could say run he offense earlier. By the rox already do that. It’s just in heroball time that we dont
How do you explain the rockets being 3rd in pace in D'antonis first year with the team? The pace we played at that year was also faster than any year of Mike's SSOL suns.
We were top 10 in pace the first few months of 2017-18, with largely the same roster, and we were annihilating teams. This team is capable of excelling at a higher pace. Our iso-heavy offense works with Harden, but Paul is no longer able to create for himself at the level he did in 2017. He still has elite vision, and a faster paced offense with more motion would allow for Paul to be more effective for us next year. If we run n gun all year, there is a risk of wearing down as the season progresses. All I'm asking is that we do it more opportunistically than we do now. Add a few pieces for depth this summer (a Rudy Gay, Luc return, etc.) and be more judicious with Paul and Tucker's minutes. Capela is a gazelle and would thrive in a fast paced system. With his sometimes shaky handle, Gordon is better equipped to attack a scrambling defense in the open floor. Paul's vision would be better showcased in a faster system. Rivers and House's athleticism too. And Harden is an absolute offense genius that can thrive in any setting.
