Quote of the night from Bill after #22 bashed Motiejūnas' long range shooting. "DMo for three mo! Take that Clyde Drexler!" God I love Bill.
I agree, and I would have liked to seen Dmo come back in the game late in the 4th quarter. I think the team D is better with Dmo in the game. I wonder if Mchale is worried about Jones confidence, because I don't see why he played Jones 31 minutes and Dmo only 17, when Dmo was having the better game. I'm just happy to see Dmo getting playing time, hopefully the minutes will be a little more even or more given to the player who is playing the best.
That was great, I was so glad to hear him say that. Clyde needs to stop being so lazy and do some homework so he knows what he is talking about.
Forgot to mention there was a little DMo group w/ a Lithuanian flag in my section tonight. Pretty cool.
Clyde was right tho dmo missed another 3 after that one or idk if it was before the 3 that he made. point is Dmo's 3Mos haven't been going in consistently Tho he has been moving and defending well
He has shot 33% from the 3 since he has been getting some playing time. So Clyde was wrong in saying that he shouldn't shoot the 3. Not that Dmo is as good as Clyde or even close, but Clyde shot a lot of 3's and he was only a 31% career 3 point shooter.
Actually he's shot 36% from behind the arc since he was removed from the doghouse. 14 games may seem like a small sample but in 14 games he's almost doubled the minutes he had in the previous 39 games. He has better form than he did last year and he shot 29% then. Give him some regular minutes and he may become the stretch 4 we've been looking 4. Not advocating starting him over Jones. I like the energy he brings off the bench. Just appreciating the fact he is mostly a plus on the court. He helped us get a good size lead last night until Ariza went unconscious. I think he might have helped us late in the 4th but it's hard to say. Jones was well rested coming in and DMo was exhausted going out. We looked like we got a hold on Ariza and we might pull away. Then Lin and Howard made some boneheaded plays and really putting in DMo at the moment might have just been confusing and sent the wrong message to Jones and everyone. It's a tough call one way or the other and I can't fault Coach for not sticking him in.
Since D-Mo stopped getting regular DNP-CDs (or only garbage time minutes) & was inserted into the rotation permanently, the Rockets are 11-3 for a .785 winning percentage. Until then, the Rockets were 25-14 for a .641 winning percentage.
Part of me wonders if DMo might not actually become a plus defender before all is said and done. The necessary physical attributes are coming along and will be here in 1-2yrs. Now it's all about confidence and experience.
I just Hope we do Not trade DMo to get another Shooter,he is Way too valuable If there is just a Way to trade Trashpi for a 3 and D Guy......
The 36% 3 Pt shooting is the really intriguing number. It's only 14 games, which is far too few to make an major judgements, but its not insignificant. During the stretch last season when he was getting regular minutes he shot 30% Over the course of his career in Europe he shot about 40% from 3, a little shorter line than the NBA, but still long shots. It's not as if his shots are being contested. It would be reasonable to assume he's a much better shooter than he's shown, but how much better? That could be a huge development if he can shoot 33% from 3 while doing everything else he is currently doing. Not to mention they still haven't utilized his strongest skill. The Jones or D-Mo debate which seemed long over a few weeks ago, seems to be becoming a legit question again. Not saying he should start, (I love his energy off the bench and Jones has done nothing to lose his job), but if it came down to one or the other in a trade I still think D-Mo's ceiling is much higher, and now he's actually performing.
hen jones came through when asik went to bench after TT with dunks, hustle points, fast break points blocks etc and the number were clear. but after watching the rockets lately I LOOK AT MORE THAN STATS lately if jones doesn’t have the ball on offense he is just standing around, and when he gets it he usully just looking to pass it, this can be bad in playoffs, because people can sag off him, also he doesn’t set any picks for harden/lin/bev/parsons up top. its like hes confused watching when the game slows down. If you watch most teams with elite guards they get screens every play which makes them a better player. This would work wonders with harden/lin/bev if they could get solid screens and be able to kick the ball right back to someone for a jumper if the rim is protected. I also feel like lins TO would go down if he gets these screens when he gets stuck in lane its because he usually doesn’t have a pick and pop guy to pass to or a trailer. I noticed when he gets stuck jones is just standing around. Harden is a different kind of beast he always looking to score or just get the foul. Dmo sets good screens, moves without the ball, and also plays solid team defense especially on p&r hes not polished yet but I see the effort every play on D on switches, hes a young player a 7 footer so I would say the D potential is there Im not saying one should start they both have flaws but I feel like morey will end up dealing one of them with asik for a backup center & solid vet PF/ stretch PF. And it’s a legit question of who you think should go at this point jones or dmo ? but jones has a lot more value than DMO
Couple recent videos with lithuanian interviewer: <iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lJPxWRUw0mc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GpvBtUJKFYI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> "TOP SECRET" Morey trading plans revealed, luckily no one understands... :grin: /JK If seriously: He talks about new locker-room a little... then he emo talks about his situation in second season fist half... 20 day the last trade day, until that day I can be traded, so no one knows if it was strategic move to give me playing time (for showcase) or in the coaches eyes something changed... no one knows everyone waits for the 20 day, Moray always makes some kind of moves on that day... Can you say where you want to play (if traded)? It depends what relations you have with the management. How you act in the training, if you give all yourself to the team, then the management will try to help you... But if you making protest and scenes, they can send you to the place (team) where you will rot on the bench and have worse time... Coach is very happy that I bring "Defense and Team-play" to the team.... Have limited touches on offense... Trying to play my best. blablabla Just wants to play . Doesn't care were... Is happy getting playtime now and be on the winning team... Trains the most with Jones, Dwight, now Asik is back... Don't have any free days... Trains everyday.... more emo talk about playtime first half of the season and Euro camp "When you play, every team sees you, but on the bench no one knows you or if you can play..." And there are glimpses of other ROCKETS in his interview, so ENJOY
Wow that was kind of revealing. No one knows or is saying if they are showcasing him or coach sees something in him. I think it is a little of both. Certainly Morey has informed McHale that DMo is worthless as a trade chip if he never plays but some of the ways he has used DMo, bringing him in early in the second half after Jones misses a defensive assignment, and leaving him in for long periods in the fourth is more than showcasing. McHale is trying to win with him. Still Morey will not hesitate to trade DMo for the right piece. The only thing in DMo's favor is if we trade Asik for a PF we will need a backup center. DMo fills that role better than TJones and injury prone Smith. I hope we do not trade DMo. At least not for anything less than a sure upgrade. He is young and improving. Such is the life of an NBA player.
Except if we get someone who is BOTH and upgrade starting PF AND upgrade backup center. Then Jones and DMo will have to fight for the backup PF minutes all over again. I hope so too. I thought DMo was the most promising when we got Jones, White, and Motiejunas in the same offseason. Well, White is history. I still think DMo has a higher ceiling than TJones.
The thing that boggles my mind is his free-throw shooting. How can a 'supposedly good' three-point shooter only shoot 60% from the FT line? Makes you think he's either not as good of a three-point shooter OR really underperforming from the charity stripe.
