Forget that Jones played more at the end of season last year. Asik is quite bad on offense and DMo was forced to play away from basket, which is why Jones fit more then, to show some agression under the basket
Because of D Morey. You should know that. Do you remember when Morey traded away PPat and Morris. McHale wasn't too happy with that. So he was forced to start DMo.
First unit: Beverley Harden Parsons Howard Asik Second unit: Lin Brewer Casspi/Garcia T-Jones D-Mo Done.
This predictive thinking is wrong on many levels. The Rockets will not have a 1st and second unit like they have in the preseason. It doesn't work like that. They will have a rotation. Meaning, things like Asik might play 10 minutes with the starters, and play the other 15 minutes while Howard is off the floor. Lin might get subbed out early, and come in when Parsons gets subbed out, etc. Also the Rockets probably wont have to go 10 deep every game this year because players 6 through 8 should be much better than in yeas past and capable of player heavier minutes. IMO there are only 6 guys who are guaranteed to get rotation minutes this year- Howard, Harden, Asik, Parsons, Lin, and Beverley. The other 3 to 5 players might change frequently, and depend on match-ups. Anyone claiming to know the "units" or the exact rotations right now is talking out their a%$.
You better go 10 deep making play-offs healthy than go 6-8 and be tired as hell, and likely not healthy (we shall rest Howard much more, he is not runner and run as much as Rockets last year equals some injurys for him, I guess).
I like Jones right now because he seems to bring more without the ball, but if DMo or Casspi improve their shooting, I wouldn't mind seeing them. I think defensively, they all need some work.
When D-Mo lost the starting job at the end of last year and we had to try Smith and Jones out, I thought Jones contributed quite nicely. He wasn't jacking up shots and going one on one. In fact, he was passing up shots he should have taken. He was all hustle and scored a bunch of garbage buckets. He got tough rebounds, blocked a few shots, and made a few highlight reel dunks. I like Jones. He needs more playing time in my opinion, but I can see why he may end up being the odd man out even though I don't agree with it at all. Jones can do a little bit of everything.
Jones is our best hope for a long-term solution at the 4 position (appears to be developing faster than DMo) ...with a spacing, shooting 4 to complement him (Casspi). Don't see how DMo fits in. Needs a lot of development, and that takes court time ...which is in short supply; especially if Asik, Jones and Casspi all play some minutes at the 4. I'm not even gonna mention Greg Smith, who i think gets moved for a pick prior to the season.
That's just it - I don't think we need a stretch 4 with the kinds of shooters we have already. We need somebody that can complement the interior defense and play closer to the basket. I'm betting coaching/management think so, too, because they've shown interest in playing Howard & Asik together.
I don't want to be too hard on Jones, like I've already said, he is the youngest player on the roster. His defense is always going to be ahead of Dmo's. They both struggle with team defense and staying in position, but Jones has physical ability and shotblocking on his side. He also seems to have a better motor. As important as basketball IQ is, the things Jones is actually good at you can't teach either. My money is still on Dmo but we will see how it plays out.
I'm on the fence when considering D-Jo and D-Mo. I just hope they both pan out and give the Rockets Mo-Jo.
