I mean thats just not true man . Doesn't his value as a trading asset grow if he takes it slow and returns to full health? The game is still the same , you want other teams to think that he will be at full health for them too. Rushing him back makes no sense in any scenario unless you desperately need him to get enough wins make the playoffs. He wouldnt be traded until the near the deadline and frankly the risk you run by rushing him back could completely backfire if he gets hurt again. Its much easier to say to other teams that he is progressing well and that you are just moving him along carefully. Not that I dont think he is our future PF ... but you argument is kinda just wrong
Look at Dwight's return, he had issues down the line after returning so quickly, but again, down the line doesn't matter if he was seen as someone that they were looking to flip or someone they weren't going to have long term. If you weren't going to have him past this year, you look to get the most THIS YEAR out of him, not look to ensure he's good to go long term. The fact that they are being extra careful with him shows that they have plans for him beyond this year.
Booby has a point. The Rockets are in win now mode. It would be to their benefit to have the final roster for a championship push as soon as possible instead of acquiring a key asset for Dmo well after the all-star break which can upset chemistry and rotations uncomfortably close to playoff time. If Dmo was on the trading block, they would rather trade him sooner rather than later. The organization being extra cautious of his return points to them believing that he is going to be a key factor in a deep playoff push. Let's stop underselling the importance of Dmo. Without him, this offense is considerably more one dimensional. Even with Howard, the team currently is almost entirely a perimeter oriented offense. Before Dmo went down, he added a while new dimension to the offense. During stretches Harden was struggling, Dmo was a consistent post presence we could rely on when the offense became stagnant. I know as Rocket fans, we might exaggerate claims of our own players often, but remember, before he want down many of us believed that Dmo is one of the most skilled post players in the entire league. You just don't trade that away. He's also only 25 years old. He has his prime ahead of him. There are very few PFs I would trade him for and the franchises that have those few PFs wouldn't pull the trigger also.
No it means they value his production more in the playoffs than they would now. It doesn't necessarily mean that he is a future linchpin. Regardless of whether or not they have future plans for him , they would want him to be as close to 100% in the playoffs , and rushing him back is a significant risk to that.I don't think you can assume anything beyond this year due to how they bring him back for injury. Simply put the way they are bringing him back maximizes his value for all situations .. as a trade asset, as a player this season, and as a player in the future.
geez man you are typing and i guess debating for the sheer sake of it. comparing dmo to howard as being equal and the same exact situation is nonsensical. but if you insist on doing that answer me when was howard injured "down the line" in the playoffs correct? unless of course you are saying that morey is going to want him to play and then trade in jan/feb... ok i guess
No, Howard was good to go by the playoffs, he suffered a setback a month or so before the playoffs but was back dominating in the playoffs......just on a garbage team. He also had issues the next season due to him going back too quickly.....which didn't matter in LA because he was gone already The point is that Howard came back for the start of the season, DMo has been out an additional month because they don't want to risk problems in the future once they sign him long term.
How I came to love Donatas Motiejunas in the 2014-2015 season By Colin Ainsworth @Drainsworth on Aug 4, 2015, 8:17a Last year, the first time the Rockets played the Mavericks in Houston, I thought we were going to lose. I thought Dwight Howard being on the bench was a huge deal. I thought James Harden would have a bad night. I thought Chandler Parsons would erupt. Of course, we didn't lose thanks to some late game heroics, namely an and-one by James Harden on Chandler Parsons that gave Houston the lead with just under 30 seconds to play. It was a close game, and a fun one to watch, but the main thing I took out of that game was something I said to my dad about midway through the second quarter. "That guy, right there," I said, pointing at Donatas Motiejunas as he dropped a rebound that went through his hands, "I want him out of the league." That was the 13th game of the season, and I really, really meant what I said. D-Mo, to me, was not a threat on offense. He was a liability on defense. And, for all his height, he couldn't grab a rebound against what is probably my least favorite team in the league in the second quarter of the 13th game of the season. I was completely done with him. Then, at Game 72, Motiejunas got hurt, and was out for the rest of the Rockets' season, no matter how long it went on. And I was devastated. Not only had D-Mo become one of the better players on paper, he was one of the better players to watch. He had been a real contributor, sure, but his contributions never ceased to be surprising for some reason. He went from being a guy who couldn't grab a rebound to a guy who could do stuff like this: His passing was great. His footwork in the post was amazing. His shot was reliable, and he could make his own, if need be, and I don't think we would've known that were it not for the most bizarre game of the Rockets' season in Minnesota. When James Harden fouled out, and Dwight remained on the bench, Motiejunas became the offensive weapon. He was the only guy on the floor who could dribble for an extended period of time and not make me nervous during the end of that game. We were hanging by a thread, and that thread was Donatas. That night he scored 13 points and had 8 rebounds. He made almost all his free throws and 50% of his shots. I was on board. I was a believer. And 6 games before, I wanted him gone. In the 2014-2015 season, D-Mo averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds per game, both significantly higher than his averages from the year before. This makes sense, though, seeing as his minutes almost doubled from 15.4 per game to 28.7. In the absence of Dwight Howard, Motiejunas’ role was forced into expansion, and he accepted this role with flying colors. He was able to space the floor with his decent three point shooting, and his ability to score in the post through a surprisingly large arsenal of moves was truly something to behold, and it got him the unfortunate nickname of "Captain Hook" from Matt Bullard. I am a little embarrassed by how often I have searched "Donatas Motiejunas highlights" on YouTube, especially considering I wanted him back in Europe at the beginning of the season. However, his improvement from Year 2 to Year 3 is certainly one of the biggest reasons the Rockets were able to remain so good last year in the midst of all those injuries. Of course, then he got injured, and, like I said, I was devastated. Having (what I would argue) the second most reliable scoring option on the bench only 10 games before the playoffs hurt. Not only that, but he was a starter, and depending on which Rockets fan you asked that was one of the bigger reasons the Rockets season ended when it did. I'm not sure how much I buy into that argument (though D-Mo did play consistently well against Golden State), but I do think it hurt. It would be very easy to speculate (as we all have) about the fate of the Rockets season were they to remain fully healthy through the playoffs. But, injuries are, unfortunately, a part of the game, and it was a shame Donatas had to help us learn that. To put into context what I expect out of Donatas Motiejunas in the upcoming season, I'll say this: I am currently setting aside some money to buy a Clutch City alternate jersey with his name on the back. I'm glad D-Mo and I could work our issues out, but more than that I am glad that he has grown as a player the way he has. He went from being the stereotypical soft, but tall European NBA player to the stereotypical crafty, and tall European NBA player, and he did so when he was 24. He's on contract with the Rockets for one more season, and I genuinely hope that no one else notices just how good he is during next year's free agency so he can stay in Houston for less money than he deserves (come to think of it, maybe I should start looking into other players' jerseys...). Motiejunas is a fun player, and I hope he comes back from his injury as the same fun player he was before, and I hope he comes back after next season, because I expect he will be important to the team this season. If we could all just find some wood to knock on now, I think it would be helpful.
I don't know if Howard dominated that playoffs . He averaged 17 and 11. The year before he put up 27 and 15 and the year after he put up 26 and 14 . Its obvious that he was never healthy that entire season. The lakers didnt rush him back because they didnt care about his long term health. Dwight rushed back for the Lakers because they made a stupid organizational decision. YES there was pressure to win that season , but they could have been better at the end of the season had dwight taken a couple more months rehab. The issue there was that they needed him to even make the playoffs. Just because the rockets are being patient doesnt mean that they wont trade him or that he is a huge part of their future the next 4-5 years. It simply means that he is more valuable to them in all aspects at 100 % in a month than he is at whatever % he is at now . Rushing him back is too risky on all fronts. I really wish the dwight comparisons in all aspects would cease, they are not a useful comparison tool.
he had the lowest rebounding numbers that postseaon of his 8 different seasons with trips to the playoffs. and scored 10 points a game more in the playoffs before and a year after in the playoffs. but ok
I recall last season NBA Forward Jared Dudley was a guest on ESPN I think it was and he said DMO was a big loss and that he felt that statistically DMO was one of the best if not the best "Post Up" player in the NBA as a result. If I can find the podcast I'll post it up.
I always thought end of December start of January for a back surgery. Has he been cleared for 5 on 5 yet or no? It was a serious surgery esp for a big man and it shouldn't be downplayed as much as it has around here. It takes a lot of time and we need patience.
since I'm Dudley's biggest fan I can tell you that it was in the first podcast he did with Lowe last year. He didn't say that he was the best but he said that DMO has the post game. He was the one to mention DMO and he said that he enjoyed watching the Rockets play.
Being on a scrub team with the worst possible head coach for a big man had a LOT more to do with the decline in his numbers than anything else.
Nice..thanks for the catch on this! Thx...it's been a while that's why I said "I think"....I'm gonna go re-listen much appreciated.
i suppose you are right and when i looked earlier the lakers got swept, and i can't remember when but he got ejected in game 4 which would lower his averages.
He will be traded for a legit stretch 4 that can shoot. Ryan Andersen. Why would Noel or Okafor be a target unless Howard or Capela is moved?
The time it takes a star player to blend in with a team isn't as long as people think it is particularly for bigmen. Big men don't run nearly as complex of an offensive set at the point or 2 or 3. So they plug in much easier. Case in point - Rasheed Wallace mid-season trade that led to a championship for the pistons. Even Clyde was a mid season trade. Lets not forget that Brewer and Smith came in mid-season.
