yeah, this is it. i didnt write it when i started this thread since i was afraid of getting some tl;dr's...
did he? i mean the end result was just about the same as the Rockets are right now and thats a .500 team give or take. I'm not dismissing that a coach doesn't make a difference but if your personnel doesn't match up with what you're trying to do it won't work.
Well, when Harden wasn't fat last year he could get open quicker or actually bring the ball up in a few seconds himself without turning it over
Looking at the make-up of this team, there really isn't much we can do about it. If not Harden creating, what are our alternatives? Howard Post up = turnover or probably a missed hook shot Ariza/brewer creating a shot in any capacity = brick Beverley = not too bad, but can't start the attack of a possession Harden is truly the only one that create a shot for himself (outside of maybe beasley, D-Mo hasn't been very good since he came back) or create a 4-on-3 situation where the others can attack well. Do I like hero ball? Nope, it alienates your teammates and they don't give as much effort (unconsciously). I know this because the university team I am on like that, we have a very good player but come crunch time, we know it's better to give the ball to him. I would say this though...Harden has shown he can play well with others i.e. when Chandler Parsons served as the second attacker or at the FIBA championship when he played with 'ball dominant' guards like curry and Irving. One thing the front office will have to improve is searching for more creators on the team, as well as better COACHING. Sometimes I just cringe watching the rockets offense..when you see nice actions run by other teams to get a simple backdoor layup or open shots. I hate it when we always waste almost 8 seconds to bring the ball up the court, or we do simple pick and roll from the middle of the floor with no action involving the other 3 players...thinking "Why do we always have to make it so hard for ourselves?". Although this is probably a topic for another thread. Anyways, playoffs or not, I do trust to front office to try and retool. They have shown good judgement over the years and I am ok with seeing how they retool this team. Go Rockets!
Our season's issues is an all of the above type of thing. However, the "coaching isn't important" narrative is just stupid.
Harden has proven both in okc and in his first 2 years here he is more than willing to move off ball and let other players handle the rock . Last year , he had to carry a huge load . This year , same thing . We haven't had another ball handling option as good as Lin or parsons the last two years . Dmo needs the ball to be given to him , and I've not yet seen enough of Beasley to put him up here . James head isn't too big , he literally has to do everything . Beverley has improved , but he isn't fluid and doesn't move off ball well . We need another perimeter player that can shoot a bit and drive and pass .
yeah obviously some bigger issues than others. I just hope this team can add more dynamic players so the next coach that comes in can hopefully add a much needed new look to the team.
Players like Brewer should try making a couple layups and open shots..if they would've made 1 open 3 pointer Rockets would've won last night. Harden can't sprinkle majic dust on these goons. More than half his teammates suck
No, Adelman did more with more here. Lowry, Dragic, Lee, Brooks, Landry, Martin, Scola were all terrific offensive players. We have nowhere near that level of offensive talent.
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That 2009 team was one of the most stacked teams in recent Rockets history and certainly more talented than this current team. <script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=bbr&url=%2Fteams%2FHOU%2F2009.html&div=div_roster"></script> Yao Deke Landry Artest Scola Battier Lowry Brooks Hayes That was a deep team, full of high IQ players who played with passion. Not to mention the players had complete buy in and a great coach.
I agree that coaching is absolutely important though. There is a reason teams like Portland, Boston and Dallas are playing above themselves.
I agree that the rockets need to play differently but mainly for personnel reasons. Harden is a nice triple threat player but his ability to keep defenders off balanced would be better utilized with another combo scorer/playmaker beside him to keep the defense honest. He's not the relentless scorer that Kobe, MJ, Wade were. He scores by ball skills rather than shooting ability and athleticism. But, your interpretation of past champions' teamwork is a bit glossy. The rockets, spurs, mavs, and warriors titles were with great teamwork but the bulls, lakers, and heat titles were almost textbook displays of hero ball (I'm only going back to the MJ era, was too young for Magic/Bird era).
Getting rid of hero ball starts with finding players who are competent and understand their roles, and oh yeah who dont suck balls. face it this team is James Harden and a bunch of scrubs.
