Blocking is a statistic. What you don't see are good perimeter players defending against the drive, or forcing the driver into a double-team. Swarming the post and forcing a tough shot in the paint is good enough for me.
Thought it might be a good idea to revisit this thread, as many said to be patient, since the offseason was still fresh. Now that we approach training camp, we've only added PMB down low, who is a very good rebounder but below average paint protector. That has still not been addressed. Additionally, with the news of a possible Brooks/Lowry starting backcourt, there will be even more pressure on our bigs. They now will have to deal with yet another posting guard and the responsibilities that come with rotating to cover him. And if Adelman is entertaining thoughts of Shane at the 4 spot, the pressure increases exponentially. I'm curious how many still doubt that our defensive prowess and reputation is primed to plummet and, if not, why?
I have a feeling that we are going to get abused by bigger players, and slashing guards (later in the season) w/o a shot-blocking threat. Ariza and Battier can only hold the perimeter oriented players off for so long. Also.......at some point, being undersized on the boards will bite you in the a** I would love to have at least 1 shot-blocking threat on the roster.
Brooks+Lowry will not start. I'm certain of that. Our defense may very well slip, but they will continue to be an above average defensive team overall (by that, I mean above league average defensive efficiency). Will they still be top 10? Not sure, but it would not surprise me. This is possible for a variety of reasons: - The Rockets coaching staff are very good. And they are supported by perhaps the most advanced analytical front office in the league that knows each and every tendency of the opposing team and its players. We can expect a top-knotch defensive strategy every night. - The Rockets have several players that know how to defend as a team. Shane and Chuck, in particular, are two of the smartest defenders in the league. - The Rockets will always give great effort. That's half the battle. - The Rockets have potentially four elite defenders in Battier, Ariza, Hayes, and Lowry.
I don't think Adelman and Morey have elected to trot out this lineup because they believe in it. For whatever reason, Tracy is off limits for a trade until, say, December. This can have as much to do with him gaining strength and improving his conditioning as it does, say, with us collecting as much of that insurance money on him (to offset the luxury tax problem, or having to pay out to get those two 2nd rounders) before we bid him adieu. Or maybe he's off limits for a trade, period. But I'm not in the leebigez camp of "we're going to keep McGrady this season and beyond" although you never know, I suppose. For whatever reason, trades are in a holding pattern, and this sorry-a$$ lineup is not going to last the season.
Blocking isn't all what it is made out to be,however what we will really miss is Yao's ability to alter shots in the paint.The rest of the guys will try,especially Chuck, but we are going to face problems. There is no easy solution for this,we have to be patient.
Our defensive efficiency are still struggling though. I think we are in the bottom half with respect to defence now?
I think it just tells us how important Yao (or Deke) is to our defense. Hayes is a great defender. But size is just something you cannot do without inside for a good defensive anchor. There is a reason why 7-foot stiffs are making more money than many more skilled perimeter players.
agree with that. I really hope more people (especially those national media) would recognize the importance of Yao to our defense...
According to basketball-reference, right now we're 17th in defensive efficiency. However, we're only a month into the season and the schedules across the teams are unbalanced. The Rockets in particular have had one of the toughest schedules in the league. Over at basketballgeek, there are "power rankings" that show team offensive and defensive ratings adjusted for schedule. According to that, our defense is 12th best right now (and our offense is 11th best). http://www.basketballgeek.com/tools/nba-power-rankings/?which=def
I, unfortunately, missed the game due to an awful company Christmas party. However, I did see the high/lowlights. For those that did see the game, how did Toronto's block party affect our offensive execution?
Instead of blocks, this team takes charges. We get the ball and get another foul on the other player. Also, chuck is not going block a shot but what he will do is get a steal by stripping the ball. Either way, we can still have effective defense in the paint. It's not always about the big blocked shot to make the crowd ohh and ahhh. Taking charges makes guys think twice about driving the lane...
Please re-read (assuming you read it the first time) my OP, then my post prior to yours. This isn't about oohs and aahs; and, no, chuck hayes, shane battier, and kyle lowry (our charge triumverant) do NOT make guys think twice about driving to the lane. If you or anyone else can answer my question from 2 posts prior to this one, please do...
Toronto is the worst defensive team in the league, by a wide margin: http://www.basketballgeek.com/tools/nba-power-rankings/?which=def So whatever length and shotblocking prowess they have has not made them "defensive".
It did make driving into the lane much harder, which we were forced to do because we weren't making threes. The block party didn't help matters at all but it got to that situation due to our bizarre perimeter shooting, and Toronto's defense there was really bad, but they didn't pay the price as we kept missing completely open looks again and again.
