Btw while Lawson was in the Nuggets he had motivational issues there too. Karl used to call him before every game to pump him up otherwise he didn't show effort. Shaw did everything he could to get him to play well. Cancelling shootarounds for him, reading some "millenial generations" books to try to connect etc etc. If it's about Lawson , while not saying that he had been a cancer before or anything like that, the lack of effort is nothing new.
One positive note, didn't Lebron and Love go at it early last year? Maybe Lawson is struggling being less of the leader as he was in Denver? Personally, I think he should control the ball and Harden should play off of it, Lawson protects the ball so much better than James does. But you have to FORCE that and let players find their rythmn. DD
We're the same. It might be because I watch every game, but you just know what Rockets are going to do in every step of half court offense. We're so predictable IT'S ****ing unbelievable. I noticed it first, then the experts did, but Rockets player are getting ZERO separation from their man. I liked first possession in Memphis game, looked like we know how to play basketball. But after that same old predictable nothing on offense. We just can't surprise anyone on offense any more.
Keep in mind that Clutch is just speculating also. But, I hope he's right. If Ty is the major problem behind some of the issues the Rockets are having, then that's easier to fix than a problem with Harden or Howard. The fact that Ty played so little last night may indicate that he is indeed a big part of the problem.
If I were to guess the reason why, I would first look at transition points. Our bench last year scored a lot, and a lot in transition. Hard to get your transition game going without stellar defense.
It makes much more sense than the The majority of posts casting it's all Hardens fault. I can't even believe people can point the finger at 1 guys and say it's him it's him. It's like they haven't watched them play all year. Thad team is just bad. There's nothing else to it. They just don't play basketball well at all now.
Doesnt explain the rest of their issues. Lawson hardly played last night... Does this mean Kevin couldn't see it was a problem though?
I think this is obviously about Ty. Look, he's in the doghouse and it's for a reason. A player like him would get the benefit of the doubt but that's not happening here. Bickerstaff has seemingly decided to put him in the doghouse and after watching his defense last night for those 3 minutes then I agree with the decision.
I can't criticize Lawson for his defense. He's always been bad and his height makes him a natural liability on that end. We knew this going in. His offense though, which has been completely atrocious, is why he was brought in. The Rockets brought in Lawson for his ability to run the offense and create, and he's done neither of those things. That is why he should be criticized, and that's why he should not get minutes. Having said that...maybe the Rockets didn't need another ball handler and that whole narrative was flawed. The Rockets need shooters and they need defenders alongside Harden, not more ball handlers. I see us getting plenty of open shots, but rarely do I see us hitting any at this point.
I don't think Harden wants anyone else to be the primary ball handler and that therein lies the problem. Why Lawson though is playing as badly as he is - inexplicable.
Harden was never great. You can't be great with less than certain amount of effort on one side of the ball. His offensive numbers are great, but it's not like he's ever shot 50% FG / 42% 3PT. Harden led us to the WCFs from the bench?... Credit to him for improving his playoff play from the previous years though. If Harden played more defense, what shooting % would he need to still lose by 25? Difficult to quantify, but I'd guess ~20%. If Harden tried more the entire team would. Plenty easy fastbreak baskets for us and less for the opponent because we're getting back on defense. We'd get to more loose balls. Dwight could easily finish alley-oop lobs from Harden, but since Harden feels a certain way..... no happens. Howard isn't allowed work his way back after missing month+ ?? Harden is a fool if he thinks Howard effects his game negatively. What about Dwight's paint presence when James gets beaten on the perimeter? Exactly. Harden isn't a leader and is not a true #1.
I think it's clearly a mix of things, from reports, observations, and pure speculation. IMO: - Harden doesn't trust his teammates and is naturally aloof/detached from his team. He sees himself as above the rest of the guys (after achieving "superstar status" on and off the court in the past year), and thinks that it's implied that he's doing his job by dropping his high-PPG and that his teammates should follow. His teammates naturally look at his lack-of-trust/communication, no defense and poor efficiency and get resentful. - Lawson seems immature/easily unmotivated. You can see that his effort is gone and it seems likely that he was the biggest reason for the McHale firing. Strangely enough, JB has been the one to bench him. Not sure how we can salvage his season at this point. - Dwight and Harden have always been polar opposites personality-wise, but after taking a backseat to Harden last year (after being 1a and 1b the previous year), I think there's a disconnect about leadership. Dwight probably expects Harden to lead now that he's clearly the top dog, yet James is backing off even more from the rest of the team. Dwight is probably too mentally fragile to be the vocal leader, but you can tell he at least communicates with the other guys. It's tough to say/pinpoint the biggest differences between this team and last year's squad. But it's pretty clear that everything that could've gone wrong chemistry-wise has.
It isn't surprising to me at all. Playing with the ball is vastly different than playing off of the ball. It is a huge difference....if Harden is going to be our PG, we are going to have a TON of turnovers, but if that is the way we are rolling, then get Lawson out of here, or let him be the primary ball handler off the bench and start Thornton next to Harden. They just need to pick a direction and go. DD
Yeah the 08-09 Timberwolves are very relevant to the 2015 Rockets. I can see how you come up with so many smart bball observations.
