"Not the same group"

I don't think anyone agrees with you. Are you saying Dwight was being contested after he and Lawson beat the fronting defense? First he doesn't even have to come down with the ball...just keep it high.

This guy who you say is so-called "CONTEST"ing the shot is a 6'5 Gerald Henderson.

Even how low Howard went, this is a slam dunk every day. Anyone else in this thread say the pass to Brewer "who is historically OK from the corner" is smart?



And again, here's when he caught the ball without needing to really even jump. Keep it high

Spoiler

 

I have no screen grab, but in the Memphis game just gone, Howard gets given the ball in the post against Gasol. Turns to the hoop to put it in, but takes the ball DOWN instead of just powering it up.
Gasol strips him.

'Finding Howard' isn't a great idea...
He looks half asleep at times.
Calls for the ball at wing to reset Lawson's dribble, Lawson passes it to him, Howard just stands and watched it go out of bounds.
Runs the floor, Terry passes to him for a slam, but he isn't even looking. Ball bounces off his head and out of bounds.
Has the ball at the high elbow, commits a Javale McGee-esque double dribble.

 

TJ is shooting 41% 3s. Regardless, your comment is irrelevant to this play, or any play where the defensive 4 is on the weak side

Dude, do you know what the defensive assignment for a weak-side 4 is in that play, even if his man in Love at the far opposite corner from where Lawson is running his PnR with Howard?

Harkless is right where he is supposed to be on that play no matter who he is guarding.

 

Sure but that's on 19 total shots, if he keeps it up, awesome, but I highly doubt many players respect Jones as a 3 point threat.

 

Tjones needs to just shoot instead of trying to pump fake. Hate that crap.

 

Seems to work ok for him quite a but though. He won't finish the season at 41%. Could be 35% - which would be nice. He hasn't been too bad so far...

 

No question, if he can shoot even 35% over the course of a full season then that's a HUGE jump over what he's done the rest of his career. He can do that stupid pump fake as often as he likes so long as he keeps hitting shots.

 

First play 2nd Half POR

Here's Howard asking for a repost that Terry ignores. Let's see why.

Designed play for Howard. Harden passes to Terry, then sets a baseline crossing-screen for Howard coming over from the weak side.



Immediate pass by Terry to Howard in good position.



Howard turns to face Plumlee one on one. He spins a little and gives up. Plumlee (and underrated defensive player won't budge). Terry's man never really doubles Howard. Dwight back out to Terry, and asks for a repost, but he is in the same position that he previously gave up on.

Note the time clock at how fast Terry gets the ball to Harden to swing to Ariza.

Ariza drove high-side and drew TJones man, then got the ball to TJones near the rim, but blocked by Plumlee on help D. One wonders what DMo would have done in either Howard's position or TJones when Ariza fed him on the way to the rim...but I digress

Here's the sequence when Howard turns to face Plumlee

Spoiler

Hey GUYS, give me the ball back, I think I have Plumlee where I want him this time.



The good pass by Ariza, but POR stuffs TJones...lols...some PFs might have just shot it immediately versus bringing it down to jump at Plumlee ... move was too slow.

 

42%. The way everyone is shooting the 3 and TJ having no inside game, he should just camp out there and shoot it every time he's open.

 

No Hops Howard

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Dwight is done, but that's not even half of this team's problem.

 

He was also done last season until the playoff.

 

this is clearly a foul push off to the midsection with both hands in mid-air

 

Harden's all-or-nothing passes through traffic aren't smart and are even worse for lobs. James should already know exactly how/where Dwight likes his passes. Smoove reinforced the blueprint vs DAL too.

I won't crucify Harden for a designed play, but could better awareness have seen Dwight? Also, did Harden attempt any Howard lobs at all vs MEM? Don't say he was guarded so phenomenally when he got multiple alleys vs LAC aka DeAndre.

 

2nd Play of the 2nd Half POR

PnR Harden and Howard. This play has zero chance to succeed unless Howard can hit a 15'er. Plumlee is all over it.

Spoiler

 

I bet he cried about it while the other team scored on the other end.

 

whatever he did, this particular play doesn't indicate he's lost his hops

 

Patience, I'm working through the games starting with Portland. He did definitely find Howard for some easy scores in MEM game, don't recall an alley-oop in the MEM game though.

Note what we are already seeing in POR is Bicketstaff goes to Howard early, and staggers minutes between H and H. When Howard is on the floor with Harden, they almost exclusively go to Howard. When both are in, we are seeing plays were Harden and Howard are on different sides of the court, so Howard can get the ball and Harden is the weak-side option and vice versa. That totally makes sense as a strategy.

 

I don't actually see his trajectory changing any, if you call that a push.. Even last year, he slams that through the contact

 

We had several players last year that were versatile. 6' 09 Kostas who could drive, pass, run the break, and shoot. He could create a shot for himself and others. Got hurt but helped us early in the season. Motiejunas could do the same and post up. Nick Johnson was an athletic defender at the point position(something we are missing). Joey Dorsey had enough offensive skills to know where to be on the court, where to pass, when to post and he ran the court well.

This is not the same team as last year. And yes we are missing Josh Smith. Josh did not start playing well until he started playing more like D-Mo, and when D-Mone went down, Josh was ready to fill Donuts shoes. Now we don't have anyone who can control the offense from the post position other than Harden.