Play Steve Novak!

Maybe the team lobbyed for novak to start and JVG put him in to prove a point. YOu could see t-mac at the end of the game when novak hit his last 3 kind of annoyed he didn't come set the pick earlier. Or that's what I think I saw. I wanted novak to get minutes but this trial by fire was a bit tough, but it's what makes or breaks a player. Hopefully novak got something out of it.

Tough game, thought we had them when we got the lead. So close yet so far.

Go ROCKETS!

 

I agree, though probably not for the same reason you.

Starting Novak against Phoenix probably was a mistake, but only because he went in cold, with absolutely no warming up in previous games. JVG is a moron for doing that.

 

Didn't it seem like JVG figured we'd probably lose this game, so he decided to experiment? Usually when we're playing bad, he's yelling on the sidelines. But he was completely expressionless this time.

 

Problem with playing Hayes is that the Suns would ignore him more than they ignored Ryan Bowen. I have a better jumpshot than him for cryin out loud. They have enough athletes so that they can keep on double team on Yao and not rotate out of it. The T-Wolves did it w/ Garnett yesterday. He just ignored Chuck.

 

You take a rookie.
You destroy his confidence by benching him even during blowouts all season.
You then randomly tell him to start against one of the best teams in the NBA.
On hostile territory.
If he misses a shot , he knows he will be benched for another 10 games.

smart

 

The Rockets and Yao did just fine when Chuck was in the game against the Wolves.

 

Totally agree, and a zone does work against Phoenix.....spread it out, guard the perimieter, and make Nash a one man show....don't give him anyone to pass too...make him shoot all night long.

DD

 

Only problem is the best way to beat a zone is 3 pt shooting. Bell hit his first 4 shots 3 of them 3 pters I believe. Left Nash open and he nailed 5 pts in 19 seconds (a 3pt and a 2pt). Marion can shoot the 3 ball too.

 

At this developmental stage for Novak, it's best to play him when the team is doing OK on defense but is stagnant on offense and in need of some quick scores. This is the 1st time in regular season where Novak played extensive minutes, and boy, didn't he look completely lost out there on the floor. No defense whatsoever, with zero rebound in 19+ minutes of action. On the other hand, he didn't do much better on the shooting either. Quite a few times he passed out open shots. The kid has got a loooong way to go to be a legitimate rotational player, let alone a starter. JVG totally blew this one up by inserting Novak into the starting lineup.

The way Novak played tonight really made Ryan Bowen look good. To be quite honest, when I saw the clueless and jittery Novak tonight, I couldn't help but miss Bowen -- at least he could have provided some defense.

 

I still can't quite figure out JVG playing Novak but leaving out Padgett, Howard and Mutombo.

 

First Novak gets no minutes and no real game experience, then he is suddenly thrown into fire and expected to produce. If JVG was a woman, is that the way he raises a baby? you know, forbid a baby to take baby steps, then toss the baby into a race against runners? Is JVG purely sadistic or sadistically reactionary to the plea of playing Novak? "You got your wish. Novak is playing, but he sucks, haha."

 

Sadly true. And truly sad it has gone this way.

 

You do NOT play a zone against a team that:

a. is one of the best teams in the league at finding and hitting the midrange jumper

b. is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA

That team would be Phoenix. Running zone against them, which we did by the way on a number of trips down the floor, is a HUGE mistake.

The way teams beat the zone is by getting into the middle areas between players and hitting midrange jumpers - something Nash does better than probably anyone in the NBA (both getting inside the defense and hitting jumpers) - or by hitting three pointers - something else Phoenix does well.

When the Rockets got back in the game, they did it by scrambling on defense, cutting down on turnovers, rotating out quickly on defenders and getting back on defense to prevent the fast break. THAT is how you beat a team like Phoenix, not by playing zone. That's basketball 101.

Novak was confused on offense and even more lost on defense. He just doesn't have the size or strength to be out there for long stretches. I don't remember so many people clamouring for Matt Bullard to play big minutes and Novak is VERY similar to Bullard.

 

well they played him and he played well, i just wish bonzi would be able to contribute. if we had that 3rd option tonight we might have won, but who knows. its amazing that tracy went 4/9 from the 3line...and way worse everywhere else..same goes for alston.. hes not a scoring machine...YAO IS. gg foul trouble.

 

Rockets have an excuse for being out-rebounded. They had 12 more fga than Suns, pity they couldn't convert.

Rocks 21pts on 2s, 39pts on 3s, 10-14ft (forwards 16 pf, guards 8pf)
Suns 50pts on 2s, 24pts on 3s, 28-32ft

As you mentioned the entire Suns team getting to the ft line was killer.

 

*Should be 42pts

 

He is 45.5% on 3pters. He scored on 40% on 3pters tonight. That's about what you can expect from him. This is only his 5th game that he has played in this season. He started the game and still played less than 20 minutes.

If we started Hayes, then our backup center would be Mutumbo. If Juwan was not injured, he would have been another option. He didn't think Mutumbo would be as effective as Hayes. He could have started Padgett, but we all know how well Padgett has been doing.

JVG only played V-span because of Snyder's injury. He only played Novak, because of Juwan's injury, Padgett's poor play, and Mutumbo's slowness.

Mutumbo and Juwan will be back in the rotation, next game. It would have been nice to have Kirk Snyder, this game, but that wasn't in the cards.

 

Jeff,

I agree with you a lot of times, but on this we must disagree. You do run a zone against Phoenix, a box and one, or a 3-2 something that covers the 3pt shots and turns Nash from a playmaker into a scorer.

If Nash has no one to pass the ball to and becomes the primary scorer, the Suns will bog down, and players will stand around on the perimeter.

Nash can not win a game by himself, but he certainly can control one if you let him.

I was very dissappointed that V-Span did not get a chance to guard Nash as well.....he is our best perimeter defender, and even though he is a rookie, he should at least get some time at the point.

The Rockets got back in the game by scrambling playing hard, and playing THEIR game. But, the Suns helped as they missed a TON of open shots during the Rockets comeback.

A zone is a great way to mix it up against the Suns, and to protect Yao Ming from foul trouble, if needed.

Don't play a zone all day, but certainly mix some of it in to change up the look.

There are ALL kinds of zones....the Rockets should explore them.

DD

 

This post is proof that JVG can NOT win with this bbs. He sucks because he isn't playing Novak. Now he sucks because he's playing Novak. Uh.....OK....