Yep, although Chuck would not have affected the outcome. The only thing I liked out of the starters was that Kevin Martin at least followed his shot tonight. He rebounded like 3-4 of his own misses. Bullard with the interesting suggestion just now of starting Patterson over Hill. But don't know if he can match up against Nene tomorrow night.
Someone said on the game thread that the T-Will love was way over the top. Actually, they weren't. If Jermaine Taylor could make those same passes, he would still be a Rocket. T-Williams is a very talented player.
When has he had a good game? He simply sucks...if his shot is not falling, he's useless. At least Lowry can play defense and affect the game other ways.
I have seen plenty of TWill's selfish plays when he was with the nets. You will see what I am talking about.
Brooks' effort was what got to me tonight. Not sure what's going on there but he doesn't have the desire that he did last season. Nothing to do with his speed(well, unless he's lolligagging due to not being full speed yet) or shot, but he doesn't look interested. Especially on D. Last year he was poor on D but he was trying. He hasn't been trying lately, and let's hope whatever funk he is in is over sooner rather than later. Great play from Patterson. Rebounding machine.
Plain and simply, Portland came out with a sense of energy and purpose. Houston didn't. They had zero heart. Portland knew this was the difference maker game, Houston didn't. With Phoenix creeping up behind us, you would think our guys would have a greater sense of urgency...
All that I am trying to say is that Terrence Williams is not the second coming of Jesus. We haven't' seen enough of him to demand that he should take Chase's minutes coming off the bench. I think he could be great but I don't want to see any START TWILL threads just yet.
He made some great passes today as well, but his defensive EFFORT isn't there right now. Nevermind the execution, the effort is the big flag for me.
One thing that this game shows is how valuable Chuck Hayes is. Jordan Hill, even with all his talent, doesn't know where to position himself on the court, slow in defensive rotations, and is no nowhere as effective as Chuck on the high post. I think this is really throwing off the whole starting unit, not having Chuck there, who is solid on defense, sets good screens, makes smart plays/passes, and helps facilitate the player movement on the court. The starting unit already struggled last game versus Toronto without Chuck... except this time, the bench wasn't able to bail us out.
It was bad. But eh.. stuff happens. It's over, so you move on. Go to sleep, forget this one, and focus on correcting mistakes and winning tomorrow.
Tiebreaker games. We only have 3 games against Portland. Portland tends to match our record. Think of it as a best of three series, and now we're down by one game. It's bigger than it looks. If we don't make the playoffs this year, I bet anything it boils down to us losing the tiebreaker against Portland.
Its not going to get any easier as month goes along guys. Dont keep hard and sharp objects near you when watching the games.
Brooks' complete lack of effort on defense and careless handling was inexcusable. He played with a sense of self-entitlement. I'm in favor of rewarding Lee, and maybe T-Will, with increased PT. Lee's committed on the defensive end, and he's very versatile offensively, as well. Brooks needs to check his ego, and return tomorrow night with his lunch pail. Also, Hill's severely handicapped between the ears. He gets busted on defense, and just lumbers back up the floor slack-jawed and disoriented. This is a tough one to stomach. Martin and Brooks were down right atrocious. This team lacks a warrior mentality/toughness... Patterson's honestly the baddest dude on the entire team. He's built like a rock and has a strong motor. Patterson, Lee, and an engaged, scrappy Lowry are my three favorite players on this team.
