Last night's game went down just as designed. The bench came in and took over the game. Get used to it, because that's going to be our MO for the rest of the year. I don't understand the people here complaining about MJ and Scola not starting. Do you really want Rafer and Chuck coming off the bench? It's more important to have a sold bench than it is to have your best 5 players starting.
Remember when that guy Gilbert would call the 620 morning show EVERY.. SINGLE.. DAY... Lance gave him the nickname 'The Big Relentless'.. I think that should be the name for the entire bench group now.. Our Bench = The Big Relentless On most teams, when the bench guys come in, you would think the play would start to tail off.. so far, if anything, they even step it up a bit.. no idea how long this will last, but it's a nice thing to this early point. Keeping the pressure on the opponents for the full 48, wow, that is going to win us a lot of games this year.
One thing that sticks out to me is the glaring differences in the other 3 starters and the 3 main bench players. Hayes, Battier, and Alston are all offensively challenged players. They all need TMac and Yao to get open looks. Their defense is pretty good but still I see other teams offense pull to an early lead with these guys on the floor because if TMac and Yao are off, these guys can't create their own shots to alleviate Yao and Tmac's offensive burden. Rafer is the big question mark in this group as he makes bad decisions at times, his teardrop shots suck, and is an erratic shooter. Mike James, Bonzi, and Scola are all offensively gifted players who can create their own shots. They can still use the system to get points but if Yao or Tmac are off they can step up and hit their shots. Plus it seems they just have a better feel for the system at this point and play smoother...when Mike isn't massaging the ball and waving TMac off. Their defense is pretty good too, no wallflowers among the bunch. That explains why we got back into the Jazz game with the Bench and almost lost it when the 3 starters were back in... edit: Forgot about Luther, he's just there for his 3pt stroke, everybody know that
When the Rockets put in their bench they are actually getting stronger at a point when other teams are actually getting weaker. Both Scola and James are better overall players than the guys they are replacing. At some point, I think Scola moves into the starting lineup, and possibly James....but for now....roll with it. DD
I'm not worried about our bench or starting 5,that's coach's job But I think players must see playing time,from bench or starting,doesn't matter.
