Without knowing every team as well as Rockets, I am guessing the following: SG may not be #1 due to bench. Center is #1 SF may not be top 15 due to bench PG most likely is in 10-15 range due to Beverley's defense and bench (Lin is the third or fourth best backup PG, imo) PF This spot is better than people give it credit due to the depth. Jones and DMo are both probably in the top 20-30 PFs.
I can find nothing to fault in your analysis. Except perhaps Harden at SG. Harden is young and strong and can play 40 minutes a game. Great take!
...and Ibaka and OKC. Those guys manhandle our bigs this year. TJONES had a sensational game yesterday. We should hope that he can have a decent game against Griffin tomorrow.
If he plays like a #1 center in the NBA on offensive side of the ball in the playoffs, PF won't be a problem.
I could be wrong, but didn't McHale solve the Ibaka problem in last seasons playoffs by putting Harden on him?
OKC has Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka...they are worth their money. OKC has also been building complementary players around these guys for many years. Clippers have Paul and Griffin. They are worth their money. Clips have had an extra year to build around these guys. This isn't to say the Rockets can't beat those teams. Those teams are 70 million dollar teams and worth every penny*. The Rockets are a 63 million dollar team. The Rockets will have to play above what they are paid to beat those teams. *Perk may be overpaid, but Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka are underpaid.
I disagree we do not have a big problem at the PF position. If we keep bothof these improving youngster. The chances of both of them getting a lot better next season is very promising. We have witness over the course of this season that both players improved tremendously since the beginning of pre season. The beauty of it all they are still on their rookie contracts. We are set at the PF position. Jtr give it time ole school
I am not against keeping both of them. How many teams get a serviceable PF rotation for ~%3M a year? Under the new CBA teams will have to skimp on some positions. Les is not a Russian oligarch. Morey knows exactly what he is doing.
Ugh. I hope Lin, Canaan and Troy Daniels can all be ready for what's to come. @patbev, I hope you have a speedy recovery, and may God be with you. We hope you come back healthy and stronger.
If it is that easy, I wonder why teams like Miami (Oden), Indiana (Bynum) and the Clippers (Davis) signed has beens to solve their back-up center problems..maybe Big Baby will provide something but the other two are more or less cannon fodder. When you look at the way Howard is treated by the refs and considering his lack of smartness (not to put two hands on the other player or his awful screens etc.) you have to wonder if it really is that easy to find someone who can adequately not only spell the starting center but also be able to fill out his spot so that the team don't miss a beat (or not much at least) if he's on the bench with foul problems. Other than that nice thread and I think we are only lacking the beatdown in the WCF or the Finals by a small margin only to be coming back stronger and get the ring with authority..oh and yeah a slightly more reliable output (especially against the Clipps and Thunder) from the 4 spot couldn't hurt could it?
The center position is unarguably the most difficult to fill in today's NBA. Except for Howard the position is filled in the NBA by offensively challenged big men who really are lumbering beasts. Gasol, Hibbert. Or complete head cases like Boogie and Jordan. And that is the starters. The backups are in much much worse shape. After Howard and Harden I believe that D-Mo is the least likely player to be traded on the Rockets roster. D-Mo has always seemed like a center to me. I know, I am in the minority. With that post up game D-Mo should not be saddled with an immobile can't score except around the basket PF. In a few years he probably will be featured in the low post on another team, sporting a $10M contract, putting down 20/10 a night. And playing great defense.
Nice info. I recall last year we started D-Mo for a stretch and our points per 100 possession offense/defense differential was extraordinary. Then McHale inexplicably ditched the lineup and ended up starting Greg Freaking Smith in the playoffs. Not surprised that D-Mo is part of our best rotation but TJones is also putting up numbers too good to warrant a demotion. If we do make a trade in the offseason for a Love or Melo, I'd MUCH rather hold on to Motiejunas than Jones. DMO can backup Howard in stretches, can extend the court with his shot, and plays better defense than Jones.
Last season and the first half of this one D-Mo could not tell his *** from a hole in the ground on defense. Since the New Year D-Mo is the Rockets fourth best defender. By a long shot. The defense is almost lock down when he is out there next to Asik or Howard. And if the Rockets can lock down the paint in the playoffs they could go all the way in the playoffs.
