The real question: What has happened to our defense?

Yao, Deke + Mentality.

 

Rafer - Tracy - Shane - Hayes - Yao

Brooks - Martin - Shane - Scola - Yao

You have a downgrade at every position defensively, thats what happened.

 

Does anyone in this forum understand one basketball basic: undersized teams have undersized defense.

A team without a true center will not have defense. Without Yao Ming on the floor, it's hard to have defense. Yao altered soooo many shots.

 

Kevin Martin is the worst defender in the NBA period.

 

No Yao/Deke
No JVG
Rafer/McGrady's defense >>>>>>>> Brooks/Martin's defense

 

This

and see: Jeff Van Gundy
see: Tom Thibodeau
see: decline of Shane Battier
see: no Yao and Deke(as YaoMac said)

Can't pinpoint it or blame it on one thing or one player. Team D sucks as a whole.

 

yeah, that's the most glaring point so far this season.

we still haven't held an opponent under 90...... amazing.....

i believe it's the personnel, as everybody says, rafar tmac>>>>>>>>brooks and martin, shane declined a little bit

and most of all, no Yao/deke

 

Our best scorers are horrible defenders. Our best defenders are horrible scorers. In an ideal world those strengths and weaknesses would cancel each other out. In the real world they just compound each other.

 

Mostly this. I disagree on the mentality thing. They are definitely trying. No shot blocking means they have to collapse the middle to defend. Collapsing the middle means open shooters. Open shooters mean higher percentage shots. Higher percentage mean usually outscoring your opponents.

Yao will help but we still could use another athletic shotblocker.

 

We need taller players

 

This is what I have been wondering for a while now, and clearly the problem with the rockets is not offense, its defense. It is gone completely. I see on intensity and no desire to play defense. Blame this totally on Adelman. It is totally unacceptable. As Bad as a defender Brooks is, Martin's D is not even NBDL level, not even close! now I see why the kings traded him. Brad miller cannot play defense either, he is too old and too slow, and Battier, what can I Say? he is a total liability right now on Offense and Defense, probably one of the worst starters right now in the league. Scola's defense is pretty poor too. So there you go. Rockets will continue to loose games because that CANNOT GET STOPS.

What a shame, I cannot believe that what JVG built is gone. This coach has to go and I am all for rebuilding. Defense wins games and championships, period.

 

IMO, mentality will only take you so far. When JVG arrived, he not only instilled a defensive attitude, he also put in defensive players. Unfortunately, this team has guys like Brooks and Martin who are defensive holes, and combined with degradation occurring due to age or injury to players like Yao and Battier, no wonder this team is not a top 5 defensive team.

Even if Yao came back 80% healthy, this team still will have problems defensively.

 

Main reason: Coach Adelman

 

because our head coach is not defensive-minded..on top of that, our uncle battier is aging and is no longer the defensive master that he once was. other defensive specilalists that we have are both undersized(hayes and c.lee). our only player who can protect the paint is injured all his life.

 

If you ask me, it starts here. Even without Yao, the Rockets were an *ok* defense team last year up until they added Martin to the starting lineup. Not only is he physically weak, he doesn't play smart or hard on defense either.

 

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I disagree. Martin/Miller/Scola don't even seem to be trying. I think that's a lack of defensive mentality no doubt. Even if they are trying, who cares? They don't have the drive or ability to be able to defend well. But all that's a moot point, because they don't even do basic things like rotate.

Lowry, Battier, Hayes, Lee and Yao (when Healthy) are great defenders. Hill is getting there, but he misses rotations. But honestly, that's something I expect from a second year player who is still learning. The important thing is, he's the other shot blocking big on the team and deserves more PT.

Edit: Though to clarify, you are right about the Yao being out part. I just don't like the fact that Martin and Scola are such horrible defenders that it puts Yao and Hill and to some extents Battier and Hayes in such bad positions so often....

 

What do you mean they were *OK*? They were not *OK* last year before and after Martin came back. By OK, do you mean bottom half? That's not ok..compared to what they had previously.

 

I meant, before and after Martin arrived on the team.