How about the best PnR finisher in the league in tandem with one of the best PnR point guards in the league? Also, would LMa want to be relegated to a PPat role of spot up shooting?
Harden is one of the best PnR players in the league. There is a reason why the Heat placed their focus on stopping the James Harden PnR in the finals. In that sense, the PnR would be run with Harden and Howard, relegating Lin to a spot up shooting and secondary ball handling duties. He would still have PnR opportunities, but not as much as having primary ball handler duty as a 6th man. And have you watched Memphis play? Is Zach Randolph or Marc Gasol relegated to spot up shooting? The twin towers of Houston also weren't relegated to spot up shooting. Big men do not have ball handling duties, wings do. And unless the player is extremely good off-ball as well, like Durant, K-Mart, there is often a lot of overlap between the players.
First off, do we want Harden running the point exclusively? And don't tell me Bev runs the point because we've already seen how that works. Harden cannot run the point long term without tiring; his level of play will suffer and that is also how injuries happen. Memphis doesn't have a James Harden to steal away shots. With Dwight and Harden and Parsons, there just aren't enough shots to go around for LMA. A guy like PPat, meanwhile, shoots just as well from mid-range and can also hit the three (hint: more floor spacing). And even if LMA does get his shots lots of those shots will be ISOs (i.e. back to the basket, fadeaway jumpers) which will slow the game down considerably for the Rox offense: no more read and react that means. Right now at the PF position all the Rockets need is a guy who will "facilitate" the two stars, not compete with them for shots. After watching the first 3 exhibition games do you REALLY think that the thing this teams needs is another scorer? C'mon. All we need is just Jones or DMo to hit their threes, pass the ball, move well, grab some rebounds, and...voila, 110 points/game against anybody.
I don't know why people perpetuate this myth that Beverley is completely useless running the point. Yes, Jeremy Lin is a lot better than Beverley as a playmaker and PnR player, but the offense does not crumble with Beverley at the point spot with Harden. The Rockets did just fine with Beverley at the point against the Pacers, and they even won a few games with Beverley at point in the playoffs. It doesn't matter because in the end Harden would be the primary playmaker. Superstar wings have historically always dominated the ball because they are most effective with the ball. I don't know why you think that a 3rd star means there wouldn't be enough shots, LMA isn't going to be playing behind Parsons. Also, why would LMA's shots be primarily from isolation? You are just making this assumption based on... practically nothing. Harden could run pick and pop with LMA, or pick and roll with Dwight. Having a 3rd star doesn't mean the Rockets won't be running a fast pace offense anymore, it just means their half court offense would be far more deadly. And it's not about having another scorer, it's about having another star. A star is a "star" for a reason, because they are near unguardable with single coverage. That's like saying all the Rockets need to do to win the championship is to score more points than the opponent.
a third star is a necessity if we were to win a championship. I think Morey's got it all figured out, we don't need to worry about it too much but just sit back and enjoy the show.
The situation with the Rox is similar to that with the Shaq/Kobe Lakers (i.e. a star 2 guard who can ball-handle and a dominant center). All the Lakers needed to win was to surround those 2 guys with role players like Devean George, Horry, Derrick Fisher, etc. However instead of going w/ something that was working real well, the Lakers decided to get greedy. They shipped off half the team and replaced those guys with two stars: Malone and Payton. What happened next? Bad chemistry, for one thing. That Lakers team just barely beat the Steve Frances-led Rockets in the first round of the playoffs and then got swept by the Pistons. A year later an unhappy Malone retired and Payton was playing backup point guard for the Celtics. Bringing in a "star" is no guarantee for anything. LMA has for example played in Portland his whole career. To adjust to a new environment and an entirely new offensive style might happen overnight, or, it might after a year, or it might not happen at all. Rashard Lewis was an absolute STUD for Seattle; and then he signs with Orlando; and then what happened next? People here on Clutchfans think that signing LMA will guaranteed make the team better; yet history has shown that this is not always the case.
This x1000 I know it's just preseason and AST/TO ratio isn't everything and all the other excuses I know people will bring up, but just look at what Bev and Lin have done so far this preseason regarding that stat. The idea that Bev is a negative as a playmaker has to stop.
I would just like to say Jeff Green would be another perfect fit for this team. He's not too expensive and a really good versatile young player at the PF. He is really good at corner 3s and he is athletic. Get it done Morey
I've got an idea! Why don't we sign Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkely to pair alongside Hakeem. Both those guys are all stars. Guaranteed championship!!!
I don't think Bev is a negative playmaker but I do think that when he runs the team our half court offense leaves a lot to be desired. I also think that puts to much pressure on Harden to playmake, play defense & score when he should be focusing on playing defense and scoring with a little playmaking on the side.
Not that I believe we necessarily need that 3rd star, but your Lakers and now Rockets example aren't exactly what people are bringing up. The lakers and Rockets brought in aging stars, no one is talking about doing that from what I have read. Add to that, neither of the Lakers or Rockets were absolute disasters when they put those teams together.
It's sad that fans keep bringing up the third star from another team while he is staring right at us. Omer Asik produced more wins last season than stars/all stars: D Lee, Bosh, Ibaka, KG, Dirk, A Horford, Illyasova, LMA, and Smoove. His win production was on the same level as Tyson Chandler, Hibbert, and Noah. The only problem is: he doesn't play the position that fulfills our need. If we were to win championship THIS year, everything hinges on how well he plays along with Dwight. This is what Morey has been saying ever since we acquired Dwight. For those who keep debating if Parsons can take us to the championship level, or who starts at PG, sorry to burst you bubbles, their expected impact is minimum this coming year. No other player on current roster has the capability of impacting the game as Asik. Poor Asik! He is so underrated here.
DDMO (dribble drive motion offense) is probably the highest octane half court set in the NBA. Ideally it requires two players who can create off the dribble, two additional players who are a threat beyond the arc, and powerful center who if the defense rotates off can put the pass immediately into the basket. That set of skills is very uncommon on a single NBA team. The Rockets are somehow just a breath away from assembling a roster that is ideal for playing DDMO. Two dribble drive guards capable of penetrating the defense (Harden and Lin), two three point shooters (Parsons and hopefully D-Mo/Jones, Casspi if not) and the granddaddy of them all, Howard. In the above image, 1=Harden, 2=Lin, 3=PF, 4=Parsons and 5=Howard. When Harden breaks down his defender where is the help coming from? Not off of the 4 (Parsons). He hits that corner three at a 50% clip. If the help comes off of the 5 (Howard) the defensive rotation cannot recover quick enough to stop a front of the rim lob pass to Howard for the slam. Smart defensive teams like Chicago will attempt to flood the strong side by cheating off of the 3 (PF), and with correct spacing can try to deny the direct pass from the penetrating 1 to the 3. But that takes perfect spacing and discipline. Not easily accomplished. If it fails the PF will have about 2 full seconds to put up an uncontested three. And what all of this comes down to is I can see no reason why Morey would sacrifice Asik and Lin (yep, that is about the salary it would take) to add LMA who does not fit into the DDMO scheme, which could be much more productive than any offense implementable using LMA. A second player on the wing that can create his own shot and drive is a rare luxury.
Morey has stated inexplicitly that having Asik come off the bench would be better for the Rockets as a team than trading him for a star power forward...and I don't think he said that just to be nice. Also Harden and Howard have gone on record to say that they want Asik and Lin to stay. Also if Asik and Lin turn it up this season and the Rox keep winning and winning and winning...then barring extraordinary circumstances I doubt very much either Asik or Lin get traded before their contracts are up. Why mess with something that's working?
Daryl Morey on Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin: ‘They’re going to be here’ I may have posted that Asik produces 2 more wins in 20 min off the bench than Ryan Anderson can in 36 min at PF.
There was another comment either by Morey or McHale (believe it was by Morey) made right before that Harden/Howard remark about Morey being relegated to asst GM. Morey said something to the effect that keeping Asik would be more beneficial to the Rockets than having (or trading for) a star power forward. Seriously he said it.
If the opportunity to get a star arises, you get him. It's a lot easier to find role players (especially for a GM like Morey) than to attract a star. We have 2, we can likely compete for the title with 2, but if a 3rd one wants to come and we have a way to bring him (that includes moving anyone not named Howard or Harden) you do it.
