There's no super star we could have got. Bosh isn't a super star and he has no post defense at all. He'd get Molly Whopped over here in the west on a regular basis. Morey needs to stop getting his ideas from clutchfans. That's probably why everyone around here is defending him. TJ and D-Mo will be fine.
Well said. Hoping he's in the gym taking 2000 3pters a day this summer. He should have a breakout year and the frontline line of Howard, Jones and Ariza is some serious potential shotblocking for sure.
I say go forward with the team as is. Maybe look for another good SF to bolster that position. There's good talent on this squad as is.
I'm not down on him, just hoped that spot could get upgraded in a big way. He is weak defensively and while good, his offense isn't during enough to make up for it.
Terrence is still my guy. He's only gonna get better. Whether he's starting or coming off the bench. Still want him on the team. Aldridge had a all-time type of performance.
He was a truly awful defensive player last year. There isn't a snappy statistic to quantify it, but based on what you expect from a PF he was the worst defender on the team, even worse than Harden because bigs are supposed to bring more defensive value than guards. People see the blocks and think he's a good rim protector, he's not. He's a bad post defender, bad pick and roll defender, rarely blocks out and frequently gets lost. Offensively he was solid, even with his inconsistent jumper, but it was nearly enough to make up for his defensive shortcomings. It wasn't just Aldridge either, he was terrible all year.
If D-Mo can step his game up a bit defensively, this position is there for the taking. I hope there will not be very many people here who are surprised if D-Mo accomplishes that in training camp and enters the season as the Rockets starting power forward. Of course that is not based on a static level of play from last year. But it appears that there is nobody on this Rockets team that is more devoted to developing his skills and his craft than Donatas Motiejunas. The Rockets still have two starting spots that are entering training camp wanting something more, and the power forward position is one of them.
I wouldn't ask "Why are People" are so down on TJ, I'd ask "Why do 2 or 3 People" in the GARM dislike TJ enough to campaign against him? We are talking about a 22 year old 2nd year high upside PF who saw his first meaningful minutes last year, and people are dying to trade this guy for who.... Ilyasova? Jason Smith, Derrick Williams? Do people realize he had a higher PER than all of these guys last year - -Bosh -Ryan Anderson -Marc Gasol -Z Randolph -R. Gay -D. West -T. Young and Chandler Parsons ??? PER isn't everything and Jones does have holes in his game that he's going to need to improve on, but he was the youngest player on the roster last year, and still would be if not for Capela (who I assume will be signed soon) & Nick Johnson (who is a whopping 9 months younger than Jones). He's either going to get much better or he's going to be replaced. Its as simple as that. However nobody took that job from him last year. He earned it early on in the year. However, he's going to have to improve in order to keep that job long term and secure a spot as the starting PF. I do still think the Rockets will upgrade if given the opportunity, but until a true all-star caliber PF presents itself to the Rockets there is no reason to downgrade overall performance just because certain posters here think his shot from 3 is the ONLY THING THAT MATTERS.
From what I saw in playoff, Aldridge can't defend TJ either. The difference is TJ doesn't have the usage rate/star status to really command ball and take advantage of that.
Not Down on him but We were presented with better options. . . NOW! Love .. Bosh . ..etc . ..are MUCH BETTER than him NOW! In 5 yrs. . . maybe not . . but we ain't trying to wait 5 yrs WIN NOW MODE Rocket River
because lin is gone and some people who post here aren't happy unless they have a whipping boy. i figured it would only be a matter of time before TJones would be next. he is a good player, sometimes gets lost in the game. he's not really a 6th man and some matchups give him trouble but otherwise i'd rather have him then see him go somewhere else and develop into a great player.
Strawman argument alert. While I agree that there is at least one anti-Jones fan that may meet this criteria, not everyone is that extreme. There are a lot of extremist pro-Jones fans that I would not lump with your opinions. I got neg repped a lot last season for stating Jones is not close to Millsap's ability. While Jones may be close and even better in some offensive areas at similar points in their careers, Millsap has never been close to as bad as Jones is defensively. All Jones's attributes that contribute to PER are worthless when the PER deficient Asik has to replace him on the floor. I don't see TJ improving his defensive awareness. I have a lot more faith in coaching staff teaching Mofoulunas how not to reach in than to teach Jones how to track his man off the ball.
Pro's - Great handles for size - Pretty good court vision - Athletic with explosive power - Young with lots of potential - Good at taking advantage of distracted D Con's - Shaky shot - Pathetic FT shooter - Weak defensively - Does not box out or does not know how - Gets wrecked by elite PF's which the West is filled with - Potential needs development time which we may not have
