Most on this site can't see the forest for the trees. Don't get me wrong, I think the idea of having a 4 that can shoot the three is awesome. But, if that is all he can do (or all that we expect him to do), then I don't want him because he would be useless in Houston. Let me explain. Hakeem would destroy every team by himself if he had a stretch 4 playing along side him preventing teams for doubling down. Hakeem was the type of BIG that you could run an offense through. Dwight is not. Dwight is nowhere as efficient as Hakeem in the low post (turnover prone and honestly he plays in the low post like a high schooler). He still struggles to establish position and if he doesn't catch Harden's lobs he probably wouldn't score in double figures (Seriously). What I am trying to say is we need a low post presence, because Dwight is not it. I AM NOT SAYING GET RID OF DWIGHT. He is still one of the best rebounding and defensive BIG's in the league. But, we should not be trying to create space for Dwight to operate, he is not the focus of the offense. I keep reading posts where people are saying this 4: Won't fit because he can't shoot the three, he can consistently hit 15-18 footers but that won't work in our offense. Tell me why? If you can acquire a Lamarcus A. then let him do what he does best. If Kevin L. wants to operate in the post, then let him. These players are offensively more efficient than Dwight. We are trying to win, not create the perfect team. WE DON'T NEED A STRETCH 4, WE NEED A GOOD 4 (Power Forward). But i'll take a legit PG and a legit 3 pt shooter.
Yup. The only reason you go for a PF is if LMA or Kevin Love are dying to come here and it's a sure thing. Otherwise: extreme focus on improving the point
You know what causes difficulty in seeing forest from the trees? The lack of interior spacing, which causes too many trees in the paint and is exactly why you need a stretch 4, or guys who can make long range shots in any position.
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The Rockets do need a PF and PG. The Rockets need a PF that can shoot from outside so that Harden and the guards can penetrate. Donatas Motiejunas is NOT the answer.... Neither is Jones or anyone else on the team. The Rockets this year were at a disadvantage at PF and PG all year. To the poster saying he doesn't need a PF that can shoot from the outside, the rules and defenses in the NBA have changed since 20 years ago, you need a PF that can shoot from the outside, just like you need a point guard that can shoot.
Hell if the defense doesn't stretch then good....he'll keep hitting the 3. If you have a 36+% 3 point shooter being left open, that's a really awesome thing.
Include the playoffs and he was down to 28.5% which is a lot more indicative of his shooting ability. I don't think even the most ridiculous Jones fan thinks that he's a good shooter.
Don't be so pedestrian thinking. Making .5 3s per game does not make you a Stretch. It means the defense is making you shoot that when they want to. He has to get good enough to force the defense to defend him out there. Right now, defense do not cover him out there. .5 threes / game is not enough. They're cheating by not leaving the paint and making him shoot it. That's not helping Harden/Howard any. A stretch D must be able to win a game if you don't play him honest. Otherwise, the opps are merely going to stay packed and stop Harden/Howard and make guys shoot.
You do realize that he was playing center for more than half the season though right? It's hard to be a stretch 4 when your team is relying on you to play the 5. Point is, if he can keep making them at the same rate, guys will have to move out to defend him or pay the price. Also, Kevin Love is averaging 1.3 threes a game for his career....is that really THAT far off from DMo's .7 a game while playing center for most of the season? C'mon people, let's try to look at things objectively.
We don't need a low post presence. James creates enough going to the rim and Dwight is a big enough target down there that we get more than enough shots and looks via penetration. We need a stretch-4 to keep driving and passing lanes open for Harden and to keep Dwight in single-coverage situations, where he is an effective low-post scorer. Still, priority #1 is an off-the-bounce creator.
I don't understand the point your trying to make. Are you saying that we don't have interior spacing and that is why we need to shoot three's? Because if it is then you perfectly illustrated the point I was trying to make. Coach Herrera, if our BIG's can't create in the post (which they can't on a consistent basis) you want the worst three point shooting team in the league to shoot more three's? Dwight is not an option in the post, so trying to create spacing for him is useless. Teams don't respect his post ups.
Love and Aldridge can make threes, which makes them stretch 4 capable. The best post up option is Marc Gasol but Morey getting him could be the beginning of the end of Dwight's tenure in Houston.
(We need a stretch-4 to keep driving and passing lanes open for Harden) Did Harden have problems getting to the hole this year? (and to keep Dwight in single-coverage situations, where he is an effective low-post scorer.) And when did Dwight become an effective low-post scorer? His points come off of lobs and offensive putbacks. His low post game is null an void. I am a homer also, but this is a rockets website and we need to be honest about our team.
Okay, I think you get what I'm trying to say. They CAN hit the three, but I don't want to bring a legit power forward to this team and expect him to camp out at the three point line to open up things for Dwight (when both Lamarcus and Kevin are more effective in the post).
