Per nba.com: http://www.nba.com/powerrankings/?cid=nba_12_facebook_L While the bench number is alarming, Dwight is really making a difference when in. During the playoffs, it is expected that the Rockets' core players will be playing even extended minutes, so the period with Dwight on the bench will be smaller that at the present. Coincidently, this is near when Beverley came back from injury. Beverley's presence is a 3-fold positive impact for the defence: 1) He is an elite defender. 2) Brooks is back to the bench, and he plays horrendous defence. 3) Lin matches up with opposing SG's more often now, where his struggles against quick PG's is not exposed; instead, his strength in his size is utilized. In addition, another PG ball-handler will lead to less turnovers, thus less fast-break opportunities (an efficient shot). This two-guard combo has been noted to be really effective: http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/02/03/morning-shootaround-feb-3/#rockets In addition, Dmo's emergence as eradicated the Tjones Casspi lineup where they play C and PF. Although Dmo does not hold down the paint very well, the new lineup of Dmo, Jones, and Casspi gives up less offensive rebounds; therefore, less possessions. The Rockets have shown that they can win against playoff teams (as shown by crash5179 in another thread) and have played the most games in the league (with a hard SOS as well). This is not a product of a cupcake schedule. What to watch for: Parsons' defensive intensity after he got benched against the Cavs. BIG IF's that can really put the Rockets' defence over the top: If Harden dials in on defence: he can and has played defence, but doesn't give the effort. If Asik returns back. Doubtful. Clutch's tweet recently comparing Beverley and Asik proves this. However, both those statements should not be realistically expected to happen. If they do, watch out. tl;dr - Dwight is balling, Bev is back, Dmo has established a better rebounding presence for the reserves. Schedule is not weak, so proven against good teams. Still many variables that could push the Rockets' defence even higher.
Right, he "could", but this "bruise" situation is very mysterious. I hope he comes back; he locks down the paint.
You guys need to check your math - Bev has only been active for 2 out of those 4 weeks. Newsflash, it's not just him that has been stepping it up.
I probably should of put Lin in all caps in the title to get more responses. Beverley is just straight insane on D. Could hit the the 3 at a higher clip though. Imagine, unfortunately. However, although bmd at first assumed Asik would be back soon, the article he references did say that Asik was beginning on-court rehab. Maybe by trade-deadline (if he is not dealt)? http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=250398 I know, which is why I included the snipbit on nba.com about Howard's dominance. Side note, what are yall's opinion on the Rockets being 7th in the power rankings? I remember a general assumption that all contenders are both top 10 in both defensive and offensive rating, and it seems like the Rockets fall just into that category.
The reason I asked is amongst 400 NBA players ranked by Defensive Impact, our main players are ranked as follows: 7 Dwight Howard 16 Terrence Jones 74 James Harden 113 Jeremy Lin 115 Chandler Parsons 176 Patrick Beverley Someone please explain this madness to me.
Yeah I hate playing against little dudes like Bev who just run nonstop waving their hands around, doing awful things to your personal bubble. Good thing the only relevant pg in the NBA that posts up is on our team though, because the little dudes are weak and do not stand a chance in the paint. Unlike Jeremy who can stand his ground against Dirk and put a hand in front of his collarbone.
I get that Jones has been blocking shots at a high clip, but his on-ball defense is still suspect. And LOL @ Harden being ranked so high.
I think Dwight Howard's defensive presence hasn't been praised enough. The numbers are finally starting to show up too. We are the 10th best defense in the NBA, which is good but not where we want to be. This is with a lackluster bench, pretty bad perimeter defense and our second best big man sitting for the past 30 games. One could only image what a motivated and healthy Asik could do for our second unit and team as a whole. If Asik could ever return, I think our defense could be top 5 if not higher. At the start of the season, we had a top 5 ranked defense, I think. Our offense was pretty bad with the twin towers. But this time around, without the Twin Towers lineup except for exclusive matchups, 48 minutes of elite rim protection, and hopefully some much needed health we can rise again to where we want to be defensively.
When they make these fuzzy ratings like efficiency, defensive impact, and win shares, they normalize them to the supposed top players. The statistical fudging will show that Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are top defenders, Lebron and Durant are the most efficient players, and also have the most win shares. Then n00bs look at the qualitative ratings and see their favorite players at the top and they giggle and do a little dance. It's pretty bull**** with a bowtie generated to please the masses. I wonder what stats Morey looks at because it sure as heck ain't this.
I wouldn't be surprised if Parsons picked up his defence after he was benched against the Cavs. I would recommend to watch his intensity in the near future. However, one of those games, Memphis scored 97 at their snails pace, which is actually bad PPP defence by the Rockets. It is not a final say-all, as with any stat. I personally do not like Defensive Impact that much. They are not final say-all's but in combination can build a decent profile of a player. Key word: in combination and right context, not by itself. This is a big reason... yes... Definitely not a stand-alone statistic. I really question Beverley's rank; guy is a defensive beast.
Beverleys defense is not elite. Is it good? Yes, but it looks better than it is when he's playing with Parsons, Harden, and Jones. This group has the potential to be a good defensive team in the future, but I really doubt it will happen this year.
