Sufficient time has elapsed now since the Houston Rockets’ decision to not match the offer sheet signed by Chandler Parsons that I am confident it was the correct course of action. I guess what they say is true: the passage of time truly does distance emotion.
Regarding Parsons’ earlier comments this week aimed towards the Rockets: Initially, he clearly does not have much of a grasp of the rules within which the Rockets were needing to operate. They had him “wait around” for Bosh and ‘Melo because exercising his bird rights last was the only way they could make maximum use of the cap space at hand. Either that point entirely escaped him or he simply couldn’t understand why the team would prefer adding another good player along with keeping him rather than just keeping him and calling it a day. If its the latter, that’s perhaps an even more damning indictment of Chandler.
But setting all of that aside, the crux of the matter is that Parsons felt he was disrespected and deserving of a bigger role; he says he wanted to be viewed as a franchise player. That’s perfectly fine and reasonable: one would hope for such competitive pride from a professional athlete in the prime of his earnings. But for our purposes, that perception of course falls far from the reality. There’s no use really belaboring the obvious and it would be unfair to pile on. Anyone who has been paying attention knows Chandler Parsons is not a franchise player or probably even the third best player on a championship team. He could not even win his matchup of “third best player vs. third best player” last May against Nic Batum of the Blazers.
But how to properly assess Parsons? I wrote on September 1, 2013:
It’s important to clarify here upon the distinction between actual and relative value. Parsons’ value lies in his contract. To wit, he is–bar none–the single best value contract in the entire league. But if that salary were regularized across all players with an inspection upon solely on-court merits, then of course, much of that value diminishes. I have almost no doubt that if, when Parsons’ contract is up, the team were in the same position that they found themselves in last summer–headed nowhere–and faced with a similar decision as they did with Goran Dragic, they would choose to let Parsons walk–as they did Dragic–rather than shell out market value. Because they will not be in that similar situation, things get more interesting.
Ultimately, in that piece, I concluded that in a vacuum, Chandler Parsons was not worth even $10 million per annum, but if faced with the choice, on this team, Daryl Morey would comply. I obviously was not expecting a $15 million offer.
As I noted in that 2013 piece, Parsons quickly became extremely overrated upon the Dwight Howard signing as numerous publications mentioned him as part of a Big 3. That trend has continued this summer in the commentary pursuant to his pay raise. Parsons isn’t a star and never will be. He lacks the physical attributes necessary to indicate future growth. While he could improve his dribbling, he’s simply too slow to ever beat anyone off the dribble. The brunt of his production comes by way of filling the gaps: he can run the floor, shoot off the catch, and curl around screens. Square him up against a defender, with a live dribble, and he’s finished.
The most damning example of Parsons’ limitations is the January 24th home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, a career-night in which Chandler hit a record ten threes. With the game on the line, and Parsons having been on fire all night off catch-and-shoots, Kevin McHale did what you’d expect Kevin McHale’s mind to do: he put the ball directly in Chandler’s hands, in isolation, to decide the game. Naturally, Parsons was snuffed out, not even getting off a good look on multiple attempts.*
*A sidenote: this occasion was sadly, more than an indictment on Parsons, an indictment on the gross and total ineptitude of Kevin McHale. It’s one of those instances where one just asks themselves, “what am I overlooking? There’s no way he’s this clueless.” I’ve never played basketball at a high level and I’ve clearly never played in the NBA or coached in the NBA. Naturally, I err on the side of deference. If someone is one of the fifty greatest to have ever done it, and he does something completely bewildering, then my natural course is to assume I’m missing something. It’s like the Parsons opt-out. I know Morey’s smart. So when he did something so perplexing, I knew I had to be missing something. Lo and behold, it has since come out that letting Parsons out a year early was likely a precondition set by Dan Fegan prior to the Dwight Howard signing. Same thing here: this was so bewildering, as is the case with most of McHale’s out of timeout plays, that I simply had to be missing something. It’s like you can almost follow the train of thought in his head as the hampster runs on the wheel: “hmm, Chandler has hit ten threes off spot-ups. Naturally, he’s hot – give him the ball to end it”….completely oblivious to the circumstances through which the shots were made! But enough on this.
I think Parsons can improve in Dallas. He’ll certainly have the best coaching of his career, at least since his rookie season under Rick Adelman. His stats might decline, however, as some of his production can be taken as pace-inflated. And there are some hidden strengths in his game that a good coach will pick up on and put to use. I noticed several times last season, that surprisingly, despite his lanky frame, Parsons has very good balance and body control in the post. If I’m Dallas, that facet of Parsons’ game is one I’d explore more deeply than the handful of possessions he was given here in Houston.
He’s also no doubt a capable ball-handler in the pick&roll and usually makes the right decision. With Carlisle’s creativity (there’s much on the internet to read about Dallas’ efforts in making Monta Ellis as dangerous as ever), you can envision Chandler featured in some highly intricate attacks. Here in Houston, with perhaps the best pick&roll combo in basketball, the Rockets naturally only ran the play what seemed like a handful of times the entire year.
Losing Parsons hurts. If keeping him meant they couldn’t further improve the team, then letting him go was the right decision. But losing him hurts. Today, they’re a worse team, if for no other reason than that they lost their longest tenured player. All of the chemistry built between the incumbent players is gone, as if it never even happened. It will take time now, at the expense of wins, to gain familiarity with new faces. But with Chandler they had a ceiling. If they didn’t feel they could improve the team, they couldn’t pay him what he was asking.
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Total comments: 76@JG
I agree...........we all know the play, but I don't blame Harden....I blame McHale. it's up to him to adjust. that's one of the reasons I'm very interested to see who we add to the coaching staff.
@slick shoes
I agree with Cooper. even if we draw up more plays it's still going to lead to Harden with the ball. I think it's more of what JG said "we have to get him to make quicker decisions"
Nobody is a fan of that play. :(This is where we should be looking to see some coaching and adjustments. This season, I think they will have coached him to be more decisive and act more quickly so that we have time to get a decent shot off. Further, I hope that we use more screens to help free him up in those situations. I can't think of a reason not to.
Harden doesn't say much, but I recall an interview from a while back and he was speaking candidly and humbly about the adjustments he was having to make and the struggle he was having in making them. I think he is going to get to that perfect balance of scoring machine/playmaker extraordinaire.
It's not all on him--they need synergy with the 5 guys on the floor--timely cuts are deadly with a good passer like James. I am hoping to see a bit more of that this season. Too often, people were standing around, setting lazy screens, or lazy cuts. For defenders, this is easy to deal with.
I'm sure it will still happen, but I think the frequency will drop significantly.
Also, let's all hope that Dwight is truly ready to do "whatever it takes" and will start setting monster picks and rolling hard play after play after play after play....cram it down their throats, Dwight!
I'm just not a huge fan of him being the "first look" and dribbling/jab stepping the clock away only to take a bad shot or pass to someone else (more often than not it was Lin as I recall) with just enough time to throw up a prayer.
Actually the only player better than harden in the clutch was lebron statistically by clutch points per game.
Yeah, You'd think all that first-hand experience of actually playing with these guys on an actual court would supercede fans' opinions....guess I am wrong about that.
I agree that the proposed line-up is a bit baffling....I'm not even sure that would work in the video game NBA2K. I'm also glad we missed on Mike Miller.
As for Harden's selfish hero ball...did you know that Harden's 27.3 ast% compares favorably to players like Goran Dragic (28.1%), Damian Lillard (25.1%), Paul George (17.9%), Kevin Durant (26.7%), and Eric Bledsoe (27%). Like Harden, all of those players have high usage rates and are leaned upon by their teams for scoring. Look at that. Only Dragic edges out Harden (by .8%) in the percentage of plays he is doling out assists.
I know people focus on the end of quarter/end of game iso's...and we've been over this. Harden is a solid option there. Yes, we need to do a better job of helping him succeed in those with some screens or having him come off a curl. Still, to imply that he is hogging the ball against his team mates' and coach's wishes is really pushing the boundaries of speculation in my opinion.
Jatman obviously fell for the hard sell tactics the Lakers employed in trying to convince D12 to stay a Laker. Are you really insinuating that players actually believe everything ever written in forums like this one and make a major decision just based on that? Really? Wow....
All the puffery about Parsons has been discussed ad nauseum for days on this site. I would recommend that Jatman simply spend some time reading some of the member's valuable posts which completely shoot down his statements about Parsons and Morey and free agency, etc.
Not to mention Jatman's dream list of free agents were all (except Mike Miller) signed while we were attempting to reel in a big fish like Carmelo or Bosh. Sorry, that's how it goes in the NBA. You have to have cap space to make offers to players and when a team chases 1 or 2 of these guys, no money left to chase anyone else until a decision is made by the big fish. That's like NBA Salary Cap 101.
We missed on Hawes and Frye and Augustine and James Johnson(tore a lot of teams up last year) and Mike Miller and Anthony Morrow because of big-game hunting. Some outrageous contracts I know like Parsons and Frye. Just a bad summer. If LeBron had only come straight out and told Bosh....I don't want to play with you any more; get the picture? Bosh may be in Houston and Melo and LeBron would be in Miami. Morey and Mr. Alexander were nice enough to let Parsons out of his final year to reward him for his production while being under-paid. Now every GM should be weary of doing such a thing. It's a shame.
Blaming Morey for supposedly not informing Parsons of the Rockets plans seems a bit over the top to me. If Parsons and his agent didn't want to know what was going on, I would place the blame on Parson's agent. Truth be told, everyone involved are adults and I have no doubt all knew the situation well. I mean, how many more times does Morey have to say in the media what the Rockets intentions are?
I truly hope that if there is a lockout, it will not be nearly as long and drawn out as the last. Having to wait until x-mas was brutal.
He was kind of put in an awkward spot, if he says they'll be ok without him many people perceive it as a slight to Parsons, if he says oh no we're gonna blow with out him, he doesn't believe in the team and is bagging on Ariza.
Maybe some of the team feel burned by parsons too as some fans.
I'll go ahead and throw some more fuel on the fire. Here is a short article quoting Dwight Howard. He said,"It won't affect us at all" losing Parsons. LINK
Lots that can be taken away from this....or it was just a poor choice of words in that moment...
I will say in McHale's defense (pun intended), CP grew by leaps and bounds in his brief stint here. He was pretty rough in his rookie season. As I recall, he had a lot of trouble making free throws.
EDIT: I also think the staff needs a "bad cop". In the "inside the huddle" shots, McHale sounds like a step father trying to win over the approval of his new step children. Too afraid to be firm the way a biological father would be. Harden is the rebellious step child who will not be convined. If there was someone that held everyone accountable (which could also be accomplished by adding Rondo but that's been discussed in other threads) and wasn't concerned about players' feelings/opinions, only that they bought in to what the staff was selling, it might help with some of the late in the shot clock/late in the game hero ball scenarios.
3) $8.3 mil trade exception. Greg Monroe RFA (Possible SnT), or a Jonas Jerebko, or Ilyasova/Brandon Knight deal, or Bledsoe RFA (possible SnT),
.....Atl picked up a center did they not? Perhaps Millsap can be available. Signing Ish to go along with Canaan and Nick Johnson does not bode well for Beverley who may be our greatest trade chip now.
If Harden didn't lay an egg the series goes quite a bit differently. I think Even with a good coach if both the other teams stars show up and only one of yours does its tough to win. Mchale certainly didn't help and it often looked like there was no real plan offensively or defensively but he wasn't the only problem.
FWIW, Parsons never played for Adelman. The Rockets drafted him in the lockout year, McHale's first year.
That's why I added what Rahat had broken down (in one of his podcasts) about Jones against the garden variety PFs. I will say the skill sets are there but that caliber is possible (comparison to Josh Smith) although probably not fair to Jones yet. Also Jones has better judgement with the ball. We'll just have to see if the D gets there. Maybe it gets there with better coaching! (oops didn't mean to anti-McHale again)...
I do think it is a fair question/criticism/indictment of the coaching staff when looking at player development. How fast are players supposed to develop? Obviously, each is unique. Still, are they showing progress? I think so. Is it as much as it should be? I don't know. Would someone else have done better? Who knows....?
I should just wait for you to respond to people for me in the future. Well played sir.
Side note: Sorry for the irrelevant tangent to the thread topic. I get caught up in frustration with our inability to get over the hump at times and needed to vent.
Let's get this back on track. Chandler Parsons plays for the Mavs now. That sucks....
:lol: :lol:JG I was typing as you posted :lol:
@TTDN
it's McHale :lol:...............JG I can't even get my point out
I see this thread is turning into an anti-McHale party :lol: Where's RBF??? :lol:
I'll stay out of it, but to respond to the Josh Smith / T-Jones thing. I guess I wasn't clear in that I certainly am not claiming he is at the same level of post defense as Smith. My point is the only thing stopping him is experience and know-how. Those two things can be acquired. Being 6' 9", very athletic, and being able to dribble like a guard....not so much.
Guys, Aldridge is just not a fair comparison for what is essentially a rookie PF who is giving up 3 inches and years of experience against one of the best PF's in the game. Even Omer, a known defensive stud could only slow him down--not shut him down. Rookies rarely come in as good defenders (part of why Parsons was so impressive)--that doesn't mean they won't get there.
You present a great question. But I do believe many thought that the Rockets would take Blazers in 5 and take Spurs to 7. Here's another interesting fact against the Blazers: The Rockets where up in the 4th quarter with 6 minutes to go in every game of the series but failed to close. That would leave me to believe that it's not the talent. There are other things I have noticed too: offensive sets , in game adjustments and game to game management which would leave me to believe there might be some coaching issues.
Again, I am not blaming this entirely on McHale. But Rahat or Forest pointed out the game where Parsons was on fire against Memphis and being down at the end of the game, he placed CP on the top of the key for an iso, which clearly isn't Parsons strength. The thought was maybe you run CP off of a curl and have Harden drive and kick for a more open look. Or a dribble hand off from Harden to Parsons. I agree with the observation but that could be just me giving credence to Rahat/Forest...
I do, however, believe with all my heart that the Rockets team last year was better than the Blazers team.
It wasn't just Red Nation that thought we should've beaten the Blazers. We were out coached and in some cases out played in my opinion. Our shortcomings were also not limited to the Portland series. If they were, I place the blame on the players and not the coaching staff.
I don't think the perception changes as far as free agents unless another head coach is assigned. I like McHale and think he has a lot to offer, but I'd like to see a culture change that a new head coach (along with our new uniforms) brings. This is not to say that free agent perception is a reason to fire your coach, but in addition to the more apparent flaws and given our current goals as an organization, I think its best to start the search if it hasn't already. Seems the market is rather depleted currently within the known talent pool, but maybe Cleveland is on to something bringing in an international guy. We could also try to convince a college coach to take the next step. I know it isn't as simple as saying "Hey, we need a new coach. Lets go sign one", but how many more late game misfires need to happen before the proverbial excrement hits the fan?
Both Rahat and Forest Walker have echoed the same sentiments so you're not alone and I have to agree too...Bill Simmons mentioned it too about the Rockets/Blazers series. There has been some mention of possibly surrounding him with great technical and X & Os coaches...
The more I've read today, the more I'm convinced that this team doesn't ascend to the championship caliber we all crave until our coaching staff is upgraded. I'm not one to discredit people's abilities both on and off the floor, but I do not see the Rockets organization pursuing a coaching staff that pushes our young (or established for that matter) talent to reach their potential. Rahat once wrote that when he sees something that he does not understand going on on the floor, his immediate reaction is to assume that he is missing something. I have always given McHale, J.B., and the others the benefit of the doubt but after replaying the Portland series in my head as well as on film endlessly, I just do not see players put in the position to win/improve. Even the Texans had to part with Kubiak at some point because it became apparent that he was not the guy to lead the team to a championship. I am not calling for a firing of McHale, but maybe his talents would be best suited in post game development or something along those lines. Despite the rumors of star talent not wanting to join the Rockets because of Harden and/or Dwight, I think that those highly coveted players see our play caller(s) as more of a downside than a draw.
/rant
Agreed. I've always like Jones and think he can improve. However, Rahat in many posts and podcasts expressed the same concern vonsteve just mentioned about Jones' ability (or lack there of) to defend the post. LMA is a top flight player but Rahat had broken down that Jones has trouble defending average PFs on the block. That's where I have a hard time seeing the Josh Smith comparison too. He often looks lost on D in the low post and gambles at times where he didn't need to. I think with the right coaching and practice he can come around. But those memories against LMA does burn in my mind just as vonsteve mentioned...ok enough talk about that because I really like Jones a lot...
While LMA did make T-Jones look amateur (and I will never understand why D-Mo saw ZERO minutes against him the entire series), I think it is a bit unfair to judge his ability against one of the best PF in the league. LMA was also having two career nights when his team needed them. As it's been stated, he is still quite young and I don't think were close to the ceiling quite yet.
I like TJones (and DMo) and hope they both keep progressing. But I can't get the image of Aldridge destroying TJones out of my head. That's where the comparison with Josh Smith gets a little iffy. Do you think either Jones or DMo could ever progress to the point of being able to defend him (or players like him)? Because, I have a tough time imagining that.
@JG
I think there is little doubt Dragic is a star. it's just the risk factor
Guys, I know. I know. it's all a big IF...if the Rockets see him as a third star--not just an asset to pick up--and are looking to give him star money. He will stay no problem for a max contract.
Phoenix may want him as a proven PG to back up Thomas/Bledsoe (who will likely start together)...after shipping out Dragic they have no one with experience.
@JG
if the price for Dragic goes beyond the Pellies pick and our trade exemption and maybe N-Johnson or Capala I would be hard pressed to not consider it and overpay. remember Dragic only has 1 year left then he's an UFA. while I believe the Rockets can resign him, if they don't we will have loss our assets for a 1 year rental
They're already loaded at the 1. Why would they want Bev in return?
Dragic would be a good trade (depending on the price) in my opinion because he is a great shooter who can play alongside Harden without being rendered useless when he has the ball. He is a good facilitator as well when that is his role (it's just that he is usually the best scorer on the floor so he shoots a lot).
Assuming the Rockets viewed him as a "third star" (not implying they do) then trading for him now would be smart because his contract is up after this season and we will have his bird rights. He will want a big payday, but we can do that. Dragic, Harden, Ariza, Jones/D-Mo, and Howard is a good starting 5.
Again, it's about the cost. What does Phoenix want? After losing Frye I'd say D-Mo goes. Maybe Beverley? How much is too much?
@slick shoes
on that point I agree. it's possible to be a good floor general without being that good of aplayer and vise versa, however IMO these two players fill both roles
I don't disagree, I just don't that playing the point well and being a floor general are mutually inclusive.
@slick shoes
I see both as floor generals, but in different ways. they can both easily control a teams offense tempo. while Dragic is more the shooter/scorer, Bledsoe penetrating ability keeps the defense continually out of position. if the job of the PG is to get the team good shots.......either will do quite nicely
I wouldn't go as far as to say either of them are "floor generals". I am wary to pick Dragic back up (though I LOVE him as a player) as he strikes me more as a score first player. To be honest, I haven't seen much of Bledsoe in action other than games against the Rockets but when someone references a floor general, I tend to think of a leader/player coach rather than a good/great basketball player.
CP25 was likely my favorite player on the roster, not because he was the largest impact, but because of his optimism surrounding team outlook and his willingness to be a voice. To me he was in that Battier vein, that way; but not an asset in the sense that he should have ever prevented the GM from feeling free to shed an overbid offer sheet.
Essentially though, I was just saying if Dragic or Bledsoe are available, Rox should jump at either. Focus less on big splash and get a floor general and bulldogs. They are at the perfect crossroads to embrace the perfect blend of Miami and SA success . . . stars on board and talent that needs refinement in the wings.
No, I typed a like a 6 sentence post and it didn't post when I hit comment. Don't feel like retyping it all.
Why do you ask? Plan on posting something naughty? <_<
Are comments subject to moderation before post?
If one is getting traded, my bet is dragic, as he's basically on an expiring contract and with the suns stocking up on PGs, I don't they're going to be willing to offer him his big pay day.
@rocketrick
I know we would have to hope for sign and trade, but it would still be up to us to work the contract with him if Phoenix is willing. however I believe they will let one go between Bledsoe and Dragic. I would take either
The Rockets don't have the Cap Space to make an offer for Bledsoe, and even if they did, I couldn't imagine Phoenix would let him walk over a difference of $1.5 million per year.
However, the Rockets with that TPE could open trade talks with Phoenix, if I'm reading things correctly. Not sure how open Phoenix would be to a trade, but it doesn't hurt to make a call or two, right?
@Cooper
I would go 13.5 per on Bledsoe. he does worry me on the injury front, but there is no denying his talent. he is star level. not one of the high tier stars, but capable of being the third best player on a championship team
Phx offering Bledsoe 4yrs 48 which is what Lowry got if I'm not mistaken, It'd be hard to justify paying more than that.
@Stephen
do you believe without Parsons our locker room will break out in a fight or something? I beg to differ we need to knock some of our players out of their comfort zone. to much playing around.
@The Duke of Earl.
WELCOME TO THE FORUM :)Bledsoe would be an excellent acquisition only if the asking price is right IMO
Well written Rahat. First time post and long-time reader. I love this website because you guys are hands-on with Houston Rockets Basketball. I liked Chandler Parsons, but not at $15 Million a year. I watched almost every Rockets Game. But when they played Teams from 1-3 (Thunder, Clips, oh except Spurs) Parsons never showed up. If Harden and Howard weren't ON, Parsons was not to be seen even though he played heavy minutes, he couldn't get average more than what he did. He is a okay player but not max. I hope that we (#REDNATION) get some solid role players and why not try to sign Eric Bledsoe whats his nickname (Mini-LeBron) Bledsoe and Pat Bev at the PG spot would be solid. we would have an amazing defensive backcourt.
Losing Parsons is going to hurt the Rockets.
He was the only player on the team other than Harden who could and would set up his teammates.(The idea of Ariza dribbling towards the basket fills me with horror.) Having a 2-1 assist to turnover ratio is going to be missed.
His locker room influence is going to be missed as Parsons seemed to get along w/everybody and smooth things over.
OTOH,matching meant a core of Howard,Harden,Parsons and assorted other role players. But are the Rockets better off w/Parsons and a min player or Ariza and another $8mil player?
However,since the Rockets are going to bring Tracy McGrady out of retirement,it's all good :)
According to the latest ESPN article - Parsons backpedals a little bit saying he never meant any disrespect but thought of himself as the 3rd best player on a championship team (or something to that effect). I don't think he believes he's on par with Love/Bosh/Melo but he thinks his market value is fair for the 3rd best player on a team, which I disagree with. I think Stephenson, while a headcase, is far more talented than Parsons and is making 6 million less than Parsons. Also Parsons would need to be in a great system to be the 3rd wheel of a Championship team like the Spurs or that Detroit Championship team coached by Larry Brown. And we both know both those teams are atypical and definitely not the norm...
So I completely agree with your sentiments!
@slick shoes
I know.............I fully understand your previous post. I was just making the point that Parsons needs a reality check if he believes he is on par with top players in the game
I never said I agreed with his opinion or the events that happened. Just that I think that that's where hes coming from.
@slick shoes
just because he believes he is on par with Love, Bosh, Melo doesn't mean we have to drink the kool-laid.
I think his main point is that we undervalued his talent and felt "disrespected" by that. Everyone' is entitled to their own opinion.
Good points Rahat. I do have one other observation about Parsons...
There is a basic contradiction within the concept that he is a great glue-guy, and important to team chemistry. Based on Chandler's recent comments as to who he feels that he is talent-wise, wouldn't his attitude be more than just a little annoying to many of his teammates? Some statements of his hint of an oversized basketball ego... Maybe we are actually going to benefit from his absence more than anyone might expect.
if Parsons fail to live up to that contract........Cuban likely won't feel like partying
@Rahat
good post..........totally agree
@JG
I agree most seem to have forgotten T-Jones and D-Mo are youngsters who need time to finish developing. you are correct in your assessment "that's why we hang onto them". we have discussed it before (the fact that we might lose Parsons) but now that it's fact some act like he was Lebron. to really understand what Morey did you have to understand what Parsons is as a player. if he was a star in your eyes you're upset at us letting him walk. if he was simply glue or a good role player in your eyes it easier to understand why matching him would set the team back in the big picture. removing the emotion from the equation clearly allows Parsons to be seen for what he is (a good role playing glue guy)
1) Yes, that's what I've been saying about "fit". I think it makes us better. Morey preached it since we lost to Portland. We get better through defense.
2) I don't think people around here do that, but I may be wrong. I think Morey is running though his game plan. It would seem that PG is our thinnest position (especially when you look at total experience) and we could use a veteran of some kind there. I don't think Atlanta is giving Millsap away. Trevor Ariza was the Iggy-type FA--there aren't really any others unless you count Shawn Marion (36 years old though).
I believe people are under-estimating the growth potential of T-Jones/D-Mo. There is a reason we have held onto those two despite shipping out just about everyone else in the last 3 years.
Terrence Jones is practically a Josh Smith caliber player. That's right. I said it. He's built the same, possesses similar athleticism and has a good handle like he does. In fact, if you just looked at their stats you would think Jones was already the superior player (bettter shooting %'s and more rebounds). I understand that their roles are very different and the quality of their teammates as well. Jones just needs more experience ingraining proper NBA defensive fundamentals and we will be sitting on a stud two-way role player. As an optimist, I believe he will figure it out. I may be proven wrong, but he has shown continued improvement and doesn't it feel like he is right there?
D-Mo is in the same boat. He needs a better feel for the game. It's like he is always on a different frequency from everyone else. In the post, when the game slows a bit--he moves too fast. Outside, he is too slow. On defense, he can't seem to move with the player without fouling him. I am not the first to suggest he should give up the three ball for a while and stick to the post. He is so close we can taste it.
People forget that Jones is 22 and Motie is 23. That is very young for bigs who typically don't really get it going until 24-25. Patience will be rewarded with these two. Let them play. Let them play. Let them play!
(Bonus Astrodome nostalgia)
Two things:
1) do we know that we will actually be worse with Ariza subbing in for Parsons? (sad that we can't control for also loosing Asik and Lin) At the end of the day, we didn't need that much O, compared to needing much more D. Ariza should give us that.
2) I have regularly rolled my eyes at Morey worship, and comments that every little thing Morey does, even if the benefit isn't apparent today, is proof that he is a genius. However, in this Morey got it right. Maxing out the roster with Chandler eating up that much cap space is silly. We need to won now. Not wait and have to hope that Chandler takes another big step or three. We need another game changing player.....or two roll players of Chandler's capability, not just the one Chandler.
Nice job Morey. I don't know what assets, if any, we really have to trade now, except for Jones and Dmo (hardly highly demanded "assets") but maybe we can sign a third free agent of the Iggy type. Maybe trade for Millsap's expiring, etc...?
This. Well said, Rahat.