16 replies to this topic

[thejohnnygold]

 

From D-fense to D-League-ers, the Rockets gave it to the Kings tonight!

 

Random thoughts...

 

D-Mo.  Holy cow, D-Mo!  I am trying to restrain my excitement, but HOLY FREAKIN' D-MO!!!!

 

Check out this play!

 

He had a few other nice passes, great post moves, solid defense, and he outplayed DeMarcus Cousins!

 

Then there is Isaiah Canaan....looks like somebody is ready to shed his "D-League" moniker and be considered a bona fide NBA player.  Good for him.  Good for us.  He's been playing well, but tonight was another level.

 

 

That's it, really.  I love that we won that game with defense.  I love that our lack of depth has proven to be completely false.  I love that the guys have put in the work and developed into solid players.  When we get our guys back from injury, this team is going to be trouble for the rest of the league.

 

Worriers, carry on with your worry.  Don't miss out on the good stuff though...we're 12-3 and some young guys are making the leap right before our eyes.  Enjoy.

 

[Steven]

Completely agree Johnny. D-Mo is skilled enough to play the C when take Howard out and PF when we want to go BIG.

As the President of the Canaan Truther fan club, everyone knows where I stand on our own backup PG. The fact he wasn't getting any run when Beverly was back was criminal in my honest opinion. But tonight when the rest of the team shot 6/25 from 3 point land, his 6/10 really helped get the Rockets in the game to start the third period.

D-Mo and Canaan each went for career highs tonight, against a much improved playoff caliber Western Conference opponent. These minutes they are getting will be huge come playoff time when the Rockets will need it most.

The more I watch, the more I think Morey will try for a small part to help the team come trade deadline, instead of gutting the bench in order to try to hit a homerun.

[thejohnnygold]

Caaaaannnnnnaaaaaaaan Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllll!!!!!

 

[thejohnnygold]

I'm not done yet...thank goodness other Rockets fans are good at this internet business.

 

Another awesome D-Mo assist

 

Since D-Mo is looking like another member of "Houston's Legacy of Bigs" lately, is it too soon to start calling him Dream-O? 

[jorgeaam]

I'm not done yet...thank goodness other Rockets fans are good at this internet business.

 

Another awesome D-Mo assist

 

Since D-Mo is looking like another member of "Houston's Legacy of Bigs" lately, is it too soon to start calling him Dream-O? 

 

I gotta ask, after D-Mo surprising play of late,  what happens when T-Jones comes back?

[Buckko]

Fun Fact: The fan dancing in tonight's game, his name is Robert Boudwin. However most of us are much more accustomed to seeing him in his Clutch costume. Yep that's our mascot people and he's killin it.

[thejohnnygold]

I gotta ask, after D-Mo surprising play of late,  what happens when T-Jones comes back?

 

No idea.  It's a small sample we're dealing with.  If his offense can sustain this level then Jones is out.  However, that is not likely.

 

In the 7 games he has gotten over 30 minutes (which helps average out this superb 3 game spurt) he has gone 34-66 (52%) including 5-13 from deep (38%) for an average of 13 ppg with 7 rpg, 2 apg, 1 spg, and 1 bpg.  Add to that his size, his defense, his playmaking--both for himself and for others--out of the post, and we can all see the guy we've been waiting to see for what seems like an eternity, but was actually just two years.

 

Jones is solid and fits in nicely next to Dwight--which is primarily where his advantage is.  D-Mo, in order to be the best he can be, really needs Dwight's spot on the block.

 

I have a strong affinity for good passers--especially out of the post.  That's the thing--D-Mo can truly create his own offense and offense for others.  Jones can post up, but I haven't seen him make the kinds of passes D-Mo does.  In this regard, it makes D-Mo better than even Dwight.

 

I know it was one game, but D-Mo just took DeMarcus Cousins on and while I can't say he won the match-up, he did go toe-to-toe with one of the league's top centers.

 

Who knows?  I'd love it if Jones can come back healthy, keep doing what he was doing, and D-Mo can continue to thrive off the bench filling in at PF/C and maybe pushing closer to 25-28 mpg between the two.

[marbony81110]

I gotta ask, after D-Mo surprising play of late,  what happens when T-Jones comes back?

T.Jones will still be the starter. D.Mo will be a good asset of the bench with Canaan, Terry, and Kostas. The team is looking solid even with Harden not playing his best and starters constantly out. When everyone gets healthy the Rockets are going to be beasting. The only thing they need is a true backup C.

[cointurtlemoose]

Agreed about Jones/DMo, however I'd be really happy if DMo still managed to average around 20 min. Consistent minutes would give him the only thing he still needs: consistency. Honestly, I might say the same for Canaan...

 

This game was so satisfying!! I probably audibly giggled at that opencourt DMo Larry Bird pass...

 

ALSO, only 4 turnovers????? That in and of itself is satisfying.

Edited by cointurtlemoose, 27 November 2014 - 04:58 PM.

[clydesmoustache]

So we are all happy with our young talent now? No need for a trade. I am pretty happy. I don't even think we need an enforcer as ariza and Beverley seem capable. They aren't charles Oakley but they should be ok for the "hooooooold me back!" era of the nba. It will be interesting to see how rotations are managed when TJones and Bev get back.

[rockets best fan]

Agreed about Jones/DMo, however I'd be really happy if DMo still managed to average around 20 min. Consistent minutes would give him the only thing he still needs: consistency. Honestly, I might say the same for Canaan...

 

This game was so satisfying!! I probably audibly giggled at that opencourt DMo Larry Bird pass...

 

ALSO, only 4 turnovers????? That in and of itself is satisfying.

I would still like to see D-Mo average about 20 minutes a game as well, but he isn't better than T-Jones therefore he should do so coming off the bench. I am not as impressed with him as some here. I like how he has played of late, but still have some reservations. while some are ready to crown him our starter.................I'm not. he is still a backup player. he has become serviceable and for awhile I didn't think he would even reach that he has developed so slowly. however he still has a long way to go IMO

[thejohnnygold]

I would still like to see D-Mo average about 20 minutes a game as well, but he isn't better than T-Jones therefore he should do so coming off the bench. I am not as impressed with him as some here. I like how he has played of late, but still have some reservations. while some are ready to crown him our starter.................I'm not. he is still a backup player. he has become serviceable and for awhile I didn't think he would even reach that he has developed so slowly. however he still has a long way to go IMO

 

Don't forget, he is still very raw in terms of actual NBA experience and is on a different curve--the big man curve--which is usually 3-4 years after entering the league.  D-Mo is currently 17 games into his 3rd season, just turned 24, and has played 1,918 career NBA minutes.  For comparison, James Harden played 1,946 minutes his last year in OKC....in just 62 games as the sixth man.  I know we all want D-Mo to just "get it" already, but let's try and maintain perspective here while recognizing the major progress he is making.

 

D-Mo is showing more and more consistency, understanding, and his post moves are far more polished than they were a year ago.  Remember when he would move too quickly and most of his shots (which were typically wide open due to his quick moves) would clang off the back iron and fly right back out.  Not anymore, his touch is much softer, he is more patient, and his body is under much better control.  He may already be one of the top 5 post scorers in the league (assuming he can be consistent) and I think it is not too soon to start transitioning from D-Mo to Dream-O.    

 

He's better on the defensive side as well--much has been said about that already.

 

I like Jones a lot, but he has some serious competition for that starting gig now.  If that 3 pt. shot Jones showed before he got injured (very small sample--3-7 from deep for 43%) is legit (meaning it can stay at or above league average) then the job is his for sure.  He is a great fit next to Dwight, but if we started using Dwight the way we are using Black/Dorsey with D-Mo running the post offense I think things could get really awesome really fast.

 

It's going to be fun to see how things progress as the season rolls on.

[clydesmoustache]

Yeah I noticed the patience in the post as well. I never could tell if he suffered from being a rabbit in the headlights or he was too excited being on the court but there definitely a change in him. OMG if he was a top 5 post scorer with his passing! Double him he passes to the corner three, a cutting air papa or dwight with the lob! One thing u can never say about dmo is that he is lazy. He gives his all and has a bit of a cut snake about him which if controlled i love in a player.

[rockets best fan]

@JG

I agree D-Mo is better this year than his past performances, However while acknowledging his progress I feel the jury is still out on how much of his potential he is able to accomplish. Yes he is young, Yes bigs take longer to develop than other non-big players do, but this IMO is the first time I can say I have seen real development from him at all. the needle was stuck motionless for quite some time. I like what I have seen recently, but I'm not yet ready to crown him the next great big man  you make a valid point that his biggest hurdle is consistent play. let's get a larger sample size before attaching any forms of DREAM to him   

[marbony81110]

@JG
I agree D-Mo is better this year than his past performances, However while acknowledging his progress I feel the jury is still out on how much of his potential he is able to accomplish. Yes he is young, Yes bigs take longer to develop than other non-big players do, but this IMO is the first time I can say I have seen real development from him at all. the needle was stuck motionless for quite some time. I like what I have seen recently, but I'm not yet ready to crown him the next great big man  you make a valid point that his biggest hurdle is consistent play. let's get a larger sample size before attaching any forms of DREAM to him

I agree. This is the first time I have ever seen D.Mo show development. T.Jones is the better player and should still be the starter. I definitely don't think it is a competition. Jones has shown that he can perform for am entire season not just a few games.

[rockets best fan]

I agree. This is the first time I have ever seen D.Mo show development. T.Jones is the better player and should still be the starter. I definitely don't think it is a competition. Jones has shown that he can perform for am entire season not just a few games.

I believe T-Jones is the Rodney Dangerfield of this Rocket's team. D-Mo has a couple of good games and everyone forgot who T-Jones was. I agree with you that at this point it's not even a competition who the starter should be once T-Jones returns. I have said it before and I will continue saying it until it not true any more (T-Jones is the best PF we have). he was on a nice tear until he got hurt. early signs were pointing to he had taken another step in his development. I can't wait till he returns along with our other M.I.A. candidates

[thejohnnygold]

I believe T-Jones is the Rodney Dangerfield of this Rocket's team. D-Mo has a couple of good games and everyone forgot who T-Jones was. I agree with you that at this point it's not even a competition who the starter should be once T-Jones returns. I have said it before and I will continue saying it until it not true any more (T-Jones is the best PF we have). he was on a nice tear until he got hurt. early signs were pointing to he had taken another step in his development. I can't wait till he returns along with our other M.I.A. candidates

 

Haha, it's not like that at all 

 

I don't think people forgot Jones, but D-Mo's offensive game has been nothing short of "wow".  Between the post-ups, the passing, the open-court-double-behind-the-back-no-look-pass-to-Harden (as far as I know, Jones has only gone single behind the back like that...what a loser  ), the great synergy with Papanikoloau which seems to make the two greater than the sum of their parts, his timely 3 pointers, his improved defense, his improved rebounding, and that legit 7' frame which seems to be holding more and more muscle he has brought himself up to Jones' level and then some.

 

It's not that we are not giving Jones any respect--quite the opposite.  We are just saying that D-Mo, if he can maintain, is as good in his own way.  Jones has advantages for sure, but I don't think we could ever run an offense through him the way Memphis does with Gasol....with D-Mo, that does seem to be a possibility.  That makes him a very interesting player for us given all the concern over our lack of play-makers outside of Harden.

 

I agree with you about Jones, mostly, but I think that aspect I just mentioned may give D-Mo an edge in this current situation in regards to playing time and the focus the team puts on him when he is on the floor.  Like it or not, he is making good things happen on both ends.

 

Let's not forget--in an ideal world, these guys aren't competing head to head.  D-Mo, while he can play PF, should be slotted as our back-up C at this point.  I think he is playing at PF while Black/Dorsey man center because you can't do it the other way around with Motie at C and one of those two at PF. 

 

I think that once Jones is back he and Motie will have a nice chemistry together in the frontcourt.  Jones is a great cutter/slasher/finisher and Motie can get him the ball out of the post with ease.  If Motie shoots he usually draws two defenders and Jones can crash the offensive glass where he excels.  They will give defenses fits.