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@  timetodienow... : (20 August 2013 - 01:15 AM) Good insight, ST.
@  Sir Thursday : (19 August 2013 - 10:12 PM) On a radio show or TV interview you have a lot less time to police yourself. In a forum like an AMA, Morey has much more time to decide what responses are OK and doesn't have to be so guarded. That's my hypothesis, anyway.
@  timetodienow... : (18 August 2013 - 09:42 PM) I can see that. He's always very circumspect when he's talking on camera compared to doing these AMAs. I don't think he's uncomfortable speaking but he's more in his element chatting online.
@  feelingsuper... : (18 August 2013 - 04:23 PM) I think you're on to something timetodie but I wouldn't say he is uncomfortable speaking, we just gleam more insight from what he writes.
@  timetodienow... : (16 August 2013 - 10:35 PM) Has anyone noticed that Morey is more comfortable typing than speaking?
@  2016Champions : (16 August 2013 - 08:53 PM) Daryl Morey's reddit AMA today: http://www.reddit.co...eason_addition/
@  Sir Thursday : (16 August 2013 - 06:54 PM) (Although having said that, Cleveland and Washington being improved mean that there might actually be some competition towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket for once).
@  Sir Thursday : (16 August 2013 - 06:53 PM) They may end up with the 8th seed again this year, but they'll be a team on the up rather than a team that's reached its peak.
@  Sir Thursday : (16 August 2013 - 06:52 PM) That's a lot of shooting, anyhow. And they've filled the bench with serviceable players, too.
@  Sir Thursday : (16 August 2013 - 06:49 PM) (or maybe you put Gary Neal in for Delfino)
@  Sir Thursday : (16 August 2013 - 06:48 PM) It's not a roster completely devoid of talent, anyway. Knight/Mayo/Delfino/Ilyasova/Sanders seems like a reasonable starting lineup.
@  Sir Thursday : (16 August 2013 - 06:45 PM) A lot depends on if they can develop their young guys. Knight, Henson, Antetokounmpo...
@  timetodienow... : (16 August 2013 - 06:41 PM) Although this signing does make them look better to me.
@  timetodienow... : (16 August 2013 - 06:40 PM) Maybe. I don't really care all that much, but it just seems like he's being underpaid. And why would he want to stay in MIL? Have you seen the moves they've made thus far.
@  Sir Thursday : (16 August 2013 - 06:36 PM) A player with 7 years' experience qualifies for a bigger max contract, right? Maybe he's angling for that
@  timetodienow... : (16 August 2013 - 06:33 PM) I hope he has an ETO. That would make the deal make sense in my mind. Otherwise why not play next year and get offered the max by a desperate team and have MIL match?
@  timetodienow... : (16 August 2013 - 06:32 PM) Then why not get a 5th year?
@  Sir Thursday : (16 August 2013 - 06:31 PM) And if Sanders doesn't mind Milwaukee then he would probably want as long a contract as possible...maximise guaranteed money and all that.
@  Sir Thursday : (16 August 2013 - 06:30 PM) Milwaukee probably have a bit more leverage than most teams do in contract negotiations in that [a] it's an extension rather than a resign, so they could just let him to to RFA; and [b] they have a really deep front court rotation.
@  timetodienow... : (16 August 2013 - 06:29 PM) True about Pek, but I don't consider them elite rim protectors like in the vein of Duncan/KG/Asik/Howard/Gasol/Noah/Hibbert(showed improvement last year). Drummond and Sanders are potential candidates for rim protectors in my opinion.

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The Rockets Daily - August 23, 2013


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#1 Red94

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    Posted 23 August 2013 - 04:27 AM

    New post: The Rockets Daily - August 23, 2013
    By: John Eby

    Big Chocolate Shoulders - CSN Houston has put together a 20-minute special which is posted on the team's official site all about Dwight's arrival. Judging by Howard's suit in the video, the interview was taped the day of his introductory press conference, and he said a lot of things that have been said already, but he brought up a couple of points which I hadn't heard before:

    •  He said that after only a week of work with Houston's training staff, his back was feeling better. This would be encouraging, but it really just confirms that his back continues to give him trouble and will be a concern going forward.
    • When asked about the Rockets' run-and-gun style, Howard said, "I love it, I just need to get in good shape ... I think it's going to be great for me even though I'm 27 and I've been around for a while just to add some more youth to my game." Hold this thought for the next segment.
    • "I have these big chocolate shoulders right here," Dwight said, looking at the female interviewer with a grin, "and I'm going to put them shoulders to work for this city and this team, and we're going to move forward."

    I really don't know what to say right now. Quick, let's rank something...

    Rankage - ESPN's Summer Forecast has Houston coming in 4th in the Western Conference next season, which sounds about right. Now, remember that thought you're holding about Houston's fast pace? Take it out, skip to the 5:08 mark of this video and listen to David Thorpe dishing the wisdom:

    If you didn't take the time to watch the video, Thorpe says,

    Quote:

    "I think they have a systemic flaw in that I think Dwight Howard needs to play slow and that Kevin McHale needs to coach fast. I don't think McHale is a great X's and O's guy. I think if he has a super fast system in place he kind of can manage from the sidelines, then he's fine. I don't think he's a very good coach when the game slows down, and I think Dwight needs that."

    My contrarian take is that you need a decent post player to help run an offense when the game slows down, and McHale had nothing close to that to work with last year (unless you count D-Mo, which I don't because his defense was so atrocious he couldn't stay on the floor). But I defer to Coach Thorpe on this one, since he has more basketball knowledge in his left bicuspid than I have in my whole head.

    If McHale doesn't have the chops to get Houston's half-court offense flowing, and if it looks like he might lose his job, the situation would be awkward since his presence was a huge draw for Howard. However, as NBA coaching staffs increasingly head toward specialized assistants as in football, it might be more likely that Morey hires on a new offensive guru as an assistant while McHale continues as head coach/motivator/figurehead.

    The Lin Saga - We've got more context for Lin's quotes about his struggles in confidence last season, thanks to SI.com and a video of Lin's speech on YouTube (start at the 1:08:20 mark).  Although much has been made of Beverley threatening Lin's starting spot, it looks like Lin's crisis of confidence really came before Beverley arrived on the team:

    Quote:

    “On Dec. 15, 2012, I wrote in my diary: ‘I’m tired and weary and can’t wait for the season to end.’ I went on to write, ‘I haven’t been able to eat or sleep recently. I’m just tossing and turning with anxiety. What if I lose my spot as a starter? What if I have to be the back-up the rest of the season? What happens if my back-ups are actually better than me?’"

    Beverley was signed on January 7, and by February, Lin was playing on a different level from the first half of the season. It looks like the issues that were holding him back are in the rearview mirror.

    One final note about Lin's mental toughness that I just stumbled across: two of the top three opponents that Lin averaged the most points against were his former teams--New York (17.5 points) and Golden State (19.5). When Lin has a chip on his shoulder, he's hard to beat.

    Bonus factoid: He really struggled against mediocre Eastern Conference teams: Milwaukee (9.0), Washington (7.5), Detroit (9.5) and Charlotte (6.5) all kept his scoring bottled up. This is either a fluke or evidence that Lin has trouble getting motivated for extremely uninspiring regular season games.

    Got any sweet links or suggestions? Email them to [email protected] or message @EbyNews on Twitter.

     


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    #2 BrentYen

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    Posted 23 August 2013 - 04:40 AM

    The half-court offense was ran more by Harden last year, and I think McHale ocaasionally X&Os some good plays. I feel He runs more Horns in the middle of the season and came bcak to rely on Pinch-post, high pick and roll, and ISO more at the end. With the addition of DH12, that's hope we get more offensive set from McHale.


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    LOF here.


    #3 rockets best fan

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    Posted 23 August 2013 - 05:21 AM

    I agree McHale isn't a good X's and O's coach, but I don't for see that being as big of a problem as this guy seems to think it will be. McHale has some quality coaches on the bench with him.

    I hadn't seen some parts of that video.......was very refreshing :)


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    #4 BrentYen

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    Posted 23 August 2013 - 05:44 AM

    I agree McHale isn't a good X's and O's coach, but I don't for see that being as big of a problem as this guy seems to think it will be. McHale has some quality coaches on the bench with him.

    I hadn't seen some parts of that video.......was very refreshing :)

    But if you remember last season, in critical situations. I think the only play he called was ISO and P&R. Very predictable and easy to defend, that caused ROX a few wins IMHO.


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    #5 miketheodio

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      Posted 23 August 2013 - 05:46 AM

      i don't think the pace issue will be as big as that guy says. it will slow down with dwight, but not too much. i think that is for the best anyways.


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      #6 rockets best fan

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      Posted 23 August 2013 - 05:47 AM

      But if you remember last season, in critical situations. I think the only play he called was ISO and P&R. Very predictable and easy to defend, that caused ROX a few wins IMHO.

      true.......but with Harden and Howard to run the P&R this year I don't see why that can't be our bread and butter


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      #7 timetodienow1234567

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      Posted 23 August 2013 - 05:49 AM

      I'm glad we got Dwight. But he will still be a diva. Unless he gets his 20 post ups a game I fully expect him to complain.
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      Why so Serious? :D


      #8 BrentYen

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      Posted 23 August 2013 - 05:53 AM

      true.......but with Harden and Howard to run the P&R this year I don't see why that can't be our bread and butter

      That will depends on Harden's condition in late game situation. I think he handles the ball to much and it hurts the team. Lin and PB has to get the ball more and Harden need to be fresh for the last 5 possesions.


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      #9 BrentYen

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      Posted 23 August 2013 - 05:54 AM

      I'm glad we got Dwight. But he will still be a diva. Unless he gets his 20 post ups a game I fully expect him to complain.

      That's more than 20% of the total, it is a lot....


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      #10 rockets best fan

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      Posted 23 August 2013 - 06:09 AM

      I'm glad we got Dwight. But he will still be a diva. Unless he gets his 20 post ups a game I fully expect him to complain.

      you know I was of the belief D-12 was a diva too.....and I still believe he has a little in him, but over the course of time watching him after his decision to come to Houston......I believe a lot of what has been put out on him  really had nothing to do with him. I think the scene that took place in Orlando was the organizations fault more than his. players have secret talks with front offices all the time.....if they had a conversation with D-12 and told him it would be private then after the meeting went out and told Stan what D-12 had said then they were at fault not Stan or D-12. we all know the LA mess. so I wouldn't be critical because to me he was just a player looking for the place that he felt would make him happy and now he may have found that


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      #11 miketheodio

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        Posted 23 August 2013 - 07:03 AM

        you know I was of the belief D-12 was a diva too.....and I still believe he has a little in him, but over the course of time watching him after his decision to come to Houston......I believe a lot of what has been put out on him  really had nothing to do with him. I think the scene that took place in Orlando was the organizations fault more than his. players have secret talks with front offices all the time.....if they had a conversation with D-12 and told him it would be private then after the meeting went out and told Stan what D-12 had said then they were at fault not Stan or D-12. we all know the LA mess. so I wouldn't be critical because to me he was just a player looking for the place that he felt would make him happy and now he may have found that

        after chris broussard saying it was 50/50 right before dwight announced his decision, i will be highly skeptical of what the media says from now on. i thought it was just the news media that had an agenda, but apparently, the sports world isn't immune from agendas either.


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        #12 Rahat Huq

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          Posted 23 August 2013 - 09:15 AM



          you have to look no further than the team's end of game out of timeout plays to affirm the statement that mchale isn't an x's and o's guy.


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          #13 Sir Thursday

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          Posted 23 August 2013 - 09:28 AM



          you have to look no further than the team's end of game out of timeout plays to affirm the statement that mchale isn't an x's and o's guy.

           

          That seems like selective memory - there have been one or two excellent late game out of timeout plays. For example, this one. Now, there have been some poor ones too (especially towards the beginning of the year), but as the season went on I thought he improved.

           


          ST


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          #14 Steven

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            Posted 23 August 2013 - 12:54 PM

            It wouldn't surprise me if Dwight averages 25 and 14 this year. With the speed the Rockets play, Dwight will get his touches on the block early in the shot clock, before the other team has their defense fully set. Dwight beats his man down the court catches it in the paint for a dunk. The guys on NBA TV who worked with McHale say, he believes that you run not for yourself but for your teammates. By you running allows passing lanes to open up, defenders paying attention to you opening up driving lanes. Plus if Dwight runs for 32 minutes a night and gets a little fatigued, Asik can step in to give him a rest.

            Edited by Steven, 23 August 2013 - 12:55 PM.

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            #15 Alituro

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              Posted 23 August 2013 - 01:33 PM

              One thing Thorpe didn't consider is that his statement about McHale playing fast was taken in a vacuum... out of context. The only advantage we had on any team last year was our youth. The biggest disadvantage we had was our lack of experience. In this game they ONLY way to exploit said advantage and negate the disadvantage is to play as fast as possible, both forcing the older, more experienced teams to play harder and get more tired than normal, and also giving your team more possessions to help negate the mistakes caused by youth and inexperience. This is the best way our squad could have been coached. Had he slowed them down, we would have missed the playoffs and McHale would have lost his job after a 30 win season. Is McHale capable of coaching a slower, more structured game? Who knows? He's never been proven to be not able too. As stated before, maybe we add coaching staff to help facilitate the transition to this type of play. Regardless, it's too soon to reasonably and confidently make such a claim.

               

              On Omer... If you were given the chance to play back-up to the best center in the world on a squad ready to contend and log near 20 minutes per game (for $8million), and were also given the chance to be starting center for the Bobcats... which would you choose? I personally think his stated displeasure (never a direct quote) was an attempt from Morey to see if he could land a big PF fish like LMA, Smith or Love. Omer should have no problem with hanging around the next two years, improving his game while learning from 3 of the best ever, getting paid and possibly collecting a ring or two.. If it doesn't work out for him, he doesn't have to sign the next Rockets offer after 2 more seasons. He's still young enough to cement his own legacy after this go 'round.


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              #16 timetodienow1234567

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              Posted 23 August 2013 - 02:53 PM

              He wouldn't be the starter for the Bobcats. They have Jefferson.
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              #17 rockets best fan

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              Posted 23 August 2013 - 05:05 PM

              He wouldn't be the starter for the Bobcats. They have Jefferson.

              I bet if they got Asik they would move Jefferson to PF


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              #18 timetodienow1234567

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              Posted 23 August 2013 - 05:48 PM

              I bet if they got Asik they would move Jefferson to PF


              Lol. Way too slow to play PF.
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              #19 rockets best fan

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              Posted 23 August 2013 - 05:57 PM

              Lol. Way too slow to play PF.

              it's not like they have someone who would be better.


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              #20 timetodienow1234567

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              Posted 23 August 2013 - 06:01 PM

              Zeller.
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