39 replies to this topic

[Red94]

New post: Houston Rockets @ Memphis Grizzlies on 1/25/14
By: Eric Nielsen

Keys to the game include:
Getting to the line - We need more free throw attempts.  The Rockets lead the league at 31 per game, but shot only 14 last night at home!  t’s always harder to get calls on the road, but Harden is going to have to sacrifice his body tonight to get to the line.  His aggression going to the hole is key.  In tight games, I even like to see Howard go to the line.  At least we’ll probably get one point.  In crunch time the Rockets are still struggling to score, and free throws are our savior.

Foul trouble - Dwight is leading the league in fouls, at 156 this season, and with Smith and Asik on the bench (remind me why he’s not playing again?) it’s imperative to keep Howard on the floor for as long as possible.  He only played 30 minutes last night.  When Howard goes out of the game and D Mo or Jones are tasked with holding down the middle, you can just feel the Rockets get itchy.  Sometimes they settle down and play great small ball, but lots of the time there is the feeling that the second team runs around like chickens with their heads cut off.  I’m hoping Lin’s presence with the second team will start to help again.

The paint - The Rockets need to score better against the tough defense of the Grizzlies.  Houston only scored 30 points in the paint last night, only got 7 offensive boards and were outrebounded 42 to 31.  This is another reason it’s critical to keep Howard in the game.  Gasol and Z Bo weigh a combined 530 pounds and can manhandle Jones and D Mo!  Gasol outweighs D Mo by almost 50 pounds.

Coaching - A lot has been said about McHale in the forums this year, and many people don’t feel like he has what it takes to coach a playoff winning team.  I feel like he’s still growing into the role, this is the most successful team he’s ever coached, and that the front office has been willing to give him time.  The second of a back to back will give us a chance to see what kind of wrinkles and game plan changes he can make in a comparative setting to the playoffs.  I see McHale as the Rockets coach at least through next year, but would like to see some changes, especially on set plays at the end of games, on defense, and getting the team to put together a consistent effort. There has been slight improvement in these categories as the team gels. The second half of this season will answer lots of questions.

Houston looks for payback on a rare home and away back to back against the Grizzlies.  Our starting guards shot a combined 3 for 22 and sunk a career night by Chandler Parsons.  He set an NBA record for 3’s in a half, right after Colangelo and Kryzewski slighted him for the pool of players for the world games.  Parsons also set a franchise record with 10 3’s in a game and in a row.  Stay mad Chandler Parsons.

It’s obvious why teams were going after Courtney Lee.  His veteran leadership and defense are valuable.  Since his trade to the Grizzlies, they are 6 and 2.  Lee stayed in front of Harden the whole game last night and it will be a challenge for Harden to go into Memphis and play against that smothering again tonight.  Now that Gasol is back, Memphis will be climbing up the Western standings, hopefully not on the backs of our Rockets.  I predict they will pass up Phoenix and Dallas before the season is out.

The Grizzlies are consistently able to hold the Rockets to few points.  While the Rockets average 105 a game, they were held to 87 last night and average only 93 a game against the Grizzlies this season.  The Grizzlies allow only 96 per game and that ranks 4th in the league.  Solving the lack of points for the Rockets will be the number one priority.  What will McHale come up with?

 

[timetodienow1234567]

A still learning coach is not something that translates well to getting a ring.

[thejohnnygold]

I feel like people are going to be disappointed by whatever "adjustments" they are hoping to see.  McHale made it pretty clear in the post game that this was just one of those weird games where nothing would go in, the players weren't being as aggressive as he would like, and they just couldn't get anything going.  He also noted the lack of free throws and that our defense was good overall.

 

I think he will roll out, more or less, the same plan anticipating that more shots will fall, more fouls will be called, and the team will play with more intensity.  I won't fault him for that.  How can we say his game plan was bad?  It wasn't executed.  The big concern is that Jones' leg is still recovering and banging down low with Randolph didn't help that.  If he can't go we literally have Dwight and D-Mo--that's it.  After that it's Parsons and Casspi.  I'd throw Garcia on Randolph before those guys.  Do it Chuck Hayes style. 

[senkay]

johhny,

"the players weren't being as aggressive as he would like"

is what i what i was referring to in my article what i said about, getting the team to put together a consistent effort

 

i hope to see garcia locking it down enough to get at randolph, but he hasn't been there much yet this season

we could use some chuck hayes d about now

 

-eric

[feelingsupersonic]

A still learning coach is not something that translates well to getting a ring.

This specific problem is overstated. In fact there are probably a few dozen problems more pressing than McHale's learning curve. Most coaches had years where they paid their dues whether in the regular season and/or the playoffs. I don't think much criticism or credit towards McHale will be the focus whether the Rockets lose or win. To take these two games as some point of the season to judge McHale seems narrow minded in my opinion. A newly put together roster missing bigs up against an opposing teams core that had been together a few years, do the math guys.

[timetodienow1234567]

I guess I'm judging mchale on a championship curve this year and comparing him to pop Phil Carlisle doc and Larry brown. I don't think he stacks up well against any of them and those 5 have hoarded all the championships.

With all of the talk given about how he is learning as a coach etc... I just judge him based on the team that we have at this point. We're not rebuilding like Boston or Philly where I would be okay with a coach learning while the team around him gets better.

[senkay]

I'm thinking this team is at least a year away, maybe 2.

[Richards]

I have said this many times. McHale does this again and again: ride the hot hand. He doesn't has set rotation and couldn't draw a good play.

 

Many had pointed out already that we had three ball handlers (Bev, Lin, and Harden) on the floor and he chose Parsons to setup the play. 

Why? Parsons was hot. McHale should have gone with either combination of Harden/Lin/Dwight. Harden can score with many different ways and he should have the ball in his hand even if he was cold.

[feelingsupersonic]

I guess, he does ride the hot hand sometimes or maybe he is just letting players grow when they earn the opportunity. When Adelmen was here fans complained he never altered his rotations so now we have a coach that does.

 

I don't think players, coaches or general managers care about fan opinions but I can only imagine the fan reaction had he gone with Harden. Personally I like that he put Parsons in that position, as the third best player he needs to get late game reps, that's player development in my opinion.

[Cooper]

I'd agree with Fss here it's not the end if the world that they lost a January game to the grizz and it was a valuable chance to give someone besides Harden experience handling the ball/running the offense in late game situations. If that's a playoff game you're obviously going to harden if he's available but in the event he's not its nice to have guys that also have some experience in crunch time.

[Richards]

I am all for players development. I don't mind Parsons getting a last shot. To me any player who has a good (best) look should get a shot even if he was fifth option. Better option is setup a play for Parsons and let him catch and shoot or slash it depend on the situation if coaches like a hot hand. 

 

Again, this wasn't a time for trial and errors. If we were up by a point or two and coaches wanted to run with new play and rotation, that is fine.

We were down with one and we definitely must run through Hardens. I don't like Harden for his hero ball and weak defensive effort, but for now he is the most reliable offensive option we have.

 

Coaches should try either Bev or Lin if they rally want another option than Harden. Ball handling is PG job and they should set up a play.

Edited by Richards, 25 January 2014 - 08:50 PM.

[feelingsupersonic]

Difference of opinion I guess, considering the small information I have regarding the situation I am going to side with the professional NBA coaching staff, call me crazy!

[3Dgoggles]

Just to start, I really hate that my first post here is a negative one, but for as bi-polar as this team has been this year it's been painful to watch at times.

 

I've never been sold on McHale as a head coach. To be frank, I believe the writing has been on the walls since the start of the season. From hiring Olajuwon as Howard's personal coach, to dropping easy games to "bottom-of-the-league" teams, to not playing his seemingly loaded bench. And how can we forget yielding the largest point disparity in NBA history. I want to see him do a better job but we have players on our team that are requesting to be traded away. This concept is new to me because I would sacrifice my body for the abilities and the opportunity that these athletes have. Not to mention what I would do to be making as much money they make. How much money is Asik making this year anyway? I love this team, I have since I was a kid, but I don't think it's a mystery what this team is really lacking. 

[Steven]

A still learning coach is not something that translates well to getting a ring.

Miami won two rings with the worst coach in NBA history, it's not about coaching it's about the players.

[timetodienow1234567]

Miami won two rings with the worst coach in NBA history, it's not about coaching it's about the players.

What can you say to that?

[shuga]

I guess we have to manage our expectations and how McHale coaches the team (I seriously had championship aspirations for this season). Our team needs time to gel and for everyone to embrace their role on the team.

 

If we don't get a championship in the next year or two, maybe a coaching change needs to be considered, but for now, I'll blame McHale a little less unless I see something particularly egregious.

 

Let's get this win!

[Red94]

New post: Memphis Grizzlies 99, Houston Rockets 81: Quantity has a Quality all of its own
By: Paul McGuire

Dwight Howard is a great center.  Regardless of the fascination with newer, younger centers like DeMarcus Cousins and Roy Hibbert, Howard is still the best center in the league.  But for all of his athleticism and defensive ability, Howard is only one man.  While he may be better than either Zach Randolph or Marc Gasol, he is not as good as the two combined.  And this does not even take into account that Memphis has other legitimate big men such as Kostos Koufos, Ed Davis, and James Johnson to play, while Houston only has Terrence Jones and the still inexperienced Donatas Motiejunas.  Memphis’s big men, combined with their overall depth, overpowered the smaller Rockets and forced them to play the slow it down, defensive battle the Grizzlies prefer – and the result was a game which was all but over by the end of the third quarter.

The formula was simple.  The Grizzlies hammered the paint with either Conley or Randolph again and again, but that was seemingly not their real goal.  Instead, the Grizzlies would either miss the shot, but in the process would get Dwight out of position as he went to contest the shot, at which point they grabbed the offensive boards and tipped it in.  Or the Rockets would overcommit, at which point they kicked the ball out to Conley or Lee who would make the jumper.  On the defensive end, the Grizzlies were content to let the Rockets shoot.  Not just three pointers, but open three pointers.  But with Houston unable to hit anything tonight (only 23% from long range for the game), the Rockets were unable to make Memphis pay, resulting in the disastrous defeat.  The lead grew steadily larger, and everything went downhill the longer the game went on.

• The return of Patrick Beverley was supposed to bolster the bench due to the return of Lin there in order to create offense, but Lin has looked nothing like the early Sixth Man of the Year Candidate who averaged 15 points a game in November.  He has now scored double digits only once over the past six games, and his three point percentage has crashed to a pathetic 27 percent in January.  Tonight was no better.  In fact, it was one of his worst games of the year.  He scored 4 points, the second lowest total for him this season, had only 2 assists in relevant playing time, and missed all of his three pointers.  The fact that Memphis has one of the worst backup point guards in the league in Nick Cathales does not help either.  Lin’s confidence for now seems to be shot – and it’s up to Lin to regain it.
•  Dwight Howard was not really himself, but as discussed earlier, the lack of reliable big men help played a huge role in his failures to contain the Memphis offense.  However, what is solely Dwight’s problem are his worsening free throws.  Just like Lin’s jumper, Dwight’s free throws started off well at the beginning of the season, but have steadily deteriorated – he has shot over 50% from the free throw line in only three games since Christmas, and was only 2-6 tonight.  Teams so far have not been using Hack-a-Dwight as much as they could, but if Dwight’s troubles continue, this will start up again, further prolonging games and boring audiences alike.
• About the only real positive that came tonight is that the last game against Memphis was the first one where Harden shot a decent percentage against this defensive team.  Much of that came from isolations and Harden’s mid-range game.  One of the main criticisms about Harden’s style of play is the idea that in the playoffs, the tougher games mean that his three-pointers and free throws will be shut down, making him ineffective.  The idea that superstars draw less free throws is in reality a myth not based in the numbers, but nevertheless, Harden has developed a mid-range game of sorts this season, and he used it to still put up decent numbers despite only shooting 4 free throws and missing all of his three pointers.  Such a weapon surely cannot hurt – as long as he doesn’t try too many of them.

[goRockets]

On the issue of Jeremy Lin's confidence, I think a lot of just has to do with the fact that this season, his minutes are like a yoyo, he started like half the games, also came off half the games, he never played with any consistent line-up, it's like a bunch of games with starters, a bunch of games with bench, depending on the Rockets' injury situation. So his rhythm has been all messed up. He's still being efficient though, in the sense when he's not having a good game, at least he's not jacking up a ton of shots, like PB with 1/11 shooting. Also bench is really thin right now, with just Lin, Casspi, DMo, so it's not like he has a whole lot to work with playing with this bench. Also Harden averages 38 minutes per game, which means he's only not on the floor 10 minutes per game where you can say McHale lets Lin run the offense. I don't know how a PG gets into rhythm running offense for only 10 minutes, and often those 10 minutes are alongside PB, where Lin is playing the SG anyways (not his natural position even though he can play there). So basically the staff has made JLin (who is a rhythm player) into a yoyo rotation guy who sometimes just seem confused from game to game what his role or contribution might be. If you see his twitter post today, you'd see that he's probably not happy about how he's being used, he's alluding to this time as "trial". He's not going to complain, but it's obvious his confidence is not all there because he doesn't feel the coaches really have much confidence in him anyways, his leash is shorter than a dog leash. PB's leash is longer than the distance from earth to moon.

[RedScare]

I am a Lin fan, but I am a rockets fan since the Grady-Yao period. I truly believed at the beginning of the season that Patrick Beverley had an edge on Lin in the beginning of the year. Today's game was just a showcase of all our weaknesses. When we don't have our 3 point shooting, we try to drive into the paint. However that doesn't work very well when you're facing one of the better defensive teams. When you let the other team dictate the pace, then our rockets will do horribly right now.

 

Now lets go to the topic of Jeremy Lin and Patrick Beverley. Jeremy Lin is expected to lead the second team as a 6th man. Well that's kind of hard when McHale puts in Lin, with Harden. People like you continue to bash Lin, but in reality its not his fault. Yeah he's shooting horribly this month, but when you are forced to shoot last second contested 3's your shooting percentage is going to be pretty low. Lin is in an extended shooting slump, but you have no right to really blame him for the bad bench. Our bench isn't that great. It's supposed to be, but for most of the year it has been a let down. We see flashes of its greatness, but when you don't really have a 2nd big man, your +/- will be horrendous for the 2nd team. (PLZ COME BACK ASIK)

 

Patrick Beverley is NOT shooting the lights out either. 22.2%, 9.1%, and 27.3% FG percentage in the last 3 games including tonight with over 9 shots per game. When your point guard can't shoot, then let the proven slasher go into the game for now because Beverley just came back. By the way Beverley only has 2.4 assists as a starting point guard, that's really really bad. Lin is 35th in the league which is not loveable, but PB is 56th :'(. I love Patrick Beverley, his eagerness and aggressiveness on defense is great, but it doesn't translate to better defense entirely. Jeremy Lin actually holds opposing guards to 45.7% in 35 games (about half he started in), and Patrick Beverley holds opponents to 51.7%, which is 6 percent difference. Both aren't that great because a 45 and 51 percent shooting is very good for most players. Patrick Beverley and Lin both can't really defend very well. Patrick Beverley just hoards the opposing point guard a little more which is needed. 

 

I agree that Beverley should start because he does compliment Harden, but when your backcourt is shooting pretty badly (Harden did pretty OK today), then you gotta put your backup in because that's what backup is for. I really think McHale should have put Lin in earlier with anyone, most likely Beverley. The only reason Jeremy got 28 minutes tonight is because he played the end of the 3rd and all of the 4th in GARBAGE TIME. 

 

I end with this. Don't blame Lin for this mess up, blame the WHOLE team's horrible shooting and decision making on the court. 

P.S. McHale, please learn to rotate better, for the sake of the entire team and possibly your career. No more hot hand heroics please unless its Harden or Howard. 

Edited by RedScare, 26 January 2014 - 04:47 AM.

[SDrake]

Paul McGuire...  Not to nitpick the game summary write-up, but Lin had 6 points, not 4.  Plus, I don't get why you called out Lin as one of of your 3 bullets to why the team is struggling.  If anything, call out all the guards as they're all playing poorly...  Lin, Harden and Beverley.  Actually if I had to rank the guards on how they're playing, Beverley seems to be the worst (like a previous person pointed out in another reply in this topic) and seems like his offensive abilities would be better suited for the Russian league.  For some reason, Beverley can have back-to-back 1-11 and 3-11 nights and he seems immune to anyone questioning his ability and whether he's helping or hurting the team.  He's poor on the offensive side of the ball (with I believe little upside potential) and average on the defense.  I think he gets the reputation of being better on defense because of his hustle, but he's average at best on defense.

If you played last season's Rockets against this season's Rockets, last season's Rockets win.  They've lost the cohesion of last season and as this season has progressed past the halfway point, they look more confused.  They aren't playing as a team, not getting the ball movement, not getting the fast breaks.  Ultimately it rests with McHale.  It's his job to get the players working as a unit rather than the inconsistent confusion.  Although the W/L record still looks good, there have been few games this season where the team has looked solid for an entire game.  Even the games against the lesser competition seem to be a struggle.