Comments on: A closer look at Jeff Adrien

By: GabrielBarbieri

GabrielBarbieri — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:33:32 +0000

@rahathuq dangit.

By: bob schmidt

bob schmidt — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:45 +0000

Could be he might be wrong about who gets waived…

By: Howie C

Howie C — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:39:16 +0000

@rahathuq Maybe Mchale knew that was going to happen and decided to give him some burn while resting Sam. just a thought, just a thought….

By: rahathuq

rahathuq — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:04:51 +0000

per feigen, adrien just got waived. lol….so much for the hours put in to creating this post.

By: The Point Forward » Posts Court Vision: Latest news in the NBA «

The Point Forward » Posts Court Vision: Latest news in the NBA « — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:42:16 +0000

[…] • Kevin McHale shocked everyone Monday when he benched Samuel Dalembert for most of Houston’s win over a depleted Denver team and turned to little-used Jeff Adrien. How’d that work out? […]

By: rahathuq

rahathuq — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:11:22 +0000

@TwistedNematic good question. im sitting in class right now but ill adress this in a post when i get home.

By: TwistedNematic

TwistedNematic — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:08:49 +0000

Rahat, great analysis, love the breakdown.

I’ve always wondered if there is any correlation between D-league success and success at the pro level. From what I’ve gathered, the quality of play in D-league is much lower than the NBA.

Was McHale just sending a message to Jordan Hill? Or is Morey just putting the finishing touches on deal right now? I can’t remember the last time I saw a coach throw out his 12th man in the second quarter without an injury or blowout.

By: rahathuq

rahathuq — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:01:02 +0000

@Alituro yeah i think he definitely brings some things, but i just wish he could maintain his focus longer. we’ll see how it goes.

By: Alituro

Alituro — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:48:57 +0000

@rahathuq True… I’m just not as quick to write off Hill as a bust as others are. In a deep rotation, I think he’ll be good to have, you can’t discount his energy and hustle either. Like I said, only time will tell.

By: rahathuq

rahathuq — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:43:36 +0000

One thing I want to point out about Adrien, as I’ve seen it mentioned in many places – there really is no comparison between him and Hayes other than the fact that they’re both short. Hayes was the quickest big man in the league laterally and one of the smartest players in basketball. Adrien’s advantage is that he is a quick leaper. He’s ‘fast’ (as you saw in that one clip where he closes out) but he’s not particlarly ‘quick’ laterally – there’s a difference.

By: rahathuq

rahathuq — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:41:11 +0000

@Alituro keep in mind on those numbers that Patterson was coming off of ankle surgery. he told me himself it was still bothering him. his production has drastically increased in the last few games.

By: RedNinetyFour

RedNinetyFour — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:35:50 +0000

@PoolManBlake no, not at all. chuck was much quicker laterally but didn’t have the explosive leap. totally different players

By: PoolManBlake

PoolManBlake — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:19:40 +0000

@RedNinetyFour does he remind you of The chuckwagon?

By: Alituro

Alituro — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:09:24 +0000

@rahathuq Hill’s PER is 1.5 pts higher than Pat’s and a tad above Scola’s. Hill’s posted (5) double digit rebounding games and (2) double-doubles. Patterson hasn’t grabbed more than 7 rebounds in any game. In 350 minutes Hill has 113 pts and 118 rebounds. In 425 minutes Pat has 139 points and ONLY 75 REBOUNDS! Rebounds are an integral part of defense and just as important if not more important than positional awareness, seeing as how half of all shots are misses. Hill has posted 18 blocks to Pat’s 10 in 75 less minutes. I agree about Hill’s team defense, which needs work and is not quantifiable with PER. But the same can be said about the defensive ability of more than a few on our roster, i.e., Scola, Bud and Martin. You say he’s basically reached his ceiling, but I say he’s only been playing organized, coached basketball for 10 years, since 9th grade and is still heavy in a learning process. His ceiling is higher than Patterson’s, who has just about reached his, IMHO. Only time (2-3) years will tell, I guess. Personally I’d hold onto him at his current rate just a little bit longer. Of course there may be issues with Hill’s willingness and ability to learn on the practice court, which is a whole other issue and needs to be taken into account in my own estimation of him, but it’s something I know nothing about.

Do you think your bias may be because of Hill’s “free-spirit” demeanor versus Patterson’s Hayes-like work ethic and humble persona?

I do agree we need to ship off Williams and Flynn ASAP, but if the receiving team wants something in addition, I wouldn’t mind if it were Patterson that they demand instead of HIll.

By: bob schmidt

bob schmidt — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:50:44 +0000

In 22 games with the Vipers last year, Adrien played 34 min. per game, averaging 19.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. He has some offensive talent aside from defensive ability. The young man has tools…

By: Jeby

Jeby — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:35:57 +0000

Just like Hayes, Adrien has no business playing center. But he looks like he could be a poor man’s Rodman at the 4 if he commits to doing all the little things on offense that make his teammates better.

By: rahathuq

rahathuq — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:57:41 +0000

@Alituro Hill has more upside due to his physical gifts but its become clear he won’t reach it. Patterson is a safe bet to be a dependable pro for a very long time. Hill loses focus, misses defensive assignments, is late to rotate etc. Patterson on the other hand is very smart defensively and has been a big catalyst during many runs with his help defense. He’s just a smart player. He also can hit a midrange jumper pretty consistently whereas Hill really brings close to nothing on offense.

By: Alituro

Alituro — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:47:46 +0000

I think you’re reading a little too deep into the Adrien insertion. The guy’s only 6’7″. Do we really want to venture back into the Chuck Hayes for center model? I think McHale saw an opportunity to play him in a situation where he could be effective. This season’s schedule is grueling and guys are getting tired, and with the mediocre roster we are currently sporting, to continue to win, we need to expand our rotations and preserve the starters and top 8 guys whenever possible. Adrien brought a nice defensive spark last night when we needed it most. Were it an offensive spark we needed, he wouldn’t have been called on.

There seems to be a cadre here out for Hill. This same group seems to have huge man crushes on Patterson. I like both the kids and don’t see a huge upside from Pat over Hill. would someone care to elaborate on why I hear so much “Let’s package Hill in a trade” and “PPat is untouchable”?

By: Frogs07

Frogs07 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:00:31 +0000

Good analysis. I’m all about McHale motivating the squad, even though Jeff Adrien is clearly not the long term solution at the 5 spot. But that leads us to an important question. How will the Rockets land a big man? Let’s take a look at Centers in the upcoming free agency pool.

1.) Dwight Howard – Shown no interest towards Houston

2.) Roy Hibbert – Restricted free agent

3.) Andrew Bynum – Team option 99% guranteed to be picked up

4.) Brook Lopez – Restricted free agent

5.) Chris Kaman – Unrestricted, concerns about age and durability

6.) Ja Vale McGee – Restricted free agent

7.) Omer Asik – Unrestricted free agent

All the attractive young players (Hibbert, Lopez, McGee) are almost certain to have any outside offer matched by their current team. The Rockets should recognize that they more than likely won’t be able to land their coveted center via free agency this summer. The draft, or a trade are probably the safest ways the Rockets will try to fill the void. Therefore, this roster needs to be impoded to accomplish this or the franchise should roll the dice on “renting” a superstar. Getting one here is half the battle as we can clearly see.

Finding a defensive minded center is crucial for competing in the NBA (OKC, Chicago, Miami). Withouth one, an NBA franchise is mediocre at best (see Rockets).

By: Frogs07

Frogs07 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:43:34 +0000

The Rockets are playing a very risky game by maintaining the current roster and hovering at the .500 mark (just out of playoff contention more than likely).

Lets take a look at the skilled big men available for free agency:

By: rahathuq

rahathuq — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:15:02 +0000

Wanted to clarify above that I’m being sarcastic regarding Dwight.

I think Hill will still get more chances but will have a shorter leash. But in the grand scheme, this probably confirms that he’s gone, unless he can be signed at an extremely low contract.

By: favianpua

favianpua — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:08:36 +0000

Looks like Jordan Hill is on the way out.