61 replies to this topic

[thejohnnygold]

Pointing out Howard's poor post numbers is no revelation nor is it a fantastic feat of prediction.  Nobody thought post-ups were a better option than pick n rolls for Howard--ever.  Roy Hibbert is a full 5 inches taller than Howard and is still improving as a player on both ends.  He is one of the best post defenders in the league and sports a superb 97 Drtg.  To gauge Dwight Howard's post performance, and the subsequent viability of its use, off of two games against one of the league's best defenders in pre-season....Egads!  Let's give Dwight some time to absorb and assimilate some of the stuff Dream is teaching him.

 

Post-ups will seldom be better than the PnR (regarding efficiency), but being one-dimensional comes with its own set of problems.  We are trying to win games and Dwight in the post is a portion of that winning formula--like it or not.  To measure its effect by any % other than winning% is to miss the point.

 

Moving on to Mr. Lin--good for him!  I'm not sure people are having huge knee-jerk reactions (which is surprising, really).  Most people are seeing the big picture that we have 2 PG's that are equally capable of contributing to our team's goals.  I think both Lin and Beverley are humble people (which does not mean they lack confidence) and will accept whatever roles they are put into and do their best within those roles.  It's up to McHale and Co. to get the most out of the players and I think that is exactly what is going to happen.  I am hoping our PG's, as a unit, can combine to average a solid 20 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals with (hopefully) less than 4 turnovers/game.  I think that is entirely possible and is more than enough of a contribution from the 3rd strongest position on our team (C & SG come first).  That's how I look at it.  The reality is Lin and Bev are going to take turns being the "star" of the game at PG.  As long as their collective effort is strong it shouldn't matter.

 

What's the Buzz Word for this season.....Sacrifice.  I take that to mean letting go of ego and I think they are all buying in.

[ale11]

I said Harden's game could rival LeBron's....well, getting a little carried away there!  LeBron's in his own galaxy, but I do think Harden could be a top 5 small forward in this league because of his combination of skills and physicality. I'm pretty sure of that, but I'm curious what others think of that little thought experiment (since it ain't ever going to happen....)

 

SF is a position that doesn't have much quality depth beyond LeBron and Durant. It's not that crazy....I mean, a while ago, many have stated that they feel Parsons is or could be this season a top 10 SF....Harden being a top 5 isn't that much off.

 

What's awesome about this current roster is that pretty much everyone can play multiple positions and we can toy around with different rotations according to the matchup. I love it

[ale11]

Regarding Lin: he is smart, and he knows that even though the demotion to 6th man might hurt a bit, he realizes that play a good chunk without Harden allows him to go full berserk mode, and overall, I think that as long as he finishes the game, he won't mind starting off the bench. Even though he is improving and trying to mesh with Harden, maybe deep inside he knows that Beverley is a better fit to play alongside Harden and accepting the role might get the team 48 minutes of full attack mode, just like Asik playing backup C might give us rim protection at all times....as long as Parsons, Garcia, Casspi, etc. keep draining threes, we are good.

[Mason Khamvilay]

Three are so many different ways to run the pick and roll I wouldn't be worried about being one dimensional, just look at the Suns during the D'Antoni era. And his coaching style was a big reason Linsanity happened, I like it a lot.

[Mason Khamvilay]

Ale, don't be so sure Lin got demoted to 6th man. Lin started this game.  McHale is just experimenting, that's what pre season is basically for.

[BrentYen]

Like what Coaches said earlier, D12 should use his speed more. Seems like he was just trying to overpower Hilbert which is very difficult. So we should not read too much into D12's stat line IMO. He drawn the double teams, and that was already enough for others to operate. Look how good Parsons were just for those cut without the ball.

Lin played really great, confident, aggressive and efficient (same for all 3 games so far). It is very easy to have a bad game in that kind of pressure and he rose to the occasion. Really good for him. Willing to Sacrifice or not will not be the problem form these two PGs ROX got. It is all up to Coaches to utilize them better. In fact, Beverly leads better today, man the offense a little better.

[Richards]

Lin fits well with all other starters and backups except Harden.

Bev fits better with Harden cause Harden was poor on his D.

I am betting Harden's improved defense and Lin's all-around improvement will take care "fit" issue.

 

Rockets doesn't need Lin to lead 2nd unit as long as Garcia and Cassapi play well. 

[BrentYen]

I feel both Garcia and Cassapi still need Lin or someone to set them up to play well offensively. Cassapi, in partucular, thrives with HOU's offensive scheme IMO.

[thejohnnygold]

Found a decent highlight video of the game...obviously a Lin fan, but still showed lots of good stuff from everyone.

 

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=dFowjBeWNoI

[rockets best fan]

trying not to get to pumped up over a preseason game, but it's hard not to do watching the potential of this Rocket squad. first things first. for all those who believe Howard had no impact on the game.............I would like to remind you of how Hibbert smoked us the last time we saw him to the tune of 28 points and13 rebounds........his stats for this game.......11 points 2 rebounds.....I call that impact. second....I gotta admit J-Lin is looking good. I have been one of his biggest critics, but have been mildly surprised at his overall improvement. it's only preseason, but if he can maintain this level of play he may make me forget about that trade idea  . right now the only thing it looks like we are missing is the chance to start beating up on the league for real. again trying not to get to pumped.............but we look pretty good to me

[BrentYen]

trying not to get to pumped up over a preseason game, but it's hard not to do watching the potential of this Rocket squad. first things first. for all those who believe Howard had no impact on the game.............I would like to remind you of how Hibbert smoked us the last time we saw him to the tune of 28 points and13 rebounds........his stats for this game.......11 points 2 rebounds.....I call that impact. second....I gotta admit J-Lin is looking good. I have been one of his biggest critics, but have been mildly surprised at his overall improvement. it's only preseason, but if he can maintain this level of play he may make me forget about that trade idea  . right now the only thing it looks like we are missing is the chance to start beating up on the league for real. again trying not to get to pumped.............but we look pretty good to me

If he maintains the level of the play, you should actually start to get serious about the trade idea IMO . He does not need to play like that in every game tho. And Yes, D12 impacted hugely, no doubt.

[rockets best fan]

If he maintains the level of the play, you should actually start to get serious about the trade idea IMO . He does not need to play like that in every game tho. And Yes, D12 impacted hugely, no doubt.

if he plays well then keep him was my line of thought......your saying if he plays well trade him? explain please!

[BrentYen]

if he plays well then keep him was my line of thought......your saying if he plays well trade him? explain please!

Because of how Rox handled Lin last yr, plus he was coming of injuries, plus plus he self burden too much. He did not showcasing his abilities well. It is very hard for other teams to consider him under this condition with his remaining contract.

No matter Lin plays well or not, it is clear that he is not in ROX's long term plan. A PG cost u 8mil a yr has to play coming off the bench because of fitting issue. Logically, it means 1) your do not need his skill-set for your starting PG spot, 2) you do not have a PG that can run the 2nd Unit and cost like a back up PG. Both mean having Lin is not making sense any more to ROX. However, due to last year, it is hard to trade him as well IMO. Hence, I think if Lin plays reasonably well this yr, ROX should try to trade him for someone make more sense to them.

This is not even about ego or sacrifice, it is just during team building precess, I feel Lin is not the piece they want after the acquisitions of Harden and Howard. And that is perfectly ok to trade him. He is a starting caliber PG and he will be fine. I just feel if Lin boosted his value during this yr, it is ROX's best chance to send him and Asik away. Get a decent back-up PG,  a good PF or save the money for Parsons and Beverley actually make more sense.

Forcing a expensive starting caliber player to lead the bench is more of a temporary solution because so far, they do not have options.

Edited by BrentYen, 14 October 2013 - 01:59 AM.

[rockets best fan]

WOW..............you kidding me........that novel idea coming from a LOF. I'm floored  I admit that you put forth sound reasoning to explain your point.........I'm just floored to hear you say it. TRADE LIN is  an off the table issue for most Lin fans. however back to the subject.........I do believe it is still in the Rockets best interest to trade Lin, but my reasons are more in line with how it would affect the salary cap.......hence limit our ability to reel in more talent. his recent play shows he has been hard at work during the summer. I know it's just a couple of preseason games, but I like what I've seen. even if he plays well I agree it is still in the Rockets best interest to move him. his combined salary with Asik is the perfect range to bring in a star player. if that opportunity arises the Rockets must grab it. I am confident the remaining guards available can handle the job especially with another star on board

[BrentYen]

Well, thanks . I am Lin fans, I will just follow where ever he goes. He will have a good career with or without ROX IMO. And I really think they should try to move Lin, not just because it is of best interest of Rox, also it is good for Lin. Win-win scenario. Morey can do a lot of things with 8 mils. Same reasoning applies to Asik as well IMO. The only difference is, Asik already proved his value last yr, hence easier to move.

Edited by BrentYen, 14 October 2013 - 02:50 AM.

[vonsteve]

No. If Lin was having a flukey little run of good looking stats, then it might be a time to trade and get max value. But the Lin looks anything but flukey. He genuinely looks to have improved in all areas. I think he's too valuable to trade right now.

[rockets best fan]

No. If Lin was having a flukey little run of good looking stats, then it might be a time to trade and get max value. But the Lin looks anything but flukey. He genuinely looks to have improved in all areas. I think he's too valuable to trade right now.

HI vonsteve.............Welcome to the forum  now your response is what I expect from Lin fans

[BrentYen]

No. If Lin was having a flukey little run of good looking stats, then it might be a time to trade and get max value. But the Lin looks anything but flukey. He genuinely looks to have improved in all areas. I think he's too valuable to trade right now.

No matter how not-flukey, this team is anchored with Howard and Harden. By no means that I think Lin is flukey anyway.

[RollingWave]

Dwight : he looked better in game 1 against the Pacers when he went to his face up move instead of game 2 when he attempted to replicate the dream shake,  he's pretty obviously trying stuff in the post and his defensive effect was great in both game so there's little worry there.

 

I'm very impressed and convinced by pretty much everyone that I think would make the roster so far, the only player left that I want to see do something would be Smith and Asik.

[vonsteve]

HI vonsteve.............Welcome to the forum  now your response is what I expect from Lin fans

Hi. You know I never would have considered myself a Lin fan. At least not more than any other player on the team. And definitely not a LOF. Just going by what I've seen and heard so far.