84 replies to this topic

[rockets best fan]

txtdot1411/JG

to some degree I agree with both of you. however the player I think we will be most surprised by among backcourt players is Nick Johnson. something about this kid I just like. I know he's an undersized afterthought right now, but I like his game

[thejohnnygold]

He's no afterthought.  I like him a lot too.  It depends on how the roster shapes up, but I think he most likely ends up in RGV--at least until the trade deadline 

[Buckko]

Agreed JG, many think he'll be a rotation player immediately, but there is always an adjustment period and a few ahead of him in the depth chart. 

[rockets best fan]

@Buckko

I agree there is usually an adjustment period. however this kid seems to have a cockiness/confidence/savvy about him that makes me believe he will be ahead of the curve. yes he will spend some time with RGV, but not that much IMO. the Rockets gave him a fully guaranteed deal so they must see something too.

[Dayak]

Why you guys keep saying JG hates Lin? Lol. I still remember when RBF said Lin is an under average PG and wish to trade him for a 2nd round pick, JG was one of Lin's supporter and wanted to give Lin 1 more season to prove himself. Now Lin is gone and by what i've seen last season, his play couldn't light up his contract. We should find someone who fits better with this team.

I laughed a lot when RBF said to trade Lin for a 2nd round pick but now i have to admit he was right

[rockets best fan]

@Dayak

watch it................we spent all day trying to get that cat back in the bag . apparently there is some leftover Lin love still around that didn't get traded within the Laker deal  one would think for a first round pick the Lakers would have absorbed all things Lin. get Kupchak on the phone we been robbed

[Buckko]

I think Johnson can be a good player, but he isn't going to be the next 2nd pick parsons. Besides the fact parsons was more experience as a 4 year college player, the rockets were a far thinner and less talented team back then, giving parsons the chance to play. Nick will pay his dues for the vipers for the year along with Clint unless injury hits.

[Steven]

Everyone forgets Morey had Brooks pays his dues in the the Rio Grande, as did P-Pat and every other rookie since Morey took over, with Parsons being the one exception. I don't see Johnson being any different. Mr $4.8M might be an exception but he has experience in the second best league in the world.

[thejohnnygold]

So, we're looking at a second unit of Canaan, Daniels, Papanikoloau, Motiejunas, and Dorsey?  Maybe Ish Smith and Jeff Adrien get in there instead of Canaan/Dorsey.

 

I know people will call me a homer, but I really like that line-up.  I'm not saying they are world beaters, but stack them up against anyone else's second unit and I feel pretty good.  Off the top of my head, a handful of teams have better second units--Denver, San Antonio, maybe Phoenix (depending on how this Bledsoe thing shapes up).

 

I think that unit is going to work well together--just a gut feeling--and be far greater than the sum of their parts.

[rockets best fan]

@JG

I would agree if I thought we had a coach who was good at using the tools we have in the toolbox properly. some of developing chemistry is the coach knowing how to use the parts. also knowing how to read matchup within the game to put his players in the best position for success. since we don't have said coach it may cause some of these players to struggle

[Losthief]

Everyone forgets Morey had Brooks pays his dues in the the Rio Grande, as did P-Pat and every other rookie since Morey took over, with Parsons being the one exception. I don't see Johnson being any different. Mr $4.8M might be an exception but he has experience in the second best league in the world.

 

didn't budinger play as a rookie, yeah 20 min a game just looked it up. Granted that was under alderman...and i think mchale doesn't like rookies very much...but its not outside the realm of possibility with morey.

[linonlyfan]

You know what I'm really excited about? Troy Daniels going into the old "he who shall not be named" 30 mpg 6th man off the bench role. There were times last year when he looked a lot like Ray Allen/Kyle Korver moving off the ball and nailing threes after burning through the defense at max speed. I think this is far more valuable than a "secondary ball handler". How many ball handlers did you see the Spurs have? Daniels is probably our next Parsons.

Miami had Ray Allen, Boston had Ray Allen, the Spurs had Danny Green, Chicago in Derrick Rose's MVP year had Kyle Korver. A guy who can bend the defense and nail 3's is actually surpremely valuable. I hope Daniels becomes the first off the bench first replacing Jones and turning the lineup into small ball halfcourt style offense which is based on the James Harden primary ballhandling, Dwight as a pnr and post threat and Daniels making sure help defenders cannot cheat with his shooting AND his movement.

The second unit is gonna be a work in progress all year.

Mchale remains the biggest concern. I think the role players are actually better this year, because they know they are role players and are better suited to the team. The issue is coaching and experience. Unfortunately both are related as we will need to see Mchale craft a rotation that makes sense and not keep changing it when things go wrong.

I think the team will take a bit of time to sort out but the 2nd half of the season should be much better than the first half, once the 2nd unit gets some experience and reps. Probably looking at a 4-6 seed. If the team stalls for reasons other than injury then Mchale is potentially gone midseason. I don't think the team is appreciably better or worse than last year, just less recognizable to the wider basketball audience. Guys are definately sleeping on Ariza, the guy is a Champion and does his job.

On a off note, I watched some videos of Michael Jordan playing defense, good lord he got low to the ground and used his length and footwork to challenge EVERYTHING. My goodness.

http://grantland.com...-atlanta-hawks/

[Willk]

@JG
I would agree if I thought we had a coach who was good at using the tools we have in the toolbox properly. some of developing chemistry is the coach knowing how to use the parts. also knowing how to read matchup within the game to put his players in the best position for success. since we don't have said coach it may cause some of these players to struggle

Why hasn't Morey replaced the coach?

[timetodienow1234567]

The spurs had Parker/Ginobli/mills/Belinelli. All are better Creators/playmakers than anyone we have outside of harden.

But yeah I'm excited about having a guy that can play a Reddick type role for us. Hopefully he's as lethal as JJ.

[thejohnnygold]

I think there are some stereotypes that keep floating around McHale which are not very accurate.

 

I hear people saying McHale needs to not change things every time something goes wrong while another person chides him for being inflexible and refusing to recognize a need for change.  The guy can't win.  Remember, he has major flaws with this roster he has to try and hide from other coaches who are good enough to exploit them.  How do you hide three defensive liabilities while still out-scoring the other team?  How do you let players develop while trying to secure a top 4 playoff spot when, more often than not, they are getting destroyed on the court?  Put yourself in his shoes and I think things become a little more clear.  He is constantly trying to balance multiple things and ends up juggling things throughout the season which, from the outside looking in, can be maddening.  I think there is more method to the madness than people give credit for.  I'm not saying he is a misunderstood genius--just that he may not be the complete buffoon some perceive.

 

 

McHale doesn't like playing young guys.  Well, what coach does?  If they had a choice, every coach would prefer veteran guys who know what to do and when to do it and how to be professional.  Meanwhile, McHale plays young guys all the time despite everyone saying he doesn't.

 

 

McHale doesn't know how to use the tools in the toolbox....I'm not going to argue this point.  This team clearly needs that Phil Jackson/Tex Winter dynamic to really hit on all cylinders.  Much like a sports car, it's the parts you don't see that really make it go.  I believe that there is a plan and direction in place for this, but I could be wrong.  I still don't understand why we have not hired a replacement for Kelvin.  Still, I think this complaint misses the point and organization of our team's hierarchy.  McHale needs a strong right-hand man to be successful.  There is nothing wrong with that and I don't think it warrants criticism.

[rockets best fan]

@JG

totally disagree. McHale is a buffoon. totally lost on how to maximize his rosters potential. "McHale needs a strong right-hand man to be successful. there is nothing wrong with that"...................totally disagree. what good is McHale if we also have to hire someone to hold his hand. we have debated the quality of his work before so I'm sure everyone here knows what I think of Charlie Brown..........he's a block head  I will agree however that the proper right-hand man can improve the outcome, but only marginally. I have been hoping that McHale would learn what he is doing on the fly, but every time I think he may have taken a step he proves me wrong by falling right back into the  same hole of mistakes. it has become a vicious circle on mediocrity he seems unable to break free from. I have lost hope that he will be anything approaching an  average coach and have started to focus on a plan that is Charlie brown proof.............this is no fairy tale where Lucy, Snoopy or some other peanut comes to the rescue. we have to  hope that Charlie Brown figures it out for himself..........and that is a scary thought. as much as I want to feel positive about this situation....there is nothing positive McHale can do except resign

[rockets best fan]

@Willk

I don't know why Morey hasn't replaced McHale. his weaknesses are so glaring that even the mainstream media has begun joking about his body of work. I don't always agree with Morey and this is an area of disagreement. I still trust Morey, but I feel his trust in McHale is misplaced. there is NOTHING in McHale's past that would indicate future success, so I'm baffled as to why he is still here. McHale must have been doing some serious butt kissing after the season

[miketheodio]

you need a secondary ball handler or else your offense looks like the pacers.  always need a second option if the defense is stopping the first.

[timetodienow1234567]

You can get away with it if you have a GREAT post offense man that can navigate a double team enough to generate offense for his teammates. Think Brook Lopez / Marc Gasol / Pau Gasol / etc.... While Dwight is good enough in the post to score efficiently, he's not good enough of a passer to have the offense run through him. He also sometimes cannot force a double team if the team has a legit post defender.

So I agree we need a secondary and maybe a third ball handler. Maybe Canaan is him?(I highly doubt it from what I've seen so far). I don't think we're done and could get a deal done at the deadline to fix our weaknesses.

[rockets best fan]

we all agree we need another facilitator. the only disagreement is the level of facilitator. I think we need a primary......aka PG