So the 15 man roster should come out to be
Lawson/Beverley/Terry
Harden/Thorton/KJ
Ariza/Brewer/Dekker
Jones/Dmo/Harrell
Howard/Capela/Wood
Personal opinions and notes
I am in favor of starting jones over Dmo reason being the fit with Howard on both sides of the ball and he would have much more of a positive impact as the 6th man and focal point of the offense in the post in the 2nd unit rather than be regulated as a stretch 4 to create space with howard. If Dmo were the 6th man he would be the focal point of the offense with more room in the paint being beside a much more mobile big in capela rather than Howard where his post skills and passing ability could be the most impactful and he could demand as many touches as he needed as he wouldn't be competing with howard, harden, lawson all at one time for touches. He would also provide a form of half court offense to a 2nd unit of beverley/brewer/thorton/ capela/KJ/Ariza that will most likely rely on transition and fast breaks to create offense. His ability to camp in the post and then pass to a shooter, cutter ,or a lob threat would be very important surrounded by those players. On defense Dmo would be able to be the paint protector and position/vertical defending center while capela who is far more mobile than howard could guard the stretch/play making 4s on the perimeter who Dmo does have trouble with chasing around the perimeter when playing next to howard. Dmo is also terrible as a help defender next to howard, while defending as the center in the 2nd unit, he wouldn't have to worry as much as a help defender while Capela could be a nightmare weakside shot blocker like ibaka in the 2nd unit.
On to Jones, even though he has pooped the bed in the playoffs and seem to be physically and mentally affected this past season due to injuries. Stats have usually favored the howard/jones pairing to the Howard/dmo pairing. Reason being is Jones is a great utility PF and garbage man needed next to H&H. Low usage, high efficiency role player. He can slash to the basket when needed from the perimeter or dive into the paint for an offensive rebound and put back, or lob. He can handle the ball in transition which is a plus in our high octane offense. His 3pt shooting while small sample size was nearing next to average last year, so he can also still be that playmaking 4 next to howard. While on defense jones has the ability to guard 4s along the perimeter and act as a weakside help defender and shot blocker. This allows howard to be the man in the middle on defense.
Other notes is I hope Howard only plays 30 minutes or less with capela getting at least 18 minutes a game. It will be such an unfair advantage for the rockets to have 2 elite defending, shot blocking monsters in the middle.
Dekker, Wood, harrell will be vipers all season unless injuries strike. By the way the vipers should have the best frontcourt in the D-league with SF Dekker PF Harrell C Wood. We could be looking at another D-league title with our next nba title.
I think we sign harrell to a 3 year deal and just eat the hard cap for the year. He will be an impactful player in the nba with his game, motor, athleticism, and length. It's just not worth it to risk losing him in a couple years for a chance at getting a buy-out drop out player later in the season. Very unlikely josh smith caliber players are available during every buyout time.
Lawson will obviously start and that offensive 1-2 punch of him and harden will be completely unmatched in the league. We've put together the best SG, a top 10 PG, both top 10 offensive players, and the top 2 most potent, efficient slashers and passers in the league along with both being great shooters and off the ball players. Harden is the perfect embodiment of Moreyball while Lawson is right behind him. That's going to be a damn offense to watch even without mentioning they'll be surrounded by good shooting and cutting wings and bigs great for drop off passes or lob threats. Damn. I do expect them to have their minutes level out so at least one is on the court at all time.
Beverley is going to go back to that high energy in small amount of minutes terror, taking every backup PG's lunch money and we can all love him again. He should also have a healthier season as well, as his style of game is not meant for starter minutes, too much wear and tear on the body with such high energy and intensity.
We are so deep and talented, I can only see GS, the cavs, and maybe OKC challenging us.
It's been a long time since I've had a long post here, hope yall enjoyed it. Roster Rant over.
Edited by Buckko, 29 August 2015 - 09:27 PM.
