rocketrick

Alituro, same as always, hit it right on the nail.

 

The Rockets have been playing with a depleted roster to start this season.

 

Probably explains the heavy reliance on Harden and Ariza while D12, Beverley, Terrance Jones amongst others missed a number of games already this season.

 

One final point here:

 

The Rockets HeadBandits have played together for about 10-12% of this season. Unless Morey and the Rockets make additional moves by the Trade Deadline, the Rockets HeadBandits seems to be the first 3 off the bench the rest of this season.

 

So will be interesting for Mr. Lin to recalculate his numbers after another set of games have been played and Josh Smith, Jason Terry and Corey Brewer continue figuring each other out along with the other 2 guys on the floor in those specific minutes. I think that the "other 2 guys" will change over the next few weeks as the possibilities of Terrance Jones returning to health, Isaah Canaan returning to health, Niko (short for Papanikoulau, however his name is spelled) continues to impress, etc. Not to mention the possibility of additional depth by the Trade Deadline depending on unexpected opportunities that could very well arise.

@rocketrick
the difference with the Harden, D-12 and Parsons big 3 and the Harden, D-12 and Bledsoe big 3 is with the second one you get Ariza which in my mind would be like having the Harden, D-12, Parsons and Bledsoe big 4 since Ariza and Parsons are interchangeable to me

Couple points of contention I would like to bring up.

First of all, the Harden, D12, Parsons, Bosh "big 4" trumps everything else to say the least. One of the underrated reasons this made sense was the flexibility in that Bosh could play some C along with PF, Parsons does play some PF minutes though is primarily a SF and having D12, Bosh and Parsons in the frontcourt provided ample size and top notch scoring ability, particularly when the NBA's top SG, Harden, is factored in.

Your proposed 'big 4" of Harden, D12, Bledsoe and Ariza has some big holes, sorry to say. For one, a very undersized frontline with no help at all for D12. Secondly, Bledsoe has ALWAYS been paired with a true PG throughout college and his professional career. That would not be the case with the Rockets except for spare minutes here and there when Harden is resting. I would like to see some real statistics on Bledsoe vs. Beverley in terms of defensive proficiency. I just don't buy that Bledsoe is automatically a major improvement to team defense, especially as he is undersized at 6 ft. 1 and 190 pounds compared to most PG's and SG's in the league. Even Ty Lawson at 5 foot 11 has better rebound numbers and assist numbers and better shooting percentages from FG, FT and 3 point line than Bledsoe.

Last but not least, Bledsoe's pricetag is too rich for my blood. He and his agent turned down 4 years, $48 million from the Suns. He wants and expects more. He won't sign with the Rockets for $12 million if he turned it down in Phoenix. With his injury history, I seriously doubt Bledsoe and his agent will even entertain a shorter term contract.

RBF, I appreciate your love of the Rockets and desire to turn them into a title team sooner than later. However, I couldn't disagree with you more on anything than on this.

I don't pretend to know all the answers. However, I can imagine that Morey and his team have a "big board" of sorts with all kinds of potential players on it that could be had by the February trade deadline or by next summer at the latest that probably makes a heck of a lot more sense than pushing all the chips on the table towards Bledsoe. As difficult as it is even for me, patience is a virtue that I expect can and will pay off for the Rockets.

Finally, Morey let/forced/shooed Lowry and Dragic to other teams in the NBA. He also overpaid for Lin and Asik as free agents. He also whiffed this free agency, period. Ariza is not a free agency win. He is a salve for a missing Parsons.

You failed to mention that Lowry didn't see eye to eye with McHale. Nor the fact that the lottery pick the Rockets received from Toronto turned into James Harden.

You failed to mention that Dragic and his agent demanded a 4th year/player option. At that time, no one on the Rockets had a player option. The 4th year was also an issue at that time for salary cap management purposes. This was well before the Rockets maneuvered into acquiring their 2 key players, James Harden and Dwight Howard. Teams and GM's that properly manage their salary cap puts themselves into position for major acquisitions.

I argue that Morey actually did not overpay for Lin and Asik. Keep in mind both players earned $5 million per year the first 2 years of their contracts and other teams will be paying them the $15 million for this season's production. If he had just offered them $8 million per season for 3 seasons, it would have made it much easier for their teams to have matched.

For 5 hours this past Friday, it looked like the Rockets and Morey were going to be the 2nd biggest winners of this free agency period (obviously Lebron going to Cleveland is the tops). I would have much preferred that things work out. Unfortunately as we all know too well, things turned. However, much credit should be given to Morey and the Rockets for properly managing their salary cap and giving themselves the opportunity to sign a Max Cap player like a Chris Bosh this off-season. It doesn't always work, in fact most times that Max Cap player just ends up staying with the same team because of that team's ability to offer 1 additional year and more money under the CBA rules.

Lots of people are taking pot shots at Morey. Get yours in while the opportunity is there if you must.

Finally, does anyone believe the Mavericks are going to go on and win the NBA Title with a Big 3 of a 36 year old Dirk, Monte Ellis and Chandler Parsons? No way the Rockets were going to win the NBA Title with a Big 3 of D12, Harden and Parsons and basically no more room to maneuver to make necessary improvements to the roster.

For the Rockets and Morey, it's all about increasing our chances at NBA Titles. The easy way out is just re-sign Parsons and win some 1st and maybe an occasional 2nd round playoff series and call it a successful year.

This is why Morey is much appreciated on this forum as the long term members that continue to contribute understand the difficulties of managing salary caps and working within the rules of the CBA in building the best possible roster. Everyone else just mocks the Rockets when they lose players like Lowry and Dragic and Parsons, etc.

Statements like:

Parsons could have been greatful taken fair market value that the Rockets offered but that was not the case. He is a young guy who had been playing for peanuts and was looking to get paid as much as possible to the detriment of anything else, good for him.
 
are what I'm railing against. The Rox didn't offer him an extension when they could have. Then the fans complain that he should be grateful for fair market value that the Rox offered. Looking at Hayward's contract, fair market is what Parsons got. The retro pay is a moot point and I probably shouldn't have phrased it like that. He has earned his new contract.

The Rockets did negotiate with Parsons prior to the Dallas offer sheet. I'm not on the inside of the the organization, but I am quite confident the Rockets were trying to negotiate an extension. Just because it wasn't reported in the Media doesn't mean the Rockets were sitting on their butts.

Like I've been saying since yesterday, Parsons believes he is a Max Salary player. How do you negotiate an extension with someone that believes that? The only remaining option is to let him test the market as a RFA. Just because Dallas was willing to pay him $15 million with a poison pill contract doesn't necessarily mean that is the market value. That was Dallas' way of creating a difficult decision for the Rockets in order to give the Mavericks the best chance of stealing Parsons from the Rockets. Obviously, none of the other 29 teams in the NBA felt Parsons was worth $15 million, just Dallas, and I argue they had to overpay in order to have a chance to steal Parsons.

If it was just about purely money and market value, Dallas would have offered Parsons $10-$12 million or less in order to have more cap space to add additional roster pieces. Instead, they made a decision to go for it and they basically threw in all their poker chips to get Parsons. If it was just about purely money and market value, why include all those poison pill clauses in the offer sheet?

Actually, I think the Rockets this upcoming season will be very likeable and fun to watch.

For one, the Rockets will have better role players around Harden and D12. Let's face it, Lin and Asik were just square pieces being forced into round holes. I would have preferred not losing Parsons, but I am fine with the Rockets decision. Ariza will take over Parsons minutes and provide better defense on the wings, one of the Rockets glaring weaknesses last season.

Parsons 37.6 minutes per game
Lin 28.9 minutes per game
Asik 20.2 minutes per game
Casspi 18.1 minutes per game

Total 105/240 minutes per game

Keep in mind Parsons, Lin's and Asik's mpg increased during the playoffs while Casspi received 0. In fact, 108/240 minutes per game during the playoffs.

So a lot of minutes available for other players. Ariza will get most of Parsons minutes, TJones will probably get about the same minutes more or less. Same with D12 and Harden and Beverley.

Still, about 68 minutes per game to slot with other players. I would expect the Rockets will have much better role players around D12 and Harden and those minutes could turn into better production and overall better play for the Rockets. Most importantly, find role players that can make a difference on the defensive end of the court as well.

In summary, I look forward to what the new season brings with this team. For sure, there will be some missteps as new players get comfortable with their teammates and vice-versa. I also like the youngsters that we have and I expect 1 or 2 to become legitimate NBA rotation players.

It will be fun to watch this team grow and improve during the season and let's see if we can do some damage in the Playoffs while we wait for that final piece to be discovered that can possibly put us over the top!

Responding to uojoe82's post:

It can be argued that acquiring Ariza and letting Dallas have Parsons and his poison pill contract is more or less a wash. Ariza is certainly a much better defensive player.

Neither Lin nor Asik fit with this roster. Nothing more needs to be said about that. Remember, both were signed BEFORE the Rockets acquired Harden and D12. And both Lin and Asik is in the final year of their respective contracts.

Keep in mind the Rockets acquired a lottery pick from the Pelicans in the Asik trade. The last time the Rockets had a lottery pick, guess what, it turned into James Harden.

True, to begin this upcoming season, the Rockets will be somewhat weakened. However, I agree with what Morey said on local radio this morning, that by the end of this season, the Rockets should actually have a much better team. Will they win the title this upcoming season? Quite unlikely. But neither are the Mavericks who committed to a Big 3 of Dirk, Monte Ellis and Chandler Parsons.

Lastly, if the Rockets did match Parsons, then they would have very little flexibility to make any additional necessary moves to improve their roster. By letting Parsons go, they have ample cap space, as you noted in your post, plus with all the exceptions they now have and the MLE and BAE, they can make solid moves to shore up their roster this season and have the ability to offer the max contract next summer to the next group of free agents.

Let's face it, by not making these moves, the Rockets weren't going to get any better this season. They had mismatched players taking up most of the playing minutes and likely would have continued to muddle towards another 50-win season and quite possibly another 1st round knockout.

I'd much rather have the today's team knowing that Morey has tremendous flexibility to find new players that can fit in much better around Harden, D12, Beverley and Ariza going forward. Plus we have some really nice youngsters, TJones, Motiejunas, Troy Daniels (assuming Rockets re-sign him which I expect they will), Canaan and Nick Johnson. I'd much rather see these guys get meaningful minutes to see what they can become this season then waste 1 more year on giving minutes to Lin and Asik who everyone knows wouldn't be here for the longterm anyway and certainly were not good fits to build around Harden and D12.

I wish the rockets were more about the team like the spurs. I think respect goes both ways, and it is apparent that Morey's vision of winning keeps changing. People credited him for finding great underrated players and putting together a moneyball team. Now it's just about getting the player without thinking about team chemistry or the right coach.
Remember the games in 2012-2013 season? I actually enjoyed watching Patrick Patterson, Lin, Marcus Morris, Asik, Parsons, Harden, Greg Smith, Delfino, and the rest playing team basketball- with 3 point bombs and blowing teams out by 30 points. That one game against the Warriors was amazing to watch, I think we tied the number of 3 pointers made in any reg season game.
One by one Morey has traded or moved great potential players and we get no further than the 1st round??? Now we are after Carmelo? This guy has never been about team basketball. I don't want to watch 4 guys standing around on offense! We already have that with Harden!
Going back to respect- this whole thing could have been handled better by management. We all know Lin will be traded as soon as Houston finds their next overpaid/superstar. But he's still a Rocket, so let's keep it respectful. This "don't let the door hit you on the way out, " or "its about money/business" or "he's overpaid" thing is just stupid. Anthony could have been in a Hou jersey with a basketball in front of the uniform or a championship trophy instead of a number. It would have sent the same message. We get it, Houston is about "win now" - Same motto as the Knicks.

I totally disagree with your post claiming "Morey's vision of winning keeps changing." It's always been about acquiring assets and eventually building a team that can challenge for NBA Titles. Even more, he keeps repeating this over and over and over again.

Sure, I liked the 2012-2013 team, too, but remember, they were also a first round loser in the playoffs. Since then D12, Beverley, Terrance Jones, Motiejunas, Troy Daniels, etc. have played key roles for the Rockets this past season and in the Playoffs (well, except for Motiejunas on that one).

So it's not like all these changes continue to result in first round losses for the Rockets in the playoffs.

Geez, there's only been 1 playoff season since the changes! And is there any doubt in any Rockets fans minds that the 2014-15 roster well be improved as Morey's vision of winning continues?

All this jabberbox stuff about Jeremy Lin is way overplayed in my opinion. This is coming from one of the forum members who has been in Jeremy Lin's corner from day 1.

I believe it was on 790 radio the other day where Jeremy made the comment that he understands the business aspect of the NBA and he even stated that 3 years ago he was just battling to make an NBA roster and now it's just about being patient and understanding the process to see where he will be playing this next season. The sportscaster asked him how he felt about that and he said absolutely no doubt, he much preferred to be in the position he is in today than the one he was in 3 years ago.

Unfortunately, the LOF's will never understand and appreciate this and instead choose to try and make something out of nothing.

I'm sorry for losing my temper back there.
I realize now that you're a rockets fan and not a basketball fan.
You clearly have no idea the impact kevin love would have on this team.
And you have a way too high opinion of parsons.
Oh and never mind that Kobe won 5 titles without a playmaker at sf
And that time Duncan won 4 with Bruce fricking Bowen.
Oh and dwade won his first with James posey. Lol
That's what happens in the real world. Stars win titles.
Not above average small forwards.

I have never once, NEVER, EVER on this board, much less any other board, stated DO NOT TRADE PARSONS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.

NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I clearly realize the impact Kevin Love would have on this team and I have stated that in NUMEROUS Posts on this forum.

I excuse you because like pretty much everybody else, no one bothers to really read all the posts.

A shame because there are several people on this board that really know their caca, so to speak. I definitely do not agree with all of their analysis, but that is the beauty of this forum which apparently many just haven't quite yet figured out.

Yeah, Duncan won 4 titles without a solid SF primarily because he had Popovich, Manu and Tony Parker on his side which clearly is much more important than what a Chandler Parsons could be expected, more importantly, needed, to contribute in that unique situation.

By the way, Bowen played both the SG and SF position with the Spurs depending on game matchups.

Neither the Mavericks nor the Heat had a SF of importance when they matched up in the 2006 Finals, and yes, clearly DWade was the difference although any and all Mavericks fans will say the NBA and their referees clearly conspired against them that season.

I definitely like KLove and I would absolutely be thrilled if he becomes a Rocket. Will the Rockets be guaranteed a couple of rings by simply signing KLove? I absolutely doubt it.

I think he would do better with gsw than the rockets.

PG = GSW
SG = GSW(Harden is better but he has a reputation fair or not as a ball hog like Kobe or Melo) whereas klay is an off the ball shooter who plays D.
SF = GSW (Iggy doesn't demand touches and is okay as long as the team is winning).
C = GSW (Dwight complains if he doesn't get enough touches so...)

The only ball dominant player is Curry, but has shown a willingness to share.

In Houston you have Parsons, harden, and Howard who need consistent touches to be happy.

So I think a star would like the situation at GSW better. Of course I believe the rockets are a better team as of now but it's close enough that there is a discussion to be had by free agents. Of course I'm assuming the trade would be something like lee/Barnes/3 1sts.

For sure Curry is the better PG.

Thompson over Harden at SG? I don't think so and it's not even close in my opinion. Thompson is not nearly the playmaker that Harden is, doesn't get to the free throw line nearly as much as Harden, can't create his own shot unlike Harden.

Iguadola over Parsons at SF? Debateable. Certainly Iguadola is the better defensive player. However, Iguadola turns 31 in January so he is on the downside of his career. Parsons is a much more effective offensive player than Iguadola and Parsons can create open shots for his teammates. Iguadola? Nope. Parsons is a better rebounder than Iguadola and all the other stats are pretty much even (steals, turnovers, assists, etc.) Parsons is also a better 3-point shooter and free throw shooter than Iguadola.

You didn't mention PF but I assume you would have chosen David Lee over Terrance Jones, Motiejunas, etc. and I would agree that David Lee is superior to those guys. However, David Lee is no spring chicken as he just turned 31.

Lastly, you chose Bogut as being superior to D12! Wow! For one, Bogut is always hurt. He has played a total of 111 regular season games THE PAST 3 SEASONS! D12 played all 82 regular season games. Bogut is slightly older and not nearly the same player skills wise as D12 on either end of the court. I'm just really surprised you think Bogut is superior to D12.

Maybe you were just looking for a reaction to further the debate?

Also, maybe it was due to switching but did I see a purposeful placement of Harden on Lopez last night? I don't know who he should be on...maybe Batum, but so far I am still seeing his man scoring with him no where around. it makes me sad.
Good to win another for the good guys

When Harden was guarding Lopez, the Rockets had Jeremy Lin, James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Troy Daniels or Patrick Beverley and Dwight Howard on the floor. While Portland countered with both Aldridge and Lopez plus Lillard, Batum and Matthews.

McHale certainly isn't going to put Lin on Lopez or Daniels on Lopez (although Daniels was switched on one play and had to foul Lopez in the lane). And McHale certainly knows better than to put Harden on Matthews or Batum, both of those guys were lighting it up last night.

It was kind of interesting to see the mismatch and Portland decided to try and exploit the mismatch with Harden on Lopez which in effect took the ball out of Aldridge's hands.

I just don't think Howard strength lies in fluidity in offence. Host post moves are pretty robotic and he doesn't have the quick moves and decision making to outlet to shooters or runners most of the times. He is more often more successful when he can bully the other C and get a close up hook shot, layup or dunk. When it's a few more feet away he is not effective. He is just not effective as Richard li posted. 0.77 PPP is poor and he is pretty turnover prone for a big man. Hence the trouble against LMA. We should only use the post if it's 1on1 and someone he can bully other than that I rather he be the roll man where he is a lot more efficient.

However, D12 was very efficient in crunchtime of Game 4 (4th quarter and overtime). D12 scored 13 points on just 7 shots. He was 4/7 from the field and 5/6 from the free throw line. He did have those 2 turnovers early in overtime.

I don't know, as much as the Rockets are struggling from 3 point territory, I can kind of understand why D12 takes it upon himself to try and do something positive with the ball. The Rockets only shot 2/9 from the 3 point line in the 4th quarter and overtime of Game 4. Parsons, Beverley and Lin shot a combined 1/6 including 0/2 from the 3 point line with 0 free throws and 3 turnovers between them (Lin had 2).

I would like to see Troy Daniels get more shot opportunities. He scored 17 points in Game 4. However, he only took 4 shots in the 4th quarter and overtime, primarily due to being on the bench for a lot of that time. He managed to score 8 points on only 4 shot attempts during the 4th quarter and overtime.

New post: Huq's Pen: The five stages of grief
By: rahat huq


Anyone with a modicum of basketball acumen knows that Chandler Parsons doesn't have the quickness/ballhandling ability to attack an offense as the primary initiator.  His drives are off of the rotation of the pass when the defense is not set.  McHale made this same blunder at the end of one of the Grizzlies games this year when, after Parsons hit like ten threes, the hamster running on the wheel in McHale's head said, "hmmm.  He just hit ten spot up threes.  The natural thing to do here would be to just hand him the ball and let him create."  Just baffling, baffling stuff.  If Harden was gassed, why not just run pick and roll with Lin then?  He atleast has the ability to attack the rim and make something happen.  Why would you ever run a play for Chandler Parsons?

• Perhaps almost as egregious was that the team then spent the next few possessions attempting to forcefeed Dwight Howard in the post, an exercise which is always an adventure it itself.  To his credit, Howard converted a few times, but he predictably turned it over on one play, and nearly did another time.  Going by the numbers, even the eye test from this series, posting up Howard against Aldridge is not a smart move.  It was to the point last night where I was screaming for them to run the Harden ISO because of how bad their other choices were.
• Speaking of Harden, what the hell happened?  There was an almost eerie stretch late in the game, before he revved it up again, where the entire situation had a Scottie Pippen feel to it.  (reference: After Phil Jackson drew up a play for Toni Kukoc to take the final shot in a '94 Bulls playoff game, Pippen refused to enter the game.)  By the time Red94 goes to press, I'm sure more will come to light regarding this, and I don't want to speculate...but that was just really, really odd.  I'm hoping Harden was just gassed, and that is definitely a likely possibility given his lack of conditioning.
• I don't understand how the team went multiple possessions without giving the ball to Harden.  When I rail against the 1-4 flat, I'm not saying he shouldn't be involved at all!  Harden should be the focal point of EVERY SINGLE PLAY down the stretch.  It should just be in different looks - off the pick and roll with Howard, pick and roll with Lin, off the catch at the elbow.  Sigh.  It's almost like McHale was thinking, "oh.  we shouldn't ISO Harden?  Okay, I get it.  You must mean not give him the ball at all for a four minute stretch."  Hashtag logical conclusions?
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• RocketRick's Response:
  
  I just rewatched the last 8 minutes of the 4th quarter and Chandler Parsons was given a grand total of 2 (two) opportunities with the ball on the offensive end of the court. Both times Parsons was passed the ball during the sequence of the play and not given the ball from the very beginning of the play. Parsons did miss both of his shots, both drives to the basket. The first one was when Portland had the lead 99-97 with 4:30 to go in the game and Harden passed the ball to Parsons I assume because Harden felt that Parsons had a better angle to the basket than he did at that moment. The second time Parsons touched the ball was with 3:20 left in the game and the score now 100-97 in favor of Portland. Parsons missed his shot and the ball went out of bounds on Portland. A few seconds later harden shot and missed a 3 point shot.
  
  So I just don't get why you thought it was a terrible thing to give the Parsons the ball twice at this stage of the game considering Parsons had a really nice game, etc.? Hindsight is 20-20 and Parsons missed both shots so yes, I too wished the Rockets had run something differently there. Still, I don't get the gist of your frustration.
  
  Harden pretty much touched the ball all but 4 plays in the final 8 minutes of the game. 2 plays Beverley brought the ball up the court and passed directly to D12 into the lane. One play was a foul on Portland, ball out of bounce to Houston who immediately passed the ball into Harden who then took a step back 2 and missed. The other play from Beverley to D12 ended up with a good shot for D12 in the lane that just missed. The other 2 plays that Harden was not involved with was when Beverley brought the ball up the court, passed to Parsons who drove to the basket and missed. The 4th time was also a play where Beverley brought the ball up the court and passed to Parsons on the other side of the court who then drove into the lane, missed but the ball went out of bounds last touched by Portland. Harden receives the inbound pass and misses a 3 point shot (3:12 left on clock, 100-97 in favor of Portland).
  
  I don't understand your frustration that (1) Parsons was given the ball to create even though it appears to me he had a good lane to the basket and just wasn't able to finish, one play still ended up with a Harden opportunity to score so really just 1 play involving Parsons that ended up with nothing for Houston.
  
  In regards to your take that Harden didn't touch the ball for a period of 4 minutes, sorry, I just don't see that. Harden was involved in all but really 3 plays in the last 8 minutes.
  
  I'll review the overtime period and comment on that separate.
  
  I think it's just frustration and overreaction that the Rockets couldn't quite get over the hump.
  
  These are the guys the Rockets want to see touch the ball in the final 8 minutes and other than Parsons, I would say Harden and D12 had plenty of opportunities that didn't quite pan out.
  
  It's just not possible or realistic to expect any team to score on each and every possession in a tightly contested Game 4 of a Playoff series
   
   
   
  

The Rockets won 54 games this season based on talent, not coaching.

I would like to add that the Rockets also won 54 games this season with the 3rd youngest roster in the NBA, finished with the 4th or 5th best overall record in the NBA, transitioned D12 into the system the first year, brought along admirably young players like Terrance Jones and Motiejunas and Trey Daniels(I know, it's really Troy but still I can't help myself here).

The Rockets also accomplished all this while focusing on a completely new strategy of 3's, layups and free throws.

Has anyone bothered to see the system put in place by Morey with Leslie Alexander's approval in Rio Grande?

They don't run any set plays and look down on teams that do.

So, does anyone really believe for an instant that Morey and Alexander are going to call this season a failure and McHale a failure? McHale is buying into what the Rockets brass has expected of him.

So anyone who thinks that McHale is the fall guy going forward at the conclusion of this season which still has legs, sorry, your opinion ain't gonna matter no matter how loud you scream.

Great points and reflects what I think this fan base largely feels. I thought all season that what this team needs is a 3 and D perimeter player. Now it looks like we also need a mobile post defender as well. ...but granted, there are only a few Aldridge, Bosh, Dirk type players to drive us this mad.
Also, is it me or is our 3pt shooting something awful. I know people think Morey is great and all, and maybe players are just cold shooting right now, but for a team run on a huge stress for 3pt shots, we have none that can make them. Harden has struggled, Parsons' shot looks terrible at times, and Lin tries but is only so good. That one is on Morey. Maybe there were just no 3pt shooters available last summer? maybe we couldn't afford them after paying Dwight his money, but it exposes us over and over and shots bang off the rim.
...also, will us flaming out in round one cost us the ability to attract Melo or Love, etc...?

I disagree that this piece "reflects what the Rockets fan base largely feels". For sure, the naysayers are much more vocal and the naysayers who have been saying all along that McHale was the wrong coach, D12 is getting long in the tooth and is mentally weak and that Harden is too full of himself right now are blasting their trumpets as loud as they can during the adversity the Rockets are going through this playoff season.

You asked "Maybe there were just no 3pt shooters available last summer?" and "maybe the Rockets couldn't afford any since they signed D12 (to his max contract}"?

Well, just go check the NBA Team Statistics for 2014 Regular Season and guess which team finished first overall in 3 pointers made. Yep, the Rockets. So instead of the Rockets supposedly not having enough 3 point shooters, perhaps the question that should be posed (as I have over and over again the past couple of days on this board) is what is up with the Rockets outside shooting in this series? Is that perhaps at least part of the reason why we are down 0-2? It's easy to point fingers and blame it on poor defensive strategy on Aldridge or lack of a playbook, etc., etc. but man, a few open shots going in the basket and this would be a completely different series! The Rockets have had plenty of wide open shots and they just haven't been dropping. This is the NBA. It happens. It just sucks when it happens to our team!

I think a little more positivity on this board would go a long way. Like D12 said yesterday, no series is over until one team wins 4 games and Portland so far has won just 2 games meaning this series isn't over. Admittedly even from me, the likelihood of the Rockets overcoming the 0-2 series deficit is going to be difficult, especially with such a young team. However, shouldn't we be supporting our team through their adversity and not prematurely burying them and calling for the heads of anyone?

There will be ample time after the post-season to reflect, learn lessons and move forward with any necessary changes. This is the NBA and there are always some changes after each and every season.

Rahat,

1st thanks for your very impassioned and detailed article on the Rockets woes thus far this playoff season.

I just want to point out how much Harden struggling with his shot is having a detrimental impact in the results of these games. Portland has won by a total of 9 points with LaMarcus Aldridge clearly playing out of his mind. Aldridge is by far the most impressive player this young Playoff season, bar none. I can't even think of a close 2nd impact player at this point in all other NBA playoff series this season combined.

Harden has been struggling with his shot for some time now. In late March and April regular season games, for instance, Harden shot:
4/16 (0/4 3PA) against San Antonio
1/9 (0/4 3PA) against Denver
9/23 (3/10 3PA) against Denver
9/22 (4/8 3PA) against OKC
4/10 (2/6 3PA) against Brooklyn
9/22 (3/11 3PA) against Clippers

The only latter season games Harden shot well in were (except for Toronto) against terrible teams:

10/22 (3/8 3PA) against New Orleans
7/14 (4/5 3PA) against Minnesota
10/15 (3/6 3PA) against Lakers
7/17 (2/6 3PA) against Toronto

The Rockets really needed that 2nd player to step up and help D12 last night and no one else stepped up. Not even close. And how many high percentage shots did D12 take at the goal that just bounced out? Man, that happened at least 3-4 times that I clearly remember while Aldridge is taking fade-away 19- or 20- foot jump shots at the end of the shot clock with Asik in his face and swishing the nets.

I understand the intense scrutiny in the media, on this board, on radio talk shows today in Houston, etc. vis-à-vis one Coach Kevin McHale. It brings back those memories of the 1993-94 playoff series against the Suns when the Rockets lost the first 2 home games. Unfortunately, this time around the Rockets are a much younger, inexperienced team that just hasn't had to deal with adversity to this level (the Rockets lost a heart breaking Game 7 against Seattle in 1992-93 Western Conference Finals that in my opinion hardened them for the playoff battles to come the following seasons). The odds are more than stacked against this Rockets team coming back from an 0-2 hole in my opinion. Still, I expect them to fight to the bitter end or I will be even more disappointed.

It just makes me wonder where the Rockets would stand in this series with better outside shooting by our ace, James Harden, not to mention other usually reliable outside shooters like Parsons, Lin, Beverley, etc. missing in action thus far this playoff series.

For any team, and I mean any team, to be successful in the NBA in this era, there has to be some semblance of outside shooting. Even the back to back Rockets championship team relied on some timely 3 point shots dropping.

To this point in this series, shots just aren't dropping for the Rockets while the Blazers seem to be hitting all the shot clock buzzer beaters and toughly contested shots from the outside.

I just dread that the Rockets sell out and double team Aldridge all, or most of next game and the Blazers 3 point shooters simply scorch us with wide-open, uncontested 3 point shooting.