Jump to content


Toggle shoutbox Shoutbox Open the Shoutbox in a popup

@  SadLakerFan : (05 March 2014 - 07:27 AM) In other news Lakers give up 132 to the Pelicans and Kobe says "revenge will be sweet and quick".
@  08huangj : (05 March 2014 - 04:52 AM) Whoohoo
@  MrLobble : (05 March 2014 - 04:02 AM) I'm not sure of the NBA rules, but I think you can't advance the ball to half if you've already inbounded it... So basically, we would have gotten the ball on the side and probably have gotten an 8sec count. I just don't get not advancing it in the beginning--unless everyone just assumed the heat would foul right away
@  majik19 : (05 March 2014 - 03:58 AM) I was wondering the exact same thing when he threw that awful lob
@  Opasido : (05 March 2014 - 03:51 AM) That is an excellent question and I have no clue
@  MrLobble : (05 March 2014 - 03:45 AM) I think Harden threw that pass because he was about to get an 8 second violation. In hindsight, why didn't we call a timeout to advance the ball after the make is the question?
@  SadLakerFan : (05 March 2014 - 03:45 AM) Said it before - no trades needed. This team is very, very good.
@  Opasido : (05 March 2014 - 03:40 AM) It was apparently Lebron's 6th career game without a defensive rebound
@  RollingWave : (05 March 2014 - 03:37 AM) We beat the heat now lets complain!
@  Dayak : (05 March 2014 - 03:34 AM) Our first win since 2009!!! Hell yeah!!!
@  Dayak : (05 March 2014 - 03:34 AM) Rockets win!! Woohooooo.
@  Opasido : (05 March 2014 - 03:33 AM) Sigh. I wont even bother correcting myself a third time. Too much adrenaline
@  Cooper : (05 March 2014 - 03:33 AM) Impressive win
@  Opasido : (05 March 2014 - 03:32 AM) lead*
@  Opasido : (05 March 2014 - 03:32 AM) Never leaded
@  Opasido : (05 March 2014 - 03:31 AM) Thank the Lord. If that went to OT it was entirely on Harden - missing the free throw, turn over. But all's well that ends well right?
@  Drew in Abilene : (05 March 2014 - 03:31 AM) Took some years off my life there at the end, but the Rockets just beat the Heat. Did Miami ever lead Houston?
@  jorgeaam : (05 March 2014 - 03:30 AM) possession*
@  jorgeaam : (05 March 2014 - 03:30 AM) Great defense on that last posspession
@  miketheodio : (05 March 2014 - 03:28 AM) oh jeez

Photo

Houston Rockets @ Detroit Pistons: feat. Brady Fredericksen of Pistons Powered


  • Please log in to reply
11 replies to this topic

#1 Red94

Red94

    Advanced Member

  • Administrators
  • 944 posts

    Posted 01 March 2014 - 02:18 AM

    New post: Houston Rockets @ Detroit Pistons
    By: mitchell felker



    Teams: Detroit Pistons @ Houston Rockets
    Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
    Venue: Toyota Center, Houston TX
    Television: CSN Houston

    Notes: In the first meeting between the Rockets and Pistons, Dwight Howard had easily his best game as a Rocket, putting up 35 points on 13-18 shooting, with 19 boards, 5 assists and 3 blocks.  Not to mention, he went 9-14 from the free throw stripe. 

    The Pistons have lost six of their last seven and are giving up almost 109 points during that stretch, which is six points higher than their season average.

    Insider's View - Q&A with Brady Fredericksen of Pistons Powered.

    MF - In the first meeting between Houston and Detroit, Dwight Howard had his best game as a Rocket.  For a player that relies so much on shots at the rim for his offense, even someone as talented as Howard, it was surprising that he was able to dominate the Pistons high-profile frontcourt so handily.  Has this been a problem all year or are the Pistons normally better at defending big-men/protecting the rim?

    BF - The Pistons have steadily improved when it comes to defending the rim, but as a whole, they're still a poor defensive group. The main issue is that they're so slow when it comes to rotations and basic foot speed on defense. They essentially start two centers in Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond along with Josh Smith at small forward when he's a natural power forward. You'd think that would be tough to penetrate, but the results are mixed. Monroe is a subpar defender who's athletic limitations hurt him at power forward, while Drummond -- for all of his amazing physical attributes -- is still a pup when it comes to NBA-level defense. Smith is just stuck too far from the basket most of the time to be a factor in the paint defensively -- it's  a bad mix all around.

    Speaking of that frontcourt, the trade deadline came and went and Greg Monroe is still a Piston.  The three-headed monster of Monroe, Josh Smith and Andre Drummond is obviously not working, so as far as you can gather, what are the Piston's plans for the future regarding Monroe or even Josh Smith?  And was management perhaps hesitant to let GM Joe Dumars make any more moves before re-evaluating his position with the team this summer, or were there trades on the table that just couldn't get done? 

    I tend to think it was more along the lines of ownership wanting to stand pat. Once owner Tom Gores fired Maurice Cheeks after just 50 games, it sort of felt like that was a sign of Dumars' end. Really, it was probably good that they didn't make any moves. I doubt there was a truly major move out there that would improve the team dramatically. Any small trade would just be re-shuffling the deck, essentially. Josh Smith's value can only go up, and Greg Monroe is going to be an asset this summer whether he's returning to the Pistons or not.

    After seeing how the addition of Josh Smith affected the Pistons spacing and shot selection, it's not totally surprising that Detroit has struggled with their offensive efficiency.  What is surprising, though, is that Detroit is 26th in points allowed and 23rd overall in Hollinger's defensive efficiency metric despite all that size and talent.  What has been the biggest issue with the Pistons' defense?

    They're just slow. Smith isn't built to be on the perimeter, and when you combine him and Kyle Singler (a small forward stuck playing shooting guard) you've got a definite lack of foot speed on the floor. Brandon Jennings is quick, but he's a gambler and poor man-defender. When you combine all of that, you get a team that doesn't rotate on shooters well, which leads to breakdowns -- So. Many. Breakdowns.

    Luigi Datome was the Italian League MVP just last year and from everything I read was expected to at least be a rotation-quality player in the NBA.  Is the Association just that big of a step up, or is it something else?

    I'm mixed on Datome. On one side, he's got a reputation as a great shooter and he plays for a team that has few, but in his appearances this season, he's been a complete mess. Despite being a very athletic player in the European game, he's been brutal defensively, and his shot has been non-existent. He's 6-for-33 from 3-point range, and combined with his subpar defense, he's not really worth playing if that's how he's going to produce. Honestly, with the position the Pistons are currently in, it can't hurt to give Datome another run in the rotation. If he plays well and helps, good for the team. If he plays poorly and hurts the team, good for the team's lottery chances.

    True or False - Andre Drummond is the next great true-center.

    Maybe? I really hate crowning players when they've never accomplished anything. Drummond has shown flashes of really great ability, but at the same time the only real improvement he's made this season is, well, that he gets to actually play. His rookie year per-36 numbers are essentially what he's doing now. As Drummond begins to learn to defend the post better -- and he's been torched by guys like Dwight Howard and Al Jefferson in the past few months -- he'll get better. I do feel comfortable saying he's the best rebounder in the league, and much of his production is stemmed off hustling to get to offensive rebounds. Detroit has a tendency to take some pretty ugly shots in the halfcourt, but Drummond does a fantastic job of cleaning up a terrible trip by converting the miss into a putback.


    • 0

    #2 Mitchell Felker

    Mitchell Felker

      Newbie

    • Members
    • Pip
    • 46 posts

      Posted 01 March 2014 - 02:21 AM

      Cut and Paste strikes again.  This is obviously the Pistons preview.


      • 0

      #3 Mitchell Felker

      Mitchell Felker

        Newbie

      • Members
      • Pip
      • 46 posts

        Posted 01 March 2014 - 02:32 AM

        How do you guys like the new pregame format?


        • 0

        #4 08huangj

        08huangj

          Newbie

        • Members
        • Pip
        • 14 posts

          Posted 01 March 2014 - 01:14 PM

          How do you guys like the new pregame format?

          Not really much. About 90% of the preview is about the Detroit Pistons and has nothing to do with the game.(Except for the notes and the first question)


          Edited by 08huangj, 01 March 2014 - 01:15 PM.

          • 0

          #5 Sir Thursday

          Sir Thursday

            Advanced Member

          • Members
          • PipPipPipPip
          • 941 posts
          • LocationUnited Kingdom

          Posted 01 March 2014 - 01:23 PM

          How do you guys like the new pregame format?

           

          I like it, although I think it would work better if you asked them 3 questions and they asked us 3 questions and you put both in a single post. That way you get information about both teams in the preview.

           

          ST


          • 0

          #6 Steven

          Steven

            Senior Member

          • Members
          • PipPipPipPipPip
          • 1,442 posts

            Posted 01 March 2014 - 03:34 PM

            I like it. Gives good insight into the team the Rockrs are playing. And do we need to read anymore about the Rockets? Isn't every other article and forum thread about the Rockets?
            • 0

            #7 feelingsupersonic

            feelingsupersonic

              Officer

            • Moderators
            • 1,723 posts
            • LocationHouston, TX

            Posted 01 March 2014 - 04:07 PM

            I enjoy both formats actually. In the past the previews by the staff writers have been interesting but I do like the question and answers from other teams' bloggers. Saying that I wouldn't say every team has very good bloggers, so are we still going to be seeing Red94 previews sometimes? Hopefully so.


            • 0

            #8 thejohnnygold

            thejohnnygold

              Veteran

            • Moderators
            • 2,661 posts
            • LocationAustin, TX

            Posted 01 March 2014 - 04:20 PM

            I like it.  I also agree with SirThursday that seeing both sides Q&A's is preferred.


            • 0

            #9 detheredge

            detheredge

              Newbie

            • Members
            • Pip
            • 3 posts

              Posted 01 March 2014 - 04:29 PM

              I like it, although I think it would work better if you asked them 3 questions and they asked us 3 questions and you put both in a single post. That way you get information about both teams in the preview.

               

              ST

              Agreed. I'd like to hear what other team's bloggers think about the Rockets. That perspective would be very interesting to me.


              • 0

              #10 Dayak

              Dayak

                Rookie

              • Members
              • PipPip
              • 55 posts
              • LocationBorneo Island

              Posted 01 March 2014 - 06:11 PM

              I like it Mitchell and i agree with Steven's opinion.

              Edited by Dayak, 01 March 2014 - 06:13 PM.

              • 0

              #11 Mitchell Felker

              Mitchell Felker

                Newbie

              • Members
              • Pip
              • 46 posts

                Posted 01 March 2014 - 08:21 PM

                In every email that I send to initiate these Q&A's I offer to trade questions. So far only the Wizards and Warriors have elected to include questions for us.
                • 0

                #12 Sir Thursday

                Sir Thursday

                  Advanced Member

                • Members
                • PipPipPipPip
                • 941 posts
                • LocationUnited Kingdom

                Posted 01 March 2014 - 11:35 PM

                In every email that I send to initiate these Q&A's I offer to trade questions. So far only the Wizards and Warriors have elected to include questions for us.

                 

                Ah well. Maybe in those cases we could include a short bit about what's important about the game from a Rockets' perspective or something along those lines? I just think it'd be good to have some context, especially with the games becoming more important as the team battles for seeding down the stretch.

                 

                ST


                • 0




                0 user(s) are reading this topic

                0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users