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[Red94]

New post: Denver Nuggets 107, Houston Rockets 98: More of the same
By: Forrest Walker

The Rockets, until further notice, are bad. The crime scene is still red with blood and there are a lot of suspects. With the latest loss to a lesser team, the list only grows. The Denver Nuggets simply looked more engaged, more willing to work, and more talented than a Rockets team which has struggled to find a use for their pile of quality players. There's nothing good to take away from this game, and a game against a thirsty division rival looms after daybreak.

 

I'm not going to dive deep into a game which can be summarized pretty briefly. James Harden is doing too much, even though he's good at it. He can create and attack, but he needs to get the rest of the team involved, or the losses are going to pile up. It's unclear why this is proving so difficult for the Rockets, but it's a problem as old as time. They have lots of weapons and no coordination. Harden is a top five player in the league, but without making his teammates better, that doesn't matter for much.

 

Dwight Howard is playing well but has clearly lost a step. He can Still defend the rim and he can still grab a pile of rebounds, and he can even throw it down, but he's not rotating as fast and he's not as quick on the draw. His help defense has suffered and his post moves continue to strangle the Rockets' offense. No more Dwight post ups. Not now. Not ever. He's not the only one who looks like he's struggling, either.

 

Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer used to be a three and D tandem to challenge the league. Ariza is doing all he can on defense, but without Donatas Motiejunas and Patrick Beverley, most of the lineups he runs with just have too many defensive holes for him to plug up. His shot has suffered as well. In fact, everyone's shot has suffered. The Rockets can't shoot and Corey Brewer is leading that charge. He's leading lots of fast breaks, too, and failing to convert on most of them. He just looks bad and tired and it's not just him. Ty Lawson, for example, has yet to do anything or be used for anything. This is disheartening to say the least.

 

This is a team that should be better, but simply can't seem to get it together. The obvious suspect would be the coaching, which has yet to figure out much of an offensive gameplan beyond run a high screen and see what happens. Their defense was better last season, but has fallen off for a variety of reasons. The Rockets are playing well below their floor, and it's both confusing and disheartening for an organization that's made so many good moves.

 

If the current season history is any indication, they need to hope this stretch of easy games ends soon, because they can apparently only beat good teams.

[thejohnnygold]

I'm not here to excuse our poor play.  I will say that last year we would have found a way to squeeze out a win (read: Harden nails clutch shots down the stretch).  Instead, Gallinari, Will Barton, and Jameer Nelson shot like the hoop was 4 feet wide, the Nuggets as a team were more aggressive, and that almost always leads to the refs getting a little whistle happy against the other team.

 

Pointing the finger at Dwight for post ups misses the other 95% of our possessions that were lacking.  Dwight was 4-6 from the field, 4-6 from the line, and had 6 turnovers, but a few of those were fouls called for his moving screens/bad passes, etc.  All in all, I liked his play.  He just needs to stop picking up ticky-tack fouls.

 

Corey Brewer is not at fault either.  His 0-2 performance is not what sank this ship.

 

The officiating was bad both ways, but in the second half the "home cookin" was blatant.  Let them play, guys.

 

Once again, we shot horribly from deep.  9-29 for us versus 9-20 for them.  That's all you need to know.

 

Looking at the +/-, only 4 players had a 0 or better.  Bev (0), Capela (+1), Jones (+3), and Ariza (+3).  Those are some of our best defenders (yes, Jones too....the numbers support it).  Those 4 also shot a combined 14-28 from the field (5-12 from deep) and 7-10 from the line.

 

The cries for McHale's head grow louder each day.  I think he needs to move Lawson to the second unit (at least for a while), but it's not his fault guys are making terrible passes, shots, and decisions.  Once again, he is being disparaged for not shouting at everyone the way people think he should.  Not everyone does that, and not everyone needs that.  I saw plenty of disgust.  I saw a man who literally shielded his eyes because he couldn't bear to look at it any longer.  I saw a man remove his coat and walk off the court before the game was over (which he never does).  But yeah, he's not a drill seargent so let's go get that guy.

 

On a side note, Brian Billick offered up a great quip about coaching I heard recently.  To paraphrase: the thing they hire you for will be the same thing they fire you for.  When you're winning it's great, but once you're losing it's a problem.  Oh, we love Thib's intensity.  Thibs is too hard on his players.  Rick Adelman is an offensive genius!  Rick Adelman only focuses on offense.  Don Nelson is an innovative genius.  Don Nelson is a mad scientist!

 

Kevin McHale is a player's coach.  Kevin McHale doesn't ride his guys hard enough.

 

In all that, somehow a group of adults who are knowledgeable about life and basketball neglect to blame the grown men who represent the top 10% of the top 1% of the top 1% of the top 1% of basketball players in the world.  It's an elite group to say the least.  Thus, expecting them to shoot, pass, and dribble like they've done it before is not out of the question.  Bad nights happen, but we are seeing something else.  I think they are playing entitled basketball--as if the wins get handed over just for showing up.

 

Blame the coaches for that?  I'm sure plenty of fans will.  I say if these guys can't motivate themselves I don't want them on the team.  I doubt a day has gone by that Kobe, or Chris Paul, or Olajuwan didn't have that hunger.  You can't coach desire and desire is the fuel needed for success.  If this team lacks anything, it is that.

 

The good news is we can find it, but it is up to them.

[Willk]

I'm not here to excuse our poor play.  I will say that last year we would have found a way to squeeze out a win (read: Harden nails clutch shots down the stretch).  Instead, Gallinari, Will Barton, and Jameer Nelson shot like the hoop was 4 feet wide, the Nuggets as a team were more aggressive, and that almost always leads to the refs getting a little whistle happy against the other team.

 

Pointing the finger at Dwight for post ups misses the other 95% of our possessions that were lacking.  Dwight was 4-6 from the field, 4-6 from the line, and had 6 turnovers, but a few of those were fouls called for his moving screens/bad passes, etc.  All in all, I liked his play.  He just needs to stop picking up ticky-tack fouls.

 

Corey Brewer is not at fault either.  His 0-2 performance is not what sank this ship.

 

The officiating was bad both ways, but in the second half the "home cookin" was blatant.  Let them play, guys.

 

Once again, we shot horribly from deep.  9-29 for us versus 9-20 for them.  That's all you need to know.

 

Looking at the +/-, only 4 players had a 0 or better.  Bev (0), Capela (+1), Jones (+3), and Ariza (+3).  Those are some of our best defenders (yes, Jones too....the numbers support it).  Those 4 also shot a combined 14-28 from the field (5-12 from deep) and 7-10 from the line.

 

The cries for McHale's head grow louder each day.  I think he needs to move Lawson to the second unit (at least for a while), but it's not his fault guys are making terrible passes, shots, and decisions.  Once again, he is being disparaged for not shouting at everyone the way people think he should.  Not everyone does that, and not everyone needs that.  I saw plenty of disgust.  I saw a man who literally shielded his eyes because he couldn't bear to look at it any longer.  I saw a man remove his coat and walk off the court before the game was over (which he never does).  But yeah, he's not a drill seargent so let's go get that guy.

 

On a side note, Brian Billick offered up a great quip about coaching I heard recently.  To paraphrase: the thing they hire you for will be the same thing they fire you for.  When you're winning it's great, but once you're losing it's a problem.  Oh, we love Thib's intensity.  Thibs is too hard on his players.  Rick Adelman is an offensive genius!  Rick Adelman only focuses on offense.  Don Nelson is an innovative genius.  Don Nelson is a mad scientist!

 

Kevin McHale is a player's coach.  Kevin McHale doesn't ride his guys hard enough.

 

In all that, somehow a group of adults who are knowledgeable about life and basketball neglect to blame the grown men who represent the top 10% of the top 1% of the top 1% of the top 1% of basketball players in the world.  It's an elite group to say the least.  Thus, expecting them to shoot, pass, and dribble like they've done it before is not out of the question.  Bad nights happen, but we are seeing something else.  I think they are playing entitled basketball--as if the wins get handed over just for showing up.

 

Blame the coaches for that?  I'm sure plenty of fans will.  I say if these guys can't motivate themselves I don't want them on the team.  I doubt a day has gone by that Kobe, or Chris Paul, or Olajuwan didn't have that hunger.  You can't coach desire and desire is the fuel needed for success.  If this team lacks anything, it is that.

 

The good news is we can find it, but it is up to them.

JG - you bring up some good points. I do not blame McHale for how the team is playing. I agree with you that this team feels entitled. It definitely feels like they feel if they show up, the other team will just give them the win. The team does not get back at all on defense (have you seen a team that gets dunked on more) and they walk the ball up the court. How many times have you seen the team start a possession with 16 or 17 sec left on the play clock? Obviously, when you do not play any D you are not going to get easy buckets. I do not blame McHale for any of this, but I am starting to wonder if the players have tuned out the coaches. I am definitely not saying that McHale needs to start yelling at players or we need a coach that does that. I do not think that works in the modern NBA. That is why good coaches like Scott Skiles and Doug Collins do not last. I agree that the motivation starts within.

As far as Corey Brewer is concerned, I could not disagree more. I agree the loss is not on him, but he has been nothing but a dumpster fire this year. He cannot play any defense. How many times did he get back-doored on simple cuts yesterday? I understand he is a gambler, but it would be nice if he stayed in front of his man for once. He is also unplayable in the half court offense. He cannot hit jump shots and other teams do not need to guard him outside of the lane. Yesterday he was a non-factor, but in every other game, he has been the team's worst player. If he is not out in transition, he is worthless. With Ariza playing bad (I do not really blame him too much because he is constantly having to guard players like Blake Griffin, so he has nothing left for the offensive side),the rox need something from Brewer and he is giving nothing. If he has a couple more games like this, I would seriously consider playing KJ over him.

I also agree Ty should be brought off of the bench. Shooting wise, he has been horrible, however he is still averaging 2.4 assists to every turnover. He is the best passing PG that I have ever seen the Rox have. I think a bench of Ty, Bev, Brewer, TJ, and Capela would be awesome. In the short term I would start Harden, Ariza, Harrell, Howard, and yes Thornton. I think this group has given the most consistent effort all year.

I am starting to get sick of all of the stupid fouls he is picking up. 4 out of the 5 fouls he picked up were absolutely stupid and he was lucky he did not pick a T on an elbow to JJ Hickson's face yesterday. I wish he would grow up, but I doubt that will ever happen.

Unfortunately, I feel the Rox will get Rocked by a bad Mavs team tonight. I think the Mavs will be looking for revenge and the rox could care less right now. Hopefully, harden and Co. will prove me wrong.

[Willk]

New post: Denver Nuggets 107, Houston Rockets 98: More of the same
By: Forrest Walker

I'm not going to dive deep into a game which can be summarized pretty briefly. James Harden is doing too much, even though he's good at it. He can create and attack, but he needs to get the rest of the team involved, or the losses are going to pile up. It's unclear why this is proving so difficult for the Rockets, but it's a problem as old as time. They have lots of weapons and no coordination. Harden is a top five player in the league, but without making his teammates better, that doesn't matter for much.

 

Dwight Howard is playing well but has clearly lost a step. He can Still defend the rim and he can still grab a pile of rebounds, and he can even throw it down, but he's not rotating as fast and he's not as quick on the draw. His help defense has suffered and his post moves continue to strangle the Rockets' offense. No more Dwight post ups. Not now. Not ever. He's not the only one who looks like he's struggling, either.

 

Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer used to be a three and D tandem to challenge the league. Ariza is doing all he can on defense, but without Donatas Motiejunas and Patrick Beverley, most of the lineups he runs with just have too many defensive holes for him to plug up. His shot has suffered as well. In fact, everyone's shot has suffered. The Rockets can't shoot and Corey Brewer is leading that charge. He's leading lots of fast breaks, too, and failing to convert on most of them. He just looks bad and tired and it's not just him. Ty Lawson, for example, has yet to do anything or be used for anything. This is disheartening to say the least.

 

 

I think it is fair to criticize Harden for not hitting his shots. Something looks wrong with him. I am not sure if his ankle is still bothering him or if the 200LBS of Kardashian wrapped around him is holding him down. He looks uncoordinated. This year, around the rim, he looks like he is constantly off balance (like when faried blocked up him yesterday) and his handles are extremely loose. I think it is unfair to criticize him for doing too much. Harden and Thornton are the only ones who look like they want the ball. How many times has Harden found a wide open teammate and they either missed their wide open shot or they did not want to shoot and passed to someone who was less wide open. I am seeing a lot of people who do not want the ball and Harden is doing what he can to keep the team in the game.

I agree with your assessment about Howard. He cannot guard anyone on the perimeter anymore and that is bad considering how much the Rox switch on PnRs. Nobody is afraid of Howard switching on them because they know they can blow by him. I doubt he will get quickness back. I am not too upset about his post-ups because at least he wanted the ball.

I agree with your assessment about Ariza and I think everybody knows how I feel about Brewer.

The thing I cannot believe is how bad this team is at making wide open shots. Seriously, has there been a worse team ever? The whole team is in a slump and almost nobody has confidence in their shot. Maybe (and hopefully), there is a major correction coming and everybody will start to shoot to their career averages.

[rockets best fan]

@Willk

I agree with most of your assessment, however I disagree on what is causing the problem. WE HAVE NO CHEMISTRY. we look like we are at the local park playing. our passes aren't crisp, our back cuts are aren't decisive. we aren't sharing the basketball. in our offensive sets we are all standing around like we're at a bus stop. all of these players have talent, but it's not being extracted by our coaching staff right now. YES the players deserved blame, but to overlook the job being done by the  coaching staff right now would be giving a free pass to an undeserving crew. some of the lineups we are playing right now leave me scratching my head. Ariza IS NOT A  PF..........simple as that. trying to force players out of their natural positions is contributing to some of the poor play IMO. the refusal of this team to turn Lawson loose and allow him to be who he is.....a PG who is use to creating for others. he is playing timid right now. trying not to step on toes. Harden is handling the rock too much considering he's not creating for others often enough. the list of problems is long and depressing considering the overall puzzle pieces available. to me our coaching staff seems perplexed unable to respond with the steps to snap this team out of it's poor play. it's not just injuries. we have enough talent to beat teams like Denver.  

[thejohnnygold]

@Willk

I agree with most of your assessment, however I disagree on what is causing the problem. WE HAVE NO CHEMISTRY. we look like we are at the local park playing. our passes aren't crisp, our back cuts are aren't decisive. we aren't sharing the basketball. in our offensive sets we are all standing around like we're at a bus stop. all of these players have talent, but it's not being extracted by our coaching staff right now. YES the players deserved blame, but to overlook the job being done by the  coaching staff right now would be giving a free pass to an undeserving crew. some of the lineups we are playing right now leave me scratching my head. Ariza IS NOT A  PF..........simple as that. trying to force players out of their natural positions is contributing to some of the poor play IMO. the refusal of this team to turn Lawson loose and allow him to be who he is.....a PG who is use to creating for others. he is playing timid right now. trying not to step on toes. Harden is handling the rock too much considering he's not creating for others often enough. the list of problems is long and depressing considering the overall puzzle pieces available. to me our coaching staff seems perplexed unable to respond with the steps to snap this team out of it's poor play. it's not just injuries. we have enough talent to beat teams like Denver.  

 

Just for clarification--I do think the coaches have a share of blame here.  I think, crazy as it may sound, benching Harden for 2-3 games might be what the doctor ordered.  Let Lawson get his feet under him without worrying about James.  Force the other guys to use their talent instead of deferring to James.  Let the coaching staff get a better look at what units function best.

 

Once that's all done, bring James back and see if we can't insert him into a team-oriented role rather than a team-carrying role.

 

I don't know.  It's one of those things--so much is wrong it's hard to isolate one thing that will set things right.  It's starting to get bad and drastic times call for drastic measures.  What's the worst thing that could happen?...We lose to the bottom feeders of the league?  Already there.

 

Bench Harden.  Recall KJ from the D-League.  

[rockets best fan]

Just for clarification--I do think the coaches have a share of blame here.  I think, crazy as it may sound, benching Harden for 2-3 games might be what the doctor ordered.  Let Lawson get his feet under him without worrying about James.  Force the other guys to use their talent instead of deferring to James.  Let the coaching staff get a better look at what units function best.

 

Once that's all done, bring James back and see if we can't insert him into a team-oriented role rather than a team-carrying role.

 

I don't know.  It's one of those things--so much is wrong it's hard to isolate one thing that will set things right.  It's starting to get bad and drastic times call for drastic measures.  What's the worst thing that could happen?...We lose to the bottom feeders of the league?  Already there.

 

Bench Harden.  Recall KJ from the D-League.  

I agree JG...........as drastic as that sounds I agree bench Harden. he looks lazy. no commitment on defense and an entitled attitude on offense. looks like he's been reading his own press clippings. a good benching might adjust that attitude because right now it stinks 

Edited by rockets best fan, 15 November 2015 - 10:00 PM.

[Willk]

Just for clarification--I do think the coaches have a share of blame here. I think, crazy as it may sound, benching Harden for 2-3 games might be what the doctor ordered. Let Lawson get his feet under him without worrying about James. Force the other guys to use their talent instead of deferring to James. Let the coaching staff get a better look at what units function best.

Once that's all done, bring James back and see if we can't insert him into a team-oriented role rather than a team-carrying role.

I don't know. It's one of those things--so much is wrong it's hard to isolate one thing that will set things right. It's starting to get bad and drastic times call for drastic measures. What's the worst thing that could happen?...We lose to the bottom feeders of the league? Already there.

Bench Harden. Recall KJ from the D-League.

Anything & everything should be considered.

[rockets best fan]

Anything & everything should be considered.

I say that by benching Harden it forces the TEAM to create offense without him. if we are to win a championship it won't be a one man show. we must learn how to run an offense that doesn't depend on Harden's greatness. while the 3 pointer is great, when it's not falling we must learn how to still be effective. while everyone is critical of our big's, our defense is suffering on way more levels than our bigs ability to rotate and save the day. our perimeter defense has more hole than cottage cheese. when the bigs do rotate to alter the shot nobody bothers to go get the rebound. our defensive breakdowns are across the board. on offense our play book looks like just a single sheet of paper. NO DEPTH. we look like a confused basketball team. unsure of where we should be and what we are running on both ends of the floor. I am unsure why our coaching staff is unable to inspire this team to play defense. shooting can come and go, but NO EFFORT ON DEFENSE IS INEXCUSABLE. now the problem with that is nobody seems anything other than disappointed. somebody needs to be ANGRY. time for a temper tantrum

Edited by rockets best fan, 16 November 2015 - 12:57 AM.