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Can the Rockets be a good defensive team??

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Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#1 » by tha_rock220 » Wed Oct 20, 2010 1:48 am

I was thinking today about the roster.

Battier, Hayes, and Lowry are all very good man defenders.

Yao, Jeffries, and Lee are good man defenders.

All six of them understand team defense.

Jordan Hill is an athletic big who can block shots. Scola isn't terrible and Bud looks like he's learned to move his feet.

That means the only rotation players who really suck on defense are Martin, Miller, and Brooks. They can be hidden by the team defense with some good coaching. I don't expect them to be the 2003 Spurs, but there's no reason for them to play like they did last year
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#2 » by zapatasblood » Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:00 am

Not if Martin and Brooks are going to be on the court together for most of the time
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#3 » by rocketsballin » Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:01 am

by default we're a good defensive team with the guys you mentioned. we have too many good defenders to suck at defense. we were always a good defensive team before last season, since 03-04. most of that is cuz of yao. we saw how bad the defense was last season w/o yao, even tho we had everyone else for most of the season. teams need a defensive big (or a big black guy) to be a good defensive team. w/o that you might as well get nellie for your head coach :( .
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#4 » by Joseph17 » Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:56 am

Well they obviously wouldn't be good at defending opposing guards, but they are decent at all the other positions. That's why I think the Rockets would benefit from trading Brooks and getting a big, passing pg like a Kidd or a Livingston type who could defend shooting guards. I would just put Kev on the opposing team's pg if that happened.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#5 » by jwise44 » Thu Oct 21, 2010 12:14 am

anyone else agree that miller being on this team and yao being limited means we should have a bigger defensive minded shotblocker as our third center instead of an offensive minded powerforward playing center(who i actually reallly like jus not at center) to always be a great defensive team even when yaos out?

my point being get a trade done involving either patterson or hill and any of our other assets for something we really need to win the championship?
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#6 » by rocketsballin » Thu Oct 21, 2010 12:34 am

before the miller deal, morey said this team isnt a contender, now he thinks we are contenders. since morey has never let me down i have to trust him, but im not 100% confident in this team unless yao playes at least 30mpg after the all star break. have to get homecourt advantage. gonna be an interesting season.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#7 » by Joseph17 » Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:48 am

jwise44 wrote:anyone else agree that miller being on this team and yao being limited means we should have a bigger defensive minded shotblocker as our third center instead of an offensive minded powerforward playing center(who i actually reallly like jus not at center) to always be a great defensive team even when yaos out?

my point being get a trade done involving either patterson or hill and any of our other assets for something we really need to win the championship?

I agree with you. They should have signed a defensive center instead of Brad, but Brad will definitely help them out on the offensive end.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#8 » by texasholdem » Thu Oct 21, 2010 6:17 am

jwise44 wrote:my point being get a trade done involving either patterson or hill and any of our other assets for something we really need to win the championship?


Jordan Hill + Patrick Patterson + our 2012 first rounder = Hasheem Thabeet (1.3 blocks per game in only 13.0 minutes per game last season)
bring back either Mike Harris or Antonio Anderson

Rockets
F: Battier, Budinger, Harris/Anderson
F: Scola, Hayes, Jeffries
C: Yao, Miller, Thabeet
G: Brooks, Lowry, Smith
G: Martin, Lee, Taylor

Grizzlies
F: Gay, Young, Carroll
F: Randolph, Patterson, Arthur
C: Gasol, Hill, Haddadi
G: Conley, Law, Vasquez
G: Mayo, Henry, Allen
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#9 » by Teckon » Thu Oct 21, 2010 7:08 am

^^ over-rating the values of blocks and under-rating the values of team defense. There is a reason why he only played 13 min a game. Bad bad trade idea.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#10 » by texasholdem » Thu Oct 21, 2010 1:26 pm

Teckon wrote:^^ over-rating the values of blocks and under-rating the values of team defense. There is a reason why he only played 13 min a game..


Because Marc Gasol played the other 35 minutes.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#11 » by Mr. E » Thu Oct 21, 2010 1:33 pm

Whoa, whoa, whoa...settle down there, hombre!

Hasheem Thabeet is not worth anything close to three first-round draft picks. I see some of these trades that you kick out and in each one you seem far too eager to part with as many trade assets as possible for what is usually not equal return. Look at the kind of deals that Morey makes - do you think he'd do something like that for an underwhelming Hasheem Thabeet just to get a few blocked shots? Poor use of asset allocation, brother!

Three firsts is the basis of Marc Gasol deal. ;)
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#12 » by texasholdem » Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:29 pm

You couldn't get Gasol for that package.
Thabeet is still young and has as much potential as Roy Hibbert or JaVale McGee
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#13 » by Mr. E » Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:46 pm

texasholdem wrote:You couldn't get Gasol for that package.
Thabeet is still young and has as much potential as Roy Hibbert or JaVale McGee


I said "basis," and Thabeet won't fetch the equivalent of 3 first round picks, nor should he.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#14 » by syj805 » Fri Oct 22, 2010 9:50 pm

Well, you can't do any worse lol. I always thought the Rox were good, lockdown defenders in the past, and probably still are. Like the Knicks, the playoffs this season is a realistic possibility.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#15 » by LHead2 » Thu Oct 28, 2010 5:15 am

I'd like to see Hasheem on the Rockets if he can take the Mutombo role. Basically, be a big black guy, block shots, and wag his finger.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#16 » by fabio » Thu Oct 28, 2010 5:36 am

Sorry guys, but like someone else said, with Brooks and Martin together, the straight, simple, fast answer is to the topic is NO. I said it when Rockets got Martin, I said it yesterday, I say it today. And I'll continue saying it. As good as Martin is on the offensive side, every single time Rockets face a team with skilled guards (that is most NBA teams), they'll have a free pass to score on that position. Simple as that.

To make it worse, Battier has lot a step. Add to that RA isn't exactly known because of his love for D, Yao still not in shape and the big picture is scary.

So, in order to be not a good defensive team, but at least slightly decent, Rockets will need to roll the dice and get rid of either Martin or Brooks and get a player that can score (even if not at the same level) and play D. Easier to say it than do it. Ariza was a good example, but that train is gone.

IMHO, if the goal for Rockets is to become Phoenix Suns only that without Nash, Amare, Hill, Barbosa and such, then get ready for lottery. Suns got nowhere with that philosophy and they had way more talent than this Rockets team, so the idea is a big fail from the very start.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#17 » by Guy986 » Thu Oct 28, 2010 5:38 am

Roxshoballin was right. This team needs a big black guy so *****ing bad.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#18 » by rocketsballin » Thu Oct 28, 2010 5:51 am

that or 30min of yao ming. not playing miller and yao on a 2nd back to back is terrible
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#19 » by tisbee » Thu Oct 28, 2010 5:53 am

Can the Rockets be a good defensive team??
Um,244,TWO HUNDRED FORTY FOUR POINTS!!!,in two games suggests no.
4 straight 30+ Quarters allowed,having the other team score at least 25 points in every freakin' Quarter suggest they have a loooooooooooooong way to go to be a mediocre defensive team,much less a good one.
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Re: Can the Rockets be a good defensive team?? 

Post#20 » by The Franchise_ » Thu Oct 28, 2010 5:57 am

I knew Lowry was important to our team D, but watching the AB show these past two games has given me a new level of appreciation for the bulldog.

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