Mr. E wrote:Tonight is Milwaukee (hint) and tomorrow is Cleveland. I won't say that those games are sure things, but those are two games that the Rockets should have a good shot at winning if they play up to their full ability.
My ideal situation is to put tonight's game to bed early and limit the starter's minutes in the second half.
Mr. E wrote:Tonight is Milwaukee (hint) and tomorrow is Cleveland. I won't say that those games are sure things, but those are two games that the Rockets should have a good shot at winning if they play up to their full ability.
My ideal situation is to put tonight's game to bed early and limit the starter's minutes in the second half.
MaxRider wrote:Mr. E wrote:Tonight is Milwaukee (hint) and tomorrow is Cleveland. I won't say that those games are sure things, but those are two games that the Rockets should have a good shot at winning if they play up to their full ability.
My ideal situation is to put tonight's game to bed early and limit the starter's minutes in the second half.
the rockets suck
i'm not watching
MaxRider wrote:Mr. E wrote:Tonight is Milwaukee (hint) and tomorrow is Cleveland. I won't say that those games are sure things, but those are two games that the Rockets should have a good shot at winning if they play up to their full ability.
My ideal situation is to put tonight's game to bed early and limit the starter's minutes in the second half.
the rockets suck
i'm not watching
, already drunk off haterade haha 
inquisitive wrote:Houston is one of 3 teams looking to trade for Cousins:
http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba-news-and-r ... washington
The team he is most likely to end up with is Washington, but Boston, Houston, and Detroit are also in the running. The most interesting situation might be if he ended up with Houston in terms of actually impacting a team's chances to win, but any team taking a chance on this big man must be willing to also watch him self-implode as his track record suggests.
Nebula1 wrote:inquisitive wrote:Houston is one of 3 teams looking to trade for Cousins:
http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba-news-and-r ... washington
The team he is most likely to end up with is Washington, but Boston, Houston, and Detroit are also in the running. The most interesting situation might be if he ended up with Houston in terms of actually impacting a team's chances to win, but any team taking a chance on this big man must be willing to also watch him self-implode as his track record suggests.
I think his character issues are far overblown and would enjoy having him in Houston.. depending on what the Rockets would have to give up, of course.
baki wrote:Harden is essentially a very good role player, he's not a franchise player.
texasholdem wrote:Weren't Patterson and Cousins teammates at Kentucky? Why would he have to call Hayes to ask about him?
texasholdem wrote:Weren't Patterson and Cousins teammates at Kentucky? Why would he have to call Hayes to ask about him?
Houston Rockets
The lineup: James Harden–Jeremy Lin–Chandler Parsons–Marcus Morris–Omer Asik
The numbers: 231 minutes, second most-used lineup
Morris is taking Patrick Patterson's presumed spot, and this starting group has functioned much better with him there. They're outscoring opponents by nearly five points per 100 possessions, while the Patterson lineup is struggling on both ends with a scoring differential of -5.6 per 100 possessions. We'll see if that keeps up; this group's offense has already slumped to league-average as Morris and Parsons have struggled from 3-point range of late.
Those guys are floor-spacers in this lineup, and in a larger offense geared almost entirely to 3-pointers, fast-break points, and free throws. Houston plays at the league's fastest pace, and this lineup piles up even more possessions than the Rockets overall. This group gets a full 24 percent of its points via the break; no team has topped a 19 percent share for the season, per NBA.com.
In the half court, this unit (like most Houston lineups) is all about spreading the floor around the James Harden–Omer Asik pick-and-roll, with some other combinations (Jeremy Lin–Asik, and the intriguing Lin-Harden) sprinkled in. Houston stations the other guys around the 3-point line, and Harden might be better than anyone else at slinging skip passes to shooters in the weakside corner midway through a pick-and-roll.
But Parsons and Morris aren't just Bruce Bowen–style spot-up guys. Players like Kevin McHale because he empowers them to stretch themselves; Parsons and Morris are allowed to drive and create after catching a pass if they think they can get by a defender running out at them. The same goes for Carlos Delfino in other units, and though the results can be dicey sometimes, it might be healthier in the long haul — especially as teams designate Parsons as the guy on whom they can hide their weakest perimeter defender.
It's hard to see this lineup maintaining its current stinginess on defense; they've so far allowed just 96.4 points per 100 possessions, a number that rivals Indiana's league-best defense. Morris is at a size disadvantage against bigger teams, and he's not a strong rebounder or reliable team defender yet. Parsons is smart and works hard, but he makes some bad gambles and his helpful instincts make him prone to back-cuts. Ditto for Harden, though he's not quite as interested in being an active helper; few scorers with such heavy responsibility on offense play the other end with equal vigor, and Harden's D has slipped this season.
Asik is a genius, and this lineup is avoiding fouls (a central Houston tenet) and cleaning the defensive glass at a crazy rate. But they've got to prove it over the long haul. The same is true of smaller lineups featuring Parsons at power forward, which are absolutely blitzing teams in a limited sample so far with even better floor spacing (hello, Carlos Delfino, jacking nearly nine 3s per 36 minutes!) and an energetic pace.
Nebula1 wrote:Grantland piece:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/882 ... est-lineupHouston Rockets
The lineup: James Harden–Jeremy Lin–Chandler Parsons–Marcus Morris–Omer Asik
The numbers: 231 minutes, second most-used lineup
Morris is taking Patrick Patterson's presumed spot, and this starting group has functioned much better with him there. They're outscoring opponents by nearly five points per 100 possessions, while the Patterson lineup is struggling on both ends with a scoring differential of -5.6 per 100 possessions. We'll see if that keeps up; this group's offense has already slumped to league-average as Morris and Parsons have struggled from 3-point range of late.
Those guys are floor-spacers in this lineup, and in a larger offense geared almost entirely to 3-pointers, fast-break points, and free throws. Houston plays at the league's fastest pace, and this lineup piles up even more possessions than the Rockets overall. This group gets a full 24 percent of its points via the break; no team has topped a 19 percent share for the season, per NBA.com.
In the half court, this unit (like most Houston lineups) is all about spreading the floor around the James Harden–Omer Asik pick-and-roll, with some other combinations (Jeremy Lin–Asik, and the intriguing Lin-Harden) sprinkled in. Houston stations the other guys around the 3-point line, and Harden might be better than anyone else at slinging skip passes to shooters in the weakside corner midway through a pick-and-roll.
But Parsons and Morris aren't just Bruce Bowen–style spot-up guys. Players like Kevin McHale because he empowers them to stretch themselves; Parsons and Morris are allowed to drive and create after catching a pass if they think they can get by a defender running out at them. The same goes for Carlos Delfino in other units, and though the results can be dicey sometimes, it might be healthier in the long haul — especially as teams designate Parsons as the guy on whom they can hide their weakest perimeter defender.
It's hard to see this lineup maintaining its current stinginess on defense; they've so far allowed just 96.4 points per 100 possessions, a number that rivals Indiana's league-best defense. Morris is at a size disadvantage against bigger teams, and he's not a strong rebounder or reliable team defender yet. Parsons is smart and works hard, but he makes some bad gambles and his helpful instincts make him prone to back-cuts. Ditto for Harden, though he's not quite as interested in being an active helper; few scorers with such heavy responsibility on offense play the other end with equal vigor, and Harden's D has slipped this season.
Asik is a genius, and this lineup is avoiding fouls (a central Houston tenet) and cleaning the defensive glass at a crazy rate. But they've got to prove it over the long haul. The same is true of smaller lineups featuring Parsons at power forward, which are absolutely blitzing teams in a limited sample so far with even better floor spacing (hello, Carlos Delfino, jacking nearly nine 3s per 36 minutes!) and an energetic pace.