ClutchFans Game Thread: Spurs @ Rockets 10/16/2019 (Preseason)

The problem I see is Harden. Harden's looking to score with absolutely no interest in getting everybody involved. He'll pass but it's only when he has no other option. MDA has absolutely added nothing to the offense. He's fine with letting James score all 100pts

 

Nick nurse just coached a team to a title last year.....i don’t think a coach has to be tough on guys to win it. I don’t think mike D not having a championship is because he doesn’t ride players enough. The only teams I think he ever had that were good enough to win a title were the suns team that amare and Diaw got suspended for the pivotal game 5, and the rockets a couple of years ago where obviously the cp3 injury ruined that.

He isn’t perfect, but who is better that is available ?

 

We prob need to go out and get Serge Ibaka. I feel like he’ll be available if Toronto decides to break up

Edit: ibaka is on an expiring. We must hope a team like NY trades for him to open up cap space and then buy him out.

 

Why would the knicks do that ?

 

Did you not see the report pretty recently that Nick Nurse was tough on the new guys on the team? What makes you think he wasn't tough on the roster last yer?

 

Westbrook had 8 turnovers and was a -26.

Better hope that doesn't become a trend in the regular season because this season would become a nightmare.

 

Open up cap space

 

If you look at the Spurs thats not true. Im saying being able to get your shot off consistenly in the playoffs, where you're not just a three point shooter and subpar at defense like our role guys. We have the stars and if you look at the Spurs they have the role players but not the stars. Put their role players and coach with our stars and thats a championship team. AND NO EVERY TEAM DOES NOT HAVE SIMILIAR. SOME TEAMS DO but only a handful. We have two former mvps. Look at the Clippers team, they have the role players and the stars. If the Rockets are going to win a chip you need your roles to get hot especially on the nights your stars are off. People year after year triple and double team Harden in the playoffs because they can because we never have the role players (save for two years ago) to help. You need them to come off the bench and do something not stand there waiting to shoot and miss a damn three. They arent good enough they dont play enough defense. Toronto got lucky last year but their roles players stepped up big time, I dont see our guys doing that.

 

Tilman wanted Westbrook and Harden wanted Westbrook... Morey had to do what he did when Les insisted on Lin or spending the money on Anderson.... smile and hope for the best.

 

The Rockets front office thinks the Spurs could host an opening playoff series.

 

Westbrook played hurt last year.

Maybe what we saw last year is who Westbrook is now, but playing with the injury he had is certainly capable of limiting him.

 

all 3 centers were god awful. clint got destroyed by 34yr old LMA on both ends. anderson is absolutely useless on defense. mindboggling that the front office brought him back. hartenstein is not an nba player at this point.

westbrick needs to play 40min on friday to work off rust and figure out how to play w/ this team. and realize what's a good shot attempt and what's dumb AF

i like thabo a lot

 

You take the good with the bad.

At this point the Russell WB we watch is a Turnover prone and not so smart borderline Superstar.

I said borderline because he prolly needs 20+ attempts to get close to 30 pts.

 

Yeah, I don't care about jetlag, the body language was just awful to start the game. Harden and Westbrook both have a tendency to relax on defense when their shot is not falling. Harden didn't treat it seriously at all until he started hitting some threes. He's so lazy on defense in terms of awareness. Westbrook similar. The only guys who were ready from the gate: Thabo and House. Put Clemons in there and you have my favourite trio for this year. Gordon was locked and loaded too, my god.

Aside from the players, I know MDA is experimenting, but can we put a big on their big for a few minutes?? I was really hopeful after that 1st pre-season game that we were not going to be an all-switch defense anymore, but here we are, back to that dumb strategy that gave their big guys all the advantage. On offense, I will stick by my point that this watching Harden or Westbrook just dribble is not going to work. The only guy working off the ball is House. Thabo is active, but he's not the type of player to attack.

I really think MDA needs to be let go after this season if he still refuses to adjust and just let Harden and Westbrook dribble without some serious variety to the sets we run. I'm not hopeful and think we will definitely struggle coming out of the gate. Also, if PJ is not even looking to shoot and when he does starts stacking them bricks, then give me more Thabo please. That guy just knows where to be for those rebounds and we need those second looks with all them bricks. Don't get me started on Capela, but he is what he is at this point: inconsistent, weak and butter fingers. He will get his though.

Can people here admit that even if we won, don't you love the way the Spurs play more? I surely as hell do. Their guys play with energy, take any shot available to them and just killed us inside and mid-range.

 

The front court issue that we had for years is far more concerning, yes.

Pop ball can get you 40 wins without a clear superstar.

 

I'm very surprised to hear D'Antoni say that Westbrook hadn't played basketball all summer. I guess it's good to give the body a rest, but that might mean he's out of rhythm for quite a while. Given the competition it will face and the overall lack of chemistry so far, I'm not sure this team has the luxury of easing into the season.

Also, I thought he got surgery on his non-shooting hand in May? Did he reinjure it?

It will probably take five or so real games to see the team's many issues clearly, but it does not seem to be a good start so far.

 

Westbrook also had his knee scoped.

 

I am all for starting clemons at the point and bringing russ off the bench. Clemons pressing defense looked great and his energy and shooting is needed on our squad.

 

Playing with energy is just not our style with James running the show. He likes slow dribble ball, and isn't gonna change.

As for all the taking it inside and midrange, well it's not our style either. We are live and die from the 3. On a great night that is our excitement. Most of the time is spent with James dribbling, and then a shot taken right before the clock runs out.

I've never liked our style better than fast paced teams. I, like you, prefer a faster pace with taking shots from anywhere. It is what it is, and I gave up hoping we would change. Sometimes, in the last 2 minutes of a blowout you get to see a fast paced bench team come in with high energy though....lol. That's usually fun.