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How Good is the Rockets Starting Line-up?

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by crash5179, Jul 26, 2012.

  1. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Contributing Member

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    You think we're going to win a lot of games playing 3 on 5? A team should have 5 bonafide starters. Contenders have more than 5.
     
  2. crash5179

    crash5179 Contributing Member

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    I don't think we will win all that many games but.... How many teams in the NBA are going to start the season with 5 starters with no questions about their ability to start? I'm guessing at least half the teams in the league have serious question marks about at least 1 or more of it's starters. At least we have a 4th starter (Asik) that we know is elite at what he does (defense & rebounding) while he is on the court.
     
  3. vince

    vince Member

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    The rockets will be luck to win 30 games. I don't think they will be July 2012 Astros bad... But they will not be lighting up phone lines when playoff race are mentioned.

    Martin is on the down side of his career. He didn't mesh well with Kevin McHale.

    Marcus Morris didn't do squat last season, and didn't win any point with McHale.

    Patterson again didn't do much under McHale; even after having a solid showing under Rick Adelman.

    Chandler Parson shined on the defensive side. So much that he was single handedly responsible for last years grit on the team.

    Now the big free agent signing are Lin and Asik. Plus a slew of rookies, all with huge expectations from fans. Yet a lot of people forget that one thing that separates NBA from College ball is SPEED... That will affect some if not all of the rookies. Some top notch rookies don't catch up to the speed for 1 or 2 seasons - and I'm talking about top 5 talent guys.

    I see the Line up as follows:

    PG - Lin / Douglas
    SG - Martin / Lamb
    SF - Parson / Morris (SF & PF)
    PF - Patterson (PF & C) / Jones (PF & C)
    C - Asik / Motiejunas (C & PF)


    And on a side note, I don't see McHale giving White a lot of minutes. That is going to prove unpopular with Clutchfans.net I say this because White gambles too much, and McHale likes his players to run HIS plays. That was the one thing that drove a wedge between Lowry and McHale.

    Morey has already states that Montiejunas will need to improve A LOT to get playing time. He was on the radio a few days ago saying that Donuts is not ready to start in the league. I think taht Motiejunas will be behind Patterson and Jones on the depth chart.
     
  4. allaroundplayer

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    I am pretty sure that Parsons took the starting job in training camp last season and was the starter from the first game.
     
  5. oakdogg

    oakdogg Contributing Member

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    If we still had Scola, I think we're a playoff team. Without him, we'll get maybe 25 wins - maybe.

    I do think Martin's going to have a good year though. He and Lin seem to complement each other well. That is if we can't get DH.
     
  6. coachbadlee

    coachbadlee Member

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    Among the presumed starting 5, only Patterson has the least amount of time starting, but we all know that he can be a capable starter. Especially if his ankle is 100%.
     
  7. CisBuds4U

    CisBuds4U Member

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    maybe he is just 'devaluing' donuts so the Magic are scared off to insist he be part of the deal :grin:

    either way, I think he is actually more NBA ready than the other rookies because of his experience in Europe and the fact that he has been a "professional" for a few years now. Maybe he's not quite starter material, maybe it will still take him a year + to adjust to the speed of the NBA, but I think he has the mental makeup and experience to his advantage that should help propel him into a valuable player starting or off the bench by mid-season.
     
  8. ico4498

    ico4498 Member
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    would be a cruel joke if ended up with the same mediocre record in project youth tank.
     
  9. Nimo

    Nimo Member

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    Not true. Chase started till about game 7.
     
  10. Ming The King

    Ming The King Member

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    The worst starting line-up with Charlotte and Detroit
     
  11. hitman1900

    hitman1900 Member

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    This team as constructed will probably win 25 games. Rookies who haven't played one nba game plus Lin and asik should equal the lottery. Experience does matter a lot in the league because the game speed is so different.

    I know people want to believe this team can be better but I have not seen one team in this league where you can get good within the first year of rebuilding with rookies. It takes time and the rockets situation is no different from other teams in the league. Even lebron had to go through the losing first before becoming great.
     
  12. coachbadlee

    coachbadlee Member

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    There are a lot of questions to be answered. Assuming that the starting line-up will be:
    Lin
    Martin
    Parsons
    Patterson
    Asik

    As i mentioned in an earlier post, this line-up sorta reminds me of the line-up from 2010-2011, but

    Is Lin better than Brooks defensively?
    Can Patterson be as good as he was when he was a rookie?
    Is Asik a better defender than Camby? Dalembert?

    If you can answer yes to 2 of these questions, then it is not out of the realm of possibility for this team to win 40+ games.
     
  13. coachbadlee

    coachbadlee Member

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    Plus, 4 of our starters know the system already.
     
  14. GATER

    GATER Contributing Member

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    The inherent problem with logic like this is that it's performed in a vacuum.

    What if Lin is marginally a better defender than Brooks but Brooks had the benefit of better defensive rotational players? Or a better C behind him? Or a better defensive scheme coach?

    What does it matter if Patterson returns to some previous level? Especially if that previous level was playing against 2nd unit players. Or that teams that used to have a PF matchup deficit to HOU now have a superior matchup because of trades, free agency or improvement of their own personnel.

    Does it matter how good a defender Asik is if his offense skills resemble Chuck Hayes in the Van Gundy era?

    Too much tunnel vision in your logic.
     
  15. coachbadlee

    coachbadlee Member

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    You can answer this question on your own. McHale's camp has more defensive schemes than Adelman's. Brooks did not have a better Center. He had Chuck Hayes.


    Wtf??:confused: Patterson has always been a better defender than Scola. That in itself will make up the difference you speak of.


    7 ft > 6 ft 6

    All of these questions sound like excuses.
     
  16. crash5179

    crash5179 Contributing Member

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    Is Lin by himself better than AB when he was averaging 20 ppg plus Lowry? No
    Was Patterson by himself a viable offensive option in the post? No
    Is Asik a better defender than Dalembert and Camby? Yes, for at least 15 minutes a game.

    I think the starting unit is going to surprise a lot of people with how good they (with DMo not Pat) but if this team wins more than about 30 - 35 games it will be a hell of a good year. The average age on the team is 22.8 years old and no one in the 2nd unit with any real NBA experience.
     
    #116 crash5179, Jul 28, 2012
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2012
  17. jtr

    jtr Contributing Member

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    Guessing who the starter is between PPat and D-Mo is like pi**ing into the wind. McHale will make the best decision. We saw that last year with Parsons.

    Lin is undervalued defensively IMHO. Martin is in a contract year so I could see him picking up the intensity of his play. Plus he has Parsons and Asik to erase some of his errors.

    But I expect Martin to be dealt at the trade deadline. That is when his value maximizes. Plus Lamb will have benefited from a few months with a mentor.

    All in all I see the team as an 8 - 10 seed. Top 5 would be ideal, but McHale will wring every last win from the roster. McHale will not tank. For that you need a tool as a head coach. And McHale will never be a tool. The guy is ethically pristine and wired to win. I believe he dies a small death with every loss.

    However Morey may have a field day at the trade deadline and next off season. The guy has anti-freeze in his veins. I believe that Morey adds a top 10 player and 3 probable all stars for the 2013 - 2014 season. Expect massive roster turnover. :cool:
     
  18. Naija Texan

    Naija Texan Member

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    True Patterson was a better defender, but he was no Chuck Hayes when going against actual big men capable of battling them in the post and forcing even the bigger ones to go for outside shots. Also he isn't nearly the scorer that Scola was and as of the end of last year had no post moves, meaning that unless he and Asik have massive growth, our starting front court is a liability offensively.

    Which depending on your train of thought might be a good thing. But as of now, our starting line up based off who we have now, has three potential major problems, the lack of consistent offense in the front court, turn overs and Martin's diminishing scoring without getting to the line.
     

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