Too many threads around here are reactionary. We lose one game (or in this case three) and all of a sudden, it's "Fire the coach" or "Trade our best player" or "blow up the team and make a new roster via an expansion draft with just WNBA all stars and D-Leaguers". But, as the title says, there are logical remedies (see: adjustments) that can be made without doing something or HYPOTHETICALLY doing something that would never happen/is stupid. Such as: - Rick adjusts the way he manages the games. Perhaps he's caught up in the whole Yao only plays this many minutes deal but our rotation seems too inflexible, too rigid. For example: Tonight Billups is maiming Brooks on the offensive end and Rick doesn't sub in Lowry because... why? Because AB usually finishes the fourth quarter and uhh... other reasons? It just doesn't make any sense. - We run plays through our best players. This seems simple enough but too many times I see a play being run for Chuck Hayes when Scola is in the game. Scola is clearly our best player right now. He is unstoppable on both ends (unless he's guarding a shooting big man). Give him the ball and he'll find a shot for Hayes. Or the defensive rotation off Scola will find a shot for him. - Pretty simple: Brooks needs to put his ego aside and manage the game. This isn't a Brooks bashing thread. I like the guy a lot. He can score. But the three he hoisted in tonight's game was the metaphorical straw that broke the metaphorical camel's back. I can't help but imagine what Lowry does there (keeping getting into the lane for easy buckets?). Possible remedy: Lowry/Brooks/Martin combo to finish the game? Your logical remedies?
1. Extend Yao to 32 minutes. 2. Use Jordan Hill when Yao goes out so we have someone at the rim. 3. Much less Hayes, he should be situational only. DD
"You must spread some rep around...." My thoughts exactly. The biggest thing for me is extending Yao's minutes. We just need to play the guy and hope he can be close to the beast he once was. Make the man do his job out there, foot be damned. Anything would be better than the status quo. Either bring him off the bench here and there or REALLY start him...or just move on.
1. Less Hayes, really above all. I really don't mind Miller too much, as he's shown a couple of interesting things and he needs time to figure things out. Hayes was a complete disaster this game, not to mention that for whatever reason we were trying to incorporate Hayes in the offense, an approach which obviously cannot work. I would honestly prefer Hill for development and maybe even Jeffries as while he may lack the ability to guard in the post, that is not as crucial against Denver. 2. Brooks, I don't know. His defense has gotten worse, and it has never been good. I think we have to look at him a bit more and see how he turns out. Those were my two main problems with this game, Brooks and Hayes really.
Bingo. Brand Miller should not play unless somebody is on foul trouble or when Yao don't play. Hayes need to be our back up at PF as he supposed to be this year.
Less Hayes, more Hill Less Brooks, more Lowry More rebounding, more rebounding, more defense, more defense. I don't care if we shoot 0-9, as long as the opposing team shoots the same percentage we are still hanging in there. Offense wins games, defense wins championships. JVG learnt that, RA hasn't.
Big deal, Houston lost three games prior to the trade deadline. They have at least another 83 games to play. Can Dampier block shots and rebound? Denver didn't look too afraid of attacking the basket.
Continue to play Yao in the final 6 minutes, Give him and Scola (whoever is hotter at the time) the ball in the 4th so they can close out games. Call timeouts early to stop the other team's momentum early, and get your players focused early. Whatever PG is playing the best play them in the final 6 minutes of the 4th quarter. Play Hill, when he is playing well. Don't be so rigid and play guys solely on seniority, when the rules are resulting in losses, reassess the rules. Lowry, be more careful with your body, stop getting hurt. Get Dampier involved as soon as possible. Continue to focus on defense, and peak energy-wise in the 4th quarter (the final six minutes should be our most intense and focused time always, stop peaking in the first half) Always have focused determined body language, never look mentally defeated.
Never play Chuck in any situation at center. Ever again. Nobody smaller than Hill, Miller, Yao and Dampier for startees in any quarter. Never allow Chuck to be our go to guy in any minutes of the game. Never bring Battier in to stop a run on for more offense. Bring him in on defense. Call timeouts when a run starts and not after it is completely finished. Let Yao and Hill play together when we are getting outrebounded. Make substitutions early and often to match the other team and create mismatches to not match their mismatches on us. Let Lowry play against bigger guards more minutes when AB is getting torched. Courtney Lee needs more time on the court. Someone does need to consolidate thos roster in a trade. That is a logical step. Very logical and perhaps necessary to balance out the roster and trim some minutes from players who shouldnt be getting them. Rational scenario and is not knee jerk is a trade if there is one out there. Seek it.
Yao won't play 32 minutes again. Maybe 28-29. Til then, play him 3 quarters, 7-8 minute stretches. Every time he goes to the bench/jump into the court it hurts the rhythm of the team, so you must minimize it.
He I found the trend 3 quarter stats. 26-20 37-28 24-18 I remember past years when Houston was wining a lot of games was when they keep wining the 3 quarters. We need to win by any means necessary.
Start Lowry, Martin, Battier, Miller, and Scola. Go to Martin, Scola, and Lowry early and collect fouls until we are in the bonus. When we get in the bonus, substitute in Yao, Brooks, for Miller and Lowry. Then substitute Budinger and Lee situationally for Martin and Battier, but try to keep Martin in longer. Go to Yao when we are in the bonus and get him on the FT line or get the easy dunks/layups from him. Repeat same rotation in second and third quarters. Start the fourth quarter the same and then situationally substitute depending on matchups the last 8 minutes of the fourth.
This* But the truth is we can do all of this and still lose because no one seems to know how to play defense anymore, we either foul or they score.
Brooks defense is horrendous. There is no way you can make him a decent defender with that kind of legs and legs quickness. Did you see Billup or someone that did the shake and Aaron was flying way off leaving his man wide open for the shot?? That's a sign of a horrible defender. I am not going to say anymore about Aaron Brooks being a bad defender but i will say this about why we lost. It's really Adelman's fault screwing up players' rhyme and rotation and chemistry. He's taking out Brooks, he's taking Yao out and not even starting in the 2nd half....he does a lot of crazy rotations that he normally doesn't. Almost like he's panicking and starting to go crazy. I think he needs a pill after the lost or someone need to settle him down. He started to play Hills after saying he should did the same at Golden States. His decision is bad. But all of these don't matter if they just let Yao be Yao...seriously. Just let him play his regular minutes. If he broke his legs...fine let's have more surgeries....we're used to it anyway. Have the doctors lineup and prepare in a hospital....since the management are so damm worry.
1. Take care of the ball 2. Rebound better 3. Slow the game down (no need to take a quick jumper when nobody is underneath the basket)
