Last night, before the game got crazy weird, it was just a normal game - no big playoff atmosphere and intensity like the game against the Clippers the other week, just a normal game. And MDA played PJ 21 minutes in the 1st half. As we know, double OT left him playing 50 minutes, but it’s not the OT to blame. He played 21 in the 1st, and 21 in the 2nd. This is completely untenable and almost malpractice at this point from MDA. Every year the Rockets come out with the same BS about how they will be smarter with rest, and every year it gets thrown out of the window. Injuries happen, they are entirely predictable. We have an old team, and guys like Eric have had a history of injuries. Part of this is Morey not giving MDA options at PF. But when it's a random game and you play him 21 minutes in the 1st half, it's the coach that's the problem. I can see why MDA would lean on him too much in a close game, or a big game like the L.A one, maybe playing him the entire 4th or something. But that's why you play him 15 minutes in the 1st, so you have that room to increase his load in the 2nd. Playing him 21 minutes is just stupid and dangerous. PJ is arguably our most irreplaceable player outside of Harden. If he goes down for the playoffs, I don't see how we survive. Why isn't he taking games off like Russ does? Why has he logged the 12th most minutes in the entire league? And why on Earth would you play him 21 minutes in the 1st half!
It's his contract year too and they didnt extend him last year. If I were PJ, I'd ask for less minutes or be put on load management. If he gets injured, not only does it screw us over, it screws himself over.
This whole PJ plays too many minutes narrative is getting old. He's clearly our best defender and our most consistent shooter. I'd rather roll the dice and bet on him being able to handle playing so many minutes than lose games. And that is exactly what will happen if he plays less. We will lose.
No Danuel House or Eric Gordon so PJ is going to play the most minutes. I think it's stupid, just play Gary Clark, but whatever.
35.6 isn't much......people overate minutes played these days i reckon. Imagine the out cry when players use to play 40mpg...... Funnily enough Aaron Brooks averaged 35.6mpg 10 years ago..............he was 37th in the league for minutes played
the game is played at a much faster pace now, and PJ’s 35.6 minutes involve him battling on the boards as an undersized PF and guarding the other team’s biggest offensive threat at age 34 Brooks didn’t have to do any of that, and he wasn’t 34
It's not really a narrative, it's just an objective fact. He's 12th in minutes. The Rockets said they were gonna play him less as a goal in the summer. PJ himself said he hopes he plays less minutes this year in the regular season. This is a failure. If we aren't good enough to win with PJ Tucker, a role player earning $8m a year, playing something like 30-34 minutes a game, then we aren't good enough in my opinion. Go get another PF. Play Gary Clark. Even when Clark had a great game against Atlanta, he played Tucker with him at the 4/5, he's not even a backup, MDA sees him as an opportunity for Tuck to play the 5 even more. He even played in the 4th in the 40 point win over Atlanta! Why did he play 30 minutes? Like seriously, 30 minutes isn't egregious but Christ we were up 40 just play Gary the entire 4th he's 24 and has logged like 20 minutes all year.
The one saving grace he is literally just goes to the corner on offense and doesn't have to do anything but stand, catch and shoot. But he always takes the toughest assignment on defense, and is expected to stay in front of shifty, agile guards as well as bang down low with centers.
Always been a mystery to me how a guy who loves the 3 ball so much is completely blind to the scientific fact that in-game fatigue hurts shooters so much. Could argue it's the main reason he doesn't have a title on his resume.
He has options .. . he refuses to play them Clark - Hartenstein - Thabo all can get some time at PF Rocket River
It is not that we have no coach. It is that again we overlook the importance of getting a player like tucker on this team. This is why guys like Ariza and Luc were irreplaceable. Those are the players needed to win championships. Not Luxury Tax Savings. Give me that 2017-2018 team over this team anyday. Healthy Healthy Chris Paul James Harden Trevor Ariza Tucker Capella Bench Gordon Luc Nene ryan anderson That team had length heart defense Westbrook can't hit the three and apparently layups. No one on the wing can defend like Ariza and Gordon and Luc. This 2019-2020 team so far is not impressive. We'll be lucky to make it past the first round.
Preach. They really needed Tucker to beat a 7-14 Spurs team minus LMA? I mean, I guess so, considering they lost, but that's just a stunning indictment on the lack of quality forward play on this team.
Clark was bad last night---3 fouls in 8 minutes, bunch of missed shots, bad TOs---and unlike WB, Clark isn't going to get the opportunity to play through a bad start. I for the life of me can't figure out why Chandler didn't get more time, or Hart any time at all.
More and more I’m realizing what an idiot Dantoni is as a coach. We’re stuck with him for this year I would think, but the way he drives his starters into the ground is pretty unforgivable. This team as composed has little chance to do much in the playoffs I feel, but with PJ and Harden playing stupid minutes it’s a guarantee
