I was telling people on this board that DFS looked slow and ineffective with the Lakers and I was nervous about the signing. Stone no doubt saw the same thing - the DFS signing only makes sense if you believed he was suffering on the Lakers from not getting a needed surgery and the surgery would help him be a better player eventually. So far it hasn't looked great at all but then again he IS barely two months back from an 8 month injury so I don't think it's absurd to think it's a little premature to call it a bad contract just yet. I mean, Steven Adams looked like a garbage when he first got here as well until he started to regain form post injury. I think it's fair to say, the ramp up from a 6+month injury is generally longer than you would like for just about any player recovering from that severity of injury.
I would happily take Lakers DFS and was very patient with his recovery, but I've given up on him for this season. Don't want to see him out there. Would rather see any of Okogie, Holiday, Crawford, Davison out there. He tanked his midseason trade value and now he's also tanked his summer trade value. Which means we probably keep him till early next season when you hope he improves a bit so that you're not selling ultra-low. Sometimes I get this suspicion that he's doing all this intentionally because he's one of those vets that only wants to ramp up at the end of the season due to feeling underpaid. Just want to remind everyone that a horrible shooting team who at the time had FVV, Amen, Jabari and Tari went out and signed DFS and Okogie. We got lucky Okogie is shooting well. It was SUCH a stupid plan.
Not a bad idea. Udoka acknowledged he’s not 100% but needs time on the court. Why not hurt the Vipers instead of us. Bunch of baloney….he’s 32 and even if we got “prime” DFS, he still only averaged 7-8 points a game. Horrendous signing with a capital “H” at ridiculous money that will handicap us with this same subpar roster for the next three years.
The point with these guys isn't to get scorers - it's to get guys who can contribute defensively and they are good enough shooters that teams can't help off them without paying the price. You don't really care if DFS takes no shots a game as long as his man stays glued to him in the corner. Ultimately the point of 3and D guys is they make it harder to double your better players. ...and you seem to not understand the contract terms of DFS which makes your argument all the more cringey - he only has two years guaranteed of which he is in his first year. He is effectively an expiring deal next year because you can cut him without financial penalty after the 26/27 season provided you make the decision within an option window. Yes we could keep him through the 27/28 season and he could opt into playing through the 28-29 season but Houston ( or any team we trade him to) can retain the optionality to break contract and walk away - the difference is, provided its done in the right terms, there won't be an obligation to pay guaranteed money like there is with most normal contracts. Basically he is an expiring $13mil next year and the fact he has unguaranteed money and not a team option makes him more flexible as a trade asset.
Yep, the problem with DFS is that he's not playing well. Maybe he never does again. The contract was crafted that if things went south, the damage would be minimized. Granted, I think the Rockets expected to have more leeway in next season's aprons.
Shandon Anderson wouldn't make this roster. I stood next to Anderson courtside one game and can affirm he wouldn't muster the Udoka "You Must Be This Tall To Play" requirement (he was listed at 6'6": PSHAW!, sheeeeeeeeeyit, try 6'3.5"). Shandon did manage some steals in 1999-2001 era (yes, I had to "wikipedia" that). But not labeled a defender.
Yeah, he has looked really bad so far. I'm just hoping this is about him needing to get back into game shape and get his body back to where it was when he was still an effective role player not that long ago. He had his moments in LA where he was effective but was playing through pain and then he had moments where he was in pain and was not effective. The hope is we get him back to the effective parts minus the pain....but I think he is most definitely more valuable to Houston as trade filler in the inevitable "big trade" in any case.
If he is not 100% physically, probably not even 80%, why play him at all, let alone so much? Tate, Okogie, and Unc are likely more effective.
DFS squeezed out every morsel in his human power in 27 minutes, for just a +1 and 5 points against the worst NBA tanking team's BENCH Okogie literally had nothing but straight ZEROS in all stats, except somehow getting 4 personal fouls within 9 minutes Okogie had a +2
Uncle Jeff should probably play a little more period, with Jabari out. Especially when opponent goes zone defense. He can play some in the high post No Adams, no Jabari, no Tate, barely a DFS, Tari playing extended starter minutes first time in career, Durant old & overextended, Sengun with some struggles. Seems the actual situation where Unc can play
I really like Dorian Finney-Smith. He's brought a unique perspective to Houston Rockets basketball. Gives me hope that one day maybe even I can proudly wear some Rockets red.
I think what caught people off guard is how his shooting seemed to have disappeared. Its like if Adams forgot how to rebound on top of being slow. DFS was an above 33% shooter for most of his career now 24% Amen bad. Thats whats concerning to me dude forgot how to shoot like Markelle Fultz. Does he shoot with his legs or something tbh we can live with the slow footedness its the shooting blanks thats hurting the team.
Because he was brought in to be the PJ Tucker role of the team to give that small ball center 3&D role. We need him to be playing competently for the playoffs since. Maybe he won't be able to stay on the floor during the playoffs but I think it's prudent to try and get up to speed.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rockets/article/dorian-finney-smith-houston-21950705.php The forward is still dealing with left ankle pain and isn’t quite 100% when jumping off it, he said Monday. He isn’t too pleased with his season but has found accomplishment in availability. “Of course, me being me, I expect more but I’m just happy to be back out there on the court,” he said. “Got great teammates who [have had] my bac/k even though I haven’t been shooting the ball as well as I want to. But you got to take your wins and my win is that I’ve been back on the court.” Coach Ime Udoka, speaking in early February, likened the forward’s return to that of center Steven Adams. “It’s something that just happens over time with rhythm and getting your legs and timing back. … You got to go in five minute stretches at first, and it’s tough to get a rhythm in that,” Udoka said. “But going big picture, health wise, that’s key for us to keep them in lower stretches. Once you increase those minutes, it’ll eventually happen.” Finney-Smith, asked about his shooting struggles, kept it simple: “Gotta find rhythm. Gotta make the ball go in. I’ve been getting my reps up.” He’s been putting in the reps and knows that he can be much, much better than his 25.4% mark from deep this season. Over the last four years, he has shot: 41.1, 34.8, 33.7 and 39.5%. In Houston's win over Washington on Monday, Wizards players ran out and jumped at Finney Smith as he readied to shoot multiple times — he made his lone attempt from deep — and he attacked those closeouts, generating shots at the basket or kick-out opportunities in the process. “Nobody wants to be the team you had that breakout game on,” he said after the game. “… Sometimes I be mad like, 'Why don’t get any open shots? I’m only shooting 20 percent.' But you know, that’s respect.” Udoka said Monday’s game looked like a step in the right direction for Finney-Smith’s “pop and explosion.” Finney-Smith said before the game that he felt closer to 100% jumping off his left foot than he did earlier this season.
