So you read my 1st sentence only and responded with 1 game. I'm not disagreeing with his take on the Rockets. It's easy to see how we play from the box score and analytics (something Chuck hates). I'm disagreeing with using Howard as the scape goat when he's been used less this season compared to his entire time in the league. That's just DUMB.
DD is the white Charles Barkley... well, without the basketball skills, but they have roughly the same amount off bball knowledge.
What????? He didn't use Howard as a scape goat.. He stated how ridicules the offense was (Which we all have stated) He talked about Harden pounding the ball and wasting the shot clock (which we all have stated) He stated Howard was looking older and that it looks as if his body is breaking down (again.. which we all have stated).. He basically stated everything we have all stated in one thread or another in the GARM... So you lost me.. T_Man
Scapegoat. OK not really, but this is a pile on. A few days ago, the question was "What is wrong with the Rockets? They brought back the same team and added Lawson they should be better." Now it's, their offense is horrible. I hate watching them. James Harden pounds the ball. But this is still the same team that made the WC finals last year. The same offense. The same James Harden. However as soon as ANY credibility comes to the fact that Howard MAY be traded, because at this point the Rockets are simply testing the waters, now it's open season on attacking the Rockets. When trading Dwight was simply a rumor everyone had to hold off-- just a little. This is typical media or more importantly ESPN jumping on the not so new news to keep that narrative alive as long as they don't have anything else hot to talk about. Moving TF on.
Clutch created a thread a while back where Jason Terry stated this is not the same team.. The media is doing and saying nothing different than posters on this board having been saying for over 2 months. The fact is this team is bad.. The problem is the truth is hard to swallow... Trading Howard is not going to fix this problem, getting new players will not fix this problem... The Rockets got Josh back and they thought all of their problems have been solved. It was a band-aid to a deeper wound.. Their is no team play or chemistry, it's like a pickup game at times with 5 strangers on the court. The fact is, if they were playing with chemistry and playing hard then they wouldn't be getting any negative attention from the media. T_Man
But this doesn't change anything you said. This has been the case for 3 months now, and the reasons are what you said. Chemistry issues. But as well lack of defensive intensity. What is a media pile on, and a pile of crap, is that now it is OK for ESPN to jump on and say "It's Harden" or the more familiar "Dwight is a team killer". No one is contradicting ANY of the things you said. Except the media, because in the two video's posted in this thread Charles has said "Dwight is old" and Wilbon (who I really like) has said "Harden pounds the ball", which are things that haven't changed from last year. It's the way we won, but now it's being dismissed as to reasons we are losing. It is NOT that simple. I would re-iterate what Terry said in his quote from yesterday about how it's like a marriage. Because like a marriage you don't need or want outsiders looking in and trying to explain away reasons they don't fully have knowledge of as to what's causing the problem.
1) ISO Harden definitely sucks when it happens in the middle of the game. Near the end of the game you can't give the ball to anyone else because Harden is literally the only person on the team that can make a free throw. 2) The real reason it hasn't worked this season is because this team can't shoot. When they run the pick and roll with Dwight, there are 2 guys in the paint because they don't have to guard the shooters. 3) I don't know if Dwight has actually gotten worse at defense or if he just stopped caring on that end. It would be really tough for me to care on that end when I have to guard 4 people.
In a thread titled Barkley on Dwight Howard with the direct question of how Houston was so excited to get Howard and it didn't work Chuck stated 'Dwight is disinterested, he's slowed down, his talent level has dropped sufficiently, he's not the same guy he was in Orlando (or LA - which is a strange comment given his injuries there) and he's starting to break down'. Were we watching different clips? Yet he's still a top 5 center in the league and has been one of our very few performers this season. I find it strange getting attacked for defending one of our own players, especially by someone like Barkley, who despite his career as a player, has a clear agenda against anything Rockets related.
He stated the truth... He didn't say anything negative... He stated pure facts.. His talent level has dropped.. He's not the player he was in Orlando He is breaking down.. He does play disinterested at times... they all do So i'm not understanding what you're trying to say. T_Man
Did you even hear what he said? He said that Dwight is on the decline. The Topic was Dwight Howard, not who is the scape goat of the Rockets.
what he's trying to say is that he's really sensitive that Charles Barkley criticizes the Rockets all the time on TNT and we haven't proven him wrong.
Yes I'm being defensive of Dwight and maybe I think more highly of him than the average fan. But what would he have to do to have respect from Barkley, Shaq or even CF's? My points are directly relating to Dwight. I don't agree with Barkley's opinions on him. That's it. In terms of Rocket's performances, Dwight IMO is not the issue (nor is Harden). And back to Barkley, even last season there was never any respect from him towards Rockets despite reaching the WCF. His opinion's are so biased regarding anything Rockets.
He's just saying you didn't listen to his comments you just projected your feelings on his statements
