Looking at the starting lineup from the psychological perspective

CRC · Dec 16, 2003

I don't post often in the GARM because honestly I don't get to watch games often. However, based on the quotes from the players and coaches from the Chronicle, I would like to dedicate this thread to analyzing the starting lineup from a psychological perspective.

From the psychological perspective, it's easy to see every player is trying to play up to their strength and avoid their weaknesses. Just look at the starting line up:

Francis:
He is certainly not a great passer & passing has been one of his weaknesses, so subconsciously he prefers not to pass in order to hide this deficiency.

Mobley:
Same problem as Francis where passing is not his strength, so he tend to stick to his strength which is scoring & break down defenders by playing iso.

Yao:
Passing is his strength so he tend to pass more. Aggressiveness/positioning is one of his major weaknesses so he tried to hide this deficiency by avoiding aggressive physical contact & stick to his strength which is passing & long range shooting instead of playing aggressively banging/dunking in the paint.

Jackson:
A more balanced player. Has adequate skills in making good decisions on passing/shooting. He Knows his role on the team (what he should do) & play to his strength. The problem - his shots are way off & not finding the rim.

Cato:
Like Jackson, he knows his role and playing to his strength which is banging in the paint & rebound. He knows his deficiencies which is shooting & lack of mobility to guard quicker PFs.

As mentioned above, from a physchological point of view, everyone is trying to play to their strength as an individual & tried to avoid exposing their weaknesses, but overall as a team that's not necessarily a positive -- i.e. Both Francis & Mobs tried to play to their strength which is scoring instead of passing. The problem -- then nobody in the backcourt will/can pass the damn ball. Yao is trying to play to his strength (passing) & hide his weakness (being physical). The problem -- he's the one that should be passing less & be more agressive, but he is not doing that either. Jackson & Cato knows their roles and knows what they should do to play as a team, the problem -- when they get a chance & make a right decision to shoot the ball, they just can't find the rim.

As a result, the main problem of the Rockets' offense right now is -- Those who knows their role (& what they should to do to help out the team) just can't shoot the damn ball when opportunities presents themselves; and those who don't quite understand exactly what they should do to help out the team are ironically the "leader/stars" of the team.

Everyone is trying to play up to their strength & hide their weaknesses, but having all of them playing what they do best is not necessarily a good thing from a team perspective. I think Francis knows this, & he is trying to make adjustments (learning something he's not yet good at) & that's why we see a drop in his stats this season. I bet he's probably a little confused right now on whether to keep trying/learning to play 'the right way' or go back to what he does best -- like the previous seasons.

I fully expected that we'll see a drop in production from players who are going through a process of learning, thus I'm not so concerned about the inconsistency of the team lately. If JVG managed to get all the players to understand their roles and improve their weaknesses, I'll have no problem with the struggles the players are going through right now if it means they can all 'get it' in the long run.

What do you guys think? Would you prefer the players to learn something they are apparently not good at or do you want them just stick to what they do best? How much time are you willing to give the player/team to learn? Do you think they can overcome this psychological barrier?

Rockets2K · Dec 16, 2003

CRC bud...

a couple of corrections for ya.

Mobley: does a decent job of passing when it comes to him needing to pass, since he is the scoring guard..and he has been the only one with a consistent shot...he normally isnt the one that the play calls for passing into he post(which I am almost sure is what you mean)
Also, he has not been isoing near as much this year..he has been getting his shots in the flow of the offense. Also, you left out the obvious strength that he has, whcih is to play good defense.

Cato: whether or not VG is iving him the greelight to shoot, he should never be shooting outside of about 5 feet..his role is to rebound, play defense, and get putbacks. If he stuck to that, I would agree that he knows his role...but he doesnt.
So, I wouldnt say that he totally knows and sticks to his role.

I do agree that one of the reasons why SF is having a little trouble this year is because he is tryin to learn how to do things he isnt used to doing. It was easier for him when all he had to do was figure out how to score...but the added need to learn how to read defenses and make decisions based on those reads is leaving him unsure of what he should be doing...he is fighting between the urge to do as VG says...and the desire to take it upon himself when things arent doing well.

SwoLy-D · Dec 16, 2003

Darn it... why did I drop psychology...?

tierre_brown · Dec 16, 2003

I think that, even though we are past the 20 game mark, the playeres are still auditioning for the coach. Like you said, they're all playing to maximize their strengths and hide their weaknesses. At first I think they were so focused on hiding their weaknesses that they listened to JVG wholeheartedly, to show him that they were all indeed team players. Now, however, when things have started to go south, they're all playing like they're out for themselves, not the team.

Steve, though he is not the prototypical point guard, is still the leader of the team. Like it or not, he will probably be the go-to guy in the clutch, and he thrives in that situation. Although he's been undermined lately with poor shooting and pretty bad AST:TO numbers, he still has the mindset that he is the man. Though many have blasted him for this, I think he's the only one out there with anything remotely close to a "killer instinct."

Mobley is a great 2 guard. He's streaky, but when he's on, watch out. He's also shown a greater propensity to pass lately, which I find quite amazing. He has been the most fluid Rocket, able to adjust to any situation that presents itself, which is, I think, because he was a second round draft pick and he's still showing everyone who passed on him what they missed out on.

JJ was a great addition at the beginning of the year. Lately, though, he's been pretty bad. I think the fact that he is the veteran leader on this squad has gotten to him a little bit. Back in the 3J days in Dallas, he was considered a cancer. I'm sure some people still think so. I think that the reason he was given this label is because he was a good college player, but in the NBA, he is more of a role player. He's supposed to be this year's Glen Rice, but Glen was a star and knew how to handle the pressure. JJ is starting to wilt, and I think he's trying to back out of the spotlight even more, and his play suffers.

Cato SHOULD NEVER SHOOT! Just dunk and tipbacks and rebounding and blocking. Basically our version of Ben Wallace. He knows his role, and the JVG "pampering" has done him well; I honestly didn't know if he could continue his play from last season, and it looks like he's proven doubters wrong. He knows his role now; before, they were trying to mold him into Hakeem's replacement and he wilted under all the expectations. After being the most hated Rocket for a while, he's beginning to fluorish by understanding his role. Though I don't understand his newfound love with the jumpshot, he's still the best complement to Yao we have.

Which brings us to the 7'6" giant from the East. Call it culture, call it playing against weaker players all his life; whatever it is, he's playing soft. He's glad the spotlights off of him and onto LeBron, but even so, he needs to step up. Second best center in the west? Maybe not. He needs to step it up a little. He still defers to the Rox as Steve's team, and rightfully so. But he needs to be the inside threat that Steve needs. He's just playing like he's had one year under his belt so the league will automatically be easier to play against. He needs to focus and throw that frame around, even if it means getting a few fouls. It'll at least get the opponents to respect him.

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Looking at the starting lineup from the psychological perspective

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