Remaining Holes for Contenders (ESPN Insider)

Packed* corrected

 

Funny how whoever wrote the article saysaybe Cannan can help with lowering TOs. That's the biggest, consistent knock I've heard on his game coming out of college. Don't see that becoming a strength in his first year in the big league.

I think TJ will surprise a lot of people at the 4 this year, in a good way. Would still like to see a vet added at that spot on the cheap, mostly for depth & help develop TJ. Not too high on what I've seen out of Dmo so far, but wish the kid the best, seems like a solid dude.

As for Asik, I think we gotta keep him around. He's a pricey back-up but we need him for a lot of reasons. Mainly, having an insurance policy given D12s previous injuries. Dont wanna think abou it, but it is a possibility. Nice to have a backup that's better than 75 % of the starters in the league. We all know far too well how important it is to have a quality big & how bad your team can look without one.

 

I think the wording came out wrong, but the premise makes sense. The Rockets did play out of control often, creating unforced turnovers. Harden and Lin both contributed a lot to this.

However, I think this issue has more to do with the team mentality on offense more than personnel. But it would be interesting to see if our backcourt can play more in control now that we have Howard in the fold and no longer need to outscore opponents every night. I think with 48 minutes of Howard/Asik on D every night, the Rockets won't be as reckless with the ball. But whether they can still perform as well under control is still up in the air.

Personally, I don't see the PF spot as a need. For christ sakes we have 2 1st rounders there and a 3rd PF that showed promise in Greg Smith. I mean, at some point you gotta let the kids show whether they can cut it or not. It's one thing if we're trading for Aldridge or Love, but no reason to find some random veteran scrub to start on this team at the 4.

 

Obviously, our biggest hole is at the PF. We have a lot of hope. What we don't have is anyone we know can even be average.

 

peremeter defense is what Rockets need the most.

offense, done.

 

I like our 4's, but the addition of Byron Mullens would be the icing on the cake. The guy can shoot and rebound.

 

I don't see ball handling at the point as our big problem. With Howard, we'll run more half court sets, which will take more time per possession and cut down on our possessions per game & our T/Os.

Our big problem is the 4 spot. However with TJ & Dmo, we can give them til the trade deadline to show what they can do. Howard being on the floor should help them out also. I don't see a move being made til then.

 

I think the Rockets' bench situation might need to be looked at. Bev and Asik are solid backups, but who's your sixth man going to be?

 

100% right, I guess this is inside knowledge?

 

I agrre that the 4 spot is questionable right now. Perimeter defense is needed.

 

The lesser Howard would state otherwise

 

Besides the obvious need at 4. I do think we could use another guard/forward.

 

I think people worried about the PF spot may be overlooking how many minutes Parsons is likely to take there. I think we'll see a lot of matchups with Garcia and Parsons playing the 3 and 4 to provide spacing. Hopefully Casspi can also bring something similar to what Delfino did at PF in certain matchups last year, but with better size. It would be great if Jones or Motiejunas rises to the level of a solid starter this year, but given the success we had with small ball last year, I don't think it's as critical of a need as one might think.

 

lol what!?!? Biggest need is a ball handler... but Boobie Gibson is straight spot up shooter. CAnaan can help? LOL, if he doesnt turn it over it's because he's so quick to launch a shot there's no chance to lose the ball.

 

Weird article, how can canaan help with turnovers? name one rookie guard who was not turn over prone... turnovers are mostly caused by in-experience... the more experience the less turnovers...

 

In addition to all that's been said in this thread, the Knicks are not a contender.

 

We already have enough ball handlers. Asik's 'hands' issue was mostly in the beginning of the year, and also partially due to forced passes. By the end of the year, and during the playoff, Asik caught every pass that was within his reach.
Lin's turnover issues stemmed from trying to force the ball ahead on the fast break and over throwing his teammates. Harden's turnovers came mostly on drive and dish situations where his pass was just off target. But, again, that was mostly cleaned up by both Harden and Lin at the end of the season and into the playoffs.
The only 'holes' left to fill is the starting power forward spot. We have some young prospects on our team already who could fill that hole. The other team issue is solidifying our bench. Will Greg Smith stay on the team? Will Marcus Camby be added to the roster? If so, who leaves? Getting solid play from our bench is my only lingering concern. But if Asik stays, we should have a solid bench with decent options at every position.
Bench players by position:
PG- Beverly & the rookie Caanan;
SG- Reggie Williams and Francisco Garcia can play SG;
SF- Francisco, Omri Caspi, Rookie Robert Covington;
PF- Donatas Motiejunas (if Jones starts), Greg Smith;
C- Asik, Greg Smith, (Camby?)

After reviewing the current roster and barring further trades, the only pieces I see that the team is missing are; 1- a defensive minded big guard and, 2- a shot blocking forward.

 

Winner. Stupid article fixed once again by a Clutchfans user.

 

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I agree I mean you dont have to have a all star PF in our situation.

If either DMO or Jones can step up and be a top 15-20 PF in the league we will be a beast of a team.

I like Jones in the starting line up more...because of his weakside shot blocking and athleticism for defense. If he can learn to hit the 3 (as he did in college), crash the boards, hustle and learn to play the best defense of his life. He will be perfect.

Then the second unit will consist of Dmo and Asik. That is a perfect combo...and Dmo could concentrate more offense then anyone on the court, and we all know that is strong suit.