Author Topic: Soft in the middle  (Read 2557 times)

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Soft in the middle
« on: January 14, 2012, 12:02:19 AM »

Offline winsomme

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The team has a very straightforward problem and they have had it since Perk was traded and Shaq never really came back.

We are soft in the middle. We get killed in the paint and teams drive to the basket with little resistance.

actually no Baby hurts too because of all the charges he took.

many want to blow this team up but that seems ridiculous to me. we need a starting center. IMO it would change the whole complexion of the season.

not sure how we get one at this point, but i'm really disappointed Danny hasn't had this as his top priority. I wonder if it is even the problem he most wants to address.

Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2012, 12:06:20 AM »

Offline PosImpos

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not sure i agree with the premise that being soft in the middle is the only problem and solving it would completely turn things around, but . . .

Earlier this evening I saw a Rockets blogger tweeting about how the team should sell high on Samuel Dalembert while they still can because he's no use to a team that isn't going anywhere right now.  I asked him if he thought that JO + 1st rounder for Dalembert would be worth it to the Rockets and he said yes.

Dalembert would definitely be a good fit.
Never forget the Champs of '08, or the gutsy warriors of '10.

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Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2012, 12:54:40 AM »

Offline vl819

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Nothing new... we've been soft in the middle (and everywhere else for that matter) since Danny panicked and traded Perk

Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2012, 03:20:03 AM »

Offline lightspeed5

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 cut pavlovic, add sheed. as long as sheed can still lift his arms up im cool.

Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2012, 09:06:43 AM »

Offline winsomme

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So it's a month later and the team is playing much better but against the better teams in the league the main problem is still the same. We need a center.

JO has done a good job of rotating over and picking up charges but at the end of the day he needs to be our backup. We need another legit center to start and beef up our presence in the paint.

I'm not sure who that player is, but with the team playing better I think it has become much clearer that we could quickly become a contender for another Title run.

Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2012, 10:14:03 AM »

Offline Marcus13

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No question about it.

This team still has the talent at the 1-3 spots to make the NBA Finals, but there's just no way that can happen with this frontcourt

Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #6 on: February 10, 2012, 10:26:57 AM »

Offline lantinm

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Would love to see us be in on Kaman if he's bought out.  I like the Dalembert thing too, but I would still call Sactown and see if they would part with Cousins.  I'd offer Bass, Bradley, the Clippers #1, and the Cavs 2013 2nd rounder for Cousins and Greene.


Edit:  I think JJJ could give us Bass-like production off the bench in the same amount of minutes.

Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2012, 11:15:01 AM »

Offline PosImpos

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Would love to see us be in on Kaman if he's bought out.  I like the Dalembert thing too, but I would still call Sactown and see if they would part with Cousins.  I'd offer Bass, Bradley, the Clippers #1, and the Cavs 2013 2nd rounder for Cousins and Greene.


Edit:  I think JJJ could give us Bass-like production off the bench in the same amount of minutes.

Absolutely no way Sac trades DeMarcus after the way he's played so far this season.  Only in his second year and he already looks like one of the best centers in the league.

Especially impressive: he's only playing 29 mpg but he's averaging 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals.
Never forget the Champs of '08, or the gutsy warriors of '10.

"I know you all wanna win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!"
- Doc Rivers

Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2012, 11:20:11 AM »

Offline Greenbean

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not sure i agree with the premise that being soft in the middle is the only problem and solving it would completely turn things around, but . . .

Earlier this evening I saw a Rockets blogger tweeting about how the team should sell high on Samuel Dalembert while they still can because he's no use to a team that isn't going anywhere right now.  I asked him if he thought that JO + 1st rounder for Dalembert would be worth it to the Rockets and he said yes.

Dalembert would definitely be a good fit.

Now if only that blogger was Darryl Morrey, one of the smartest GM's in the game ;)

Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2012, 11:50:40 AM »

Offline greenlion

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its an exaggeration for most to say that we were soft in the middle, i still believe JO can get it done, barring injuries..doc just need to equally trust his rooks to get some of the job done, we don't lack the athleticism, lack of playing time for others to boost their game-confidence is the thing that's missing..i don't see any midseason pick-up that could change the fortunes drastically in our favor anyway, so i'll have to be contented to make the existing pieces fit for me..it's never too late to pick up the pace for those who has already blended with the system, rather than picking up someone that is forced to fit...
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Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #10 on: February 10, 2012, 11:52:38 AM »

Offline LooseCannon

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not sure i agree with the premise that being soft in the middle is the only problem and solving it would completely turn things around, but . . .

Earlier this evening I saw a Rockets blogger tweeting about how the team should sell high on Samuel Dalembert while they still can because he's no use to a team that isn't going anywhere right now.  I asked him if he thought that JO + 1st rounder for Dalembert would be worth it to the Rockets and he said yes.

Dalembert would definitely be a good fit.

I don't think Dalembert is enough of an upgrade to be worth giving up a first rounder, especially considering he is averaging the same minutes as O'Neal.

Dalembert can't be traded until March 1, but I would much rather package the expiring contracts of Wilcox, Dooling, and a minimum salary guy (need one to make the math work, by my calculation) with a #1 and have a combination of Dalembert and O'Neal at center, but Houston doesn't have the roster spots available to swing that trade.
"The worst thing that ever happened in sports was sports radio, and the internet is sports radio on steroids with lower IQs.” -- Brian Burke, former Toronto Maple Leafs senior adviser, at the 2013 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

Re: Soft in the middle
« Reply #11 on: February 10, 2012, 11:54:41 AM »

Offline Celtics4ever

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Quote
ts an exaggeration for most to say that we were soft in the middle, i still believe JO can get it done, barring injuries..doc just need to equally trust his rooks to get some of the job done, we don't lack the athleticism, lack of playing time for others to boost their game-confidence is the thing that's missing..i don't see any midseason pick-up that could change the fortunes drastically in our favor anyway, so i'll have to be contented to make the existing pieces fit for me..it's never too late to pick up the pace for those who has already blended with the system, rather than picking up someone that is forced to fit...

I don't.  I think we are soft as a wet kleenex in the middle.