00:00We've got to talk about Tracy McGrady here
00:02and more of what Tracy McGrady said, Luke.
00:05Wednesday when Luke and I was doing a show together,
00:10Tracy said something.
00:11And I doubled back on Tracy and asked him,
00:14wait a minute, I need to know if this is actually possible.
00:17But here's what spurred.
00:19Here's what Tracy said.
00:20Here's what spurred my follow-up question
00:23and is definitely spurring this conversation
00:25that Luke and I are fixing to have.
00:27Here's Tracy McGrady talking about the offense right now
00:30for the Rockets.
00:31I don't like the offense.
00:32They've got to sit down and revamp that offense
00:35and come up with something that is going to be effective
00:38and efficient.
00:40It's short and sweet, baby.
00:41That's what I'm looking for.
00:45I mean, we've got a handful of games left in the season here.
00:49We've only got so many options.
00:51It's not like you're getting somebody healthy
00:52and all of a sudden you're inserting some new blood
00:55into the lineup.
00:56When I heard that, I doubled back and asked Tracy about it.
01:00And he said, no, yeah, it can happen in season.
01:02Because my question was, I mean,
01:04are you just stating what needs to happen in the offseason
01:06when they get Fred VanVleet back
01:08and whenever they have an offseason to make adjustments
01:10or whatever?
01:11Or are you talking about like right now in season?
01:15He said, no, it's got to happen right now in season.
01:17And my question for you, Luke, is, I mean,
01:20I've watched the Rockets a lot this year.
01:22I know they started off playing a little bit of a different brand of ball,
01:25and I know they started off playing better ball.
01:28And I know it's been ugly of late, turning the ball over at a record pace,
01:33appearing to not have much identity or much heart,
01:35if I'm being completely honest.
01:37But, I mean, in my mind, I don't know where and how the Rockets
01:41can make an adjustment to quote-unquote revamp an offense
01:44to give themselves a puncher's chance at all.
01:47Do you see where that could happen?
01:49No, I think it's too late, too, because like you said,
01:51I mean, you're not waiting on somebody to come back
01:52and piece this together.
01:53You've got 14 games left after this weekend.
01:56You've got only 12 games left to go into the playoffs,
01:58and you can't be figuring things out in the playoffs.
02:01I mean, the offense was a problem last year as well.
02:03And so, obviously, Kevin Durant was the move that was made
02:05to try to fix the offense, hoping that Fred VanVleet
02:08would be able to be the conductor, and he's unavailable.
02:12They just don't have that guy.
02:13And so then, oftentimes, they turn to Durant.
02:15Durant even said it himself the other night,
02:17I am the offense, but we've seen this before
02:20where when Kevin Durant is the leader of the offense,
02:23pretty much everywhere outside of Golden State,
02:25it just hasn't been good enough.
02:26And B. Scott was talking about this yesterday as well,
02:29the concerns for Durant that then become the concerns
02:31of the team or the turnovers, like you alluded to,
02:34are just too much.
02:35I think they become too dependent on Kevin Durant
02:38because he is Kevin Durant.
02:39And so, the offense becomes too singular player-focused,
02:44and the other guys kind of take it off.
02:46But I still think the shooting's not good enough either.
02:48I just think they have too many issues to figure out.
02:51But to answer your question succinctly,
02:53no, I just don't think there's enough time.
02:54Otherwise, they would have done it by now, right?
02:55I mean, this has been a problem for,
02:57this didn't just start.
02:58This offense has been an issue for most of the season,
03:00and they haven't been able to figure it out.
03:02You have a defensive head coach.
03:03You're missing a point guard.
03:05I don't think you have enough outside shooting.
03:07And you're leaning on a star in Kevin Durant,
03:09who just hasn't been good enough in the biggest moments,
03:11especially taking care of the basketball.
03:12So, unfortunately, I think it is an off-season issue
03:15and not something you can just figure out on the fly here
03:17in the next 14 games,
03:19with two of them being the next two nights.
03:20Yeah, that seemed a little aggressive to me, too.
03:23I think, you know, look,
03:24when you've got a superstar like Kevin Durant,
03:25you can obviously go out there and compete with anybody.
03:27But as I said, going into these two Lakers games,
03:30and it actually unfolded exactly how I hoped it would unfold,
03:34where it was a tight ball game
03:35in the last two or three minutes of the ball game,
03:36and then you watch the great team that has an identity
03:39that's got closers, you watch them go out there
03:41and not only close the Rockets out,
03:43but close them out in convincing fashion.
03:45I mean, they should have won both of those games
03:46by double digits.
03:46Hell, they may have won the second one by double digits.
03:48I turned the damn thing off.
03:50But the point being is, I tell you, for me,
03:53I think the only adjustment thing,
03:54and I don't know if it's going to be enough,
03:56but the only adjustment that can be made,
04:00and I think you said it, I think Tracy said it,
04:03I think everybody said it,
04:04is, like, Kevin Durant can't be your main ball handler.
04:06He can't be your initiator, right?
04:09I know when I'm watching the Lakers, for instance,
04:12when I'm watching the Lakers and the Rockets,
04:16and, you know, through,
04:17and I don't even talk about the crunch time,
04:18because I understand we got a crunch time problem,
04:20because Durant can't do it all, right?
04:22But I'm talking about throughout the game.
04:24Luke, I never, I watched two games,
04:26the majority of two games.
04:27It never's a long time.
04:29But I didn't see guys like Smart,
04:36Kennard,
04:37Aiton.
04:38Like, I never saw those guys handling the ball outside,
04:42coming across half court,
04:43handling the ball,
04:44initiating offense on a consistent basis.
04:46Never's a long time.
04:47They may have done it a time or two.
04:48But none of those second-tier players,
04:51if you will,
04:52on their team,
04:54or non-point guards,
04:56are handling the ball consistently
04:58outside the three-point line, right?
05:01I mean, just,
05:01if they are,
05:02it's a pass-through, man.
05:03Move the ball,
05:04move without the ball.
05:05And I watched the Rockets play,
05:07and it's constant, man.
05:08It's,
05:09Tari Eason,
05:10in a time when I,
05:12hell,
05:12since you said he was one for 25
05:14in the last however many games,
05:15I don't think I've seen him make a shot,
05:17so I know it's gotta be,
05:18he's gotta be one for a lot.
05:19Yeah.
05:20Right now.
05:20But, I mean,
05:21like,
05:21I watched the Rockets,
05:24and I know there's different schemes
05:26and different philosophies,
05:27and I know he's putting the better
05:28defensive lineup out there,
05:30but Tari Eason,
05:31they funneled the ball.
05:33You can't tell me this,
05:33it's just by happenstance.
05:34They funneled the ball
05:35to Tari Eason and Amin Thompson
05:37who can't handle it,
05:38they're not comfortable,
05:39the vision sucks.
05:40Like,
05:40they,
05:41those guys handle the ball
05:43and initiate all the damn time
05:44when you're watching the Rockets,
05:45and when I watch them play other teams
05:48that are,
05:48you can say it about the Nuggets as well.
05:50Right?
05:50I haven't watched him a ton,
05:52but when I watch them,
05:52there's not a lot of non-guard,
05:55non-superstar players
05:57handling the damn ball
05:58and initiating the offense,
05:59and it seems like it's,
06:00the Rockets do it by choice
06:02all the,
06:03the entire game.
06:04Yeah,
06:05for sure.
06:06I just think it's just,
06:08I don't know if there's a better option,
06:09right?
06:09Like,
06:09it's just hard without a point guard.
06:11I don't know.
06:11Well,
06:11but,
06:12where I'm at though,
06:13where I'm at though,
06:14right,
06:14we've seen enough of like,
06:15that option doesn't work.
06:16That option's not the answer.
06:46That's right.
06:48if you're not talented enough
06:49or you're not good enough on defense
06:50or you're not long enough
06:51or whatever it may be,
06:53then so be it.
06:54But,
06:54like,
06:54they just trot out there
06:55and continue to lose the same way
06:57night in and night out.
06:58I do agree with that,
06:59and that's something I've been calling
07:00for all year.
07:00I don't get the idea of limiting
07:02Reed Shepard still
07:03in his opportunities.
07:05If nothing else,
07:06that should have been the answer
07:07we got this year
07:08because this is turning into
07:09a bit of a lost season
07:10for the Rockets.
07:11But the one thing
07:12this season should have
07:13figured out for us
07:14is whether Reed Shepard
07:15is that guy
07:16or not.
07:17And at a certain point,
07:18you kind of just have to
07:18throw him out there
07:19and let him sink or swim.
07:20And you can't figure that out
07:22in the playoffs.
07:22It needs to be done
07:23during this regular season
07:24and it should have been done
07:25a lot sooner than
07:26crunch time now
07:27where you're battling
07:27for position and seating.
07:29I don't know if Reed Shepard
07:30is your answer at point guard,
07:31but we need some
07:32firm clarity on that.
07:34And that's the one thing
07:35that I do scratch my head
07:35most with E-May
07:36and this Rockets team
07:37is I still don't get
07:38the resistance
07:39to throw him out there,
07:40let him sink or swim
07:41because, yeah,
07:42to your point,
07:42you don't really have
07:43a better option right now.
07:44You might as well try him,
07:45let him develop.
07:46It's already his second year.
07:47You can't let this kid,
07:48it's almost like a quarterback
07:49on that rookie contract.
07:50You can't waste the whole time
07:51with them just on the bench.
07:52Like, you got to try
07:52to get something out of him
07:53before decision day comes.
07:55So I am with you there
07:56that I still don't understand
07:59the lack thereof of Reed Shepard.
08:00Well, it's just,
08:00I mean, it's even got to the point
08:02where forget about that, Luke.
08:03Forget about,
08:03I don't understand the usage.
08:04Like, I don't understand
08:05how hard-headed you can be
08:06to keep doing the same thing
08:07over and over again
08:08and watch guys that are
08:09completely uncomfortable
08:11handling the ball.
08:12Definition of insanity.
08:13Right?
08:13I mean, it's just,
08:14it's wild.
08:15It's hard to watch
08:15as a Rockets fan.
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