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00:00But Tracy McGrady, anyway, he was on with us Wednesday.
00:05And we were discussing the Rockets, obviously.
00:08And when he said this, it really stuck with me.
00:13And I wanted to have a conversation about it.
00:15And I got out of here before we had a chance to talk about it.
00:17So I thought, hey, why don't we do it on Friday when I get back?
00:21So here's Tracy McGrady talking about the Rockets and their offense
00:27as we currently see it playing out.
00:30I don't like the offense.
00:31They got to sit down and revamp that offense
00:34and come up with something that is going to be effective and efficient.
00:39Short and sweet.
00:40I followed that up with, wait a minute now.
00:41I heard you say that you think they need to revamp this offense.
00:45Is that an offseason deal or is that a right now?
00:48And he said, no, it's a right now deal.
00:50They can do it right now.
00:52And that's where I think the Hall of Famer lost me, Luke.
00:57I watch this team, and do I think they can be better with a couple of moves?
01:02Do I think they can give themselves a chance to win a playoff series
01:05with a couple of moves?
01:06Maybe.
01:07But do I see like a different approach to basketball that's going to take in,
01:13would you say, 14, 12 to 14 games left?
01:15Yeah, 14 games left, but only 12 after this weekend.
01:18So in 14 games, I appreciate you making me right right there, Luke.
01:22But in 14 games left, that can make them that much of a better basketball team.
01:29I don't know that I can get there.
01:32Luke, for you, what do you see?
01:34What am I missing to think that the Rockets, what do you think would lead Tracy McGrady
01:39to say that he thinks the Rockets could revamp their offense before the playoffs
01:43ultimately and give themselves a better chance?
01:45Well, I think McGrady is saying, I guess in general, a team can do it.
01:48I don't think this team can do it because I just don't think the pieces are there
01:52for the Rockets.
01:52So I don't really know what that would be to try to improve it because I think
01:56they have a lot of things working against them.
01:57I mean, obviously, the Fred VanVleet injury hurt them a lot,
02:00and they never did anything to try to bring in help before or after that injury
02:03at the guard position, and I thought that was the fatal flaw.
02:07And then you build this offense around, in large part, around Stephen Adams
02:11and the idea of offensive rebounding and second chances,
02:13and we don't have to be all that efficient, and they weren't shooting a ton of threes,
02:16and they were getting second opportunities, and then you lose Stephen Adams,
02:19and you lose that benefit to your offense.
02:22And now you don't have a point guard, and now you don't have as good of a
02:25rebounding team, so you have to be more efficient, but you're still not as good
02:28of a shooting team, and you don't take care of the basketball because you don't
02:31have a point guard, and you have a defensive head coach, and we can go on and on.
02:34There's just a lot of issues there to try to address and clean up that I don't think
02:38they can do in this short amount of time.
02:39They haven't been able to do it yet since the start of the season, or even if you want to
02:43say
02:43since the Stephen Adams injury where they had to reinvent themselves on the fly a little bit,
02:48and they haven't been able to do it the last couple months, so why should we suspect
02:52or expect that they can do it in a 14-game sample here over these next couple weeks
02:56when, by the way, you're also playing for seeding?
02:59Theoretically, these are the most important games, so you can't play around.
03:02You can't mess around with these, and the playoffs certainly is no time to try to figure things out.
03:06I don't think the answers are on this roster, I guess is what I'm trying to say in all this,
03:10and that's the biggest issue, you know, as we've discussed before, ad nauseam.
03:15I mean, Reed Shepard might be that one solution to try to increase some things,
03:19but they still refuse to play him in a large enough role for us to get that answer,
03:23but the idea that Kevin Durant should be, as he called himself the other night,
03:27I'm the offense, but he can't be the one in control of this offense
03:30because it leads to what we've seen, just too many turnovers,
03:33too much being too reliant on Kevin Durant, which isn't good for the rest of the team.
03:40And this offense was a lot better to begin the season when it was running more through
03:44Shen Goon, which they've gotten away from more since the season's gone on.
03:47So it's a long-winded way to simply say to your question or to the idea of all this,
03:52is that no, I don't think there is enough time to turn this around
03:54because I think there's too many problems,
03:56and I don't know if the solutions are on this roster for this team right now.
03:59Well, I think to play the devil's advocate, if you will,
04:03I think the pushback to your point is, well, they were playing,
04:09this squad was playing significantly better early in the season.
04:12Like, they're clearly sliding the wrong direction.
04:14I mean, they've already lost a spot to Minnesota.
04:17They were, even with the Lakers, the Lakers created separation in two games,
04:21and Minnesota hopped them in two games.
04:23And, hell, I mean, look, they're tied, they're neck and neck with Denver
04:28in that, at the five and six seed right there,
04:32and Phoenix ain't too far behind them.
04:34Phoenix is coming.
04:35So, I mean, you've got some, they're going the wrong direction is the point.
04:39And I think the pushback would be, well,
04:41this group was playing better ball early in the season.
04:45I don't, I agree with you that 14 games seems like it's a little tight
04:49to decide you're going to make a big change.
04:51But if we are going to see a drastic change,
04:55it's got to come in the shape of Reed Shepard, right?
04:58I mean, that's, I mean, I would, the Reed Shepard thing at this point
05:02seems to be almost over-talked because he won't commit to him
05:06and won't start him and won't consistently give him the reins.
05:11But to me, it's less of a, at this point right here,
05:14it's less of a Reed Shepard problem and more of a, hey,
05:17what you're continuing to do is clearly not the answer.
05:21Like, even if you get Reed Shepard out there and it doesn't work,
05:25at least you tried something different.
05:26I mean, Tari Eason is struggling mightily, looks uncomfortable,
05:32looks lost at times.
05:34I don't know if that's confidence or just the offense.
05:38And any time, as you mentioned, any time Durant touches the ball,
05:41it turns into iso ball and everybody just goes and stands in the corner.
05:44And so you've got to figure out a way to move the ball
05:47and you've got to figure out a way to move the ball with guys
05:49that are comfortable handling it and comfortable shooting it.
05:52And, look, I mean, I'll be honest with you.
05:55Luke, you tell me.
05:58And I'm going to watch the game tonight against Atlanta
06:03and the rest of the way.
06:06But it just seems like, to me, the Rockets –
06:11now, whether it's the opponent funneling them into this,
06:16and I'm not even talking about the Durant struggles,
06:19but it seems like either defenses funnel them into guys handling the basketball
06:24and initiating the offense that aren't comfortable doing it,
06:28whether it's defenses funneling into that or it's them doing it by choice.
06:32Like, that, to me, that's the problem.
06:33When I watch – you know, like we watch the Lakers for two straight games.
06:39I didn't see one time by design where Kennard was initiating offense.
06:47I didn't see one time where Smart was handling the ball,
06:51crossing half court, initiating offense by choice.
06:54I'm not saying it never ended up in his hands,
06:56but, like, I never saw that one time where Aiton was handling the ball
07:02outside the three-point line, initiating any kind of offense.
07:06Right?
07:06And it just seems like with the Rockets, man, it's just,
07:10hey, man, whoever wants to initiate, whoever gets the ball, man,
07:13just go ahead, you can initiate.
07:14And that's the approach, to me, that is just broken.
07:18Like, it's not even working with Kevin Durant because they're blitzing him.
07:22Yeah.
07:23You know what I mean?
07:24And the other guys, it just always seems like it ends up
07:27in Tari Eason's hands, who's the coldest shooter in the NBA right now,
07:30and or Ahmed Thompson, who has just put his head down and get to the rack,
07:35which that is rough to watch at times.
07:39Right?
07:39And so, that's got to change.
07:42Some semblance of an offense, a motion offense, moving,
07:45somebody else handling the ball that's comfortable handling it,
07:47I don't give a damn who it is.
07:49Right?
07:49That's just got to change moving forward.
07:53The obvious answer is Reid, but I don't even give a damn who it is.
07:57You can go down the bench if you want to.
07:59Yeah.
07:59Yeah, I do agree.
08:00I mean, without Fred VanVleet, it is a bit of a rudderless ship.
08:03I do think Reid Shepard should be the guy who should see more opportunities,
08:06just so you could get some clarification, at least, by the end of the season.
08:09And what you actually have on a number three pick two years into his career
08:14instead of still having question marks, that's not normal.
08:17But I think also what you mentioned there towards the tail end is also big
08:20in getting more motion, getting more movement.
08:23You know, the Rockets, Kevin Durant and Shungun are two of the 12 low,
08:28two of the 12, how should I phrase this?
08:31They're both in the bottom 12 in the league in movement on offense.
08:35Bottom 12 in the entire league of all the players.
08:37Wait, who is Durant and who?
08:39And Shungun.
08:40Okay.
08:40And then if you go even further.
08:41The two guys that play the most for the Rockets.
08:43Exactly.
08:43Maybe I'm in Thompson's minutes, maybe a little bigger than Shungun's.
08:46And then even further, Okoge, Eason, Jabari Smith, they're all bottom 40.
08:51That's by design.
08:53Right, but that's what I'm saying is the one change you could try to make,
08:57it's not going to happen because it would have happened by now.
08:58It doesn't seem to be in Imei Doka's system or what these players want to do,
09:03but get a little more movement.
09:04That embarrassing fourth quarter against the Lakers Monday night,
09:08I saw the stat where every single pass in the fourth quarter
09:11was made beyond the perimeter.
09:13They did not make one pass whenever somebody received the basketball.
09:17Not once was it inside the arc, which is unfathomable.
09:20But because as you were lying out, Durant would dribble up,
09:23they'd double team him.
09:24He'd just try to, more movement, more motion,
09:27some more creativity would obviously help this offense as well.
09:29I just don't think at this point in the season they can try to really change
09:34things in a big way after doing it a certain way for so long.
09:37Well, I'm going to tell you what, too, Luke.
09:38I'm going to be honest with you.
09:40I mean, Durant's ability to handle that double team is just pissy poor.
09:44I'm not saying he's getting any help to get out of it.
09:46Maybe the guys are late getting to their positions to where he has an outlet.
09:50But Durant being who he is, man, I mean, it is a hard watch
09:56to watch him get blitzed like that, and then his inability to split him
10:01or pass over him or whatever is a rough watch.
10:05I mean, and I know it's two different levels.
10:08Hell, I know it's two different approaches to basketball.
10:11They're blitzing him once he gets across half court.
10:13But, you know, I can't even remember which team it was.
10:16I'm watching this basketball tournament, and, I mean, they were getting pressed.
10:21It's about a three-quarter court press.
10:22It wasn't a full-court press.
10:23But they're getting pressed, and I watch these college cats just, I mean,
10:27I mean, surgical versus the press.
10:30You know what I mean?
10:30Just baiting guys and swinging it across the floor and guys.
10:33And just, I mean, down the court, trip after trip after trip,
10:38I'm watching these, relatively speaking, guys to Kevin Durant,
10:43just nowhere near the athlete.
10:45But, boy, they're just, boom, manipulating the offense
10:48and swinging it around the court and breaking that damn half court,
10:50three-quarter court press time and time again.
10:53And I'm like, boy, the Rockets make this look so hard.
10:56And it's not just the guy that's got the ball.
10:58As I've said before, it's Tari Eason and I'm in Thompson looking at each other like,
11:02hey, should I go to the top or do you want to go to the top?
11:04Hey, should I go to the elbow or do you want to go to the elbow?
11:06It's like nobody knows what the hell they're supposed to be doing.
11:11It's jaw-dropping when you watch a college team that's well-oiled just go up and down the floor
11:16and patiently break this kind of pressure.
11:18And the Rockets can't deal with a blitz on your one superstar that you have.
11:24It's wild, man.
11:25Yeah.
11:25Hey, good press breakers are supposed to get layups.
11:27And so when they want to send the double team, right, obviously it leaves somebody else open.
11:31You're playing at that point four on three.
11:33You should get easy buckets out of it instead of all these easy turnovers.
11:37Well, Luke, correct me if I'm wrong, but we should run them up out of it.
11:41I mean, at the end of the day, they should be so good at it that teams are like,
11:44well, hell with that because we're just giving up layups.
11:46We're giving up dunks and layups, right?
11:47And instead, we're sitting around here.
11:49This is the part that pisses me off in our world is we're sitting around here and going,
11:53well, you know, they did it successfully a couple times.
11:56Well, no, man.
11:56I mean, they should run the defense up out of that, especially a defense that,
12:00hell, I was told coming into the two games against the Lakers,
12:03it was the worst defense in the league.
12:04Yeah, it's not a great defense.
12:06I mean, so like that, I mean, the inability and we got supposed supposedly we've got
12:11these super athletic guys and supposedly we've got one of the greatest scorers.
12:15Like I understand it's not going to be perfect and you may not win a championship, but damn,
12:19you got to be able to run somebody up out of a double team that everybody,
12:23including the announcers, hell, I knew it was coming because the announcers were telling me.
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