Written by Matt Zemek at Bloguin
If we’re not at a true crisis point with the Houston Rockets, 11 games into the season, we’re at least at a stage in this team’s evolution which requires careful monitoring.
With the Rockets making “matador defense” look active and aggressive by comparison, coach Kevin McHale is scrambling to get his players to change their defensive ways. On one hand, it seems like the kind of issue which can be fixed. Better effort. Improved communication. Every possession is taken seriously. Those three ingredients, nothing more, can at least shave several points off bloated defensive averages, lifting the Rockets from the bottom five in the NBA to No. 20 or No. 18 on defense. Merely that kind of progress could mean the difference between continued stumbles and a stabilization process.
While other people figure out the precise Xs and Os which can enable McHale to engineer this turnaround, what is a reasonable timetable for Houston to get this larger issue fixed? It probably won’t happen right away, but the problem can’t be allowed to persist for an extended period of time. What’s the realistic roadmap for this team? Let’s go to the schedule and see where we stand.
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