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As bad as the Rockets looked Wednesday night, the sixth seed is still up for grabs. The Rockets, the Mavericks, and the Blazers seem to be locked into a battle that might go all the way to the last game of the season for magical six spot.
Fans/coaches/players/media can agree, for whatever reason, the defense comes goes, and it will remain that way for the rest of the year.
Throw the defense out this year, everyone will understand... Embrace trying to outscore everyone. In the playoffs defense wins you a championship, but offensive firepower just might get you a first round upset.
When Beasley is out on the floor the few games he has been here, he looks like he could score 20-30 points on a nightly basis if allowed to.
His offensive game just might be the best on the Rockets outside of James Harden.
Since joining the Rockets, he has only taken four three-point shots and only made one of them. The three ball is not his game and that's fine, the Rockets have enough guys that shoot the three. How well they can shoot is another matter entirely.
What Beasley does is take his man off the dribble and get to the rim very well. He can also bend time and space... There was a play against the Clippers when he was going to the rim for a layup, but it wasn't there, so while in the air he waited a split second for a defender to get back on the ground. Then, still hanging, he put the ball in off the glass.
Michael Beasley bending time and space https://t.co/roXKa7DVGi
— Joshua Reese (@MrJoshua) March 17, 2016
Teams are having a hard time defending him. In the game against the Clippers, Jamal Crawford and Wesley Johnson both spent time checking him, and that's a win for Beasley. The few times Beasley has struggled, it's when he's matched up with guys bigger then him. Against the Celtics, Tyler Zeller had success having him shoot over him, but when Beasley put the ball on the floor, he blew past Zeller.
The idea of Beasley has always been great, a shooting guard with the size and the rebounding ability of a power forward/center. In Houston, at least early on, the former number two over pick in 2008 is living up to that potential. His personal life has always held him back in the past but Daryl Morey believes it's behind him.
It's time to unleash that scoring beast—only one time since being acquired has he played more than 20 minutes.
The Rockets need to give him more minutes earlier in the game. If the Rockets are only going to play Donatas Motiejunas 10 minutes a game, what's the point? This season the Rockets are 5-2 when he plays, 20 or more minutes, but they play him so strangely. In the past six games, Motiejunas has played: 8 minutes, 21 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 7 minutes.
*Note, I don't blame the minutes on Motiejunas, that's on the coaching staff*
The Rockets are in desperate need of a consistent power forward, it's something they have not had once this season (or for many, many years). With the season dwindling down, it's time to give minutes to someone who can help the team consistently.
It's time to give those minutes to this season's Chinese Basketball Association MVP.