I've been reading in various post the last few days about how if we can't get a PF, we need a PG?? Why is this? I felt that Sura played well, though not great a times. He was scrapy, a tough rebounder, and would knock down the open J when double teams to Yao and Tracy allowed him to be freed up. I also felt that Bobby was very agressive in taking the ball to the basket. Then there is my guy (in Dave Chappelle's "Rick James" voice) MIKE JAMES! This guy was instant offense. I loved it when he would come off the bench, because I knew we were going to score a lot. He is lightining quick, aggressive to the basket, and can knock down that trey. So my question is, with these 2 guys filling as our definiate PGs, why the need to get a PG. I really like these 2 guys. IMHO (which I'm sure, no one cares), if we can't get that tough, rebounding, shot blocking PF we so desperatley need, we should get a upgrade at SF.
Because Sura's often injured and James can't run an offense. Sura's never had a full, injury-free season, and at his age, it would be downright foolish to expect one this year. We need a player who can hit threes, play D, run the break, and get us into our sets QUICKLY. Dribble penetration would be nice, but I don't think it's a necessity.
Well, the argument goes that the team needs another playmaker. T-Mac handled most of those responsibilities in the playoffs, especially; Sura and James have their strengths, but accurate, timely passing, the drive-and-dish and court vision aren't usually considered among them. Nevertheless, I have a hunch both with be back next year.
And if we can bring in a solid pg, then that can free up Sura or James to be packaged in a deal. Sura/James + Expiring contracts + maybe a draft pick could be an enticing offer to a team that wants to pare down salary but still wants bring in some pieces.
The PG for the Rockets doesn't run an offense like John Stockton or Steve Nash would - he merely runs the set plays that Jeff calls out for them, gives the ball to either no. 1 or 11 (or somebody who will) and then spots up. Those things you describe as requirements seem correct and are basically James' functions and what he brought in to do and did, though likely he's best as a backup.
Ok, if our PG are so capable like you said, why the hell we had Tmac bring the ball up. These two are SG strictly, they lack some esstential skills that PG should have. We dont have much flow when these two tried to organize. When they have the ball, 1st thing probably popped out is how to penetrate and how to score, which they were trained to be because they were moded into SG first. We need a PG that start offense, that can pass, not much a concern if he has to score x number of pts.
Terry ate the Rocket's pt. guards up. The Rockets need speed and creativity and the pt . I would keep james as backup.
Neither James nor Sura can run an offense. James actually causes the offense to stall when he is not hitting his shots because he hogs the ball. He is great coming off the bench as instant offense and brings energy on defense. We can only hope a full training camp with the team will help him fit in better, but he is a veteran player who is unlikely to change much. He also makes too many boneheaded plays and couldn't learn to effectively feed the post if his life depended on it. Sura brings a lot to the table when he is healthy. His tenacity, nastiness, rebounding and perimeter passing are pluses. On the downside, he doesn't handle the ball well for a PG, is too slow and his injuries make him too big a question mark for next year. If Sura goes down and Mike James becomes the starter, we are in trouble. Neither Mike James nor Bob Sura think like a PG. We need a PG who can pass the ball to other players where they want it. Passing into the post is as much anticipate and timing as it is effort. Neither James nor Sura learned Yao Ming's game well enough for my taste. T-Mac and Jon Barry were the only players who consistently fed Yao at the right places/times for him to score. T-Mac can't be expected to shoulder the playmaking duties every game next year. We need a PG we can rely on to do this until late in the game when T-Mac will step up and carry the load if necessary.
Well, Sura didnt do crap in Games 6 and 7, the most important games of our season. He played with injuries ALL season....1 off-season is not going to "cure" his health issues. I like James becaue of his speed/offensive abilities. At the same time, James does have the habit of trying to do everything. If he looked to pass more then he looks for HIS shot we'd be unstoppable! If it comes down to getting rid of James or Sura, my opinion is Sura. He is 32, and isnt fast enough to guard other PGs, as we saw against Dallas.
I dont know what games you were watching, but James ran the offense pretty smoothly.....Yes, he likes to shoot, but at the same time he can dribble penetration on basically EVERY possession. I agree, he needs to look to pass more often then he does, but he can definitely run an offense.
I definitely think we should keep James as a backup. He remains the only other player besides Yao and Mac who can create a shot. Plus, I thought it was funny as hell when the Mavs had Devin Harris in, and James just owned him on both ends of the floor... Johnson was forced to yank Harris everytime he got matched up against James.
Sura is a natural 2 guard who would be better at backing up both guard positions. Compared to what they had left after the TMac trade (Barrett, Ward, Lue, Gaines) he was definitely an upgrade and the offense really didn't start to take off until he came back from his surgery. However, when he's your primary point guard, his weaknesses in passing and setting up other players become magnified. I observed how the offense lacked flow and consistency with him running the point. Plus he tended to disappear for stretches of time. The Mavericks exploited this weakness in winning their playoff series with Houston. At this stage of his career, his physical problems have begun to take their toll and he really doesn't measure up well when compared to the other PGs in the West .
Dallas guards weren't scared of our players in the post waiting for them.. basically yao, boweb/padgett, and tmac.. but if we had yao, juwon/or shotblocking PF , tmac/or shotblocking SF it will be a different story.. I also think Sura/Wesley even Tmac ran out gas.. I think JVG should do a better job of distributing playing time next season..
Mike James DOES NOT know how to run the offense. He passes the ball only after he figures out he won't shoot, and sometimes it takes over 10 seconds for him to do that. And when he passes, it's always to someone coming outside just to take the ball away from him. He never hits a cutter to the basket and never feeds Yao or T-Mac in scoring position. He is effective at taking the ball to the hole only when he can finish (and he is a very good finisher). He won't/can't dish while driving to set up a slam or a wide open 3 for someone else. If James could either (1) Pass off the drive or (2) Feed the post or hit cutters from while on top, he might suffice as our starter. He has a pure SG mentality in a PG body.
Sura does thte same thing. He sits out on the perimeter, and then next thing you know, we have 12 seconds on the shot clock. Sura CANT drive by anyone, and CANT play defense. James can at least do BOTH of things. I agree....James DOES need to pass more. But he is younger, quicker, more offensive threat, better defender then Sura. hang on to him!
Agreed. James is definitely a keeper. A good BACKUP PG who brings specific skills to the table, who can play SG at times if you want to go really small and fast or if matchups dictate. My point is both Sura and Wesley should be replaced as starters.
