I don't get to watch the games, but on nba.com they show the starters in all caps. Did the Rockets start Francis, Mobley, Anderson, Rogers, and Hamilton against the Knicks tonight?
I missed the first few minutes, but thats how they started the second half. So you would assume so. I like it so far. And we hardly knew ye at the three Wizard
Yup...Rudy is definitely mixing it up tonite. Thankyou.. BTW, I haven't gotten a chance to watch the game tonite...has Walt played any minutes?
Zero minutes for the Wizard. Rudy is definitely in full overhaul mode, praise be. Williams and Cato are in the doghouse. Mobley, Hamilton, Thomas, and Bullard are getting the minutes. If Wizard regains his touch, he's going to do it by sitting and watching until he stops feeling the pressure that's been choking him.
I may be of the minority here, but I believe that Walt can be effective if he only comes off the bench. In a way he is like Sam Mack, he is simply better coming off the bench (although Mack has had limited starting experience). If we can either acquire or place one of our current SF's at the starting slot and play more of a defensive role, then thats where the Wizard would be most efficient. We have a few choices here; we can move Shandon to the 3 and start Mobes (which I would prefer not to do); we can start Rogers at the 3 with Cato at the 2 and Hamilton at centre (for a very big line-up. Or we can trade for a defensive-minded SF with some game. And for that, Sam Mack is most definately not the answer. Azim da Dream ------------------ "Change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress undeniably requires change." - Motto of the Houston Rockets
Only down side to the dream starting line up that we have wanted for so long is THEY MAY NOT BE THE STARTERS TOMORROW NIGHT. Rudy said on the radio that the line up will change according to how we match up with the other team. A nice way of letting Walt down maybe? Poor Walt - he needs a fresh start somewhere else. Sorry, I gave up on the waiting game.
I wouldn't say worthless. I'm still glad we have Cato. The jury is still out on what he'll do in the long run. I suspect that if the Rockets wanted to get rid of Cato (which I'm glad they don't), there would be plenty of teams ready to step in and make offers. I'm certainly willing to be patient. I think we're all glad we got Carlos Rogers in the Pippen deal. And maybe Walt will be able to find his shot and provide something from the bench eventually. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it was the greatest move ever, but I don't think it was worthless.
They said on TV T-Ham started to match Ewings post up game, and Cato off the bench to match up w/ athleticism of Camby.
I guess I am a little fed up but props go to Franchise, Cat, Drew, 'Los and even Two Sandwiches for coming to compete. Two holding Ewing in the post reminded me of what my dad said when I asked him if he's fight Mike Tyson: 'He might whip my a**, but he'd definitely know he was in a fight.' Cato - forget the officials and just play your game. The man is good, just constantly uptight about the officiating. (Remember Charles in Phoenix) Concentrate on the bucket. Blizzard - you need to compete with Anderson and Mobley for the Rox Super Six-Man spot and right now you're a distant third. Starting to wish that Glen Rice rumor had panned out. K. Thomas - Who knew?!?!? This guy is probably going to be in the starting line-up (if not in Houston, somewhere else) for the remaining years of his NBA career if he keeps playing like he's playing. Bullard - Damn! ------------------ [This message has been edited by PanGOM (edited December 15, 1999).]
Even though Hamilton played well at times,I'd rather see Cato with that group.He feeds off the uptempo game.It gets him involved.
I really don't like the new starting lineup. As much as the old one failed to produce I think it is preferable to this one. Here are some reasons why. 1. It is clear that this team needs a three, but Anderson isn't the answer. Mobley is also more effective off the bench because of his penchant for shooting and running iso plays. 2. Hamilton isn't the longterm answer at the center position. Don't get me wrong, he's as big a surprise to me as he is to everyone else, but we need not getting excited by a twelve point performance against a team with no center. Cato should get 30-35 minutes no matter what. He needs to stop worrying about scoring and blocking shots and go after the rebounds. He will get ten points and 2-3 blocks a game if he sticks around and gets consistent minutes. He doesn't need to work miracles. ------------------ Rockets When? Rockets When?
I don't think the Wizard is in the doghouse, precisely. He became a lot less valuable when Barkley went out because we don't have a post-player who demands a double-team. I predict that when Olajuwon comes back, his performance down low will determine Williams' minutes. If he starts tearing them up like he's supposed to, Williams will get big minutes; and if he plays like he did in the beginning of this season, Williams will sit and the other back-court guys will slash.
Freak, "How do I know that Hamilton isn't a starting center and that Anderson isn't a starting three?" This is a good question and deserves a good answer. As far as the Kenny Smith in the title years I have long argued that we won in spite of him and not because of him. As far as Elie is concerned I don't think playing him at small forward was an advantageous situation. It obviously a short term fix that worked in 1995 playoffs, but when he became a starter the next year I think you could see that we suffered some with him there. I see the situation with Anderson the same way. He is certainly a gifted defender and probably could do a pretty good job against most 3s, but I think he is the kind of player who could do a very good job against almost every 2. I don't see any reason why we should move him out of his natural position for a short term fix at the small forward spot. Yes, if you give him the chance he could prove that he could handle the job. If we keep him at the shooting guard spot he might prove that he can thrive there. I would rather see him thrive than "handle". As for Thomas Hamilton I think we can talk for hours about "what if he lost weight". Unfortunately, that must happen before I could even entertain the possibility of him being a starting center. Even then, I don't think I've seen enough of him at the offensive end to believe that he could be a solid starting center. That being said, he's shown enough tenacity on defense and the boards and enough court sense to continue to get quality minutes. The main reason that I want to keep Cato and Anderson at their natural positions is because I think I've seen enough of them to believe that they are an integral part of our future. So, I would rather see us play them there and lose then move them out of position to get a few extra wins. Playing them consistent minutes at their natural position will do more for their personal confidence than what we would gain with 5-10 extra victories. Cato is still a very young player because of his lack of PT in Portland. There will be nights when he simply doesn't do it. The thing you do is keep throwing him out there for 30-35 minutes so he can learn and become more consistent. ------------------ Rockets When? Rockets When?
1. It is clear that this team needs a three, but Anderson isn't the answer. How does anyone know this? What about Anderson makes him unfit to be a small forward? What are the chances of us finding a better defender at that position? How did we get by with Mario Elie as our small forward in '95 & '97? Was Kenny Smith our "long-term solution" at point guard? Above all, how can we know the answer to any of these questions if we don't stick him in there and see what he can do? 2. Hamilton isn't the longterm answer at the center position. Don't get me wrong, he's as big a surprise to me as he is to everyone else, but we need not getting excited by a twelve point performance against a team with no center. Again, how do we know this? What if the guy drops 30 pounds and continues to improve? Why not let these guys earn a starting spot?
