We have a starting PF

There's not a chance that Rudy Gay ever plays any PF without serious injuries to everyone else on his team. He may be long enough, but he's not even as strong as Swift. Ryan Bowen could post the guy.

 

no he isn't an "elite" defender. He's not "elite" at anything or than taking charges

 

Flawless logic, except for the last paragraph. It seems like you guys still didn't "get" the way JVG thinks.

We have a starting PF, allright. His name is Juwan Howard. You can bet that unless he is traded Juwan will be the starter on opening night. He never came even close to losing his role to Swift, even though half the board expected him to start right away. There is no way he loses it to a player that isn't even a 4. BTW, how much time Battier logged at the 4 when Swift was in Memphis to back up Gasol?

There is no way that JVG is going to start Snyder and move Battier to the 4. That's not the way he thinks. He will have TMAC and Battier playing the 3 and 2 (in his system it really doesn't make a difference except on defense) and Howard will play the 4, unless a blockbuster comes along.

No question about it.

 

Where's the love for Elton Brand.

 

While I think Battier should get some minutes at PF (Juwan sucking plays a part in this), I think he should start at SF. SF is his natural position, and one of Battier's greatest strengths is his elite perimeter defense against wing players. All of that gets squandered if he plays mainly at PF. Furthermore, will he be able to do all the "little things" that he does to get that amazing +/ if he's stuck in the paint? Battier at PF would also mean that our rebounding would go to hell.

T-Mac is big, athletic and talented enough to play SG or SF. Not wanting him to guard SGs is the biggest concern to most people. But is there even all that much of a difference between SGs and SFs? Positions are somewhat arbitrary, and I don't think there's really that much of a difference between the two positions in many cases. T-Mac would have to run around screens when guarding Peja. Marion (who will probably play SF if Amare comes back) is an athletic freak who will keep T-Mac sprinting back on defense. Guys like Paul Pierce and Lebron James are "small forwards" who are extremely athletic and skilled. They're guards for all practical purposes.

With Battier at SF, he and T-Mac could switch between guarding the opposing SG and SF, depending on which one is the better scorer (Battier would take the tougher assignments). Don't forget that in 2004-2005, Battier played mostly at SG. He played pretty well defensively there, holding opposing SGs to 0.462 eFG% and a PER of 14.1.

In conclusion, I don't think there's much to lose if Battier is placed at the SF position, while I do think there's a lot to lose if he's the team's main PF. Start Hayes at the 4, let Battier slide over there for stretches, and allow Juwan to fill in the remaining minutes.

 

Shane Battier may be our starting PF, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't pursue a 4/5 strongly. Nobody on this team needs to be playing 40 min/g. If Tracy's minutes come down, Battier will pick those minutes up. That means that even if he is our starting PF, he'll still play SF minutes.

That makes our backup 4s and 5s old. Juwan and Dikembe. I believe those guys are great as backups, but one injury at any position beside PG and our backups become important. Who will back up the backups? Chuck Hayes? Guarding centers? We need a 4/5 like Kelvin Cato to come in and be that versatile guy on the bench. And if we sign a 4/5, I'd bet that player would start a few games during the year. It'd be nice to have a quality starter when that happens.

 

I completely agree. While we can discuss what the starting lineup should be, I don't think there should be much doubt about what it will be. JVG seems to really like Juwan, for some reason.

 

He's also apparently in love with Battier and (mutually) disinclined to play McGrady at the SG slot so it's not as cut and dried as people are implying.

 

Okay, then who does Haslem typically defend? The opposing power forward. And are the opposing power forwards typically (not exclusively, mind you, but typically) around the basket? Well, of course. I am not knocking Haslem at all, mind you. As a Florida grad, I've watched his career with great fondness from Miami Senior to Florida to Europe and back to Miami, but the point being that his express responsibility on both ends of the court is to battle for rebounds and that includes playing within 12-feet on the offensive end and drawing assignments defensively that put him closer to the basket.

How about Battier? He started at the three, so his assignment would typically be the best wing scorer, with Miller taking the easier matchup (same goes for Eddie Jones, but would go either way with Posey in the game). He would NEVER defend the four unless playing at the four himself, which was likely 1/3 of the game or less (as opposed to Haslem playing the entire game there). So, if you are playing any wing, let alone the best scoring wing on the floor, what kind of position are you in for defensive boards? Well, more often than not, your guy is taking the shots and so your chance at the rebound is about as good as his, but even if he is not taking the shot, you are well outside the paint.

Sorry, I don't mean to be overly argumentative about this and truthfully anyone can spin this any way they want to. My only real point is there has to be some reason why management would take Battier on a team where they don't need a three, but they do need a four who can move around the floor, hit his jumpers, and defend. Now, it's true this could mean McGrady goes to the two, which I initially expected to happen (and it still might). But I know McGrady doesn't want to play there regularly, it would be hard on his back to chase around smaller, athletic twos, and one of the primary reasons we didn't draft Gay--if not the sole reason--is that he simply cannot play any position but the three and that will not work for McGrady at this stage.

 

As much as I dont like the idea of Battier starting at PF, I have to admit, from all the available player trade wise or FA, there isn't a better choice.

 

Exactly... and I'd even say that Howard and Bowen could be sent out in the same deal. Juwan is a bad fit for a team needing more rebounding and have little use for his post game.

Morey would not stand for his -5.4 Roland rating.

http://www.82games.com/0506/05HOU16D.HTM

 

I'm a newbie, is there anyone who can tell me why houston rockets fan forum is called "clutchfans"? Thanks in advance!

 

I think JVG will play Battier at PF the most against fast teams such as Dallas n Suns but if we still have Howard, that will be his first choice only because he can rebound and can post up better inside for his height and weight.

Dont forget Yao gets in foul trouble mostly when he is guarding a PF and Rox need someone that can help Yao out of foul trouble and that can rebound better. I think it would be the best thing for the Rox to use Howard at PF.

Also, from what i have seen...battier's game is more like SF and he will be better suited at that position because of his long range shooting ability. If Howard stays then this should be the lineup if we do not acquire any PF: Yao/Jho/Battier/Tmac/Alston. Battier can knock down outside and mid range shots, Jho can knock down mid range and post up inside. Yao n Tmac need not need any explanation. Alston can create plays. I think this lineup would have a better chemistry than battier at PF.

 

I agree, Battier playing at SF probably has a significant negative effect on his rebounding percentage. Therefore, his overall rebounding rate, should not be held against him when considering what he can do at the 4 spot. However, there are stats to measure his rebounding ability solely at the PF position. According to 82games.com, Battier was pounded on the boards while playing as a PF, by 2.5 rebounds per 48 minutes.

As I went over a couple posts ago, I think the difference between a "shooting guard" and a "small forward" is arbitrary in many cases. Furthermore, evidence exists that not only can Battier defend SGs, but that he can do it well. If T-Mac plays at SG and Battier plays at SF, they can just crossmatch depending on which opposing player is the tougher defensive assignment. When you consider that a lot of Battier's skills might be wasted if he's stuck in the paint the entire game, I really don't think there's any reason to play him as the team's main PF.

 

History: We were called 'Choke City' by the newspapers for doing well, then choking.

We Overcame History: Clutch City was an in-your-face to the Choke City comments.

This Site History: It used to be called ClutchCity.com, but the guy who runs this site(CLUTCH is his moniker) was nice enough to give ownership of that name back to the Rockets.

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Since I can't post, this is an OT topic about NBA PF's and an transaction:



Al Harrington will become an Indiana Pacer. Indiana News channel reported this. It'll probably be officially or publicly announced later tonight or tommorow.

 

Good Points!!

 

Thanks a lot don grahamleone! Tons of fun! I love the name.

 

As things stand right now, I see Howard and Battier as two options for starting PF job. Defensively he probably is way better than Howard, but since PF has never been his thing in the past, can he do the job? It sucks to be in this situation right now.