This Could Be the Best Rockets Training Camp EVER!!!

PG: i think that T-Mac will still play PG or point forward at least a few minutes a game. he's still the best playmaker on the team unless Aaron Brooks can prove otherwise. the rest of the minutes will probably be split with about 25 mpg for Steve, 15 for Mike James and maybe 5 or so for Aaron Brooks unless it's a blowout. Alston's effectively in the doghouse. i'm still intrigued at the possibility of Snyder at PG considering he played PG in college, but he'll never find effective minutes there with this Rockets rotation.

SG: T-Mac's the easy choice, but with an in-shape Bonzi being potentially an even bigger mismatch for the opposition at SG, you never know. either way, i see both players getting around 20 mpg at this position, with most likely Snyder or Head (not both) getting the remainder. Steve is a poor defender at SG, and not even a very good one at PG.

SF: again, with the uncertainty of Bonzi, Battier is not the unequivocal starter at SF. but Shane and T-Mac should get at least 20 and 15 mpg respectively at SF. the remaining minutes (only about 13) will go to any combination of Bonzi, Snyder and possibly Novak (the poor man's Peja?)

PF: Scola looks like the easy starter, but remember that he's still going to be a rookie that has never played in the NBA. until he adjusts to the NBA game, Chuck Hayes and even Battier are going to see quite a bit of minutes at PF. with Adelman, we may even see Bonzi and T-Mac play a few minutes at PF if he decides to go small, and you still have Novak who's reportedly bulked up.

C: Yao at center is the only easy choice period for Adelman. now backup center can be anyone from Deke, Butler, Hayes, Scola or even Battier who's actually larger and more skilled than Stro (listed as a F-C) is albeit a worse rebounder and shot blocker.

 

hell, anythings possible.

but whatever basket there is thats closest to impossible, put this possibility in it.

 

Battier always guards the other team's best perimeter player, so what's the difference? Tmac does whatever he wants on offense, and was putting up MVP-type numbers at SG while Yao was out. If Battier is guarding the Kobe's and the Wade's, you can comfortably call him a 2. How is his role drastically different from David Wesley's, who was a natural SG?

If Ginobli were a natural SF, do you think they'd bench Bowen just because he's a forward too? They'd just call Bowen a guard.

 

Obviously, the lineup the Rockets end up with will have as much to do with chemistry as who is the best player at each position. Personally, I think the starting lineup of:

PG: James
SG: McGrady
SF: Battier
PF: Scola
C: Yao

will be the most effective. But I can see the Rockets going with:

PG: Francis
SG: McGrady
SF: Battier
PF: Hayes
C: Yao

This relegates James and Scola to the bench, not because they're lesser players, but because it would make the bench much more effective. A James and Wells backcourt off the bench makes more sense to me than Francis and Wells, whose individual skills don't seem to complement each other.

Same goes for Scola. I'd love to have him start next to Yao, but not if it means watching Hayes and Mutombo play major minutes together. Yikes.

So outside of the starting lineup, I can see these two combinations of players getting good minutes as well:

PG: James
SG: Wells
SF: Battier
PF: Scola
C: Yao

PG: Francis
SG: McGrady
SF: Battier
PF: Scola
C: Mutombo

With Head, Brooks and Butler getting some minutes in between.

Not sure if it's a good idea to play Francis at the SG, though. It didn't seem like the Marbury/Francis backcourt worked out too well, for example.

 

A surplus of talent at one position=timeshare waste in fantasy.

 

^^^Posted in wrong thread.

 

im assuming poor luther head is a goner too.

 

Oh how fast we forget!!!
Last year we all wanted Bonzi out and now he's starter according to some of us?
We forgot about Shane Battier?
Remember that he was contributing MORE than every1 on this team except Yao and T-Mac.
Numbers don't tell nothing!
Face it!
Rafer is part of our team and will be next season I'm sure.
You are all giving Francis starting role!
Francis isn't same player as he left Houston!
He isn't much better than Rafer now.
Rafer played better last season and thats the fact!
Mike James 2!
But we're optimistic to see them bouncing back.
I'm 100 % sure that Bob Sura,JL3 WILL not be part of this team anymore.
Landry and Harris have some slight chance.
And thats it.

 

I guess:

Starting line-up for coming season
Rafer
Tmac
Battier
Hayes
Yao

Likely 4th quarter line-up
James
Tmac
Bonzi
Scola
Yao

Possible match-up with small ball team
James
Francis
Tmac
Battier
Scola

Personal Favorite line-up
Francis
Tmac
Battier
Scola
Yao

 

Great point. He is a constant in only that we expect that position to be fortified with Yao/Mutombo...but, every year Yao comes in like that thing from the movie "Species" coming back better and stronger, having added some new wrinkles to his game that he perfected over the summer. I really can't wait to see all those new power moves, countermoves, and hook shots that he was training over the summer...in addition to his new passing and shotblocking.

Bonzi can make us into a completely different team if he can come in and play the way he's capable of playing. Francis and James have been working hard over the summer so they might really surprise us....and Head completely changed his 3 point efficiency to be one of the top 4 most efficient 3 point shooters last year...maybe he can become even better with more work and under an easier system for offensive players.

 

I think the players will get time at where they are most effective. Battier is great at feeding off of guys like Tmac and Yao...but can't create his own shot...and he definitely would not provide the spark off the bench the way a sizlling Bonzi can---so Battier has to be the starter....even if his minutes get cut down to 25-30 a night. Plus, when you have Battier in the starting lineup, you can have two 6'8 guys locking down the perimeter. Bonzi is the most effective at shooting guard where he'll overpower shooting guards all night....he'll absolutely kill the other guys second unit. James game fits Bonzi better in my opinion....and I think Francis would give opposing starters more trouble than James. Watching Scola's complete game in tons of games makes me think he'd be perfect along side Yao offensively (Scola can hit the midrange shot, drive to the hoop, post up, rebound, do an array of bank shots, finger rolls, stutter steps, popcorn machines, turn arounds...etc)...but the idea of putting Hayes and Mutombo together offensively gives me the willies...so Scola will have to overlap some of his minutes with the second unit even if he starts. Mutombo would only get 12 minutes a night anyway...so Scola can overlap maybe 10 of his minutes with the second unit. I don't really like the idea of Francis playing at the shooting guard... we're better off having Francis, James and Brooks play exclusively at point guard unless the other team is playing small ball. Also, Head was excellent when he came off the bench, but not as good as the starter.....I think Head would be great in the second unit where he doesn't have to worry about guarding the Kobes of the world and where Head is not pressured to carry the load offensivley....but if you allow him to feed off other explosive scorers than Head can knock down those shots all night...and he did this at a top 4 percentage of 44%. Also, with Bonzi and James in the second unit they can get the greenlight to score all they want without playing the 3rd fiddle to Yao and Tmac. I don't think Butler would be much of a challenge to Mutombo. Butler is even slower guarding on the fast break. LOL. He misses assignments and had a 0 blocks per game average for 2 out of 3 seasons. I only feel safe with our finger-waving Cookie monster back there....and I don't think having Hayes or Scola as the backup C is a good idea..... it's time to get someone like Foster or Kelvin Cato.

 

Everyear,we have the promising line-up.Specially,I remeber 2 years ago,we got a springman,Swift.We were all so crazy.Told about he would be a all-star.Now we get Scola,MVP in America Cup.Is he fit for Rocket?I expect he will be.
next.........

 

Comparing Scola to swif is a insult of the highest magnatiude to Super scola. there two vastly different players. one is skilled as they come and is smart as they come. gold medalist, europian MVP.

As for Strolmile,well the only olympics he'll ever be going to is the mentally handicapped olympics. even then he'll struggle.

 

or the worst...

 

absolutely. but he is right about fans getting too overconfident about their home team based on offseason signings and already prematurely planning for a parade.

i enjoyed ripping into matt jax when he thought the rockets would be world champions after the rockets took dallas to game 7 in the 1st round in 2005 and after they signed stro swift and derek anderson in the offseason.

 

Yes,they are different style.Without a doubt,if he can adjust himself to NBA,nobody will think about that.Let's see.
I'm a rocket crazy fans,I expect he can.

 

In Swift's defence... playing under JVG's offense really didn't help.

 

very good post

*waits for camp to start*

 

I just hope for (in this order)

1. Yao and McGrady are healthy the entire season
2. Out of Scola, Francis and Wells at least two make an appreciable difference on this team. I'm pulling more for Francis out of nostalgia, and maybe Scola second since the power forward position would be pretty weak if he wasn't effective.
3. Rick Adelman's offense works really well

I really think that's all we need to win a lot. We were a 50 win ball club last year, and we've just upgraded our two worst positions. I'm really excited.