Well, folks, it's been a hell of an off-season so far. Winning the lottery, the whole to Ming or not to Ming question, the Steve and Cuttino rumours, the draft, and the rest has added up to nary a day when there wasn't something to talk about. So, in this current lull in the activity, I thought it would be an appropriate time to assess what has happened so far in terms of what it tells us about the present and future of our beloved Rockets... 1) the Ming, Stevie, and the Cat Question. For a while it looked bleak. TroyBarros and others reported that our current franchise player and his trusty sidekick were adamantly against the acquisition of Ming. Opponents of grabbing Yao pointed to this with triumph; See, they don't like him either! Proponents read the rumours with concern...does this mean that Stevie is jealous of his current spotlight? Or does he see Ming as a potential obstacle to building the team in his image, by acquiring friends and neigbours of his and Mobley's? Both groups tended to A) Want to hear it from the horse's mouth, rather than a horse's ...er...other part (joke), and B) If true, feel trepidation with regards to the amount of power Stevie either has or feels he has. It got to the point where it broke into two distinct camps, some advocating trading Stevie on the spot, to Cleveland, L.A., New Orleans, etc., while others saying that we should dance with the one that brung us, and avoid the High Road to China. What seemed like a blessing was turning into a possible nightmare...which way would the Rocket brass go? Answer. Thank God they didn't go either. One of the many things which separates actual basketball executives from wannabes is that the real ones don't panic as often or as readily as we do, nor do they look at things as sophomorically; Answers in real-life basketball are rarely as black and white as we tend to make them in here. In the end, the Rockets went about it with maturity and poise. They neither showed Stevie the door, nor turned down the chance to get a potential franchise center (and a few billion fans to boot). They found a middle road, and brought Steve and Cuttino on board. All's well that end's well, and Steve, Ming, the CBA, Cuttino, Les, CD, David Stern, Rudy, Charles Barkley, and the Shanghai Sharks all go riding off into the sunset together...Okay, maybe Charles doesn't go along for the ride, and maybe Rudy doesn't get past the first saloon, but you get the gist... Whither Eddie? For almost a year one question has remained unanswered...Is Griffin a small forward, power forward, or center? He was shuffeled around a lot last season, and rumours were controversial..Some said that Rudy saw him as a future 5,once he put on weight. Others pointed to the fact that Eddie himself seemed to prefer the 3-spot, and his offensive contributions (mostly spot-up threes) seemed to back that up. Others still said his body and game were best suited to PF, it would just take some time, and maybe the occasional interior pass from a guard, before EG developed the inside game we need. As the draft approached, it appeared that, if nothing else, the direction the Rockets took might shed some light on which position they saw Eddie filling for the long haul... Answer. Power Forward. Period. (I know, redundant, but it's for effect, so cut me some slack.) It could hardly have been made more clear. During the draft itself the on-the-spot Houston reporter said that the Rockets had openly stated that they had 2 long term holes to fill, center and small forward. Ipso Facto, they see Griffin as a power forward. Then reports began to circulate that they had Griffin working on his post moves, and there can now be little room for debate...the Rockets, at least, see Griffin as our long term answer at the 4.This, of course, leads to other questions... What To Do With Mo and KT, and Rice? If Griffin is our power forward, and Nachbar our 3, where do we fit in two highly paid former starters and a hustling overachieving stop-gap starter coming into a contract year? The answers are as diverse as the questions... Answer(s) Mo Taylor... Coming off a serious injury/surgery and an off-season inflation that makes the 80's economy look downright stagnant, Mo has little to no trade value right now. On the other hand, he's much too highly paid to be a long term bench player. So, what to do...The obvious answer is to let him play long enough to prove he's healthy, then trade him for whatever the market will bear at that time..It might take a bit of a bite the bullet trade, but a healthy Mo should have at least enough trade value that we won't have to take back an albatross contract to unload his. Kenny Thomas...This is the most obvious immediate move. Kenny's a great guy, and hustles his butt off, but isn't really suited to be a super-sub, and is soon gonna command decent money, hence his trade value is as high as it's gonna get. With Nachbar, Griffin, and Rice logging significant minutes, the only room we'll have for back-up forwards will be for a defensive stopper type, and a solid back-up 4 banger. Kenny is distinctly neither of these, but might be able to fetch one on the open market. Rice...I have long been on record as being against getting this guy, but we are stuck with him, and unlike the other two guys in question, he is actually very suited to being a great bench player. Sure, he might start till Nachbar gets his feet wet, but he might have a future with us as a token veteran/instant offense (albeit grossly overpaid) Dell Curry/Dale Ellis type. And as it is, we have as much chance of unloading his contract as I do of winning the lottery without buying a ticket..someone might send me a gift, but I doubt it. The Can We Get Odom/Rashard/Artest/Dr.J/etc Questions... With the possible exception of Mr. Erving, all these guys (and others) have been trumpeted as the answers to our problems by everyone from many in here to Mobley and Vescey. For various reasons each has had their appeal, and each might be available now more than ever. Which, if any, should we go for, and do we have what it takes to get them? Answer. In a word, no. I know we all grew up ( okay, many of us did, others read about it) during the runs of the Lakers and Celtics, when it seemed like to contend you needed an All-Star, or close, at every position. But the game has changed, 6 teams have been added, salary caps have been firmed up, luxury taxes are on the horizon, and the Stern philosophy of promoting the game through individual stars have all lead to a situation where very few teams can afford to put together those kind of talent collections, very few gm's can find enough stars to fill out a roster, and very few stars are willing to subliminate themselves for the good of the team like a Worthy or a Parrish. We fans, as a group, tend to fall into the trap of wanting to have a star at every staring position, with maybe a couple more coming off the bench, but the fact is it doesn't work that way any more. The teams which have won recently, the Bulls, Rockets, and Lakers, have been built on a star or 2, and a bunch of (some very good) role players. Few teams can offord to go the old way, and those who do, like the Trail Blazers or Big Three Rockets, usually find that their is a shortage of basketballs and an excess of egos. We don't need a Rashard or an Odom now, we MIGHT be able to use an Artest, but it's highly doubtfull we have what it takes to get him. I suggest we fill a couple of role player voids, ie defensive perimeter stopper ( I know Artest is, but he's more, hence expensive), banger back-up 4, and if one of these is a savvy veteran, more's the better. The Cato Question. With the future seeming to hinge on Yao, the role for Cato on this team might be in question. Some wonder if he's already lost his starting spot, but most feel if it isn't done yet, it's only a matter of time. That being the case, is he too expensive/laxidasical to keep as a backup? Answer. I say keep him. Yao is far from a sure thing, and is probably going to take his share of lumps/foul-outs early on, and Cato might be the perfect compliment. He affords us time to let Yao develop, rather than throwing him to the wolves right out of the gate ( If you can think of any more cliches to fit in here, by all means do so.). He's often played well against Shaq, relatively speaking, and that is who obviously poses the greatest threat to Ming's confidence/health early on. He's a solid rebounder/defender when he's on, and splitting time with Yao during his rookie year might get us the best out of each. At other times they could even take the court together in a nostalgic, if somewhat bizzare reproduction of the Twin Towers. Okay folks, those are my views on the greatest questions and answers regarding the Rox this off season, and I hope I didn't ramble on too much. We are on the verge of great things, let's savour the moment when it all seems ahead of us; the road never seems as exciting as when it's all before you. P.S. The remaining big questions, ie. Stevie extension and the offense are not really subject to definitve comment yet, as it's too early to surmize anything, IMO.
wow, that was a long post. I agree with most of it, but not your thoughts on the future of our PFs. Eddie's future at this point looks like it will be the 4, but he still has to prove himself. The starting spot isn't his just because he's talented. He's going to have to earn it on the court. The Rockets aren't going to bench MoTay and KT for Eddie until it's obvious who should start. Even if Eddie does start at the 4 longterm, why do both MoTay and KT have to go? I agree there isn't enough minutes for all 3 of them, but I think a longterm 4/5 rotation of Eddie/MoTay/Yao is a legitimate possibility (or KT; take your pick). I know we talked about this with Cat and Shandy and it didn't turn out, but I think there's a good chance MoTay might stay with the Rockets even if he doesn't start as long as he gets starters' minutes. And don't forget that the Rockets aren't as stuck on positions as we are. Eddie's versatile and may see some time at the 5. The same could be said for KT or MoTay or TMo. If when looking at the roster you group instead according to big men, guard/forwards and guards, it doesn't seem as impractical to keep more than one of Eddie, MoTay and KT for the longterm.
You hit key points, and I feel that we need a banger at the 5, until Ming can get some upper body strenghing on his body. To get that banger it will be at Collier, and Torres, and Langhi expense. KT is a 3/4 guy that's to small to hold a good 4, and not really fast enough to hold some 3's. Trading him to the East for that Defense stopper would help him and the Rockets. As far as Rice, I say keep him, and eat them 2 yr.s left on the contract. If you trade him, you will take on alot of baggage that's going to eat up cap. Bowen comes to mind as a defense stopper, that's not hard on the cap. The more I think about him, the better I feel getting him Sometimes you can't let your heart get in the way when trading to better a team.You can't help but to love KT game.One the other hand You got to do what you got to do to make this team complete
Great post Jag- I agree on pretty much everything you say. Its like everything you said , i have said or mentioned just like you have. Its good to have depth, but at some point the roster and role have to be defined. Thomas would be a excellent back up to griffin, but since Taylor is signed long term and he's going to need minutes to get the contract he wants, he might not be a happy camper, thus a trade would be nice. Cato would be a excellent back up, but he doesn't make back up money. A good back up makes about 1-2 mill a yr not 6 or 7. We're pretty much stuck with him also. Rice, well since his deal is only 2 yrs, i would consider eating that contract. I know rudy would never think about doing that but he falls into the first case with taylor and cato. they could be excellent back ups, but he makes 9 mill which is starter money. If you break it down, i'm willing to bet rice is one of the highest paid 3's in the league. In the end, my deam scenerio would be to move taylor to the cavs for ty hill and his expiring contract, then move cato,thomas, and collier for Kurt Thomas and just eat Rice contract. Our 5 would be: Francis Mobley Nachbar Griffin Ming bench: Norris Morris Thomas Hill Willis Torres ? We would have Kurt Thomas,Willis and Hill to back up the 4/5 slots. Morris for the 3,torres,the 2 and Norris the 1. With Hill and Thomas we get tougher automatically and we wouldn't be confined to any long term deals. I know its a dream, but that how i would try to work it.
My point wasn't that Griffin deserved to be given the spot outright, that's another argument. My point was that by identifying the 5 and 3 as our long-term weaknesses, the Rox organization has made it clear that they see EG as a long-term 4. The reasons I don't see either Taylor or KT as backups have to do with their games and contracts. Taylor is basically a jumpshooter, and few teams can afford to keep a spot open for a back-up 4 jump-shooter, let alone pay him big bucks for it. Griffin already does more things for us than that, and as he pregresses should quickly become more valuable. I feel that at this stage the kind of player we need to compensate for what he doesn't have is a banger/bulk type, not another iso-offense only guy. KT is in the unfortunate position of not doing anything good enough that you'd bring him off the bench to change the game with it. He hustles, but isn't a great scorer/rebounder/defender/passer/banger, etc. Also, he's a bit redundant now, as he kind of brings a lesser version of Nachbar and/or Griffin at the 3 or 4 respectively, only minus a lot of other things. Again, I feel that our needs at back-up 3 are, given Rice as a shooter, a perimeter defender,and a big banger. KT and Mo are none of these. That gives you a fairly complete/complimantary group of forwards, whereas the current crop has many of the same strengths and weaknesses.
Nice...I agree with all of it except the part about Mo... Mo Taylor... Coming off a serious injury/surgery and an off-season inflation that makes the 80's economy look downright stagnant, Mo has little to no trade value right now. On the other hand, he's much too highly paid to be a long term bench player. So, what to do...The obvious answer is to let him play long enough to prove he's healthy, then trade him for whatever the market will bear at that time..It might take a bit of a bite the bullet trade, but a healthy Mo should have at least enough trade value that we won't have to take back an albatross contract to unload his. Why are we trading 2 out of 3 PF's...Mo should and probably will stay. He fits in better with the offense, has good chemistry with the guys, and when healthy is not as bad as many say. "then move cato,thomas, and collier for Kurt Thomas " Hahaha...Kenny alone is way better than Kurt...sorry man, You say we should trade THREE players for him. That's ridiculous. Didn't you read the article out of NY Post (I think) saying Layden realized that his four best players weren't as good as those of the Rockets. Kenny ABUSED Kurt, and has two games to prove it. That is the most lopsided and dumb trade...
The Rockets signed Mo long-term AFTER drafting Griffin. Of course KT was already on the team as well. Immediately after drafting Griffin, Rudy said he sees him as a 4. So we have the Rockets, with two 4s already on the roster, signing Taylor long-term. Could that mean that they actually WANT him on their team? Also JAG, Mo is not "basically a jump shooter". Offensive player, yes, but calling him just a jump shooter would be inaccurate. He's very adept at creating his own shot.
Nice posts, but I disagree about KT. Last year, Kenny proved that he can score on anyone, which is a nice attribute for a sub. And he played decent defense against the all-world 4's in the West. As far as the group of forwards, rather than having the same strengths and weaknesses, I think Kenny plays a very different game than EG and MoT. One thing the three of them have in common, is that we don't yet know for sure yet how good any one of them may be. Who are the backup 4's out there who you think are better than Kenny? Who can "change the game" as you say?
Nice post JAG. I agree on every comment. But i would still like to take another SF/PF,just because we can't be sure that Rice's healthy next year,and we can't be sure that Nachbar can take his place immediately.I would like to sign a free agent to the mid excpetion.Ricky Davis comes first to my mind.Sure,Rashard would be nice,but isn't worth the max.Tyrone Nesby would be another decent addition. GRF
I don't agree...FIrst of all, re-signing MoT was part of the love-fest going on at the time, let's keep this good team chemistry thing going, which obviously had a questionable return. Second, that was when EG was an unproven rookie. Third, that was before the injury. And fourth, that was before the other positions to which EG could slide for minutes, 3 and 5, were taken by Nachbar and Yao respectively. I would stand by my jump-shooter/iso-offensve player assessment of Mo, when relating him to other 4s. His other skills are predicated upon his jump-shooting, and aren't even at an average level for a 4. His ability to create his own shot has only been shown in the mid-to-long range sphere, and that is why I term him a jump-shooter. If he demonstrated the ability/willingness to create his own shot down low with any level of consistency, I would change my opinion. Same goes if he developed rebounding skill/desire, defense, etc.
