Given that there are rumors about him possibly being moved, I am wondering what folks here envision to be Patrick's likely career path. Who is he comparable to? Two guys that came to mind for me: Kenyon Martin and Kurt Thomas. Good smart 6'9'' defenders and decent complimentary players on the offensive end.
I like the Horace Grant comparison also. Others: Dale Davis, Otis Thorpe, Anthony Mason. Just high energy defensive-minded guys with a lot of versatility when it comes to playing roles in an offense with other superstars. Essential pieces to a championship.
He's a good physical defender, lots of energy and while not a superstar on offense, not a liability either. Can't run away from him like you could Hayes. Assuming he gets better this year he's gonna be a real nice PF for a good long while.
David West. Both guys are 6'9", good jump shooters, somewhat undersized high energy tougher than you would think PF's. Drafted in similar spots and similar numbers/minutes their rookie seasons. I for real do not want to see him moved in this trade. Losing him AND Scola would be a mistake.
not even close talent wise. SAR was a pf/sf. Gifted, scorer, good rebounder. Patterson is more of a grunt.
I'd rather keep him than Scola and I'm saying this as a big Scola fan. Pat has rebounding, positioning, and defense pinned down. Scola has none of those.
I don't know who I would compare him to, but I think sky is the limit. I don't think anyone could be disappointed in what he showed us last year. He didn't get many minutes in the first half of the year, but when he finally did he showed that he is athletic, can rebound, can shoot at a high percentage, can play defense, seems to have a high basketball IQ, and puts out a great effort. He needs to work on his offense with his back to the basket, but he seems to be a really solid player who could become a very good NBA player. Having players on the team like Patterson is fun and exciting, I would be very disappointed to see him traded.
Karl Malone with a nice personality. I really like this kid. I hope he retires a Rockets. He has star potential IMO.
Antonio McDyess. Both 6'9'' versatile, high-motor PFs, though Dyess was more lethal offensively. Pat's low-post game should continue to improve w/ experience & McHale's guidance. His mid-range game is less polished than McDyess' was during his rookie year in Denver, but like Antonio, Pat finishes above the rim w/ authority (though the edge in athleticism goes to pre-injury McDyess)... <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vwpN6Dw4Zgc" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe> Offensively, poor man's McDyess. Defensively... I'm not sure. Possibly a quicker, far more determined/focused Etan Thomas.
