Honestly Scola would be better if we had a center that was a rebounding machine. Scola has to do a lot of rebounding which stops him from getting out on the wings and running. It is what it is...but I do like to see the easy transtion baskets...heck even the early offense ones that are not a heat check from 3pt land. DD
No way Landry can become a top PF at his height and lack of skills. If he was very quick, had handles or was an exceptionally deadly shooter with more range, maybe. But Landry isn't close to having enough game to reach that level. I love the guy and the intensity he usually brings to the floor. But let's not be crazy. Anyone who compares him to Aldridge is either insane or has no idea how good Aldridge is.
agree - even though landry is almost a perfect backup 4 who can play a bit 3 (due to his expanded range this year which deserves a lot of credit). maybe he can up his status when he can develop his post game a bit.
He has enough quickness. I think the other skills -- shooting (which has already improved drastically over one season), handles and post moves are the parts that they believe he can truly develop to take his abilities to the next level. Aldridge really has only one thing that Landry can't attain, and that's sheer height. I really don't see any reason why Landry can't become as good. His consistently high PER indicates that even in his current form, he has star potential. Heck, Dwight Howard attained superstar status with an offensive foundation that consisted mostly of garbage buckets and alley oops. I'm not in any way insinuating that he can become like Dwight -- I'm just saying that you can't shortchange his upside at this point in his career.
We'll see. I don't think Landry has anywhere near the potential of Aldridge, who can be a special player on both ends of the floor. He's got the face-up game which is deadly right now because his shot is nearly impossible to contest. His turnaround is completely unblockable and he doesn't (seem) to even need to see the basket to hit it. It's weird. LA's still developing as a post defender. He's gotten much better and is still improving. He can be Rasheed Wallace without the sorry attitude. At his height, Landry needs exceptional quickness, which he doesn't have. He needs an exceptional jumper, which can be developed. Landry will never have much of a post game because he's too small. I don't mean to shortchange him, but I don't think he can become a "star" player. It's a nice thought since he's a good, hard working guy who plays for the Rockets.
I do agree with your point -- actually I was referring to Aldridge in his current form rather than his upside which like you said is definitely higher. I disagree with your assessment of his quickness -- I think he has more than enough quickness to compensate for his height deficiency -- he just needs to learn how to harness it, similar to how Aaron Brooks is learning to use his quickness to compensate for his size. His handles can get better, and I think he has shown flashes in his face-up game that he can get dramatically better in that department. He already has a good enough jumper to keep a defender honest which can only get better as he continues to improve accuracy and range -- now he just needs to be able to put the ball on the floor and get past his defender. I've seen him do it several times before, but I think it's just not sufficiently developed enough at this point for him to do it consistently. Like you said, his size is such that his face up game will always be better than the post up game, but even Amare Stoudamire doesn't have much of a back-to-the-basket game either.
Aldridge....oh man, I would trade Scola and Landry for him......or Artest and someone else. I really like Aldridge. DD
I think you said in another thread you watch the Blazers a lot. The guy is something else. I know he isn't nearly the interview that Roy and Oden are, but the way he gets ignored by the media is just plain dumb. He WILL be a star in the league and be one for a long time. I forget which recent game it was, but the PnR between him and Roy late worked about 8 times in a row. It was indefensible because Roy can finish like very few and LA's jumper can't be challenged unless the defender standing in his face. In a couple of years, just watch him add the 3-pointer. Betcha. OK, now back to the topic. Sorry.
I only have one team, the Rockets, but I watch a lot of others just because I enjoy basketball. Portland is a lot of fun to watch.....and Aldridge, Roy and Fernandez are some of the main reasons. DD
Why are you guys comparing Landry to Aldridge? I think the more apt comparison would be David West. West isn't exceptionally long or quick, either. But he makes up for it with his solid face-up game, toughness on the glass, and brute strength. Landry has all those qualities. If Carl weren't such a horrid defender he might be starting already.
Well, since 610's website doesn't work for listening to the clip, your recap, DD, is all the more valuable. ... thanks! An interesting angle to how things have gone so far this season, is the increased exposure and experience our non-star players have gotten, increasing the chit value for Morey in potential trading, as well as adding depth and experience for our playoff run. Von Wafer, Brooks and Landry have shown a lot of promise, and could be packaged with one of the starters to get us a better player in trade. I'm not saying this will happen, or even that I'm hoping they will, but when I hear Morey saying he thinks that Landry could be one of the top 10-15, that sounds like posturing to me.
I agree. Landry is a good offensive player, and he has the potential to be very good. It's the defense that is holding him back, but that is something he can improve on with experience. I still like his upside more than Scola's. He hasn't made the strides in his second year that I hoped he would, but I'm still think he can be a quality starter in this league. Somewhere between Haslem and West.
Aldridge? A FA in 09/10? With the Rox having virtually no commitments beyond Yao. Where is he from, his home and where does he live in the off-season?
