If he has a problem, then no. However, I read today that he was resuming workouts and was perfectly fine. So, if he is healthy, then heck yes....if not, well of course not. But he played 4 years at Duke, and no health issues, can a small back strain be more of an issue than a surgically repaired Hip (aldridge)? DD
If that is the case, then bring on Adam Morrison........ I worry about Miles though, this is a major chemistry experiment. DD
Quit worrying, we're getting rid of the Tortoise. Van Gundy will turn Miles into a DEFENSIVE NIGHTMARE for opponents.
That's what I'm saying! How can we pass on Morrison if he's still there when we pick? We would have our third scorer in Morrison. I know we'd have a thousand forwards, but hey T-Mac and go back to the 2 guard role.
It looks like this thread plus the Redick/Brewer debate is over. It looks as though the Rockets are going some deal done oine way or another to move up.Bring on the Roy vs. Tyrus debate.
We currently have the 8th pick in the draft. No trade has happened. Continue Redick debate until further notice. (I'm getting to the point where I'm done talking about Redick too. I want to bad mouth Brewer now. I don't think he'll help anyone very much next year. That's based on video observation.) Carney > Brewer. There is some fuel. Light it. (probably better suited in it's own thread)
Absolutely. Trading up is fine with me, but not if we have to take this poison pill. Anybody but Miles, please.
It'll be interesting and I'm sure lots of folks here will be pissed no matter the outcome of the draft. But then again, how many people were pissed when we selected Robert Horry? [/QUOTE] No, Derrick Chevious topped that one for missed opportunity. He wasn't even a band-aid, but then again he was.
Rasheed Wallace was a poison pill until he left Portland. A lot of the Trailblazers that leave do well. Look at Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur Rahim. These guys all changed their attitude after leaving Portland. Maybe it's the shoe, not the foot that fills it.
We really need a good 3 ball shooter, who can make the open shot Riddick seems like the best person for this job. We should get him he can make the opponents pay for all the double teams they bring on t-Mac and Yao.
DD always reference 28ppg, but what about a guy like Salim that went 2nd rd who was the best shooter in the draft last yr? He had a productive yr, but he did what a few rookies could do and that get his own shot off the dribble. That 28ppg doesn't really impress me when trying to see how a guy transitions to the new nba. Its one reason why some of the euro shooters like peja,dirk,manu,and radmonovich are more successful than guys like miller,hayes,dunleavy and wally to name a few. I think Morrison is a player with his size and toughness will be a better pro than Reddick eventhough Reddick avg 28. I just want to see when was the last time a guy from college who was set up using screens came into the league and didn't have the same offense be successful. If the Rox were going to run a reggie miller type offense, then JJ would be a good fit, but JVG isnt going to change his offense for someone like JJ. More important that eventhough this is a team game, you as a player need to win your matchup on the offensive and defensive ends at times. If your guy is beating you off the dribble( see Bob Sura vs Terry in the plyoffs) or just plain overpowering you, then your teammates are being put at a disadvantage. Now your bigs have to help and now everything is scramble drill which gives up offensive rebounds.
JVG utilizes weakside screens all the time. It is not necesary to change the offense to get JJ open looks. He will b getting the same open looks that Alston, Head, Bogans, Wesley, and Bowen were getting last year. Assuming that JJ never wins his matchup on the offensive and defensive end (which is quite an assumption given he was the NCAA player of the year), you need to realize that not every guy we send out there can be better than his opponent on both ends of the floor. If we could send out such a lineup we would never lose a game. Instead we send out two guys that are tops at their position in TMac and Yao, and then we send out players that fit with them. Yao plays in the post and commands double teams, so he needs to be surrounded with shooters. Yao is a big presence in the middle and a shotblocker, so we funnel the opponents to him.
It's these kind of arguments that make me wonder if anyone is watching Reddick FIlm. First off let me say I was not a Reddick Fan, I didn't following him in college and only really saw him in the tournament. But I have since watched as much film of him as I can and I have to say without a doubt (imho) there is no other player like him in the draft. He is not just a shooter he is a scorer. I would go so far as to say there are only a handful of players in the world that can get there shot off as quickly and as accurrately as JJ. Off the top of my head I think of Sam I Am and Ray Allen. Yes that's how good he is. And don't say he doesn't have the athleticism. He is quicker than Cassell right now and from what I can see only a step below Allen. You may think this is blasphemous to make these comparisons. But that's what I see in the film. The guy has the quickest release I've seen in a while and he is amazingly accurate with hands in his face. It's that release and the ability to make space and shoot with a hand in his face that makes him so deadly. And for those of you that don't think he can do that in the NBA I have to say, Why not? What he does is not about speed it's about craftiness and deception and an ability to get his shot with a split second and not miss. That isn't going to change in the NBA. And in fact once he adjusts to the NBA game I think he will get better. I think he will becaome a better paser and better defender. He plays smart rarely makes mistakes and rarely takes bad shots. He knows how to create space and to sucker his opponent into foolish fouls and he knows how to get his shot with people in his face. I see no reason why that willl not transfer to the NBA because while he does possess more quickness and speed than most of his naysayers care to admit,.. what really gets him open is his deceptiveness and crafty moves. He can .reate and does create space on players who are more athletic. Watch the tape many of the players guarding him where taller and faster but he was stilll able to create space constantly against these better athletes. And he only needs a speck of space to get his shot off with amazing accuracy. I know I am being redundant but after watching again and again I am blown away by this kids ability to get his shot off with just the least amount space and then to be so amazingly accurate .. and that's why many make the Reggie Miller and Ray allen comparisons. These are not outlandish JJ appears that kind of scoring ability! Notice I said scoring and not shoot but don't let him spot for the open 3, money! So all that being said I can see him having trouble defending the 2's in this league. While I beleive he is quicker than many would suggest, I still think he is average at best in the NBA and probably below average but the biggest draw back is his size and strength. His reach is more like a 6 foot guy and he doesn't have a wide frame body that he could use his muscle to compensate for. So I see the opposing 2's backing in down low and beating him off the dribble. Again I do think he will be a better defender than most on this board but I still see him as a liability. Which means you may have to pull him at times to bring in a better defender. So if we have a shot at a brandon Roy who is a better defender and a more rounded player with a decent shot and a much more prototypical SG body I think you have to do it. But do not doubt Redicks ability to score not just shoot but score in this league. If it's not with the Rockets he will eventually land with a team that will allow him to do just that. Because unless the tape has been altered this kid appears to have the ability to score like not many others I've ever seen.
People want to compare JJ to Cassell, but Sam was a pg. PG is a position in which you need to run the show or be more heady than a athelete. Thats why Francis has never become the player we thought he would be. As far as Allen and JJ, Ray has always been a explosive player to go along with a good shooter. UConn didn't always run picks and screens for Allen and he still scored. At some point playing the 2/3 even in JVG offense you need to get to the rack. When JVG had Houston in his prime, he became a all star when he started going to the rack and using his strength. Houston was 6'6 about 210 and a former high jumper also. In the playoffs the yr they went to the finals, when they ran the down screens he was getting the ball on the blk and scoring. This will be a debate until the draft comes and goes. Hey I was one of the ones that actually liked the Texans taking Williams over ESPN Bush.
I wouldn't be worried about the postup at all. The better scorers are the bigger shooting guards. If they post up, we send the double from the closest defender and force the ball out of their hands. Now, they are playing with their weaker scorers and our better defenders. Van Gundy is NOT going to let the opposing teams best scorer beat our worst defender. He's gonna send help. Just like Miami did on Dirk in the Finals. If we have J.J., when we play Kobe, J.J. plays off him, making it more diffiult for Kobe to drive. Give Kobe the long ball. If he starts hitting it, then play him up close and force him to put the ball on the floor, then chase with the double and force Kobe to take a tough shot or pass to somebody else. If Kobe is hot, nobody shuts him down anyway. All this is for naught though. We're getting an All-Star out of this draft. We'll have to defend Redick when we play Utah, but at least we will have Roy or Gay to defend him with.
I can't help but imagine him in Rocket red. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3T4--5IFaM&search=Redick http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHTBz8n1pbc&search=Redick Bob Sura-esque? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTDnaBOOR-A&search=Redick How 'bout Morrison? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stclJLf4ArI&search=adam morrison http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kipiWSz_7Gs&search=adam morrison
