I know there was no pun intended, crash, but what does this do for Taylor? The first thing I thought was that it puts a question mark around his future with the Rockets, but maybe not. Adelman is reportedly high on Taylor, so perhaps this allows more time to develop him without the pressure. Lee really played well his rookie year with the Magic, especially for a guy drafted where he was, and started 42 games. Pretty remarkable for a rook playing on a team that went to the Finals. So what happens to Taylor? Is he still "taylor made?"
Taylor made for the Rio Grande Vipers as insurance in case of injury, and gone by the trade deadline. DD
So he must be the billionaire's Tracy McGrady since Bogans was preferred over McGrady by the Bulls. :grin:
Poor man's Bruce Bowen? :grin: ...just trying to keep it going. I know he has more to his offense than BB, but I think the 3P% and Defense could be comparable but not as good.
I like the trade. A starter on a finals team who can guard people like Wade and Kobe? He's also a better shooter than Ariza. We save 10 million dollars AND we get a 6 million dollar trade exception (I think). Plus, Lee still has a lot more room to grow compared to Ariza. Initially, I was mad because I thought it was a cost cutting trade. But now it seems like a classic Morey move. Like the Lowry move. Getting a younger lower profile player for cheaper and who can still improve.
Yea, I don't want to be a debbie downer, but this was my thought of him after last year as well. Was there not talk that he regressed last year compared to his rookie year? With increased playing time with the nets, he became more inefficient. But hopefully he comes back to form and can help contribute for us.
He took a step back because he went from a team with a dominant big man and filled with shooters to a team with an average big fan and no shooters. Obviously his performance will take a step back, those wide open threes and j-shots he took before were gone. I wouldn't take the "terrible on d" comment seriously. Before he came to the nets Gundy called him their best perimeter defender. More likely not having a good defensive big man made him look bad. Remember our D last season?
He seems like a rich man's Luther Head to me. Based on the highlights, I noticed he doesn't like to finish with his left. I'm not asking him to be able to use his left like t-mac, but a guard has to be able to make a left handed lay-up. He finishes too many lay-ups from the left with his right hand. Another tell-tale sign is that when he gets forced on the dribble to his left or does a cross-over, he seems to pull up for a jumper a lot, rather than go strong to the hoop. That tells me he needs to spend the next few months dribbling around the house with his left hand.
He played well around Howard, so maybe us might be a good fit for him. Last year with Nets was a disaster for him, but understandable. His shooting is a concern. Overall, I like this deal because we are probably OK with SF even w/o Ariza and this deal saves us lots of money according to ESPN.
From what I've read, he's not much of a creator but is good at spot-up shooting and fast breaks. Sounds like the perfect guy to play with Lowry and Budinger.
Good Trade for the rockets, dumped some salary and get a player that could possible be a better fit and help the rockets more. Lee is a team oriented player, he is better than Jermaine Taylor for sure. Lee will find some playing time because of his basketball IQ and defense. PS. much better attitude than Trevor Ariza I might add
Rockets Fan from NJ here, I got to see a lot of Courtney Lee last year and believe me you guys won't be disappointed with this pickup. Here's a rundown of what you're getting: He's an exciting high energy player, constantly on the move, excellent in transition. The scouting reports got it all wrong in saying he lacks athleticism. From what I've seen he's extremely quick with explosive leaping ability which helps him finish around the rim. He has exceptional body control and can convert baskets after initial contact. He was also one of the Nets' most reliable three point threats last year. On the other side of the ball, he's a pesky defender with quick hands and great anticipation which causes lost of turnovers. Last year, he was consistently assigned to defend the opposing team's best backcourt players. Drawback is that he lacks strength and, similar to Ariza, he sometimes tries to do too much by himself, which leads to bad possessions. He was not always willing to give the ball up but that could also be due to the system he played in with NJ where he was often asked to create shots on his own. Overall, he will earn his share of minutes and be the type of hard working hustle guy that will fit in perfectly with this tough scrappy team. Can't wait to see him on the break with lowry, chase, and AB next year!
