All this talk about EG not good enough. Knowing what Amare S. is turning out now, would you trade EG for the 9th pick (Pheonix) last year? Notice last night at the end of the game, Yao was guarding Amare and at that point in the game, Amare didn't look so good. I know he's shorter by a mile than Ming but that's not Ming's fault. And that last TO by Amare cost them any chance of winning. Why did he pass when he was driving and was so close to the rim? Ming was in the way. I know all this is off topic, so what!
Fair enough. If you see this as a rebuilding year (no playoffs or lose in 1st round), I have no problems with your argument. But Eddie isnt averaging 10 pts, 9 rebs. He is averaging 9 points and 6 rebs while shooting 39% fg and 61% FT. And yes, I know that he didnt get much playing time early on so his stats dont reflect his capabilities. But my problem with him isnt his stats but the way he plays (shooting 3s, gambling on defense, giving up position against other PFs) versus being a tenacious rebounder, defender that sets screens and does all the dirty work. But I have my fingers crossed for this year. There is still alot of b-ball and maybe things will change..
Good question. This will help clarify my views on Eddie so people on this board understand. First of all, NO, I would not have traded Eddie for Amare last year. I would not even trade Eddie for Amare now! Frankly, I think Eddie will come around and Amare is over hyped. Secondly, Amare is in the perfect situation. He has a good passing PG, all star player on his team that opponents zone in on (marion), and plays on a fast pace style team that suits his game. My problem with Eddie is not that I think he is not a good player. But his style is not what we need in a PF. He should NEVER ever shoot another 3. We dont need him to shoot unless its a put back or a wide opened 15 footer. We need a dirty work type PF and Eddie is and probably will not become that. Frankly, Eddie may be too talented to "tone down" his game into this role. Who knows... But the fact is that Eddie is not currently the dirty work type PF we need and most likely will not be in the future. P.S But this does nto mean that he cant be a 18 pt 8 rebound (rashard lewis like) SF for us...
I wouldn't be so quick to make another trade. The guys you mentioned are not easily acquired. Brian Grant is in the middle of a max-level contract. Do you want him at that price? Malik Rose just signed a contract exetnsion for Cato money. And Boozer is still in his rookie contract and not gonna be given up. What I'm saying is that it would be nice to just plug a bruiser type PF into this team, but doing it via trade is not so easy. Even if we could find an available PF, which valuable piece would you give up (Don't say Rice or MoT b/c everyone knows that won't fly.)? I feel good about the way Eddie's been playing. His play (and #s) have improved since the KT deal. The West is loaded with dominant PFs, but the guys you mention go off against everyone. Eddie's young and still developing both mentally and physically. He grew up playing a finess game, and he's making the transition into a more power game. Look back at Dirk's 1st 2 years, and you'll see how he came into the league as a finesse player but has developed a decent inside game and hits the boards hard. I'm not saying EG is Dirk, but when young guys like Eddie get better when they get a chance to play. If the Rockets were losing with Eddie in there, it would be different, but it's the best of both worlds. Eddie's learning and the Rockets are winning.
Moon, Good post.. I agree with you that the players I listed are hard to get, but I was more so referring to that type of "dirty work" player. Your Nowitski analogy is also true. I think Eddie will develop sorta like how Nowitski did. But Nowitski isnt the dirty work type player either. One of the reasons why the Mavs are doing better in my opinion is that they realized they need the dirty work type guy and got that type of contribution from Adrian Griffen and Najera.. Thoughts?
If Eddie can't compete with the players now then Rudy wouldn't have place him in the Starting Lineup. Therefore, Eddie is able to compete with the NBA's Elite. Eddie has great defense and his offense is coming around. I love Eddie's play and work ethic so far as a young player at what.. the age of 20? We don't need to trade for a PF, Eddie is our future.
EG is going to be great... He's already showing little by little that he is adding to his arsenal. I think the biggest problem with EG is his size... he needs to bulk up! I hope MoT can bring his "A" game when he returns, otherwise... We will be talking about PF for the next 4 months.
EG will be fine but I agree that the team needs a veteran PF. MoT is not the answer for this team. The team needs a more physical PF (Brian Grant). I hope the Rockets will address this true need.
Forget trades, lets go with what we have. Working together will solve more problems than a trade would.
Trade us all your short-contract scrubs and we'll give you Antonio Davis. We need to get rid of some papers and rebuild.
I keep hearing this about Horry being our starting PF in 1995. That wasn't really true. Horry was not the starting PF until the Magic series. After the Thorpe trade, Chilcutt was the starter, including 15 playoff games that year. Horry more and more started moving to PF as Elie got more minutes at SF, but Elie didn't start until the Magic series.
As I've said many times on this board, I think the Rockets need a veteran power forward. Someone to be the enforcer. Someone who can dish out some pain, and guard YM's back. With JP, YM, and EG the Rocket's front line lack upper body strength. Cato is the only guy who can provide muscle, and he backs up YM, and we need a second big body to back up EG. Raven
I believe Carl Herrera started a handful of games too after Chilcutt was given his shot. In fact, didnt Carl's season end with a shoulder injury?
I think Eddie is really starting to turn his game up a couple of notches. His rebounding and aggresiveness seam to be quite a bit higher than earlier in the season. He would have easily had a double / double last night if Rudy had played him more than 20 minutes. Eddie is still a year or so from being a dominant big man in the paint but he is starting to look like a very real contributer to me.
I don't get to see games, but from what I can gather, Eddie's biggest problem is that he can't shoot worth a damn - in game chat the lack of arch on his shots is pointed out all the time. But he does get a lot of rebounds and the team seems to be playing decent defense overall, so I think probably his non-scoring contributions make him an acceptable enough PF. I guess the lack of a shot is what's keeping him from really busting out. I honestly don't know this. How much does a young player's shot usually improve in the first few years of his career? Is Eddie's one that can be worked on as effectively as others? I really like Eggie, I'm just curious about what kind of development can historically be expected from a player like him.
Yes and Yes But Chilcutt did start 15 of those playoff games. Rudy had a lot of juggling to do when Max got the ax and Herrera went down, and the Ellie/Horry lineup didn't occur until late in the championship drive.
Raven, You are a wise man!!! Finally, someone that agrees with me.. Many on this board either are ignoring my statements or do not understand. We need help now! Not in 2 years... We have too many of these "great prospects" on this team as is.
