Trade in the Works? The question has to be asked. The Houston Rockets have enough talent in the back court for two teams, but are still a little thin on the front line. Not that they don't have enough bodies to fill positions, but the bodies they have do not inspire fans to believe that rebounding or interior defense will be strengths for the Rockets this season. With the stockpile of small forwards and guards, fans are asking where these guys will get minutes, and the only answer is that there aren't enough minutes to go around. The only answer that makes sense is that there must be a trade in the works. Small Forward: Who starts? Glen Rice is the veteran and would therefore earn the Rudy T obligatory starting role, but he was a no-show at workouts in LA and has since spawned rumors of retirement. The Rockets get to pay him $9 million a year whether or not he retires, so we may as well hope he plays. If he can get healthy Rice is still a good outside shooter and could be an expensive version of Matt Bullard. So if we pencil Rice in as the starter, who's the number one reserve? Most likely that would be Eddie Griffin. Griffin has bulked up over the summer and is said to be 6'11" 235 now. That starts to put him in the power forward range, but Griffin is still young and struggled to establish any kind of inside game last year. It is likely that he will begin the season as a small forward until he can consistently play in the paint. Besides, Kenny Thomas is going to be the starter and then primary back-up to Mo Taylor at power forward. There has even been talk that Thomas could be the starting small forward when Taylor comes back from suspension. That still leaves Bostjan Nachbar and Terence Morris to work into the lineup somewhere at the three spot. Overcrowded is hardly the word. Shooting Guard: At this position we at least know for sure who's going to start. Cuttino Mobley will start and play 35-40 minutes per game if he has his way. Tito Maddox has already been signed with the idea that he can play point or off guard, and Oscar Torres has an invitation to training camp with the promise of a new deal. Torres is a proven player who did well in limited appearances as a starter last season, but needs to work on his ability to contribute in spurts off the bench. His ability to shoot, drive, and get the ball up the floor earned him comparisons to Clyde Drexler. It wouldn't be a bad thing to be three-deep at off guard, except that there aren't enough slots on the roster to support such a decision. Point Guard: Obviously Steve Francis is the starter here, and he, too, will demand 35-40 minutes per game or more. The Franchise doesn't like to sit on the sidelines and watch. Moochie Norris would seem to be the primary back-up, but Moochie's inability to move the ball up the court at anything faster than a slow walk makes him a detriment to the up-tempo game plan Rudy T is trying to implement. Tierre Brown, who played with the Rockets last season, had an excellent showing in summer league play and has an invitation to training camp. Tito Maddox was not nearly as impressive in summer league play (he was plagued by turnovers). Nonetheless, Maddox is the proud owner of a brand new 2-year contract. He is expected to play at both guard positions. It is a foregone conclusion that Kenny Thomas will be traded, but it seems likely that the Rockets will wait to see if Eddie Griffin is ready to step up the four before they lose their best front-court starter (statistically). What if the Rockets could bring in a true power forward - one who bangs, has a low-post game, and rebounds like a madman? A guy like, say, Danny Fortson. The Rockets could put together a nice package including a combination of Thomas, Moochie Norris, Tito Maddox, Jason Collier, Glen Rice, and Terence Morris. Such a deal would certainly make sense out of what has been a series of strange signings by the Rockets.
Not bad for a new member! You did make many mistakes and assumptions and it would have been better if you were a little more knowledgeable about whats going on! For example the Rockets should be a great rebounding team this year,as long as Yao Ming arrives. You said the reverse!
What juicedude posted was from an article written by the Rocket Guy on Hoopsworld.com. Sorry to burst your bubble, juicedude, but I read the same article earlier this morning.
Here's the website: http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_1236.shtml Regarding the article, the writer has a few good points, but I hardly doubt that Eddie's a SF. But I'm not sure how reliable of a source that Hoopsworld is.
If you're going to steal an atricle and post it as your own you should at least get one from a reliable source that knows what they are talking about.
Talent overflowing in the backcourt but thin up front? How about we don't have a clear cut backup 2 guard? Or how about the logjam at 4? The writer of this article is not too good.
so we rate new members on the board...when did that committee form? With that being said and now that the cheating and thievery has been so graciously pointed out and though this is not highschool or college, blatant Plagerism is not cool! Memo to Juice: I can understand you have the same feelings and thoughts has the beat writer for Hoopworld, but come on....did you have to just blatantly take claim for his work? After I read it, I thought, wow....this guy has it together, though I disagreed with some of "your" thoughts. Then, we find out that you claimed his work as your own....Dude, I know this is the BBS, but feel free to rewrite it in your own words next time. As you have just found, most folks on this board are basketball junkies and crave and gather information on an hourly basis! Now, I forgot what I was going to comment about related to the original article
I, too, would like to get rid of KT and MoT. KT because there's no place for him, and Mo T because, eventually, Griffin's going to take over. What I would really LOVE to do is send Rice, KT, Mo T, and Moochie to the Cavs for Lamond Murray, Tyrone Hill, Bimbo Coles and a protected future pick (maybe). Ty hill would bring another new, needed dimension to our team, and when Griff is ready, he'll (TyHill) be an excellent backup. His contract is up after the season, and it frees up a lot of space. While we replace Rice with a younger version who can run more and is coming off a productive season. Fits our team, and wants out of Cleveland. Our lineup would be something like: Ming/Cato TyHill/Griffin/T-Mo Murray/Nachbar/T-Mo Mobley/Torres/Maddox Francis/Bimbo/Tierre This line up has better defense, but loses scoring at the PF spot. In exchange, we get younger and better at the 3, lose Mo T and Mooch's huge contracts, and stay just as talented. Hill would be a very good mentor to Griffin. Playing inside, rebounding, defense. That's the stuff Griffin has yet to learn.
Man, you guys are slipping! It was pretty obvious from the first paragraph that it was a hoopsworld article. They are the only ones who take conjecture and write it up in a fairly professional style as fact. Welcome to the board juicedude, but be aware of three things: 1. The accepted format is to mention that you found an article and where you found it as a way of introduction. 2. Hoopsworld wavers somewhere between Peter Vecsey and the National Enquirer as a journalistic entity. A lot of the time, they are just throwing **** on the wall and hoping it sticks. 3. Most of the time, "TheRocketGuy" or "Hoopsworld" threads get closed. This is not because of a prejudice against them, but because conjecture is presented as fact, and that is not acceptable at ClutchCity.net, where we actuallly have legitimate sources and real scoops from time to time.
