That helps my cause. His numbers as a starter are better than Mo's. And of course, the defensive intangibles dont show up (i.e. changing shots, etc.). There is such a big difference defensively between the two, with all the good 4s in the west, I dont think you want Mo on the court to start the game. I think he would be effective against other teams backup 4s.
I would start Rice ONLY for "old-times" sake. Let him play 30 seconds or so, then bring in someone who can run, jump, move, shoot, and breath. For the umpteenth time, Rice is done, has been done, was done, done, career over, time for retirement, used to be great offensive threat, done, finished except for being a spot-up shooter, maybe. I wish it weren't true, I hope it is not true, but, unfortunately, it probably is true. I think he would really be a good asst. coach. If he shows me even a shadow of his former self and lasts over ten games without an injury, I will be the first to admit my error. I know this is probably crazy (especially at SF), but I would start Frances, Mobley, Griffin, Ming, and Nashbar. Won't happen, BUT that is what I would do. GO WITH THE FUTURE! For about ten games, it would really be goofy, but, after that, I bet they would be seriously tough to deal with. If you guys can have a "Rice fantasy," I can have a "team fantasy."
You make great points! Not a bad idea to start all the youngsters together and let them gel. Thats what Orlando did in 1995 and they go the the Finals. Although, that would be a stretch to say we could do the same. I get frustrated reading alot of the posts on this BBS because people make it sound like we have to win right now. All our players, including Steve and Cuttino, are still very young. We have alot of time to make all this work out. I hope we make the playoffs. But if we dont, Id still be happy as long as we show improvement and that we are heading in the right direction. Our core group (Ming, Nachbar, Griff, Cuttino, Steve) has 10+ years left to make something special happen. I dont think we are desparate to make the playoffs at this point.
umm, griffin did not start very often last year, and all he did was hit open 3's. thats it. he did not play well, he played like a rookie. once people figured out his one move (fake, step forward shoot) he was pretty much over. he is too weak, and needs a little while to bulk up and develope a post move. no way on earth should he be the starter this year. next year? maybe more minutes, but the year after that? i bet he will be johnny badass. give it time, god, do you like being a lottery team? starting all our young guys.... thats absurd.
Thanks Codell, and Gram! starting all the young guys is ABSURD, and Rudy won't do it, BUT, I would! Griffin and Nashbar apparently have formed something of a friendship, and I predict that those two will mesh well with Ming. CHEMISTRY BABY! My dream team would have a huge front line, good to great defenders, passers, and shooters. All are quick and mobile. In time, My Team starts running people into the ground, and shooting the lights out. Eventually (in a year or two), my team will emerge and LOOK OUT!
Griffin and Mo are so far apart defensively, it, in the last, makes up for the difference offensively, which is not that far apart. Mo is a soft player and a bad rebounder for his position.
Griffin was not that good a defender last season. He blocked a good number of shots, but he also was consistently overpowered in the paint. Hopefully he has improved in the offseason, but I think you may be overstating the difference between his defense and Taylor's at this point. Also, Eddie's offensive game was brutal last year. Again, he should be improved, but there is a big difference between Eddie's offensive game and Taylor's.
Eddie was a good defender last season and there is no overstating the difference between the two. Im not basing it on blocks. As a rookie, you never once saw someone dominate him consitantly. He never got into foul trouble, despite being matched up with all the 4s in the West, and always challenged his mans shot. Look back at the stats from two years ago. Youll see that Mo let his man go nuts several games that season. Eddie averaged 13 pts as a starter, same as Taylor. Now I agree, hes bad percentage wise, but hes far more athletic than Taylor and eventually, if not already, hell be able to get better shots because of that. Ill concede that Mo still has the edge on the O, but the difference is not that much. Ya know, Taylor is really only an average player offensively to begin with and a below average rebounder.
codell, you just are not being realistic, griffin started a few games, yeah, but played like 20-25 minutes in those games and he was not playing 1 on 1 defensively. many times he was faked out trying to block all those shots. also, his ppg stats are way outta proportion because he racked up some good games at first due to open 3's. then he dissappeared towards the end of the season. look, i love the kid, but he is not better than mo-t. all of mo-t's stats came in his first year with the rockets, before he could really gel with the team. and he is not soft. did you forget those monster jams he put on people? he did not get posted up on very often. hell, mo-t's size alone makes him a better option, plus, a gauranteed 14 points a game? dat's what im talkin' 'bout! i really like griffin, but there is just no way in hell you start him if you don't wanna be a lottery team. he cannot hang yet. sorry, but get real. please stop all the madness!
MT is the better "starter" and at this point the better overall player. But, EG is only 20 with 1 year of college and 1 of NBA. He makes an excellent backup and occasional starter until he develops further. Opener: KT Cato Rice Steve Cat Rotation: EG, TMo Yao Ming Mooch Torres Bench: Tito Suspended - MT Mid Season: MT Yao Ming Rice Steve Cat Rotation: EG, TMo Cato KT Mooch Torres Bench: Tito Suspended - MT
I think that Taylor has the inside track on the starting PF because he shoots 49% from the field. He only averages about 13 points a game, but they are points off jumpers. Taylor shoots the ball like an elite SG without the 3 point shot. Taylor doesn't get cheap basket (though I love the Catomick dunks). Taylor's play keeps the lane open for Steve and Mobley to drive the ball inside. Griffin still needs seasoning. Remember that at the end of last season, Griffin fell apart. Remember all those missed 3's in the quest to become the first rookie ever to block 100 shots and make 100 3's. If the Rockets want to win enough to make the playoffs, Talor MUST start and play at least 25 to 30 minutes. On the other hand, I think that Thomas starts over Rice. Rice is nothing more than a spot up shooter at this stage of his career. He didn't play too great in L.A. or in N.Y. Last year granted he was hurt, he was playing horribly; however if he'd have made 40% of his shots when he was playing, the Rockets would have won 5 to 8 more games at the beginning of the season (before the injury avalanche). Rice didn't give the Rockets anything. So, why are people eager to make him the automatic starter. Thomas was consistent all of last year, he deserves to start; now that Rudy said Thomas is a SF. And Ming will be the starter by at least the quarter of the season. When did anyone hear that Cato was an offensive player? Hence, with cato the 5 man offense is missing 1 man, and the math does not add up! Ming is the 5th man in the five man offense. So Ming starts once he know enough plays not to hurt the team more than Cato being on the floor.
For the people who want him to start, you want to start Griffin and what, have him get 3 fouls early and be out of the game for the next 2 quarters? The guy is 20 years old with only 1 year of NBA experience, and is prone to fouling. The Rockets are loaded up front with guys with NBA experience, so the smart thing to do is bring Griff off the bench, that way he can produce, learn the game and stay out of foul trouble so that he can be in there late in games. Right now Mo is the the better option and more polished player then Griff. Is he more talented? Probably not. He is he more well-rounded then Griff is right now? I think so, just because he's more experienced and is talented as well. I don't understand the demands for Griffin to start, the guy is a 20 year old and starting him leaves him vulnerable to the other team's starters when he could come off the bench and feast on the other team's bench players. Rice will start at SF as long as he is healthy, he isn't just a spot shooter. Clutch himself said he saw Rice going strong to the basket. When healthy Rice is a shooter, slasher, and has a nice low post offense from the SF spot.
Great points. I have one thing to add. If Griffin had any strong points last year, it was that he WASNT prone to fouling and was rarely in foul trouble. Look at his fouls per 48 mins and his foul average for a game (1.6). Pretty low, especially for a rookie big man. This guy had more than 3 or more fouls a game only 12 times last year!! Of course, that could mean thats hes not foul prone or hes not trying. lol One of the biggest problems I see with Mo at the 4 are his rebounding skills. Alot of Mos skills are debatable, but most of us can agree that hes a bad rebounder for being a starting 4 in this league and it doesnt help that hes coming off a season ending leg injury. If Yao ends up starting, like we think he will, It will be alot of pressure we are putting on him by putting him in a position to be the only real rebounder on the court for us especially if he wont be able to hold his position under the boards, which is a certainly one of the big questions about Yao coming in. So potentially, Yao and Taylor might be a weak rebounding combination until Yao asserts himself. I dont think we can count Steve anymore to fill that gap because we need him to start getting back in transition defense and to do that, he cant be jumping into the lane trying to help on the defensive glass. Also, I think Steve is going to have to committ himself to defense this year. His athleticism says he can be a great defender. If we are to win, we need him to play his man tougher than he has in the past. Id love to see Steve get some defensive accolades. It will put him a step closer to being a complete and elite player.
MT and Rice are our best starters. EG and KT are excellent off the bench players. They will get significant playing time. I think that is good, we will always have fresh big men in the game. It's 82 games, let's wear them down...
