What does everybody think about Shandon Anderson lately?

The problems Anderson at the starting two is that he is neither a scorer, or shooter. He is an opurtunity player who can get offensive rebounds sometimes, run the floor real well, and play good hard nose defense. Ultimately when Mobley's game comes up to par he will start. Anderson could very likely be pushed out, if he refuses to play the backup role. Nobody else in this league really wants him to start at two guard in my mind. So he will likely stay here as the backup.

 

I am extremely happy with Anderson. He has showed that he is an excellent defender. He gets a lot of his points in the open court and here in Houston he just doesn't get that opportunity. It is also very hard to cut to the basket with two big men in there clogging the lane. The Rockets never even give him any postup opportunities either like he got in Utah. Basically, if you can't shoot the 3, you won't get playing time, and since Shandon isn't a 3-shooter, he looks bad right now. He is not going to take anybody one-on-one off the dribble. That has never been his game. He scores his points in the open court, off postups, and off of backdoor cuts. This bastardized offense is completely limiting him. For Shandon's sake I wish he had signed somewhere else. It's sad to see talent wasted.

[This message has been edited by thacabbage (edited November 28, 1999).]

 

Cabbage, Anderson has played relatively well and should get more minutes. That said you refer to the dump it down offense. Again this is not an offense but an inevitable spacing system as a result of frequent double teams in the low post. Kicks out then happen and this is where Shandon has problems. He's shot fairly well recently from beyond the arc, but he's not a shooter. The same way he is not a legitamate starter for this team. He could be for some other team where big men don't demand double teams.
He should in my opinion be playing the strating three instead of the two.

 

Anderson is a good role player who is earning almost exactly what he's worth.

 

I think Anderson hasn't found his key role on offense. When he starts to cut through the lane he'll get some easy shots. Also they should run some plays for Anderson. I think Francis, Mobley, Anderson should all get about 16 points a game.

 

Caucasion:

If Anderson isn't a starter, then who is your big stopper along the perimeter? Who on this team can shut down the likes of Michael Finley and Steve Smith, like Anderson has?

 

I agree with the Caesar Salad......SA is all about great defense, top of the line movement without the ball,and playing within the flow of the game.There is no flow to this antiquated,dinosaur offense.He DOES have the ability to take over games at times though.Rudy,Rudy,Rudy..............


[This message has been edited by Hardwood Hammer (edited November 29, 1999).]

 

I think this is a case of, less is more. Anderson is clamping down defensively, and as usual, with the team losing, we don't notice it enough. He also is very capable on the break, and has a clear feel for blending with others. He won't lead the team is scoring, but there's no reason for him too. I like his game a lot, and think that he is a fundemental piece of many solid years of uptempo Rockets BB to come. I submit his numbers will increase while Cato is the starter at center....

 

Anderson is playing good BBall, he is melting into the Rockets system. He scored above ten ppg recently and he will get better as he figure out that forcing shots is a popular trend led by Fancis and Mobley.

Cuttino avarages 31.9 MPG, .379 FG%, .321 3PFG%, 12.9 PPG.

Anderson avarages 26.8 MPG, .456 FG%, .333 3PFG%, 8.3 PPG.

Anderson was struggling to find a niche in the offense early on, otherwise his stats would have been a lot better.

The thing is, Mobley is not so good as to replace Anderson as some might think. Anderson shot .493 in 2 point land, Mobley .407. Anderson shot .333 behind the arc, Mobley .321. Statwise Anderson is a better shooter than Mobley.

The best comparison is, Anderson is 4th in terms of FG% on the Rockets, his .454 FG% is only behind Rogers, Olajuwon and , whereas Mobley made a remote .379%. the lowest of the team.

Rudy is clearly giving Mobley special treatment, Mobes is the worst in terms of scoring effciency yet enjoys 30 plus minutes every night. When your worst offensive player, who is also a bench player, is getting starter minutes, there is bound to be some morale problem due to its unfairness.

 

I need to change the statment that Cat is the worst Rocket in terms of scoring effciency. He did get a a lot of points off free throws, 42-49.So that somehow higher his efficiency. However, he is still relatively unproductive comepared to other player, the only way he got 12.9 PPG is that he jacked up lots of shots (61-161), of which often ill advised, he is scoring at the expense of the team that is for sure.

 

I hate to tell you guys this, but on offense Shandon looks about as lost as Scottie Pippen Did last year. Although he is playing great defense, just like Coach J. Thompson said "Some players play well in certain offenses, Shandon does not fit into this offense". The Same went for Scottie Pippen.

------------------
"Heres Francis quick crossover left to right,
Oh he Burns Stoudamire, and flushes it in Pippens Face"

 

Cabbage, well when it comes to Finley, Anderson sure ain't it. Finley lit Anderson up like a christmas tree. As a defender Anderson is a great defender and I will give him that, but I think that as a 2 guard he is more than questionable as a legitmate starter in this league. We should give him Williams starting spot at the 3, and then fill the two with Mobes. Anderson is better equipped to play the three.

 

Besides Anderson's defense, he's also been improving on the offensive end (except for the Blazers game). He only took one shot against the Blazers and missed, but look at the five previous games (from most recent back): 16, 12, 14, 11, 14. When you campare those with the first eight games, I think it looks like he's beginning to feel more comfortable. I would like to see him start at small forward, though, with Mobley at shooting guard.

 

All that said, I'm wondering why Rudy still doesn't put our best players at their most comfortable positions on the floor. That is:

C Hakeem
PF Charles/Kelvin Cato ***
SF Shandon
SG Cuttino
PG Steve

*** this has to be discussed, since some posters, including myself, are resistant to the fact that when Hakeem and Charles are put on the court together the lanes get clogged.

I love the Wizard, but he hasn't got game since he came to Houston. Rudy, why bother bringing him out as a starter? Rather, I'd like to see Charles, Bryce, and Walt come off the bench to provide a solid post-up game. Charles is a great rebounder, and passer, and you can always count on him to create some open 3's or short jumpers, or put-in's.

Rudy, play Shandon more! I don't really care if he gets on fire on offense, but I do care about his defense. Shandon's defense is what the Rox need the most.

As of how Shandon has played recently, I think it's a BIG question mark. He's been quite good in the past few games, except the Porland one, in which he's scoreless. Defensively, he's got to get an A. He usually can minimizes the offense of his man. Offensively, I think he will still struggle for a little while. Hopefully, Hakeem's injury, which is a bad thing, would eventually turn out to be a blessing for this team to gell more quickly.

 

I love Anderson. His defense is big time and he is only 25. Once he gets a feel for the offense and gets moved to the 3 spot, I think he will flourish.

The only thing is that we should get him more involved or do whatever quickly before HE demands to be traded. I really would hate do lose him. He is damn good, to me.

 

Anderson is defintiely a starter for the Rockets - anyone who thinks we should take him out is nuts. We already have a mediochre defense, and pulling Anderson would worsen that, and remove the flexibility he gives in offense - no he is not a great 3 point shooter but he gives another option.

I have to agree with HH - he can turn the game around with his awesome defense and his explosive cutting offense.

 

I think Anderson's role on this team will become more evident as Francis' play becomes better and better. When Steve can create in the half-court and break down defenses, Anderson can cut to the basket and get easy scoring opportunities. The more running we do the better Anderson will fit in. Its not his fault he hasn't been as productive as initially thought, we just need to have variations in the gameplan to incorporate all of our talents. And don't overlook the great defense he plays night-in night-out. He can check Pippen, Finely, Bryant, and the likes one-on-one, making it a lot easier for the other guys to play defense, rebound, and hopefully, run.

 

I think we have one of the best rotations of guards in the league. It should be played that way. Rogers should start at the 3 and get the majority of PT because of the matchup problems he can create. Anderson can spell him at the three and should rotate with Mobley at the 2.

This team will go .500 next month and will continue to get better. I really think we have a legitimate shot at a title!