Neither of these guys are Horry/Cassell yet. Let's see what they can do in a full season/playoffs first people.
I'm curious .. . what do you remember most from Horry's first season? Cassells? no googling/Youtubing Rocket River
Yeah, let's see, without googling at all... I remember Bob for really athletic play, attacking the rim, blocking shots and being a surprisingly good passer, especially into the post with Dream. And Cassell, I just remember his immediate comfort on the court in his limited back-up minutes, and I remember his minutes steadily growing. I thought at the time, "oh this guy was born for this league!" My memory could be way off though on the details of course!
I remember Horry being really passive even though he showed flashes of being a poor man's Scotty Pippen. He didn't really come out of his shell until after the failed trade. Cassell was the opposite. He always had that swag and would go rogue even though you could tell it pissed off Dream.
I remember this as well. Additionally, before there was a "Chandler Bang", it was Bob. As a rookie, Cassell was closing out games every once in a while depending on the situation and matchups.
The thing about Horry is he was just that perfect role player type. And frankly, if I'm remembering his rookie year right, he wasn't amazing or even really really good in any way. But he was just a guy you could count on, play decent minutes, guard 3 positions, hit an occasional three, etc. His bigger moments came later in his career - most famously his three with the Lakers and hitting Nash with the Spurs. Even with the Rockets championships there's not a ton of amazingly memorable moments. Not in line with the Kiss of Death, Sam's 3 in New York (and big ball dance), Kenny's 3 against Orlando, Hakeem's destruction of Robinson and tip in against Orlando, Hakeem and Clyde both going for 40 in a playoff win against Utah, etc.
I remember Sam being great offense off the bench and wondering why he didn't start over Kenny. Horry was super long and explosive but inconsistent. Wasn't as clutch until they moved him to the 4 spot the following season.
Thanks for the memories guys. . . .seriously That said . . .. . My point is . . .Cassell and Horry weren't CASSELL AND HORRY their first seasons You saw glimpses. . .you saw the potential I think Capela and Dekker . . .. you can see the potential I'm not saying they will be CASSELL AND HORRY but I am saying I am not ready to trade them until I see more. I think with playing time and confidence these guys can be those solid role players that teams need year in and year out. Rocket River
I want to see him model his game around Mike Miller. I think he has the skill set to be a somewhat similar player. He probably will never be the 3 point shooter Miller was but he has the skill set with the ball to be somewhat similar. Btw, Morey took a lot of heat for taking him in the 1st round but he is starting to repay the faith.
Besides the injury thing I never got the Dekker hate from some. Capela either for that matter. But Dekker was rated about where we took him and maybe even a bit higher by some. He was a good college player and even the limited time he got on court as a rookie you could see that he had some potential.
To be honest, I wasn't sold on Dekker until this season started. I just didn't think his game could translate to the NBA and he was too slow, too inconsistent shooter and too bad of a defender to make an NBA team. Judging by the first month of the season, I'm taking it all back. He's the kind of player that needs trust from the coach and steady minutes to show what he can do. He's playing great for us thus far. Just hope he'll manage to play at this level throughout the grind. Keep going at it man!
Honestly i see so much potential in Sam. I feel like he has grown from a below average bench player into a great one in just a month. He can shoot, he has handles and he can finish at the rim. If he continues to grow like that he will get an all-star some day, he needs to stay healthy tho. Mark my words.
Why did you think he was slow? I know he's not an A+ athlete like Lebron James, but in college he was clearly a good one. He has similar strength and athleticism to Wilson Chandler and no one's ever accused that guy of being slow. People still question his defense and his ability to play SF when those are actually his natural strength and position. I'm just confused at where people are getting their scouting reports. Is he constantly getting blown by on the perimeter and I'm not seeing it?
Dekker is a dangerous player at the 4. He attacks off the catch better than anyone else on this team... love what I am seeing out of him thus far.
