This is a rockets forum..what else do you want people to talk about on a rockets message board? The whole "no knee jerk" thing is wayy overdone on this board..we're all rockets fans and after seeing a rookie score 10 in the first while checking kobe or seeing another rookie with some size and athleticism get a couple of big dunks, its understandable for devoted fans, like we all obviously are, to get excited and post about it. Hopefully, everyone here with a brain knows that 1 or 2 games with some flashes of brilliance doesn't foreshadow a long successful all-star career or even a solid role playing career at that...but why not let people get excited?
Oh, I'm not saying one shouldn't talk about it, I was pointing out that people saying he's going to become an all-star and stuff like that is dumb and they should take a step back and calm down. But sure, get excited all you want.
It was nice to see him out there and playing a solid game. I think he can be a player, meaning that I can see him maybe filling the Von Wafer void (minus the headcase). I would like to see the Rooks get PT for the rest of the season, since that all playoff hopes are more dead than Mike Dunleavy.
Err. You do realize that when Wafer finally had his breakthrough season with us he was on his 5th team in 4 years. How many "big games" did Wafer prove himself with in his first 3 years in the league? And is it at all possible that if Wafer needed 4 years to make any kind of impact on the league maybe JT could use a couple seasons before you say that he can never do that? Uh, ya think. (Thanks Clyde)
I like the Jason Richardson comparison. Poor man's Jason Richardson off the bench, which puts him back in the Kelenna Azubuike/Von Wafer NO PASSING category...Still Taylor's not as smooth as those guys. He needs to refine his handles, passing and shooting motion. Wafer didnt have great handles either, but he had better initial burst off the first dribble and feel for where he was going with the ball. We keep throwing in names, but for some reason Taylor reminds me of Luol Deng if Deng was 6'-4" instead of 6'-8". When he wrote that comment, the voting was still early and non-conclusive. But yeah I didnt think people would be THAT crazy in their forecast.
Yeah, like he is going to start over Kevin Martin. Taylor is the pastry of the day. Considering his left-handed dribbling ability, he will lucky to establish himself as the 11th or 12th man on the pine.
Taylor looks exciting, and that's enough for some people. I have seen too many players come and go after generating about the same level of excitement. The same could be said for Jordan Hill, but he has a couple of things going for him that most others don't: he was a #8 overall selection nine months ago, and he is demonstrably tall. You can't coach height. Sure, JT could end up as good as AB, but I remain skeptical. And, according to wikipedia, speaking of
I havent read the whole thread so I dont know if this has been said yet, but I think Jermaine Taylor reminds me a little bit of J.R. Smith and Von Wafer. He can be the 6th man giving the team a scoring punch off the bench. He seems to have some nice game. He is athletic, attack the rim, shoot the 3, and showed some nice defense against kobe.
A less explosive Jason Richardson is his ceiling. I doubt he ever develops into that kind of scorer, but he might be one of those types who comes in cold off the bench and goes off for 30 before you know it.
What if he tapes his right hand, then plays all summer with his left? Tyreke Evans was a right handed player that developed his left hand that way.
Do you understand the fact that some people speculate about the future, and the reason that people do it is because they're opinionated? I can do the exact same thing that you did on anyone else's post. I'd much rather would have had you counter my reasons w/ better ones. In other words, yes, I could be wrong, but I might even be right. So convince me why my speculation is LIKELY to be wrong. You're wrong, because my prediction isn't wrong. Not saying that it's right either, but the future is not black and white. You might be able to reason w/ me that it's LIKELY to be wrong. I might even accept your opinion. But don't try to be a smart-ass when I never tried to claim myself as one in the first place. In that sense, face me responsibly and show me some reasons why my speculation is LIKELY to be wrong -- Why do you think JT will eventually be a scorer off the bench, even surpassing the abilities of Von Wafer of 08-09?
Is it a knee-jerk to think a guy has talent after a good game? Possibly, but I remember a game in the 07-08 season when a rookie dropped 18 points and he's now a borderline allstar and frontrunner for MIP.
strength is included in athleticism and lowry is one of stronger PGs in the league. He drags 2 guys to the rim and looks for a 3rd to plow over on his way up. He's got no short, mid, or long range game but the guy can somehow take over a game with strong penetration/drawing fouls. as for JT, I just hope he's not another uber-athletic dunker who never pans out into a good NBA player. If he becomes a jrich type player, we could really use him.
If that works, I'm 100% for it. I am not anti-Jermaine Taylor, but he has shortcomings that need to be addressed before he can become a bench player, a role player or an all-star. I'm a big fan of Chase Budinger, but he has lateral quickness and shooting confidence issues that he has to resolve before he can reach his potential. Where Chase is too prone to get rid of the ball like its a hot potato, Taylor seems reluctant to share the ball. Which negative trait is worse, I don't know.
This is why he was a second round pick and not a first. I think his ticket to serious playing time would be to develop some serious defense. He has terrific athleticism and you can look at the guy and tell how strong he is. More time on the floor would solve a lot of his offensive issues IMO because so many are related to confidence and just knowing what his limits are as well as what is expected of him. I think Chase is the total package as far as skills and ability. I just think Chase needs a full off-season program as well just continuing to get confident so his consistency will be there on a nightly basis. I think we could see a progression of Chase and his effectiveness on the court much like we have seen with AB. He has already shown the ability to do great things on the court we just need to see the results on a consistent basis.
A good point, Chase has mad hops! Yet refuses to play D or intelligently with the basketball. Yes, I realize he is a rookie, however, you have to want to play D. JT played very tough D on Kobe who was elbowing him in the chest and trying to punk him. Chase backs down from lesser talent and has been benched on several occasions for not playing D. I would like to see them compete against each other in practice. FYI, why didn't Chase start against LA, because Rick knew Bud would get lit up by Kobe with little to no resistance.
