Lets just say this kind of babbling is what I need to stay sane in the midst of this worse than dreadful season. Here is what I hope happens next year. I'll try to be realistic, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that since Real GM doesn't have any salary info posted right now. 1) The Rockets end the season with a mild run after picking themselves up off the floor. They finish 32-48 which earns them the #9 pick in the draft. They use it to get TJ Ford who enters the draft very early. 2) The Rockets make a deal with Seattle for a Rashard Lewis sign and trade involving Mo Taylor. Griffen becomes starting PF, Rashard is starting SF. 3) The Rockets trade Moochie, and Cato to the Clippers for Olowokandi. 4) They let Williams go. 5) Collier plays well in limited action, and Langhi (after being told he will never make it in the NBA any other way) wills himself into a good defensive player off the bench. 6) Oscar Torres becomes the next Mario Elie. 7) Glenn Rice comes back strong and wins the 6th man of the year award. 8) The Franchise finds out that he shouldn't be eating those mushrooms that grow under the power lines behind his house while he is stoned, and coincidentally his migraines stop. Olowokandi, Griffen, Lewis, Mobley, Francis are starters, Collier, KT, Rice, Langhi, Morris, Torres, & Ford fill out the roster.... that makes 12. Please DO NOT respond to the content of this post.... ONLY more drivel is appropriate.
Please tell me your are kidding about TJ Ford. There is 1% chance he comes out, and there is a 1% chance he gets drafted anywhere close to the 1st round. Read: Omar Cook TJ will be a Moochie Norris. Langhi "willing" himself to be a good defender? Ha. First, Rudy seems to have a phobia with defensive minded players. Also, Langhi is prob the worst defender on the team, and that is saying A LOT. I guess I broke your rule about responding to the content. #1-Realistically, I will agree the Rockets could finish around 32-50 or so. But no TJ. #2-Probably a 10% chance. Mo would have to play for us this year, and actually show up this time. He will have little to no trade value if he smokes out err sits out all year. Sea did go after him as a FA, so they might be a sucker for a soft PF. #3-I think Olowokandi is eligible to be a FA. If that is correct, then there is no way in hell LAC would trade Olowokandi for Cato and Norris. Clips owner, Donald Sterling is as cheap as they come, why the hell would he want Cato and Moochie's never ending, overpaid contracts? #4-The one thing I agree with. Williams is as good as gone. #5-Collier playing well in limited action is like asking Rudy T to get his players to defend. Read above comments about Ann Langhi. #6-I don't see the comparison, but I will say Torres could be an asset off the bench like Elie was. #7-It might be time to stick a fork in Rice. At this point, he might be a Steve Kerr-type. #8-I agree 90%.
I dont understand why people like TJ Ford that much. Great, he can pass the ball extremely well on the high school and college level. That still means he'll probably suck as a pro and I still porbably have a better jumpshot than him. Sorry I stopped reading after that.
Sheesh...dude is a freakin' freshman. Give the guy a chance. At least let him get through his senior year before you dismiss him as an NBA player. Btw, Jason Kidd wasn't known for his outside shooting when he came in the league. In fact, the Suns had to beg him to shoot more. os
It's not even an argument. TJ Ford is an AMAZING passer, that will make it in the NBA. There is no way, barring catastrophe, that he won't be at least a serviceable point guard. This guy is leading the NCAA in assists. You have to take into account several things: 1) He is on a defensive minded team. He is getting 10 assists in 70 point games.... that is an assist for 1/3 of the teams baskets. 2) He is doing it without a great offensive game. He isn't driving and dishing on every play. He is getting them in the flow of the game. 3) He is a freshman that can only get better. Think how good he will be when his offense improves. Ford is a great passer that has an amazing sense for the flow of the game, and always knows where his guys are. He finds guys that are open, he pushes the ball, and most of all he does everything at the right time, never forcing anything.
Doctor Robert, Who would you take with the Toronto pick, which is about 20 or 21 right now. Would you package the two picks & try to move up a couple of spots?
Ford also happens to be a good perimeter defender. I would be shocked if he didn't play in the nba. He's actually the opposite of Moochie. He passes the ball and wants his teammates to be involved. He's not known to be one to put on a dribbling exhibition. He just plays basketball. There is nothing wrong with a guy who likes to pass the ball. As for his shooting, Jason Kidd is still a horrible shooter.
Langhi "willing" himself to be a good defender? Ha. First, Rudy seems to have a phobia with defensive minded players. Also, Langhi is prob the worst defender on the team, and that is saying A LOT. Kidrock: While Langhi is not a great defender by any means, I have to disagree. Read: WALT WILLIAMS Walt makes Langhi look like a steel trap.
I'm sorry, kidrock moochie norris? I'm a UT student and have had a pleasure of watching TJ ford play this yr. First of all, I doubt he comes out this year so its pointless anyway. But if you dare try and compare TJ to moochie norris you are crazy-he is in the kidd mold. He does everything well and has a solid medium range game. Trust me, he will develop a 3 pt shot while at UT. Plus, TJ gets everyone involved in the FLOW of a game. No unnecessary dribbling or crossovers, which are mooch's staple. TJ Ford has a world of potential and whomever gets him in the draft will be one happy organization but theres about a one percent chance he enters the draft this year and I don't think he wants to leave yet. I just felt i had to reply to someone comparing him to a moochie norris-he's a lot better than that, but needs more time to refine his game. Cook, I felt along made a mistake in coming out his freshman year and he is not nearly close to a great all around talent as is TJ. In Conclusion, Hook em Horns and for all you that havent seen the freshman play, watch this weekends OU-Texas game at the Erwin Center and you wont be disappointed.
I hope he doesn't have back surgery like he is thnking about. He's a pure point like Miller,Kidd,Tinsley mold, the shot will come.
Leebigez, TJ is gamer. He has played this entire season almost with that bum ankle of his, and no I havent heard anything about his back bothering him. If sometimes like that had developed, I'm pretty positive it would spread like wildfire throughout campus and with my love of sports I'm sure I would've heard it. If I hear anything Ill update the board.
TJ Ford may eventually be a serviceable NBA point guard (of course, Mateen Cleaves was suppossed to be serviceable as well), but this is what was proposed. Picking him this year (when we desperately need a Center or Small Foward) with the #9 pick would be really dumb.
jayZ, TJ wont in all likelihood come out anyway this year so the point is moot, but TJ ford will be more than a backup pg in the nba, he will be a quality starter. He is a freshman for christ sakes. I wouldn't be saying this except I get a great view of his game since I'm a UT student. I highly recommend you tune in this weekend to the OU-Texas game(I'd be shocked if it wasn't televised nationally) as I think you'll be surprised. I dont want the rockets to keep the pick anyway-to be honest i say trade both to the clippers in an odom deal.
MAybe the TJ/Moochie comparison isn't quite valid. Would God Shammgod suffice? Comparing TJ to Kidd is a joke. TJ is nowhere near as good of a finisher or a defender as Kidd. They are similar in the sense that they are both great at controlling the tempo. I am a big TJ fan, in the sense that he's one of the most exciting players I've ever seen in HS. However, I wouldn't consider him a lock for the NBA. Can anyone tell me the difference between him and Omar Cook? Except that TJ is 2-3 inches shorter. Unless TJ can finish his layups better, or hit the mid-range J consistently, he will be very hard pressed to succeed in the NBA.
Can someone PLEASE explain what aspect of T.J.'s game is that much more superior to Omar Cook's game that is projecting him to be a successful early 1st round pick.
I'm not discounting his talent. I actually watch many UT games as for some reason Channel 51 here grabs the ESPN Plus package Texas games and shows them. But from what I've seen he is not a starting PG on the NBA level. He may get there by the time he comes out, but not yet. And not that I wouldnt do it if I was a UT student/alumni, but what I see is a lot of fans of the team thinking they have the next great PG on their hands, and it just seems to be overexxagerated a bit. That's all.
Kidrock-I'm referring to style-kidd is a triple double waiting to happen a night and distributes the ball with ease-TJ has a very similar manner of play Also TJ ford is a freshman, if you can sit here at tell me jason kidd was like he is now at that age, be my guest because it just doesnt happen unless we are talking Bryant/KG and those are special players. No doubt, I think TJ needs to refine his game some before he leaves UT(which yes is a mistake right now) but I see the makings of a great floor leader in college and the pros in him if he stays in college a few years. He makes the game look so effortless and easily gets 10 assists without you even knowing it. Take the arizona game for instance, before he got hurt early in the second half he ALREADY HAD 14 ASSISTS. I was at that game and I would say we would've won had he been healthy the whole game. He gets the guys the ball in rhythm where they are successful and when he left we struggled mightily. As for as him leaving school, he won't do it this year, omar cook and satterfield among others received horrible advice and while TJ can get the same, I think he stays at least two seasons in burnt orange. Right now, yes he would need development on a bench before he could be ready to make the impact he can but I believe the defense/shot will come from hard work in the offseason and you will be seeing TJ ford's name in the newspaper box scores as a quality, starting nba pg soon. DJ, Omar cook is similar in the respect he had no outside shot to speak up and a good passer but he is not the rebounder from the pg position that TJ is. (And I dont think he is ready for the pros yet, like cook wasnt last year and I don't expect him to leave until at the earliest the end of next year)
I know he gets a lot of hype here, JayZ but I'm also factoring in a few seasons of college development into my assessment. If he pulls an omar cook I'd be very surprised(it would be a bad decision) and I think his shot and defense will come through lots of practice. I just believe he has the makings of a stud pg, considering his ability and his seemingly nonexistent adjustment to the college game and his youth. I just see a lot of jason kidd in TJ's style and by no means is he at jason's level yet but I think when you compare him as a freshman to kidd as a frosh at Cal, my logic doesn't sound farfetched at all. Plus, to me distributing is the hardest part of being a pg as it takes a lot of instinctiveness. Magic had it, Isiah had it, Kidd has it, TJ from what i see has it. He can work on his shot and man to man defense in the offseason and develop them, but its a lot harder to change a scorer into a passer than vice versa having them retain their original skills in my opinion. Of course, this is all pending him having a few seasons under Rick Barnes tutelage at Texas, if he leaves now, then I'll say that he needs a few years studying under a great pg before he can be ready to take the reins of an nba team.
