HoopsAvenue.com Article on Rockets SF position http://www.hoopsavenue.com/nba/team_reports.php?report_id=205 Rockets Get Big at SF Position By: Dennis Silva One of the positions that the Rockets upgraded this offseason was the small forward slot. Last year, the Rockets ran with a hobbled Glen Rice (for twenty games), Walt Williams and, at times, rookie Eddie Griffin. Rookies Terrence Morris and Oscar Torres also saw time at the 3 spot. With the uncertainty regarding Rice’s injury, Williams’ likely departure and Eddie playing out of position, the Rockets drafted 6’9” Bostjan Nachbar with their 15th pick in the NBA draft. So what are the Rockets facing at the small forward position this season? Versatility, young legs and veteran savvy is what is at the plate. GLEN RICE 2001-02 Season Stats: 8.6 points/game, 2.4 rebounds/game, 1.4 assists/game Height: 6’8” Weight: 220 Projected 2002-03 Season Stats: 11.5 points/game, 2.5 rebounds/game, 2 assists/game Not much will be expected a lot of Rice this season, but one thing the Rockets will want is that he’s healthy. Rice is a veteran sharpshooter who is a proven three-point specialist and provides instant offense. Just him being on the floor will open up things for the Rockets’ offense. Rice will likely start out as the starter while Nachbar and Morris learn to adapt to the NBA game. All Rice needs to do is spot-up on the wings and hit threes off of penetration from Francis and Mobley and double-teams from Yao Ming. Rudy will also draw up a few plays for Rice to come off screens instead of just letting him score off of spot-up situations. Rice has two years left on his contract, and hopefully, he is looking to prove something this season after an injury-plagued campaign. He is the shooter that Rudy T adores at the small forward position, and you can believe that he will have his opportunity to burn opposing defenses. BOSTJAN NACHBAR Rookie Height: 6’9” Weight: 221 Projected 2002-03 Season Stats: 10.5 points/game, 4.6 rebounds/game, 2 assists/game Nachbar is the future of the small forward position for the Rockets. Rudy T and his staff craves Nachbar’s athleticism, ability to shoot and his versatility. He is a perfect fit for the running system that Rudy T likes and Moochie will love to see Nachbar as a running mate. A lot of experts predicted Nachbar to be an top-10 draft selection, but fortunatel, he dropped into the Rockets’ laps. He will be given the chance to make an impact for the team, and if Rice fails to carry the bags at the position, Rudy will not hesitate to insert Nachbar into the lineup. TERRENCE MORRIS 2001-02 Season Stats: 3.8 points/game, 3.8 rebounds/game, 0.9 assists/game Height: 6’9” Weight: 221 Projected 2002-03 Season Stats: 4.5 points/game, 4.5 rebounds/game, 1.1 assists/game Morris will again see little time on the floor, but whenever Rudy needs a defensive spark, Morris will likely be the man. He will likely play the role of the designated defensive specialist. He has long arms and is quick for a man his size. He is versatile on defense and can also run the floor and finish offensively. While his jump shot is nowhere to be found, it will be Morris’ defensive intensity that determines whether he is on the floor or on the bench. OVERALL POSITION RATING (on a scale of 1-10): 7
Isn't Dennis Silva the Shooter1583 here at cc.net. Hey Dennis, why don't you just post your takes here? And why do we copy a cc.net member's writing here. Has anyone ever posted MManal's writings? Has anyone ever posted Will Salatan's articles in the hangout? come out come out where ever you are, Shooter1583 Take credit for this writing.
Yeah, this is my writing, but the reason I post over there on HoopsAvenue is because I'm the Rockets team correspondent for them. I write twice a week, but anyone can really write for them.
Nice read. Im going to make a prediction and say Nachbar gets the nod over Rice around the all-star break.
Perhaps the numbers are anticipating injuries. If Rice misses a couple of games then TMo will play greater minutes and put up greater numbers - but if Rice is healthy then TMo might not play at all! So the total rpgs from the SF's might not be every game Although I think that TMo will get less opportunity this year to get on the court than last... (simply because there will be less injuries!)
So far, I've rated our center position as a 7 and our PG spot as a 9. I still have to do articles on the shooting guard and PF spots.
If Kenny Thomas can successfully make the move to SF , then that would give us a big advantange on the offensive end with his post game.
They are going to use Boki at SG too. I like how almost every one of our players is versatile enough to play a couple positions. KT @SF-PF; EG @PF-C-SF MT @PF-C Boki @ SF-SG Tito @ PG-SG Steve @ PG-SG Oscar @ SG-SF CAT @ SG-PG-SF Very versatile.
