OK, I know it's not very novel to pound poor Walt, but I gotta hang this on Rudy. You DON'T leave Walt in when you're looking for a key defensive stop. First the guy muffs a defensive rebound, giving the Suns another chance at a winning shot with 7.5 secs left, then he absolutely LOSES Googs on defense, to give up the easy winning shot. I'm not saying Walt cost the game - he did hit a clutch 3-pointer late - but everybody on this BBS knows he can't play defense, especially playing out of position. What the hell was Rudy thinking? ------------------
Rudy has never heard of the concept "situational subbing"... He seems to leave players in the game for too long... When we need a stop, our worst defenders are still out there... And when we need a bucket, it seems like we leave our defensive players in... What little defensive players we do have... Rudy needs to realize that you are allowed to sub players at the end of the game... ------------------ Check out my homepage! Loads of sports pics! http://www.public.asu.edu/~sykim/
Why was Moochie in the entire fourth? Why did Rudy bench Kenny T? Why did Shandon get benched? Why didn't Francis get the ball? These are all legit questions that will never be answered, because Rudy coaches in mysterious ways. ------------------ Re-elect President Gore!
Playing Walt at small forward is risky in itself. But to slide him over to the Power Forward spot so your 6-1 back-up point guard can be on the floor as well is absurd. ------------------ [This message has been edited by ROCKETBOOSTER (edited March 11, 2001).]
Walt was actually found on that play where he "muffed the rebound". You can't really blame him. He had the board, the suns hacked his arm, and he lost the ball. ------------------ PrEsident of The Danforth Langhford FAN CLUB... He IS our future All-Star Small Forward [This message has been edited by alaskansnowman (edited March 11, 2001).]
It's pretty depressing that the Rockets lost, and it's definitely a game in which they choked. Having followed the Rockets for a long time, I hope this isn't a trend. I hope this incarnation of the Rockets is one that will hold and strengthen leads in the fourth quarter. Hopefully, this will come with time, and we won't have as many heart attacks in the coming years as we did in the early 1990s. That said, I have to say that I don't understand Moochie Norris. Someone please explain to me why this man is on this team. Rudy always pulls guys out of the CBA, and they fulfill roles on this team that are pretty key. Being backup to Steve is important, but I would much, much rather have a guy who's willing to actually play that role instead of Moochie. He may have talent, but he just... keeps... pounding the ball and trying to create for himself instead of being a *point* guard. On a side note, do the refs call illegal offense anymore? Goodness, the Rockets should have had that called against them at least three times in the final quarter, it seems. I hate iso offenses. ------------------
Rockets104-"He may have talent, but he just... keeps... pounding the ball and trying to create for himself instead of being a *point* guard. What are you talking about??? Moochie Norris is probably the MOST unselfish guy on the team. He rarely tries to create for himself, but rather his teammates. He only shoots when he has a wide open shot or lay-up or nobody is open anywhere. Moochie is more than capable of backing up Steve. BTW, welcome to the BBS! ------------------
Rocks will live and die on Rudy T's gut instincts and rotation style. What this game shows is that the Rocks can and will compete with the best in the west coast but don't have the personnel to consistently close out games. I don't even want to talk about the refs. I think it's payback for us winning the two titles against heaven forbid the Knicks and Magic! If Webber comes there will be hell to pay for all the moral vicotories the Rocks have accumulated like Scrooge McDuck piles up money. ------------------ "The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till the other is ready." -HDT
There were about 6 posessions in the fourth quarter where Moochie dribbled the ball for 22 seconds, with the rest of the Rockets standing around. He and Cuttino really make isolation plays look bad. ------------------ Re-elect President Gore!
I really don't like the ISOs for Moochie, he's better on the pick-and-roll. He needs to have players to dish out to on penetration all around him, not just on one side of the court. ------------------
Diehard Rocket, Moochie Norris dribbles, dribbles, dribbles, then drives and bails himself out with clock expiring passes. Theres nothing unselfish in that. Norris is more than a capable backup and he should supply Mobley and Francis with much needed rest. But to have him on the court at the same time as Mobley and Francis forces one of them to defend other teams small forwards and Walt to man the PF position which kills us on the defensive end. ------------------ [This message has been edited by ROCKETBOOSTER (edited March 11, 2001).]
Thanks. I think you and ZRB have already mentioned more specifics as to my big problem with Moochie - the isolation plays that completely disrupt the flow of the Rockets' game. I think my big complaint is that if you're going to isolate, go with the big guys: Hakeem (when healthy), Stevie, even Mobley. I always groan when Moochie walks the ball up-court, though, because he uses up a LOT of clock as he "sets up" the offense. When Moochie runs the floor and creates assists, though, I agree, he makes the team a more enjoyable one to watch. I don't really know where the blame lies - is Rudy really giving this guy that much of a green light? Pounding the ball on the left wing while everyone stands around isn't really an offense, and I've noticed that more series end in hasty shots when Mooch has dribbled out the clock in the past week. ------------------
I'll tell you exactly why Walt was in. He was hot, with the shooting touch, and we needed that since in the last minutes, guys were either bricking shots (Cuttino Mobley), or not bothering to even pull the trigger (Steve Francis), and did we even have anybody else on the team? ------------------ Rocks2001 in disguise. . .
I'd rather Moochie get the Isolation than Steve or Cuttino cause they suck. ------------------ Rasheed Wallace gots mad skilz. Who cares about the techs?
Yeah Rocks, I understand Walt was in for his shooting...the point of this thread is why was he in a key DEFENSIVE play at the end of the game? Rudy could have easily substituted someone like KT at the end, when he needed stops and rebounds, not shooters. ------------------
My one comment on this play foul or no foul . . . KT DOESN'T MUFF THIS ONE! LOS DOESN'T MUFF THIS ONE Hell I don't think MO would have Muffed it. why was Cato not in to Rebound and alter shots. Rocket River All my negative about this is now gone. ------------------
I only plan on posting once about this heartbreak of a loss. For a defensive stop, where we have a timeout left if we needed to sub again (for offense), why not take out Walt, and even Mo, for Cato and Los, and put Shandon at the SF? Does Googs hit that shot with a 6'11'' shot blocker (Los OR Cato) running at him, instead of Walt? I don't think he does. Now, the rebound. I don't blame Walt, he had 2 sets of hands slapping at his own hands (didn't he say he had an injured right hand, too?). I think Delk probably fouled, but regardless, it was Mobley who drove me crazy on that play. I am by no means a Cat basher-he is a huge part of our offense, and has started passing. But, in the first quarter, twice he jumped into Cato who could've easily grabbed the rebound, and once it went out of bounds (it bounced off a Suns player), and once we lost it. All of our guards are guilty of this, but Francis and Shandon seem to be much better about knowing which boards to get, or maybe they have better control of themselves so they don't fly into our big men. We complain how our big men don't hit the boards, but it's because the guards are going after the boards when the big men could've had it. Mind you, if this happens for an offensive rebound, I see no problem with it. But, the guards have to let the big men rebound. Walt, the PF, was the big man. We were calling timeout anyway, so what does it matter if we were trapped on the baseline? On the positive side-we took on a "better" team, on their court, on the 2nd day of a back-to-back, without our key starting center, and could've/should've won the game? That's a pretty big positive IMO. There's still time, we can go after Minn. too. ------------------ The Serious Police are watching. Follow the rules or be assimilated. Shandon is underrated.
Rocks mil -- the Wizard was "hot?" If 3 of 9 prior to the miracle 3 that only postponed the Rockets' demise and served to get back about one third of the points that Walt directly cost the team with his crappy defense is "hot," then yes, the Wizard was "hot." And I guess, relatively speaking, 3 of 9 is "hot." Maybe the "Wizard," and I use the term loosely, is dating one of Rudy's daughters. Otherwise I have no explanation for why Shandon isn't in the game instead of "the next Magic Johnson." ------------------
Obviously KGPD21 is a TWolves fan. Wouldn't it be great if the fans of the other teams that came here were all more like Swopa, NugzFan and a few others? ------------------ "We messed with the Bull, and we got the horns." -- Larry Brown "quote" from AirBullard.com
