It seems like everyone is jumping on this bandwagon of having to have a "great pf to bang with the other powers in the west" but when is the last time some great pf won? Now while we can make the argument for Timmy D... he had a true point guard running the helm and one capable of protecting the ball, of making good decisions, and being able to break down defenses and distribute the ball to his whole team, not to mention Drob even if he was over the hill. Now lets take the Lakers (before this season), no great pf. Lets take the Bulls dynasty, no great pf. Lets take our glory years, no great pf. Now lets take Dallas with Dirk, uhmm pretender. Lets take the Kings with Cwebb, just not tough enough. Lets take the Twolves Still just not enough. My point or take is do we really need Ebrand? The guy is good but if I had my choice of Brand or Tmac it has to be Tmac! Dont get me wrong, yes we need a strong pf but it doesnt have to be brand. How about Tmac if he can be had and then pursuing Camby or Swift? How about another strong defender, one capable of boarding in double figures and pursuing Tmac. This team needs an inside out game. The steve and ming screen and roll was killing the lakers can you imagine a Tmac and ming snroll? As Barkley said its not Kobe that makes the Lakers its Shaq. While Kobe compliments him. Let Tmac do that here. Then we will end all the talk of a true pg, we will have the two guard we need and and interior toughness and defense. While I dont have all the answers and I'm not sure the best way to trade off Steve and Mobley I do know you keep Ming and JJ. Add the likes of Tmac a Camby or a Swift and acquire the likes of a Duhon or a true pg! You then have a legit team. A blueprint built for a dynasty (see the Lakers w/out the ego clash because Ming doesnt have a problem starring as Robin)! Just MHO!!
Did you watch the series against the lakers? Did you see how many rebounds we fumbled away that lead to the lakers getting extra possessions? Did you see how game 1 ended? What if a good PF had boxed Shaq out and grabbed that rebound on the last play? Different game. Different series. Hell, if someone would have just fouled him before he dunked it, he would have missed both free throws. Had we grabbed just a few of those *many* fumbled rebounds, we would be up 3-2 right now and looking to close them out this weekend.
the reason we need a better power forward is so simple. If you start Cato your gonna get great defense, shotblocking etc.. but you will be playing 4 on 5 down on the offensive end. That doesn't bode well for Yao Ming and the double teams they throw at him. If you bring in Mo Taylor you get a nice offensive option. A guy who can post it up or hit the outside jumpshot. But you lose big time defensively. Taylor can't rebound, can't block shots and isn't the best man on man defender. Cato needs to be the backup center. He easily would be the best backup big man in the NBA. Mo Taylor gives us a nice spark off the bench but isn't the kind of starting PF we need. The rockets don't have to go out and trade for, or sign the best PF, like Brand, etc.. They just need a guy who can do some of the dirty work defensively while still being able to shoot a jumpshot.
OMG! One play. Yeah now there is a good GM move lets sell off the damn team for a PF! No outside game but hey we can foul! Maybe you missed my point about being able to get a decent pf! Reread the part about adding a Camby or Swift. No doubt the Rockets need a guy to post double digit boards but at NO cost do you trade Steve for Ebrand. This team does not need a great pf. You dont need one to take home the gold. Tmac is your answer if he can be had! If not dont break this team up for Ebrand or any other 20 10 pf!
Uh...it happened a few more times this season than one play... BTW, where did you read anything in my post about trading Francis for Brand? This team needs a good PF. This is not exactly some huge revelation. Anyone who watched a good amount of games this season can see that.
disgusting to say, but we need a malone type power forward but without being a filthy example of a sapien. hes an enforcer, a rebounder and can hit anything within 15 feet with consistency. it protects yao, opens him up while giving him a dangerous person to pass to, plus he would pick up the boards that yao simply doesnt get.
As far as the ala Steve for Brand I guess im just venting in regards to the Justice article and everyone who seems to agree that would be "a smart trade". In reference to the play your talking about wasn't ming holding Shaq? What was a Pf on the other side of the floor gonna do? no matter who he is yao busted that play. My take is dont bust this team up for a pf. while i do think adding a good one is key (good = strong defense 9-10 boards a game) dont sell the cow for one. We do have the mid level exception and a little working room. Im sure someone could use our baggage.
Disagree. If we would have had a Stromile Swift type player and an uptempo and low TO's series like we did Game 3, Malone would be fishing somewhere right now. Players like Brand expose Yao's lateral mobility...we need athlete's not bruisers.
Only thing about swift is he is so off and on. He doesn't come out rebounding like we would like him to do. He has had so much potential but never really lived up to what he should do. He shows flashed of great offense blended with rebounding but he doesn't seem to bring it night after night.
Stack24 - That's why my exact quote was a "Swift type"...not necessarily Stromile but someone like him. (Wihout overpaying, of course ). The fundamental weakness in Yao's game is lateral mobility. That is IMO why he is not a better rebounder, why he has a tougher time with athletic defenders and why his range of defensive presence is smaller than expected even thought the Rockets' perimeter defense funnels eveything baseline to help him. It is too easy to focus on the offensive rebounding of Brand and neglect the fact that the Clipps had the 23rd worst FG% this past season. On the other hand, Antawn Jamison was 39 offensive boards behind Brand on the 3rd best FG% team. Jamison is not a "bruiser" but athleticism (and size) of this type is what IMO should be the "type" next to Yao.
Got ya. I think that a power forward like Jamison is good as well. I like the fact that he can take his game outside if he has to. But i just hope that if we get someone like that, that he doesn't think it's okay just to hang outside like EG used to do and forget the inside since he things Yao is down there. We need someone who can be a force when yao is out of the game and will post up as well as draw the defense out. If not the PF then our SF has to do something. If only Cato and Mo could have a 20 year old kid right now genetically made.
You can't knock Brand's rebounding GATER. 5 seasons of averaging around 10 rebounds or more pretty much cements his status as a really great rebounder. However, I agree with your assesment. Yao will learn how to box out and hold position for reboudns, but he will never soar for them. Because of that, we need a Swift-type to play next to him. Jamison is a good rebounder too however his defense is not great, and he has zero shotblocking, and shotblocking is a MUST in our PF. Brand is not a great weakside shotblocker, but Swift definitely is. I would absolutely love to have Eddie Griffin after one season of JVG/Ewing tutoring. Such a waste. He could've been perfect for our team.
Speaking of PF's, I would go for Tyson Chandler. There are some concerns: - His back. - His strength. - His offensive game. But supposedly, the first one is a non-issue. The second one doesn't concern me, he's 7'1, and will gain size over time. Few players would give him trouble in the post, he can easily handle the likes of Webber, Nowitzki, and Wallace strength-wise. As for the third, that's the thing we need to take a risk on, because if he develops a simple 15-footer, he could be the ultimate complement to Yao.
Yeah it is. One thing though, Brand is a very good shotblocker, actually better in blocks that Swift is, i would have to say. True Brand doesn't slash from the weakside to get the blocks, he is a great straight up defender and will block you that way. I think he would be a better asset then swift.
It all comes down to rebounding, Yao has not exhibited a presence in this department and we need someone we can pencil in for double digit rebounds every night and not be the offensive liability that Cato is on offense. A younger Antonio Davis, PJ Brown, Dale Davis or Otis Thorpe type player.
I'm not sure, but I think is better per minute. Swift blocks 2 in around 23 or 24 minutes. Brand blocks 3 in almost 40 minutes I believe. With Yao in the middle, I'd rather have a weakside shotblocker. It's moer important to protecting. I consider straight-up, in-your-face shotblocking in the man-to-man defense category. Weakside shotblocking will help team defense. So Brand is the better man-to-man defender, but Swift has more potential to be a better team defender. PF's will drive around Brand more often than they will around Swift, and that will expose Yao to foul trouble more often.
Good point, Swift barley plays 19 minutes a game and does get his share of blocks. I think that Swift would be a cheap way to give us something at the PF if were were forced to do it, that can score and play a bit of defense.
