We needed another white dude, come on admit it! I'm glad Less could put his team ahead of his dislike for Charlie Ward and his anti-semetic comments. I like both of these moves but for different reasons.
I love the Ward signing. I wanted him last year, but instead he chose to go sit on the Spurs bench. When given the opportunity to start as recently as last season he was averaging about 9 points and 5 assists in less than 24 minutes per game. He also had an assist to turnover ratio of about 2.5/1. We haven't seen a ratio like that in a long time. Francis had a pathetic 1.72/1 A/TO. A point guard that can pass, take care of the ball, and hit the 3 at a 40% clip is exactly what we needed on this team, and Charlie Ward is exactly that. Sura should be a decent option as an energy guy off the bench at both guard spots. I could see him as the primary backup at the 2 while using a Ward/Lue/Gaines rotation at the PG.
Also around the time Shareef got traded and Sura got time alongside another quick, scoring guard named Stephen Jackson. For those people complaining about Sura's shooting, he's not going to have any pressure to score. He's going to be looked at for defense and running opportunities. I think a McGrady-Sura backcourt just might provide some excitement and plenty of fast breaks.
My point exactly too!!! Role are a good thing... Look at the Lakers past lineup, 4 Allstars=No Championship... But a couple of years earlier 2 allstars=Championship... Think Guys!!!!
bob sura is not that mad stats wise lokk at this # asst. 5.3, ponits 14.7,reb8.3and less than 2 to. did we use te
forgot to add on Sura's stats: Sura tied for 3rd in the NBA with 2 triple doubles. He got his triple doubles back to back April 9th and April 10th. He came one rebound shy of having a 3rd triple double game in a row April 12th. Also had two other close monster games where he was either one rebound or one assist shy of having more triple doubles. A few of Bobby Sura's huge games from last year: Mar. 12th vs. Washington: 28 points, 10 rebs, 9 assists Mar. 25th vs. New Orleans: 23 points, 15 rebs, 5 assists Mar. 29th vs. Memphis: 23 points, 13 rebs, 9 assists April 2nd vs. Orlando: 32 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals April 9th vs. Chicago: 12 points, 11 rebs, 12 assists April 10th vs. Boston: 15 points, 10 rebs, 11 assists April 12th vs. NJ: 22 points, 9 rebs, 11 assists Looking at those games I am pumped to have Sura on the Rockets. Bob Sura still has alot of game left in him! I think Sura might end up being the steal of the free agent class ala Jim Jackson last year.
I have an idea!!! Lets try to get Spud Webb out of retirement!! I'm sure he still can jump??? 4inch vertical...
yeah - I only know b/c I was reading about the possible Deke trade. I do wonder about the suggestion that Lue will be traded for Daniels though maybe Pike and Lue will now be on the move later this summer...
Sura is ok. He does commit too many turnovers and is a erratic passer and shooter but he can make a better entry pass than Francis most of time. I like his intensity on the court and he is a pretty good defender. If you leave him alone he can make a big shot occasionally. He can backup T-Mac and play some point. Ward is only marginally better than Mark Jackson at best. Lue shouldn't be traded but I think he might be on the way out for a big man.
I am a fantasy bball geek so Sura was a late season pick up - if you check his career (other than his stint with the PIstons) he looks like he is becoming a stronger player not a weaker one (i.e after 1999, his numbers overall have gone up)
These are good signings if CHEAP. Neither are coming off as good as years as Damon Jones or Mike James and both are much older--so I assume they come cheaper than those guys. Hopefully veteran min for both. Sura is like a Francis extra light as a 1. Athletic with some creativity and explosiveness, but does not know his weaknesses at all--e.g., sub 30% 3 point shooter over his last 4 years in the NBA and Francis-esk 2.0 A/TO ratio (compre to Lue and Ward who are mid to high 2s for their career). Sura is OK as sub tweener when you just need to shake things up I suppose. Lue is much more consistent from the outside than Sura (38% from the 3 line to Sura's 27% last year) and much younger than Ward, I expect Lue to start the 1 and Ward to back him up. Sura will back-up the 1 and 2 I think, a good thing about him I do admit is he does allow you flexibility to go big (at the 1) or small-quick (2 or 3).
Article on Sura's near 3 straight triple-doubles last year. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-surastriple-double&prov=ap&type=lgns He would have been the first player since 1997 to record 3 straight triple doubles had it not been for the league disallowing it.
There are going to be nights where the Rockets are going to be thanking their lucky stars that they have Sura and then there will be nights where he'll make Van Gundy tear what little hair he has left out. Luckily we have two solid point guards in Lue and Ward for those nights. But overall, his positives will outweigh the negatives. His offense may be inconsistent, but he'll bring two things every single game, defense and heart. Never underestimate the importance of having players with heart on your team. Mcgrady learned the hard way how important it is when the Magic lost Darrell Armstrong and his team went down the crapper because nobody played defense and nobody played with heart. With his energy, athleticism, and heart, I have a feeling Sura's going to be a fan favorite.
Don't agree, at least not in shooting efficiency and outside shooting which is probably the most important quality of a role playing guard for this Rockets team. Sub 2000, he was an adequate 35% 3 point shooter, 2000+ he has been a pisspoor 28% from 3 land. Hopefully he has turned the corner as FT shooter though, he is only 68% for his career but he did hit 78% with Atl when he was playing high minutes.
Bad news, guys -- that is not Sura's game. He plays best when he is dominating the ball, is prone to turnovers, and spot-up shooting is one of the weakest parts of his game. Desert Scar, NewJack, and saleem all have good takes on Sura within the last page.
I don't have a problem with any of our point guards individually, but collectively they concern me. How often does a three headed monster work? It's seems like never. No player gets enough minutes to become comfortable, and the ambiguity just leads to more problems than it's worth. Remember KT, Maurice, and Eddie a couple years ago? I hope these signings mean Lue will be on his way out the door via a previously worked out trade, if for no other reason than to create some breathing room at the one spot.
