Another problem the Rockets have is a major lack of athleticism. After TMac, Boki is the next best athlete we have on the team. I'm not trying to knock Boki but its a pretty big problem. Maybe the lack of athletes is a reason Van Gundy likes to slow the game down, but I'm not so sure of that. I'd like to see the Rockets run and gun more. I'd also love to see them get a fastbreak every once in a while. It just bugs me when we have the two time NBA scoring champ and we only score 78 points in a game. Thats ridiculous.
well JVG needs to teach these guys not to try and draw charges all the time. Let them go.. put a hand in their face but dont make contact. Yao / Boki need to learn that having them on the floor is more important than giving up 2 points. That doesnt mean play matador defense but avoid contact. J
If I was JVG I would modify the lineup this way.. PG - Sura (Ward is trash try to move him to a different team) SG - TMac SF - Boki he is our best 3pt shooter and if not for him commiting silly fouls he is pretty decent. I like JJ leading the bench.. PF - Padgett (he is a better rebounder than Mo and JHoward) C - Yao I like this lineup makes us quicker and provides us more shooters which should hopefully provide better spacing. J
Sura can try to start when he gets his wind back...but I'm not convinced he can run this team for a long stretch with the starters. Hopefully he can prove me wrong...but based on watching him his whole career, he forces passes and isn't consistent enough. His penetration and ball-pushing would be welcomed, of course...and his rebounding...shoot those are necessary enough that I'll take the negatives I've been asking to start Padgett at the 4 since before he was re-signed (I thought they weren't gonna re-sign him for a while). I'm happy he's finally getting run...by far the best option at PF. Why haven't they tried this before?
Also, I wasn't sure where to put this...but everyone talks about how the Rockets need intensity. Basically take this from Antawn Peek...says everything about the guy (and about what's missing from the Rockets...though the extreme isn't necessary) 'Fired-up' Peek Texans linebacker Antwan Peek is an emotional player to say the least. So how charged up was Peek after he got a sack and forced a fumble on the same play in Sunday's game? "To the point I couldn't do the next play," Peek said. "I just got so excited, I started throwing up. Sometimes your adrenaline gets going, and it just happens. That's how fired up I was." (Chronicle)
one thing Sura / Tmac and to an extent Boki can do is drive in and draw fouls. we lack penetration and someone driving in/ drawing fouls and drive and kick . J
It should be no surprise that we are going to hurt in the rebounding department when Mo and Padgett make up our PF rotation. I think Sura is going to give us much better production at the PG spot, but within a few games his lack of a consistent J should start getting exposed by opposing teams and then we will have another problem to deal with. It's looking more and more like we will need some roster changes during the season. Right now Howard/Boki/Lue seem to be our best bargaining chips and sadly, that's not gonna get us much back in a deal.
Our bargaining chips.. CSpoon - I actually like the guys heart and rebounding but his size / age are a factor. He is a decent bargaining chip because he's in the last year of his contract. JHoward / MoT - Should also fetch us someone nice .. Alot of teams need a scoring PF's and both of these guys can score and have decent size. JHoward is vet and usually puts up 17/7 which is pretty good and have a decent contract. Mot is overpaid but you have to look at what other big men received via contracts this summer to put things in perspective. Kenny Thomas is paid more than MoT right now.. MoT can flat score and for a team that needs low post scoring and another big body in the paint he should fit the bill. Deke the guy is old and I have a hard time believing anyone would want to trade for him. The only reason I think we picked him up was so we could dump a few of our own contracts. and pick up a backup C for cheap. Sura has been injured but has some actual trade value, im worried people have too high of expectations for him as a PG. He is a backup SG playing PG and we know how that turned out last time. CWard the dude is crap and we totally overpaid, I hope we can move him and use him as a filler. Lue is not bad as a backup PG coming in too change the pace and using his quickness to pester people. On the last year of his contract so ... JJackson is kind of redundant with Sura .. hes also a backup SG but forced to play SF. Would be more effective playing less minutes, but JVG loves this guy. One of our better pieces and I hope we can retain him to backup TMac at the 2 and find a longer more athletic 3. J
The NBA executives in Orlando are falling on the floor crying with laughter at the Rocket's organization. The NBA executives in Washington are also on the floor laughing.. "Hey guys, take Juwan, he averages 17 and 7,(wink wink)"
Sorry, Spoon won't get much. There are more productive last-year-contract guys out there...I'd rather keep Spoon and let him come off the books than deal him for what we'd get. Howard/Taylor...might get us something small. If we could swing a deal that would provide cap relief or contract reliefe and get someone younger...maybe. But again, not gonna get a whole lot. I don't see anyone else getting moved..and frankly, I'd say the best possible scenario--though it would be a miracle in my mind--would be to get Radmanovic after he and the Sonics come back down to Earth a little bit...for some combination. But if it involves a 1st rounder...I'd rather just stand pat for the season.
Actually, if I'm not mistaken, he has one more season after this one on his contract. The only way I see him being traded is a "trash" for "trash" trade like we got him with. Another team wanting to rid themselves of an overpaid player for one that fits thier team better. I think MoT has the better trade value because of his contract. He is getting paid alot more than Howard, but it is 2 years shorter. I could see him bieng traded for another big man who has more years on his contract, though that would be a dumb move by the Rockets with Howard's contract on the books. I see Deke as having alot of trade value myself. A team needing a good defensive presence inside for one season would love having him on the team. Maybe they could swing a three-way where Denver gets thier replacement SG + Deke and the Rockets get a better PF/C solution. Maybe a Chandler + Pike - Nene + Skita + filler - Deke, where the Rockets gets either Nene or Chandler, Bulls recieve the other PF and Denver gets Deke + Pike. A good filler with his contract and is expendable as long as Barrett is playing well. I think JJ has a ton of value but I hate to see the Rockets lose thier starting 3 who is also really thier only veteran leader.
Trades don't matter unless we get another superstar. It will have to be one who is also willing to be a team leader and have that kind of initiative. Until our team gets a leader, it will matter very little about which other guys we have on our roster. Once our team's leader and personality has been established, then the surrounding role players will make or break us. When we knew Hakeem was the team leader we tinkered with all the surrounding players until we got it right. Hakeem grew and adjusted also, but there was never any doubt in anyone's mind including Dream's that he was the focal point and it was his team. Now we have two stars, neither of which is a leader(yet). The other guys will never know their or feel comfortable until we have a leader and a style that comes from that leader. Once that is established other guys will be able to find their roles, play with consistency, and confidence. Only then we will really be able to examine what we have and what we need. But with our rudderless ship, changing the size of the anchor or how big the crew's quarters will be just won't matter. We need to see how the ship can sail once everything is working as planned.
This sounds so familiar: the hesitation, "never felt this way in my career." Maybe Francis was right.... Is anyone else sick of hearing JVG talk? He just seems to blame everything else except the fact that the offense is just crap. I understand the rebounding part, but he hasn't mentioned a single thing on how bad he runs his offense.
I hate how folx really by into his martyr crap 'OH . . I need to be harder. . cause the players are sucking *ss. . but it is mainly my fault . . because T-mac and yao are a pair of slugs. . because I'm just not reaching them . . . the rest of the team is garbage .. but I should whip them in to something cause they really suck *ss' - JVG The self serving SEEMINGLY blaming himself while he tears down the players is so f*cking weak and transparent. Rocket River
