If he plays like what I remember he did in his first stint with the team...I would not be surprised at all to see him take the starting job until Juwan gets back. Weatherspoon is probably a better overall PF, but his age, weight, and speed hold him back. Padgett doesn't do much of what we really need at PF. Braggs is a great hustler, he'll grab plenty of rebounds and probably can score close to double digits on offensive rebounds if he's given 20+ minutes. I absolutely love this signing if Braggs plays similar to what he did last time. I was kind of upset when he was waived for Alton Ford last year.
Thanks. I really should pay more attention to the preseason. Let's hope Braggs' Euro career hasn't cost him any of his bulk.
32 Òîððýé Áðýããñ 21 14 140/261 53,6 0/1 0 97/143 67,8 64 3,0 31 1,5 3 0,1 154 7,3 86 4,1 82 3,9 377 18,0 http://www.bcspartak.ru/index-05-1.php
32 Torraye Braggs G/S - 21/14 2pt - 140/261 - 53,6 3pt - 0/1 - 0 FT - 97/143 - 67,8 Ast/in game -64/3,0 St - 31/1,5 Blk - 3/0,1 Rbd - 154/7,3 TO - 86/4,1 Foul - 82/3,9 Pts - 377/18,0 excuse me for language
He started next to Yao for a while, didn't he? I remember liking him. He played well for us, so when he was let go, I assumed that he had some issues with JVG/management...apparently not.
He played 11 games for us last year, all off the bench. He did lead the team in plus/minus, according to 82games.com.
Hopefully he can some mins tomorrow. I still cant remember him being on the team last year but from reading the posts in this thread it seems like he is a good rebounder and can also hit the jump shot.
he's been playing over in europe. here's a link with all his info http://www.eurobasket.com/RUSplayer.asp?PlayerID=12070
He cant play tomorrow since he will not be cleared. The earliest he can be cleared to play is Tuesday against the Miami Heat. He is, however, flying straight to Minneapolis from moscow to join the team. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3093691
Deuce - I want to piggyback on your quickness comment. But first, I was very surprised when the Rox cut TB last season. He seemed like a nice fit...decent weakside offensive rebounder with lots of hustle who got his shots in the flow of the game. Anybody who watches closely will observe something that VG does to quicker teams and especially to teams with good half-court passing sets (Kings, Sonics, Jazz, etc). JVG uses Juwan Howard to half-court trap the opposing PG. This takes time off of the clock for teams with longer plays. Multiple passing options get cut down markedly. This is something Van Gundy couldn't do with Taylor and can't/doesn't do with Spoon or Padgett. (He will do it on rare occassion when Bowen is at PF). Braggs knows our system, is a good weakside offensive rebounder (probably better than Juwan) and as you've mentioned has good quickness. This half-court trap is the first thing I'm going to look for when Braggs gets his first 04-05 Rox minutes. The close second will be how TB handles hitting an elbow J. A few of those, and his PT goes up substantially. See the above. Basically...quickness
While I like Bragg's hustle and desire, he's an undersized PF. A tweener. I'd be more enthusiastic if he were 2-3 inches taller. He appears closer to 6'7" than 6'8". He's here because he is a known quantity, had a pre-season in the system, he's a gamer and hopefully can contribute in the short haul. For those thinking he is better than Juwan...I like your wishful thinking. If he was better than Howard, JVG would have called him sooner.
