i'm not sure if this has been discussed? ok, Alston's gonna be the starting PG for sure. but since Sura'll be out for at least 8 weeks, who's gonna be the backup pg? CD mentioned Moochie's in his best shape in lifetime, is it a hint that he'll finally get some PT this season? they said Anderson is the replacement for James, as a backup PG? or if Anderson starts at 2 and Barry back him up, will Wesley got his PT as backup PG? (CD did mentioned Wesley is in best shape since his rookie season too) personally I'd like to see Wesley take over Jame's role last season, backup the PG and some 2 guard minutes, provide some scoring and tough D off the bench. hopefully his "best shape since rookie season" condition will allow him to handle the 1s' speed in the league. Anderson & Barry could share the minutes at 2 and when Sura comes back he could be a perfect backup for T-Mac, yeah I think his toughness and rebounding ability allow him to be a legit backup SF, Sura would give T-Mac a 10~12 minutes much needed rest and we won't lose as much playmaking when T-Mac's on the bench. what's your 2 cents?
No way Wesley is going to be bringing the ball up court. He might get some of those minutes guarding the other teams PG though. T-Mac will get most of the ball handling duties when Alston is on the bench, at least until Sura gets back. Moochie and DA will probably see some limited action as far as handling PG duties (DA of course will play the 2 and 3 too). Here's the primary combinations I see when Alston is on the bench: Mcgrady, Wesley, Anderson Mcgrady, Wesley, Barry Mcgrady, Barry, Anderson Like I said, Mcgrady would handle the ball handling, but would still guard the 2 or 3 guy defensively.
Why is everyone so quick to dismiss Wesley as at least an option at the PG spot? He spent half of his career as a PG, both in Boston and in Charlotte (until the Hornets drafted Baron Davis). I know he's older now, but if he's fast enough to DEFEND point guards, why can't he actually PLAY the point in spot duty?
i dunno why yal arent talking about Head. I have a good feeling the guy is going to play more often now because of that trade... atleast before sura gets back. head is a better is a smarter and a physically more talented player than moochie. head maybe new to the system, but he isnt dumb... he should be able to learn the system quick enough.
but...to be fair...that was said right after the draft. I'd be interested in knowing if they stand by that evaluation after camp. It sure would be a nice bonus if he could contribute at least some backup minutes this year what with Sura's problems.
I think they expect DA to back up the PG spot. They keep saying how getting him made trading Mike James easier and they keep harping on his passing skills. JVG may play Rafer heavy minutes this year, so there may not be to many back up minutes available.
DA should certainly be able to play the point for what the Rockets ask of a point. Alston and DA should get the point minutes, of course if you pair DA and Wesley they both can have kind of blended point/SG duties. I think we are fine at the point assuming Alston and DA fit in, and stay healthy. If Sura comes back we have three guys who can give you quality 1 minutes, 1 more than you need but the great thing about Sura and DA is they have 2 other positions where they can earn minutes.
So, who are the shooting guards on the first and second units, and who is the SF on the second unit? I'm assuming Skip is running the first team PG.
Just go back and look at his ball handling last year. He's okay from the 3-point line to the rim, but in the open court he looks like he's a PF or something trying to get it up court. Don't get me wrong, I like Wesley's game, he's just not fit for the PG spot on offense. I'd have Barry or Anderson bring it up before Wesley.
Look, in the 4th quarter, TMac is bringing it up......period. That means we only need help bringing it up for 3 quarters. If there is a pesky, small, quick defensive point out there, then we will have Rafer bringing it up. If there is a bigger, less defensive PG out there, then we will be able to use Barry, Wesley, and Sura to bring it up on occasion.
Agreed. Tmac will handle the ball. If TMac looks tired or depending on matchups, DA will also bring it up sometimes.
I'd rather have DA sub for DW and/or T-Mac, leave the backup PG duties to Jon Barry. He'd be more than adequate with his passing skills until Sura gets healthy. Leave Bowen and Head on the bench this year, trade Moochie at the deadline...
I hope T-Mac isn't bringing the ball up the court. Two things I wanted to change about the playoffs from last year - 1. Get a PG so T-Mac doesn't have to expend energy bringing the ball up 2. Get an athletic PF so T-Mac doesn't have to guard other teams athletic PF (see dirk). DA will be fine backing up Skip until Sura returns.
Me too. I'd rather see DA or Wesley bring it up. Like someone else said, Wesley has played PG before so I don't see the problem with him playing the point for 10-15 minutes a game until Sura comes back.
