I am not sure if anyone else felt this way- but I think ( once we are healthy)- except for TMAC and YAO- we should have a greater rotation for the other players. If it were not for injuries we would not have known much about Luther Head, and now perhaps Chuck Hayes ( and I would Love Lonnie Baxter to improve). Using these guys only in "garbage time" is not really ideal for finding out who they are! I do understand the argument for having 'starters" and "bench Players"- I personally feel that we cannot afford to be that rigid. If the so called bench players are "hungry", give them a shot! If we can have Lonnie Baxter, Chuck Hayes ( and maybe Dion Glover would also qualify if he was there!) to our roster and they continue to improve- perhaps we can live with the financial jam to an extent- who knows if these guys turn out to be studs, we can at least have some trade value!
Totally different scenarios for each. Head was drafted to play and was getting ~14 mpg before anyone was injured. And he was earning more minutes each game. He personnally dispelled the "VG doesn't play rookies myth" long before the injury bug hit. He has some upside worth developing. Glover has already logged 6,100+ NBA minutes for 3 NBA teams including a small recent stint with the Spurs. He is what he is with very little upside potential at this point. From 4 years at a big time college program, Chuck Hayes is a fundamentally sound player. But no amount of playing time is going to make him taller or quicker. He's an under-sized PF whose best upside is probably a Malik Rose comparison. He's a rotational player if you are strong or deep at every other position. (Think Rose as a Spur). Baxter is similar to Hayes with less natural talent and fewer fundamentals. The NBA game is too quick for him which is why he fouls a lot from being out of position. IMHO, if both Hayes and Baxter are Rockets' roster players next season, the Rox didn't do their draft and Free Agency homework.
I'll add that NBA teams are trying to win games. If you give Player 12 similiar playing time to Player 6, it will cost wins. Good players earn playing time; it's called the merit system. Every team in history has had "starters" and "bench players". That will continue. Defined playing rotations are necessary to be successful in the NBA. It isn't a matter of being rigid and it's something every NBA coach in history has done, not just JVG.
My point exactly- You ask a player to be a "bench Player" because it is assumed that the starter is a better option. I really dont think you can generalize this- Apart from 3-4 players on our roster, no one has been consistent and we had too many injuries. Merit system works if it is "free of bias" - more often than not the coach has near dictatorial control of who plays! I just dont buy generalizations- another rule, Rookies have to "pay dues", these things dont work all the time. You may be absolutely correct that is the consensus opinion- but I beg to differ
Just see when Detroit trades Darko. He apparently is now being written off- big mistake> Just my opinion - of course! Some Coaches do destroy careers and reputations!
I personally dont buy the Dick Vitale theory of evaluating talent. Dont get me wrong a good college stint helps- but there have been quite a few busts that were touted, remember Djuan Wagner, Mateen Cleeves etc. On one hand you tout the pedigree of the college a player comes from as a yard stick, and on the other, you say the "NBA game is too fast"- if it is fast it is fast for every player. Baxter was a beast in college, in fact prior to that draft he was rated better than Wilcox- if I remember the pre-draft reading of talent! Fouls are very subjective, to evaluate talent based on fouls is a bit too harsh/illogical. The guy can rebound and can score in the paint ( not a shooter though) Heck how many really thought Chuck Hayes would play such a great game in Chicago. I expect this kid to do well- sure it is just one game, but he showed that he can do it in a competitive game ( well it was against the bulls though!) Dion Glover had some injury- if I recall. Barring Luther head- it has been nearly 4-5 years since we really did any homework on scouting talent! I dont remember exactly but Cuttino was the last best draft pick we had ( if you dont count Eddie Griffin!)
First, you can't have it both ways. You can't complain about scouting and drafting abilities and rave about Head, Baxter and Hayes. The entire scouting and drafting process changed when Rudy left and Van Gundy was hired. Secondly, there is absolutely no contradiction in touting a college pedigree for fundamentals and being aware of a players' upside limitations. Being fundamentally sound and having had good coaching doesn't compensate for a lack of physical ability. It's the exact opposite side of the spectrum from taking HS players and putting them into the NBA hoping their raw potential can be developed via hands on coaching. Both methods have pluses and minuses and are impacted by a teams' current talent level and financial commitment. Neither method has a 100% guarantee but if your team already has two world class players, surrounding them with fundamentally sound players is not a bad idea. Lastly, I guess your somewhat obscure point was that the Rockets needed to develop players like Baxter and Hayes by playing them more. There is a reason why NBA rotations are 8 or 9 deep and 10 or more almost never works. Historically, a playoff series shrinks to an 8 man rotation and the recent experimental 10 man rotation of the Grizzlies seems to have been scrapped with at best marginal success. Your entitled to your opinion but there is a huge historical precedent on the interchangeability of borderline rotational players. It has more to do with skill, talent, and ability to quickly learn (or already know) a system and less to do with playing time. It's the reason players like Chuck Nevitt have rings and Barkley doesn't. It's the reason 1 dimensional players like Steve Kerr have multiple rings. Each had one calling card based upon natural talent that didn't need a whole lot of developing. It's the reason there's now a Development League.
