JVG should start Stro

Show me where I've said he needs to be traded. Point it out for me.

He needs to act like a man or otherwise be treated like a kid in need of a lesson. Pansy around on the court? You sit. Do what you're asked and give full effort consistently? You get starter minutes.

What we have to lose by just letting him start and get 30+ MPG is we teach him that he can go through the motions without repercusions. He's taught that there's no need to worry about playing the right way, outside of some JVG yelling.

He's not screwing up because he's a rookie that doesn't know what to do. He's an underachiever that doesn't have enough professional pride to play at his best. He doesn't need minutes to figure anything out. He needs to play with heart. It's completely up to him.

Evan

 

He can't play along with Yao. They both need touches to score and he can't rebound or shoot well. He should be better coming off the bench as a secondary scorer but he hasn't shown that he can be consistent which is frustrating.

 

the season is already over, we have nothing to lose. let him play, hopefully he can improve so that we can either utilise him or trade him. Sitting him on the bench punishes the team as much as it does him

 

Stromile Swift is terrible. He doesn't try. And he doesn't know how to play the game. And he lacks skill. He's tall and can jump very high. Freaking woohoo.

I'd rather start Juwon any day. At least he has (a) some discernible skills, (b) plays smart, and (c) works hard.

 

I think we should start him and see what he has got....sink or swim.

DD

 

Question: When Stro enters the game and is obviously disinterested for 5-10 minutes, are you saying there is no risk in keeping him in the game? What about the other players on the team who see this and will lose all respect for JVG and the Rockets brass for doing such a thing? The NBA is merit based, and if Hayes and Baxter are contributing and Stro is not, you CANNOT just keep Stro on the floor to "see what he can do". If I hear that phrase one more time about Stro I'm gonna hurt somebody! He IS showing what he can do. Is this so hard to understand? Anyone is free to answer. I'll be juvenile and scream it: HE IS SHOWING WHAT HE CAN DO!!!

The Rockets are obligated to at least try and win games, and leaving Stro in there to do zippo while Hayes and Baxter can at least make us competitive is just plain wrong. Hayes and Baxter deserve the time they earn on the floor. When they quit producing or when Stro contributes more, he will take their time away.

To the point that Stro is versatile, who cares about versatility if he isn't effective? If he's a dud at both PF and C, who gives a care if he can play both positions? Stro IS a hole at backup C.

And someone rolls their eyes at Hayes and Baxter being our PFs of the future. I agree. But here's how most of us feel about Stro being our PF of the future: . As far as I'm concerned, Stro better not have any future on this team if he doesn't at least try hard.

When Stro is disappointing some other team next season, averaging his 9/5 and playing like Goofy, I wonder how many here will still blame JVG for not "developing him". How many of you were saying last summer that JVG was good at developing players and he would demonstrate that with Stro? You know who you are; Stro was "going to be like Marcus Camby". LOL. Very loud.

 

pumbum, please put down the crack pipe. Stro is an imbecile. He is an imbecile with no brain, no heart, no handles. You are in love with his 40 yard dash times and his high jump. He is not a basketball player. He is the 4th best PF, and the 3rd best center on our team. 2 rooks get more playing time than him. Enough said.

 

if you look at the box score, Tmac and Yao scored almost half of the total points.Hayes gave you rebounding but can he give the scoring that we need.That's why we need Stro to play more eventhough he make mistakes but you can see the potential.Almost everyone in this forum wants him to be traded but who do you want to be our future power forward in terms of salary and availability?you want to trade swift for a guard then we will be having a gap in our PF.Do you think trading Swift for guard would help?If it does,does it mean we are contented with Hayes,Baxter and Howard.Do you think those three can handle the upper echelon team's PF?

 

I agree with those people that think Stro needs more playing time. He seems like he's emotionally fragile and needs more carrot than stick to perform. He was playing great before he hurt his eye. I don't know why JVG isn't giving Stro more time to get back into his groove.

 

I am still in the camp of the people who think Swift deserves another chance. We know this guy has the tools to be an above averaged PF in the league. I would give him at least one full season to see if he can put his acts together.

Come on Stro. Please don't let us down.

 

Maybe they're shopping Juwan? In the last 20 games that he has played in Juwan has averaged 16.7 ppg and 7.65 rpg. If they're going to move him surely this is the time.

 

I dont understand why we don't run some alley-oop plays for Stro once he gets in

I mean its a given the guy can jump and loves to dunk AND we have a former And1 PG in Rafer.

I agree with the above post. Get Stro going with some dunks a la Rafer, and he usually stays around and competes the rest of the game

 

the only teams i see looking for juwan would be a contending team in need of a backup power forward, due to injuries. for instance if someone like haslem got injured for miami before the trade deadline, juwan would be a good fit (antoine walker seems to have lost the ability to play power forward correctly). otherwise, he's not very desirable anymore. all the other contending teams are stocked w/good frontcourt players.

 

As a former highschool basketball player who was second in Houston 5A basketball in rebounds at 6'3, I have a pretty decent feel for the game. I was basicaly like Hayes...crash boards like crazy, but NO offense. Yea I averaged 8 points a game, but ALL my points came from put backs off of offensive rebounds. Back to the point...He is making 5 Mill dude!! In HS its 8 minute quarters compared to the 12 in the NBA. It takes longer then 5 minutes to "get in the groove." It took me the whole first HALF! How do you expect him to play when in the back off his mind he knows that if he screws up he's getting pulled out? EVERYONE knew the type of player we were getting when we signed him, and I remember a ton of people saying "I'll be happy if he puts up his usual 9 points and 5 boards." Everyone thought he'd put up better #'s IF he started and got mintues, but he hasnt. I KNOW for a fact if he got 25 mintues a game, most people on the board would change their thought about him because he would be putting up good #s. The guy just needs a chance.

Hayes and Baxter= Rockets PFs of the future

 

to me, it's not just about putting up numbers. it's about your overall impact on the game as a PF (are you playing good post defense, weak-side defense, grabbing defensive rebounds every night, not turning the ball over, setting picks for cutters, being an overall physical presence in the paint, etc.).

i have no doubt that given 30 minutes a game, stromile can put up about 15 points and 6 rebounds a game. problem is, is his presence on the court and lack of awareness hurting the team overall during those 30 minutes (not setting picks correctly, not getting back in transition, making foolish double teams, taking silly shots, allowing the other teams PF to abuse him at will)?

 

Dude played for Hubie Brown and Fratello. If Hubie, Fratello, or JVG can't get anything out of this guy, then who can?

 

you could make the case that yao should be able to do most of the dirty work inside, but no one post player can do that these days. you need two guys to work in tandem--otherwise, you end up like shaq/la against detroit in the playoffs a few years ago.

shaq always had horace grant/horry to do the dirty work for him so he could put up numbers and stay out of foul trouble. if swift can't show instincts for rebounding, then he's basically useless in tandem w/yao, given that yao is a relatively mediocre rebounder.

 

I think he plays pretty decent defense one-on-one in the post. If a guy scores over you or makes some crazy shot then tip your hat to him. But yes he looks lost sometimes. He held his own against KG last week til the 4th...but Baxter was in, then JVG saw that wasnt working so he went back with Stro like 2 min later. But its KG...who does he NOT abuse? After that game all the sudden he gets 10 min against Miami and 10 agains Memphis? WTF?

 

When given the minutes he has shown he CAN rebound...but it all falls back to getting the PT! He cant do anything sitting on the bench