Sigh, you must have forgotten the fact that we have Yao and T-Mac. Recite until you never forget it again: we still have Yao and T-Mac, we still have Yao and T-mac... No. 1 panacea for all Rox homers.
No, I'm just saying that having T-Mac and Yao in the lineup doesn't guarantee victory. We need a supporting cast, as well as a capable 3rd scorer.
Just curious on this one. If not Battier, then who is a Mr. Intangible out there? What would qualify as bring 'intangibles' to a team?
You could say the exact same thing about Robert Horry. He was a wasted resource unless he played with superstars. Add him to the right mix and he was a key piece. The Grizzlies problem is Pau can't carry a team and needs another star to compliment him. All Logo has done is surround him with a bunch of good depth, which works OK for the regular season but fails in the playoffs. Dirk has Josh Howard and Jason Terry. Yao & Tracy have each other (if both are healthy). Pau needs a backcourt warrior who will bring it every night. Bonzi could have been the guy but he's a headcase.
As for why there aren't thread about Gay sucking and how they would've came out already, it's because there's nothing to talk about. He played well in a 3rd tier summer league for a couple games and he's the next coming of T-Mac or Quitten. Lucas played exceptional too, but honestly, I don't see him as much more than what Scotty Brooks was to us in the '95 season, eventually giving way to V-Span in a Cassell sort of manner. I can only hope that he'll turn out that way. As for Gay? I think he's at best a Corey Maggette if he got away from the "soft" label. He's a talent in a highly competitive team as Maggette was that came out early. I think Maggette is the perfect comparison if Gay developed well. If bad, I see an Eddie Griffin like bust that didn't fit well as a talent or a role player. Darius Miles seem to be a nice comparison too. From what I'm thinking, there's probably a 75% chance to him being a Miles than a Maggette. Now, imagine a Corey Maggette in the Rockets team... I mean... REALLY think about it. I can see a potential problem about 2 seconds into the thought. I don't see how the ball would go around. Gay was known for his athleticism, but slow lateral reaction on defense. His guy has consistently scored on him penetrating to the basket. Watch closely on him if you have any tapes of him playing defense. He shies away from contact laterally a lot. That takes time to develop. Battier's perimeter defense is an "at your face" defense that makes life very difficult for an opponent's wing players. How does that fit with the Rockets? He can take on the toughest of assignments in the wing for T-Mac. If you've played defense against good wing players that can shoot and penetrate, you'll understand how much of a burden it is on your back, especially the lower back if you have to continually adjust laterally against the best of the best. No one's saying Gay doesn't have potential, but guess what?... So does Miles, Swift, Griffin, Olowokandi, Milicic, Tshi... whatever his name is, etc etc etc. For every 1-2 guys that turned out nice, 10 guys probably failed. I didn't like the trade at first, but I trust the management enough to believe that the trade isn't as lopsided as it was believed to be. In fact, I could see how and why the Rockets would want a role player that could make the whole team better. If Rudy Gay lets people pass him in penetration all the time, Yao would get in foul trouble every other game. You have to stop backing off on the perimeter, and that's what this trade helps doing. It causes the "in your face" defense on the perimater that gets you turnovers and fast breaks. For example, if Battier forces a bad pass and Alston gets a steal, then he feeds T-Mac for a dunk, Battier doesn't get any stats. So 10/5 is a dull comparison. I've learned to stop using the obvious pts/ rebounds/ assists stats to compare players, especially players that play different positions on different teams. I'll save that for fantasy leagues. I get this feeling that people see Battier as they see him for his everyday stats on their fantasy teams. If I'm T-Mac, I'd definitely take a Shane Battier where you know he'll likely take good care of the ball, help you defend in the perimeter, doesn't look to take over a game and shoot bad shots, go after every loose ball, create easy basket opportunities, keep Yao away from foul trouble, save my lower back from harm, and is a team player in every sense than to have the same team from last year with a player that'll take another 3-5 years to develop while Yao and I gets older. Of course, this is what I'd think if I'm T-Mac. Finally, all the draft experts seemingly liked the trade as much as it was a shock to begin with. If these people could see why the Rockets could be a better team with Battier, I don't see why some people here are so stubborn that they would trash a trade before any results came out. And fine, if the trade is being thrown through the garbage, at least see how it turns out before turning your back (although we know you are not really turning your back) against your own team and bring the "The Sky is Falling" attitude to the rest of us fans who just wants to see some results before bashing the organization. Did Scottie Pippen make us a better team? I'll leave it at that.
I posted this reply without reading the post. So Gay is doing well in the summer league and you are not happy. I am sure that type I fans will say what the big deal is since Gay is already gone and they want to move on and wish Rox can win a championship if not this year then maybe in 10 years. Type 2 fans say that what a big mistake the Rox management made and they want more out of this trade. Basically, type 2 fans are not happy with Rox performance over the past 10 years and want some changes from the management. They could be the "fair weather" fans who want to win and might leave if they are not happy. Type 1 fans can be happy with anything thrown to them from the management. They could be die-hard fans and would stick to a loser no matter what.
you're right basketball is just a game and winning is not important who would want to cheer for a winner
agreed, Gay was criticized at UCONN for being too passive and deferring to his other talented teammates (and he still managed to post great numbers)...he sounds (sounded ) like the perfect fit next to Yao and T-mac. He was unselfish in College....why wouldnt that trend transfer over into the nba? Gay=perfect 3rd scorer for the houston rockets
I made that comparison based on their labels in college. Maggette was fiery at parts of his tenure (1 year) at Duke. He would come out and dunk over someone once in a blue moon, showing the potential that made him a drooled-over prospect by Orlando (I believe it was Orlando). I see Gay being very similar. He gets emotional at times and would put on a show, but he needs to keep those emotions in check (I want to say pumped up, but I'll be very careful after my beginning sentence earlier.) I think he can become a terrific scorer, but he still seems like the kind that avoids contact, and that bothers me a little bit. I think Memphis got the better of the deal, and I still do, but I can see how Gay might not fit in with the Rockets. Besides, Corey Maggette might be exactly what Memphis needs.... Meanwhile, anyone read about Swift not in speaking terms with the Grizzlies? I read it somewhere this morning, and I'm pretty sure it's posted somwehere. I just never had the time to look through the whole BBS yet today.
Playing well in summer league doesn't mean you'll do well in the NBA... but sucking in the summer league could be somewhat alarming, unless you are talking about a guy isn't expected to contribute for a while yet.
I'm sure that Gay will have bright future, but someone do not have the patience to see that ,ha? We need more stable men around Yao &T-M,need some guys to score when they have the chance to shoot.They shouldn't waste the shot chance.
I'm sure someone once said "Playing well in college doesnt mean he'll play well in the NBA" I'm sure someone will also say "The season is still early, playing well in the beginning doesnt mean they'll be playing in the playoffs" or uhh... "Making it to the playoffs doesn't mean they'll actually contend for the Title"
