With Hakeem gone will Taylor be more of a post threat?

I think next year is going to be a BIG year for Mo', at least on offense. He can face a defender as well as any PF in the league. When you can do that, why would you do the back it in thing. I think he gets a "soft" rep (on offense) because people don't see him "back it in" and think that makes him a "finesse" player.

imo, the reason PFs "back it in" is to dislodge their opponent (often illegally), protect the ball, and to spin around their defender. However, it takes away your ability to shoot the J. You must shoot the more difficult J--the turnaround.

Facing a defender allows Mo to see the court better and feature his outstanding mid-range game, and his dribbling and speed (for a PF) allows him to blow by a defender who gets too close in their attempt to stop the open jumper.

Mo' is NOT Webber without a low post game. Webber does NOT have Mo's jumper. You cannot compare Webber to Mo. Mo' is better at the face-up game than Webber, and maybe even Duncan. I really believe that. imo, only Glenn Robinson can be described as having Mo's face up game.

Mo' will be featured by Rudy next year. Everyone should get prepared for that idea.

ps: I agree 100% with your KT assessment, Miggidy. And post some more why don't you.

 

Excellent analysis,Crispee.That is exactly how I think Taylor will be used, but he does have to improve his back to the basket game becuase he will need these skills when his shot is not going down.I would like to see him attack the opposing PF's by taking the ball off the dribble more often and finish with his hard dunks.

 

I hope that is the case. Mo was underutilized by Rudy last year. He should have played more than 25 minutes per game. Considering his playing time, his rebounding numbers weren't that bad, and his scorring was excellent.

 

Taylor will likely be one of the top 3 options with Francis and Mobley. As Griffin develops, that will be a 4th. I agree with both crispee and Miggidy on this one. This is an important year for Mo.

 

Hopefully, the ball won't go exclusively through Mo the first quarter like it did last season. I'd rather have a more balanced offense to start things out, with our guards being involved more. It doesn't make alot of basketball sense to exclude your top 2 scorers from the offense for the majority of the 1st quarter.

I'd rather Mo get alot of his points off of others playmaking skills as opposed to letting him work on his own in the post to get his points. We'd be better off as a team, imo, if his points would come in the flow of the offense instead of having to be force fed the ball to be effective. Given the new rules which better overall team defense, his off the dribble game as it relates to going to the basket won't be THAT effective.

Mo was pretty much a first quarter act last year, disappearing for the rest of the game. He could be used alot better than he was last year imo, if only Rudy would use him more consistently, and not so much in the first quarter.

 

Wrong! Webber <b> DOES</b> have an equal, if not better, mid-range jumper than Mo. And on the face up game...

HeyP, we all know and appreciate how hard you have worked with Clutch on this new BBS. I guess your just extremely tired and it is clouding your memory.

Mo is a PF who shoots jumpers and an occasional dunk. Look at it this way, Mo is Webber without the inside game, rebounding, passing and leadership.

 

TPL,

I agree to a large extent, except for one thing: I truly believe Mo' is a legit playmaker. I believe our offense will soar with plays going through a high post pivot man. Many, many teams do not have such a player. I believe that we do. It would not surprise me to see Mo' put up 20ppg and close to 5 assists.

Of course, much of this philosophy comes from my belief that the best offenses are constructed around such a pivot man, so I am somewhat biased and might be exaggerating Mo's potential in this regard--out of hope!

Think about it, Mo' at the elbow with two OUSTANDING wing guards running around him (with or without the ball) can work. One guard works the strong side with Mo, while the other threatens a flex attack from the weakside.

thinking in terms of a pick n roll is seeing only the tip of the iceberg.

 

It's not that I don't think he's a playmaker, but rather that he can be put to better use. Even though he has an awesome off the dribble jumper, imo, he can be just effective catching and shooting from the high post like I think you alluded to.

I just want a little more motion in the offense to get him the ball in places that make it easier for him to score ie: flashing to the freethrow line, and more backscreens for him like we saw somewhat last year.

If he truly is the gifted scorer I think he is, then he shouldn't have to be force the fed the ball or have a ton of plays called for him to be effective.

It'd be a nice if he could become more of an "opportunistic scorer" like many other big men are.

 

Bob*,

Mo' shot 49% with little low post moves and put backs. The guy makes NO shots from rebounds. His 49% is incomparable to ANY PFs except Glenn.

His 49% is freaking remarkable and a tribute to his midrange game. Webber cannot shoot that. His FG% is skewed by easier shots (which of course make him a better player than Mo, but I never said Mo is better than Webber).

 

I wish Mo would use his hook a little more often. He makes that shot about sixty percent of the time, but rarely shoots it. If he were to use that move more often, the Rockets' low post offense problem would be solved.

 

I agree he is a very nice weapon, and had a wonderful fg% last season. I guess I misinterpreted your post.

 

crispee i agree with most of your post, but no way maurice has a better face up game than webber (or duncan). when webber was in washington, he was criticised because he stayed near the 3-point line too often, and critics said he'd be a better player and rebounder near the basket. in fact in one game i saw last season he kept facing the defender who backed off of him, crossed the ball between his legs and neatly shoot it in. he did it like 6-7 times and the defender was like 'he has to miss some time sooner or later' but he didn't.

oh and not that i play alot or anything, but making shots off rebounds isn't any easier than making a jumper fg percentage wise. tip ins usually take more than one time, which does add up to number of shots taken. i think anyway.

 

"On the boards he just hasn't got the nack for knowing where that ball is going to bounce unlike KT who has great intincts for grabing the boards, (just needs abit more size in his case). What do ya'll think?"

"ps: I agree 100% with your KT assessment, Miggidy. And post some more why don't you."

KT good rebounding instincts but need more size (height really) has been mentioned to death. i know we're rockets fans which makes us the most polite sports fans in the world, but 100% and post some more why dont you? makes me wanna cup my mouth and giggle girlishly. *giggle*

 

I really think Mo will shine this year but can he not will he become a better rebounder at least with 7-8 a game. We need
that type of numbers from him

 

Why was this thread locked at one point?

 

Mo will score more this year and his rebound numbers will go up as well. He is not a superstar but he is good and that is all the Rockets need from him. To be consistant.

 

This makes me cup my mouth and guffaw boyishly.