I woke back up -Juwan will get paid for 2 more seasons after this year. Dude is putting out the effort, but is getting paid well-he is weak 4
I just cant believe that so many posters are blind to the reality. Juwan is a liability on defense- that does not translate to stats. I hope you guys were watching the Bulls game ( and I am sure others) He is playing better- but if there is a reason we are losing, it is the PF spot not the PG spot- of course relatively speaking.
j. howard is a true pro. I always hated how people relentlessly bashed him simply b/c he was not the 6'10, high flying 3 pt, shooting, shot blockiing pf that people wanted. Is he limited in certain areas? sure, but he busts his butt out there and gives it his all.
Per Donkey Magic: "j. howard is a true pro. I always hated how people relentlessly bashed him simply b/c he was not the 6'10, high flying 3 pt, shooting, shot blockiing pf that people wanted. Is he limited in certain areas? sure, but he busts his butt out there and gives it his all." Howard is a true professional- he is being paid very well. He does give it his all- sad that he is probably the weakest 4 in the West. We pay him 2 more seasons after this one.
Should we not be comparing ourselves with Dallas, San Antonio, Utah, Phoenix, and yes even Minny. Benchmarking for the Rockets should be for Playoff bound teams- not teams that will not be making it to the playoffs. That way Rafer is not really that terrbile either- since the negative PER at PG spot is only -2 or so, ( the PF is -5.6)- if we go with the premise that a point scored is a point scored- the PF spot is the reason why we will lose. Why is it so difficult to look at the facts and forget all the other stuff that is irrelevant.
Exactly. With apologies to Old Man Rock,...Old Man Howard and Old Mount Mutumbo were written off by most of us (including me) to be pretty much done, and now the Rockets would probably have lost most of the last 6 games or so without them. They have stepped up like you hope veterans can, and really filled up Yao's big shoes.
Good for JHo, about time he shows us something. I'm not really ready to get on JHo's bandwagon just yet.. probably not going to. With the kind of money he's making, he BETTER be hustling his @ss off. Now if he's being paid like Bonzz then I might understand.. If you guys can say you're glad JHo is hustling instead of taking his money and running with it, then you can pretty much make the same argument with many other players who are getting paid royally. He's not special.
Per MacFan: "Worse than Stromile Swift and Mark Jackson? " ****************************************** Right there maybe a little above them on some nights __________________
juwan is not special......but right now he is playing more than adequate give him his props when props are due. he never complained when benched and i believe he is a quiet leader of this team......i still say 2 years ago when we went down to dallas in the first round had he been there it would have been a different outcome
Per Stagend77: " i still say 2 years ago when we went down to dallas in the first round had he been there it would have been a different outcome " I absolutely agree- IMHO Juwan could have been the difference maker in the Dallas series. I was deeply disappointed he could not play. He does deserve praise right now- without him in the front line I do not think we could be winning like this. He is definitely helping Deke and this team right now. You are right. I should not dwell on his shortcomings compared to other Western 4's.
Howard is a true professional- he is being paid very well. He does give it his all- sad that he is probably the weakest 4 in the West. We pay him 2 more seasons after this one. well of course he's getting paid, i dont think he was volunteering. It would be easy for a guy like howard to just go through the motions his last 2 years on his contract. He's already made a ton of $,but he is still laying it out there and doing whatever he can to help. And yes, in an individual matchup, howard is bottom of the barrell in the west. But this isnt about x player vs y player in a head to head. Its about a player helping his team win and howard has been doing that very well.
But, the original statement said that we have the weakest PF in the West. That is simply not true. Yes, Dallas, SA, Utah, Phoenix, and Minn all have better power forwards. No kidding. Big surprise there. The best or second best player on all of those teams happens to be their power forward. Nobody has an all-star at every position. Juwan is more than adequate if he keeps playing the way he is playing now, considering the fact that once Yao comes back, the Rockets have enormous advantages at other positions on the court. Nobody should be expecting him to be Garnett or Shawn Marion.
Let us not worry about who the PF is- let us take about the "position" not the person. True- Yao and Tracy will dominate their positions. Let us say Yao does by 10 points and Tracy by 4 ( I am comparing strictly with Western Conference Playoffs)- that would be about 15 Points on the positive side. We will definitely be negative -5 to 6 at PF, 2 ot 3 at PG/SG - which basically draws us even with these teams. And over a 7 game series the opposition will recalibrate- We definitely will give them a run for the money- but will we dominate atleast 3 of the 5 positions? Juwan is over performing now- I welcome that- but if you are trying to make him the more than what he really is- the facts are not their to support those assertions
Howard doesn't do anything special, other than show up each and every play he is on the court. He doesn't miss assignments. He is where he is supposed to be. He keeps himself in the shape that allows him to follow the game plan. You can count that you are getting his best effort. He doesn't space out and find himself lost. How many times was Griffin and Swift lost out there? Whithout any knowledge who their assignement was? He brings to the Rockets a constant professional. But, I guess a whole lot of you would rather have a super athlete with not desire, a flake, a dreamer. Swift and Griffin had dreams of themselves. They probably thought they at one point would be MVP's. I'm tired of players like those. Guys who think they are owed something because they are better athletes, can jump higher, and are quicker than everyone else on the court. Long live the hard workers of the World!!!
none of the haters owe juwan an apology. noone was saying anything that wasn't at least close to the truth excluding attacks on his person and not his playing. he should have had that work ethic the whole time. he may be owed congratulations but certainly no apology.
I do not own an apology to Howard. I am always a supporter. He is a true pro. Play hard night in and night out. Last season his was at times the No.1 option of the team. A role just too much for a guy of his talent and age. When the role was reduced. You immediately see guy can step up big and can win games for you. I really wish the haters could step up, too. Give Howard what he deserves.
Per Zacatecas: "Howard doesn't do anything special, other than show up each and every play he is on the court. He doesn't miss assignments. He is where he is supposed to be. He keeps himself in the shape that allows him to follow the game plan. You can count that you are getting his best effort. He doesn't space out and find himself lost. How many times was Griffin and Swift lost out there? Whithout any knowledge who their assignement was? He brings to the Rockets a constant professional. But, I guess a whole lot of you would rather have a super athlete with not desire, a flake, a dreamer. Swift and Griffin had dreams of themselves. They probably thought they at one point would be MVP's. I'm tired of players like those. Guys who think they are owed something because they are better athletes, can jump higher, and are quicker than everyone else on the court. Long live the hard workers of the World!!! " __________________ I'd like to have a banger. I do not need a "super athlete". I would like someone to help Yao inside bang and rebound. I give Juwan his props-he is over achieving. I do not hate the man, I rspect him. There is no doubt he is one of our weakest links. I'm proud of what he has done. He is a hard worker who will do as he is told and you are right - he does follow his assignments. I was not praising Swift or Eddie Griffin. I DID NOT MENTION THEM.
