It seems year in and year out that the Rockets who with unproven skills have the most potential. So we get all excited about draft picks versus trading them for proven skills like Shane Battier. I guess in math terms starting at nothing know to almost anything is a bigger leap than Yao could take right now. And I understand this. I understand that a vast majority of fans love the excitement of watching the new thing. It's like opening a gift....or picking door #3 instead of taking the cash. I'm not sure where I'm going with this; I guess I just thought there are too many Vasilli "Wild Bill Hiccup" Spanoulis threads...STILL going on! ugh So my question...who do you think has the most potential left in them. for me, it is: Rafer and Yao (distant 3rd is Novak and Luther) As a Rockets fan, I learned a lesson with Avery Johnson. Guys can significantly improve their wide open set shots over time, and with that all self doubt dissolves and the natural born leader within the player comes out. To go with his great ball-handling and passing, a lot is on the table for Rafer to realize if he can just show us a money shot. With Yao, he still has the potential to dominate entire seasons like Hakeem, with or without TMac. And he has the potential to jump one inch higher after he gets married and his wife starts demanding it. "do this; do that; jump Ming.
uhhh... i think bonzi has the most potential out of all of them. If he can round into form and be productive i can see him being a huge factor in our playoff run.
Good thread. Most potential on the Rockets? Yao - Still can get better and has improved every single year. He could average 30+ and 12+ in a couple of years, he is that good. Novak - The kid can shoot, he needs to learn how to play positioning better, but he is going to be a load one day for the Rockets off the bench. V-Span - Probably the guy who will improve the most, best court vision on the team, and an amazing passer who plays with passion. If he can improve his shot and attitude he can supplant Rafer by the end of next season. Luther - He has decent vision, but his handles.....if he would work as much on his dribbling as shooting he could be a great point guard in the Kenny Smith mold for the Rockets. Snyder - The guy is a good player and just needs court time, the injury really screwed up his season, now he is buried on the bench. Hayes - If the guy would just learn to shoot a 15 foot jumper he could be a huge lift for the team, even more than he already is now. Tmac - Still improving as a playmaker, and leader, and this year as a shooter too. If his back holds up he can get even better. Battier - Will stay consistent but will improve the longer he plays on this team...but not by much, he is so good already. JL3 - Could develop into an Earl Boykins type of player. One whose job it is to come off the bench and immediatly change the tempo...doesn't need to be a PG, he is really more of an undersized 2 guard.... Players who have peaked and are on the way down. Rafer - He has never been a good shooter, and this year his decline has continued. He controls the ball well, which is a major plus and his defense has been pretty good this year when he is not playing a PG who posts up like Baron Davis. Still Rafer will get worse as he gets into his 30s. J-Ho - Even though he has been a renassaince man this year, he just does not fit on a team with Yao as he brings his man too close to the paint which allows easy doubling of Yao. Still a valuable member of the team, but his best days are behind him. Bonzi - As he ages he will probably lose a lot of quickness and continue to get larger, I think he peaked a couple of years ago, and just had a good playoffs last year due to matchups. DD
JVG-- has done a lot good things, in the practice. Can he coach in a real game? JVG had the potential.
1) McGrady - Needs to be healthy and to more aggressively attack the basket. I am doubtful that we ever see him reach his potential. 2) Yao - Still hasn't reached his ceiling. 3) Wells - Needs time to gel and to get into his playing shape. 4) Snyder - Could work himself into starters role. 5) Novak - Will probably get into at least the Bullard role in a year or two if not a solid part of rotation. 6) Head - Could become long term solution at backup PG. 7) Span - Could actually play. 8) JLIII - Could become backup PG long term through merit instead of default. 9) Hayes - He could get a little better. He's a good fit for playing with Yao. I don't expect Alston, Howard, Padgett, Sura, Battier, and Deke to improve much over their current performance.
I remember how the success fo the San Antonio Spurs getting over the next hump always seemed to ride on the coattails of Avery being able to hit that wide open jumper near the free throw line. That said, there is a disconnect between my memory and the stats. Avery showed some improvements in his FG% his first few years in the league, but thereafter was pretty steady. Rafer's been in the league a while now. He's never shot above 41.5%. HIs FG% has declined each of the past 3 seasons. I think his upside is limited. What he may be able to do is stop being as much of a liability by taking/forcing fewer wild layup attempts and continuing to focus on his 3 pointers, and working on a mid-range game - somethign that will be even more important as he continues to age. One thing that Rafer has proven he can't do well, and probably never will, is score on the run. He needs to stop trying it. As far as upside potential...I still think Hayes has some more upside. If he developed anything remotely resemblign a shot, and some consistency, you'd see more 8-12 points, 8-14 rebound games out of him. I think Luther still has upside. I remember reading frequently that he focused almost solely on the 3 point shot this past summer. If him focusing on something has that type of result, I see no reason why he can't continue to add a wrinle or two of effectiveness to his game the next few offseasons.
One person I see most similarity with Yao is Petre Manning. Granted, Yao is not that icon figure in NBA as Petre Manning in NFL. The similarity I am talking about is their work ethics. They both hold themselves to very high standards in their own position, work very hard on their own weakness, improve their performance year after year.
I agree about Head. He really improved over last season, and I don't see why he wouldn't continue to add to his offensive game. I think he has the potential to be an excellent mid-range shooter. Also think he can improve driving to the basket and scoring, or dishing off. Where I'm not sure he can get a lot better is his defense, but Rafer's improved a lot in that area this year. If Rafer can get so much better at team defense (IMO), I don't see what would hold Head back in that area, except experience. He's got the "head" for it, lol! Rafer has stepped up defensively. I think you're more than a tad optimistic about Rafer improving his offence, though, HP. The best thing he could do in that area would be to shoot less. Clearly, Wells isn't where he could be with his conditioning. I'm not sure he should even be in a discussion like this. The guy is what he is, or less than he was. If he gets close to where he's been when he's just been in shape he'll improve. (that was kinda funny!) Novak has a lot of potential as a role player. A big guy who comes in and creates spacing by nailing shots from downtown. If he ever gets into "NBA shape," I think he could become decent at team defense. Novak's biggest problem, besides the shape he's in, is his confidence. Once that comes, I think we'll be glad we snagged him. Hayes could get consistent at making a layup and not fouling out. That's the most I'm hoping for from the guy. Nice to have in the rotation. Lucas needs to be in the NBDL. Snyder really had me excited early in the season. I think once he has enough time in JVG's system, he'll really be an asset as a defensive stopper. He needs to become a better shooter if he hopes to have a "shot" at being a starter some day. I don't know what to make of Billy. It's like watching a train wreck. I think the guy could be a decent backup at the point if the lightbulb ever goes off in his head. He hasn't shown enough to think he'll grab that role, IMO, and considering how Lucas is playing, that's a disappointment. Tracy just needs to be healthy. Same with Yao, although he still has a big upside.
Potential means you are currently a really crappy player. This is the peice that everybody neglects to think about when they get pissed off when talking about players. Stromile has potential Read between the lines: he is currently a crappy player.
do you mean......peyton?? i honestly didn't think yao could put up the kind of season he was having before he got injured, so as far as i'm concerned, sky is the limit with him now.
Who has the most potential? McGrady. If it wasn't for his injuries and pounding, his ceiling could make him one of the best ever. He still can prove me wrong. I know he is already amazing, but i know that someone that is 6'7 Explosive Long Arms Great Shooting Touch Finishes Strong Have Court Vision Passionate Strong Smooth ass moves to create his own shot Can be much more. AND HE IS ONLY 27...
no way, man. Vspan's court vision is nowhere near mcgrady's. yeah, he can see that person on the other side of the court, so what? i've seen too many of his passes get easily picked off. mcgrady can see everyone on the court because he's so tall, but unlike vspan, he can get it to the guy at the right time and at the right spot. he's so much better than vspan in terms of court vision and court awareness, it's not even funny. that being said, i think that luther head has the most potential out of the entire team, because he has so many things he can improve on. he has tremendous athletic ability, and his shot, although a little unorthodox, is money. if he can improve his handles, his passing, and his finishing skills, he'll be a pretty good player, i think.
You are officially delusional. T-Mac and Rafer obviously have the best court vision. Even next season he won't be moving ahead of Rafer. His only upside is he has no downside as of now because he can't do any worse than now. He can only look up.
Somewhat true , but not exactly the definition of "potential" Potential means something that we know that an indvididual can "possibly" acchieve based on their current talent and ability....or it's something one is capable of being or becoming , but have not done it yet. A player can be progressing well like in Yao's case , but have not "fully" reach it yet and will eventually get there . .... or in the case of disappointment like Stromile, which some may have given up on.
Yao has the most potential on this team still. This man can improve every part of his game, still has a lot of experience to gain, and his development of a killer instinct is still young. In terms of talent T-Mac is maxed out, but he can improve his ability to "impose his will" and "refuse to lose". Luther Head's max is about that of Mo Williams, all he needs is a better handle. Snyder can become that of a 98 Eddie Jones. Great slasher and defender but needs a more consistent outside shot. Bonzi has reached his, but being in and out gave him some rust. He should be back in top form in time for the playoffs. Shane is what he is, so his Rafer. Vspan is at rock bottom so in terms of ground to gain he has the most. But that simply means when he reaches his peak he can crack the rotation and become a PG off the bench. Assuming everyone hits max it would be: Yao T-Mac Snyder Bonzi Battier Head Rafer Vspan Novak Hayes The rest are past their prime.
I'm not seeing any individual untapped potential on this team of any note. If anything, it's really the untapped cohesive team play we're lacking due to Bonzi being out early, and then Yao being out now. The biggest need for the Rockets, whenever Yao comes back, is figure out just how our 8-9 man playoff rotation would work with everyone healthy and knowing their roles. Individually among the players likely to see playoff minutes, only Bonzi can possibly improve his play a significant amount. T-Mac right now is the best he can be from now on. Which is a playmaker and jumpshooter for the most part. Whether he turns is on in the playoffs is still yet to be determined. Yao is not going to be much different. His hands and arms are such that he'll always have some turnovers from stripping, and trouble receiving the entry pass from double teams. His shooting is already near-automatic, and he's consistent enough to always give you 20+ points every game. Further dominance on either end of the floor can be helped more by the refs then himself. Battier is what he is. Alston is what he is. Shooting/defense unlikely to be better, but offensive PG skills should not worsen. Head, at least for this season, is simply a great spot-up shooter and little more. Deke is what he is Howard is playing over his head... unless he's been dogging it the past couple of seasons. I just hope he doesn't revert to last year's form. Hayes is what he is. That said, if everyone's healthy for the playoffs and on the same page, there's no reason why we don't have a legit shot at the ring. Our role players are significantly better than the ones which got us 51 wins and 7 games against the Mavs 2 years ago. T-Mac might be worse, but Yao has since become a true superstar.
tmac's actually playing some of his best basketball in a long time. his shooting percentages are up and his playmaking ability has become superb. he may not drop 45 every other game, (which btw he is still capable of doing), but he brings a lot more to the table now. im happy with the way tmac is playing right now. just studly
I think Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo still has a lot of room to improve. The man hits free throws so well. I'm ready to see what he can offer when he becomes the main man on offense. Imagine him running the pick and roll? 75 % from 15 feet is pretty good offense. Tmac needs to let all offense go through Deke. The man can ball and he speaks like 7 languages. I'm sure he can do something simple like lead the Rockets in scoring. It is ridiculous to keep watching Rafer and Tmac pass over Deke when he's wide open. Anyone else a DOOF?
Well in terms of talent, I think Luther definitely has the most upside right now. He has the hops, he has the shot, all he needs is to learn how to utilise the hops and finish stronger, as well as working on his dribble and offensive playmaking skills. Hayes is near maxed out I think. The big thing now is for him to add a Udonis Haslem-like jumper from 15. If he can nail them, like some of you have said he did in college, then we have ourselves a VERY good starting 5 when Yao returns. Tracy is actually on the decline. His peak was probably in '02-'03, where he played with a good mix of jumpshooting and slashing. He was truly the complete offensive package then. This may have been his most efficient season in years, but unless he starts going to the rim with the intent of dunking on everyone like he did in years past, imo he's not gonna top that '02-'03 season, which I believe he CAN, if his mind is wired right. Yao is near his max too. Right now, it's physical limitation that's holding him down. That and the refs too. Once they learn how to officiate him, we should see a much more dominant Yao, just based on getting foul calls in his favour and extended playing time on the court. Overall, I like this team. I think this year's roster has truly found the right mix between youthful potential and veteren skills. It kind of reminds me of last season's Heat actually, if not some of the Lakers teams early in this decade.
