yao will be playing majority minutes at C, yes im a genius arent i. deke shown his still got some left in the tank yet, and i dont think backup C is a really a big wory right now. but since we're on the topic, and IF deke cant perform adequately, im not sure if this is a good idea or even feasible but i think it'd be interesting at least to experiment. To get our backup in the mould of amare, can run the floor, athletic, fast, quick, more of a PF then a true C, just to see what happens, play small ball for short spurts while yaos resting, like i think the warriors did last year with the Davis-Monta Ellis-Richardson-Jackson-Harrington lineup. alston, james, tmac, battier, Amare-lite. Im not knowledgable enough to know if this would work under adelmans setup, but "fluid, free flowing, more up-tempo" seem to be common themes associated with his offense, so what better way to do it then with a midget line up of course im just throwing thoughts up in the air, but it'd be interesting for a few mins every game while yao rests be a good chance to develope JL3 and novak, i dunno my 2 cents...
It depends on who we get at the PF position, we may just go with a PF as the backup C..... I just don't see Deke fitting in all that well in Adelman's system...... DD
i keep thinking there is no way that deke can keep going...but i've been wrong. So, im not making any more guesses. I thought jake was very servicable but looks like he may not get resigned. whatever the case, the rockets are short handed at the pf/c spot. Preferable it would be nice to get a guy who can play both but as is, the players are position specific
I think it's going to take at least 2 seasons for this team to fully transition to an Adelman-esque roster. Guys like Deke, Battier, Alston suit a JVG team better. I don't think an Adelman team will fully become realized until there is a complete roster change, like how the management changed a Steve Francis franchised team to a Yao as the franchise player team. It took several years to complete the transformation.
My prediction is two-fold: 1) Deke remains with the Rockets another year and 2) he is very effective in the offensive scheme Adelman designs for when he is in the game.
Why did you start this thread with a question? Are you not the insider? IMHO- Deke should retire. We need a backup 5 or a powerful 4 that can rebound. We are very weak in the front court (with the exception of Yao Ming) already-our hand is forced to upgrade. Is trading for Wilcox realistic? This is a desperate need IMHO.....
i would assume that deke will be back, but probably not as yao's primary backup. the rockets need him in certain situations/matchups and of course as insurance.
deke will be back - he wants to close the gap a lil more on #2 BAT... lol hes a great guy- i dot mind carrying him around even if he turned int deadweight this year, because the more money he gets, the more people that will be helped- thats just great.
Yoa Ming is most effective when he plays 36mins a game! The Big Fella has limitations due to stamina etc. Mutombo is only a 10 mins. a game player at the most, so we do need to be bringing along another a much younger back up at the center position.
Not after the Stro Show came to town. We'd have room for Deke if we simply had a PF or two who could also play center. Thats been the problem for the Rocket this last year, a bunch of players who are either PFs or Centers.
with alot of teams going small Hayes does everything you need out of the C position...there is no drop off in rebounding or post defense. you could make an argument that teams are more inclined to go to the hoop because there's no real shot blocking threat out there, but Hayes & Battiers pension for taking charges near the bucket make up for that. it's not really a C dillema as much as a "big body" dillema, because more teams are masquerading PFs out at the C spot. we have a true C in yao...there isn't really a need beyond that. deke at this point is still a luxury, but he is really only useful against teams who play a more traditional style i.e., San Antonio, Miami, Detroit. so on the grand scale of personell problems the rockets face this summer a "true" heir to deke's back-up role ranks very low.
i'm still unsure why deke didn't get 12-13 mins v. boozer/jaz in the playoffs. if i remembered correctly, deke guarded boozer really well during the reg. season.
There is no better backup center than Mutombo. This guy is unbelivable and he is 41 years old. Amazing!
Resign Deke for sure. He and another PF to be added (draft/FA/trade) can split the 13 or so minutes of rest Yao needs.
