I have to strongly agree with Sir Jackie Chiles and Van Gundier (Carl Herrera). Your perceptions of dream and reality could be in the reverse actually.
That great ability to interpret defenses has led to a decrease in offensive production and efficiency while playing for a coach that employs a style that, at its best, thrives on interpreting defenses. I think Battier will actually struggle increasingly as Adelman makes more adjustments. Battier was better suited for JVG's deliberate, slow-tempo style of play. I don't think he can play well in Adelman's system due to many of the reasons I stated in the original post. Memphis was willing to move Battier because they wanted to become an offensive-minded team and Battier didn't fit their needs. Adelman is an offensive-minded coach and Battier still doesn't fit now here, either. If Morey can make a trade involving Battier (and maybe Hayes or Alston) for a better offensive player(s) by the trade deadline, that will be the best thing for this team.
The problem is the league is moving towards a faster, most highly skilled game. Many teams have at least *4* starters who can dribble and shoot. Usually, we start 2 players who can dribble and 3 who can shoot.
We can trade him to Miami where Pat Riley would drool for a defensive specialist like Battier. Stan Van Gundy would want him too.
Very good point. I don't know if every team has 4 players like you describe but there is certainly an increase in athleticism and we are falling behind in that respect.
Now, we're talking. I would trade Battier and Head for Ricky Davis. I think Davis could excel in Adelman's system. The trade works financially: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=976~2763~193&teams=14~14~10&te=&cash=
I would be happy with this starting lineup: Alston Davis McGrady Scola Yao with Brooks, Wells and Hayes coming off the bench.
even if we would lose luther in that trade, it would be really good to have a guy like davis on this team. Also, I remember that he played pretty good defense on t-mac when the rockets played the heat earlier, so he could guard the opponents best player like shane does.
I would think Battier and Head aren't going anywhere as they are key pieces of our TEAM. Earlier I was speaking to the overall talent of the Rockets.Said players are tradeable commodities too,giving us flexibilty which is a good thing with Gipetto pulling the strings.Also with RA we have one of the best coaches in the League. Aaron Brooks looks like he's going to be what he was in college which equals ALL STAR in the Association.
You got it. I think he is actually a better defensive player than Battier, especially when you are talking about defending shooting guards. Offensively, Davis is very good compared to most players in the league and obviously far better than Battier. I think he would fit perfectly in Adelman's motion offense. Here is what Doc Rivers had to say about Davis a couple of years ago: "He's a guy you can run plays for, but he can also score just on movement. That's big in the postseason. In the playoffs, the more you zero in on a guy, you take away his options. But you can't take away movement." Davis is extremely athletic and can play on both sides of the ball. He is truly a versatile player that could step up his scoring in games where T-Mac isn't playing or just struggling. He can do almost every single thing that Battier can not do on offense while still playing great defense. He would replace Battier as our defensive specialist. He also plays big minutes and is tough as nails, often leading his team in MPG in recent years. He would be an absolute upgrade over Battier in almost every respect. People think he is selfish but he isn't and is actually a terrific passer/creator capable of running the point. Miami is probably willing to move him, too, since his contract is about to expire and they don't want to let him go for nothing. He would also play balls out since he is in a contract year. He would make the Rockets a better team, instantly. I will be the first to send a Thank You letter to Morey if he can trade Battier and somebody like Head for Davis.
Head is not a key piece of anybody's anything. The only reason he got significant playing time his first two seasons under Van Gundy was due to our lack of backcourt depth. The only reason he made his way back into the rotation this season (after being benched) was that the other guys (James, Francis ) stunk it up so badly. Head is barely NBA material. He is not a PG by any means. The fact is that he is an undersized, one-dimensional SG. I think he will be traded within the next season or two and end up on the bench somewhere else. Ultimately, he will end up playing in Europe or not at all.
I think a player that you can reasonably compare Davis too is Stephen Jackson. I think they are about as similar as any two other players in the league. Both of them are versatile offensive players and shutdown defenders that can play big minutes. Both of them can also be role players or go-to guys depending on the needs of the team. Get rid of Shane Battier. Get Ricky Davis.
Yeah, I liked that post as well, but have to say I wish Shane would do more on offense than he does. Every once in awhile he uncorks a play in the low post and you wonder why it's so rare that you even notice it. That's on the offensive end, so it has nothing to do with Bats playing so much on the perimeter (and he does). I keep thinking that for a guy so clearly intelligent and gifted, he sure doesn't do much scoring. Yes, he facilitates other players scoring, but we need more from him, in my opinion, than we're getting.
What's with all the love for Ricky Davis? You all neglect to mention that he's an uncontrollable knucklehead who also happens to have a deep disdain for our very own Mike James who we are unfortunately stuck with for another 2 years because of his ridiculous contract. I want some athleticism on this team as much as the next guy, but not at the expense of adding king chucker Ricky Davis to the team.
Shane is our best option by far defensively. Right now he is in a slump and doesn't feel comfortable with the system but i believe that Shane will continue to find his niche in Rick A.'s offense. Rick Davis is a scrub he will give the rockets about 4 to 5 turnovers and about 5 bad shots day in and day out... the man is fools gold he has all the talent in the world and doesn't amount to nothing he is a stromile swift at the SG/SF position. Shane will give you some turnovers but he will guard the other opponents best player day in and day out better then Ricky Davis. Head is a turnover machine with close no basketball IQ
You haven't watched enough of this guy play in recent years. You are talking about the young Ricky Davis. He has no problem being a role player and is a terrific passer with borderline PG skills. He is a great kind of player to have when your top scorer is injured, too. He can turn it on at will and knows when he needs to do that. He has matured a lot in recent years and is one of the most versatile, all-around players in the league at this point. He is not a chucker any more. His career FG% is very solid at 45.1%. That is higher than Ray Allen's career FG%. He isn't afraid to put up shots which is a good thing. He has long outgrown many of his bad habits and has turned into a team-oriented player that makes players around him better.
LOL. Now this is getting hilarious. People want to trade Battier for a <s>Miami</s> <s>Cleveland</s> <s>Boston</s> <s>Minnesota</s> reject who has been nothing but a perennial loser and cancer on and off the court to every single team he has been on.
