Just a quick question. I don't have to sit here and blow any smoke or toot anybody's horn on this Griffin kid we have. We've all been watching the same rockets games. There is no way possible that we can have this young guy sitting idle on the bench. Honestly speaking the kid brings so much to the game in so many different areas that it would be insane to sit him and stunt his growth, he needs minutes. Mo and Kenny bring alot to the table, but lets be completely honest with each other for a second, neither brings what this guy brings rebouding and need I even say shot blocking wise. The guy blocked a Shaquille O' Neql dunk attempt for gods sake!!!!The kid should get a couple extra credit points for that alone. I don't know to many guys in the league who attempts that, let alone a rookie!!!! Exibit A, Dikembe Mutombo (Mr Shot Block I might add) in last years finals. That being said heres the million dollar question, when all our so called power forwards are healthy who's minutes will suffer. They all play the "4" position. Somebody's minutes will have to go way down. I just hope for the sake of the rockets that its not the rookies minutes. This is kid is rare and special talent that doesn't come along very often. This kid is destined to lead this league in block shots one day, and you can mark my words on that. I've almost have never seen a more effortless attempt to block shots in my life. The kids blocks shots like other players dribble, its not even a second thought, he looks like he's not even trying and before you know it he has 4 or 5 blocks in a game. Now keep in mind he is doing all this as a wet behind the ears rookie, imagine when the kid actually learns the NBA game. Now thats a scary thought. Dare I say his shot blocking brings back memories of.................never mind. Anyway, I know he needs to bulk up and get tougher in the post, but I know a couple of power forwards and centers on this rocket squad who need to do the same, and they're not rookies. Hint, Hint, MO and Cato. The bottom line is this people, Griffin will be a double double guy or very close in this league. He'll also always stay in the top 5 if not higher in shot blocking. Mo Taylor will never be a double double guy. Period. And I'm not knocking Mo's talent, He has talent coming out of his ears, but he thinks he's a guard or something. He forgot he's 6'10" and 260lbs. The guy can flat out score, but wouldn't know a rebound or a shot block if it was attached to his head. And the bottom line is we need rebounding and defense from the post position to even have a chance to survive in the west. We can't survive out west if Moochie averages more rebounds a game than our starting power forward. That's it folks, no chaser.
I agree with what you are saying and I applaud you for recognizing Mo's talents on the offensive end. Too many on this board fail to give him credit for his intermediate range shot which is almost automatic and sorely missed this season. However we will be jammed up at the four which means that there will be some off season movment of players. Of the three players mentioned perhaps Griffen could play the three but I beleive that would be impeding his evolution. I am hoping he dedicates himself in the offeseason and puts on some extra muscle. With added strength I can't see how he could behind Thomas in the rotation. I figure KT will be gone next season. Unless of course Mo plays this season and shows he is 100% recovered. I believe other teams would be more interested in Mo but unless he plays this season KT is the better risk for other teams. He is a good player to have coming off the bench.
I personally like the idea of starting all 3 guys. Mo can be the "SF", not a typical Rockets SF, but an SF that can camp on the line and move in a couple steps for his automatic shot. KT and EG could be the low post options on offense. On defense, we'd need to incorporate some sort of zone so we don't have any of the 3 chasing after the quicker SF's, not sure what kind of defense would be effective with Mo, KT, and EG on the floor, but if the T-wolves can do it, surely we could too. Our backup C would be cato, with Tmo covering at PF, I know he seems kind of small to be a PF, but from what I've seen, he seems to be most effective at PF. Hell he managed to get a few blocks playing PF against the Spurs in the preseason. I think he would be a decent PF off the bench, kind of like Jerome Williams of the Raptors. Oscar can backup at SF and SG. Mooch would be the backup PG. We shouldn't worry about who the starting "pf" is or the starting "c", with the new defensive rules, I think it's much easier to throw out the best players and incorporate a defense that would prevent defensive mismatches for us.
Personally, I wouldn't mind Mo as a 6th man. Look how Rebraca in Detroit does, and Mo has more skills than him. Mo should be able to destroy nearly all backup PFs, and could probably still get 30 MPG when the Rockets use he and EG together.
Excellent points all around. The fear I have is that Rudy will adopt some of the same ideologies that seem to creep and crawl through several threads here at this BBS. That is, that the 2001-2002 NBA game is a strict dimensional playground with designated positions assigned to each player. The new NBA could not be farther from that adage . Picture a starting lineup of five guys who are put on the court to present a game strategy. This is done in reaction to the opponents they face (matching-up) or advantaging their game plan (opportunism). That being said, who cares whether we call Griffin a 3 or 4 or a 5? Why can’t we have all three guys (Mo,KT,Griff) on the court at the same time? My point is: the criteria for keeping or letting go (via acquisition, trading, drafting, waiving or whatever) is not what position they play as much as how they fit in with the overall gameplan. With that in mind ...... I fully suspect that if we have a weakness at, say, the three spot next year, that some present players including Griffin, may be assigned those duties normally associated with a three spot, at least on a part-time basis. If Torres continues to impress the slim chances that Walt keeps hanging on to that he will be here, will get even slimmer. Likewise, if TMo doesn’t prove his worthiness in multi-dimensions, he’ll be sent somewhere. If Collier is redundant he’s otta here too, etc…. However, as far those three PFs goes – well … MoTay does have multi-dimensional duties. He can bang underneath with the weight when Griffin or KT can’t, or he take it outside when we want to open it up in the middle, etc…. When finesse offensive or defensive threat is called for we have EG. Kenny Thomas can play the in-between game and is probably the better flex player of the three. There is room for all three of those guys in my humble opinion. As an added note: 1. RT will give Mo Taylor his Rocket jersey time next year. I would highly doubt any movement of Taylor between now and next season unless a very … and I mean very … desirable, deal-breaker clause or super-fit player … was involved in the exchange. 2. It would be sad to see Griffin pegged as a shot blocking defensive phenom and being played solely for that reason. His offensive arsenal should be exploited as readily. Just like it is being done now. 3. Similarly, I would hope by now most of us can appreciate that having a PF like MoTay who can get the job done offensively can be excused from his rebound-lacking tag without the media and his “fans” insisting he is a liability on this team. Blending all these guys ( MoTay and either Griffin or KT or all three) in a combined attack would be luxury RT would love to have as soon as … well, as soon as tonight. (I would take heavy bets and maybe even throw in my prize twenty-year old Irish whiskey that it would decimate the Knicks handily.) Incidentally, our problem of late has not been matchups, nor even finding available players to stick on the court. It has been getting everyone to execute to the best of their ability. All the talent in the world is no good, if we can’t get them to execute. Cheers.
Oh, one added note: Be careful what you wish for. Bulking up Griffin may in fact change or impair his ability to react and block all of those shots we keep praising him for. If the focus is to bulk him up another 20 to 30 pounds so he can be a more appropriate Power Forward,well ... then I would just as soon keep him at his present weight ( or a "little" heavier - 10-15 lbs more maybe) and position him as mentioned above. i.e. - A versatile 3-4-5 player that can be inserted or started to our best advantage.
Oeil, Good post for sure, but no one is mentioning that KT may not be happy sitting or not being a primary option. I am convinced that KT will leave after his contract, because Mo T and Griffin are simply better and KT will want more time. I agree they could all 3 play together, but watch KT and Griff play now. KT will NOT pass to Griff no matter the situation. I think the odd man out is KT, and he has value, so we may need to move him. I would love to package him for say...Chris Mihm. DD
Yeah Da Da, I note your point. I guess I was taking the stance that .... if they all were here would we want them ?.... sort of thing .... instead of ... would KT stay? KT would definitely lose out when it comes to choosing between him or MoTay and Griffin.
I can excuse Mo for his lack of rebounding, but only to a certain point. I have to say again, HE IS 6' 10" AND 260LBS, YOU HAVE TO AVERAGE MORE THAN 4 OR 5 REBOUNDS. PERIOD. POINT BLANK. I'm not asking Mo to become Duncan or Webber, just give us a little better effort. I personally believe if he wanted to he could give more. I don't think he can't rebound I just think he doesn't want to, and that bothers me as a fan. I'm sorry but I don't buy it. He has to many physical tools for me to give him a "He's grest on offense" pass. I feel like Mo would rather spend all summer working on his offense and could care less about becoming a better all around player. Mo wants to be a great offensive player, instead of being a better all around player. He should want to be a better player period not just a great offensive player.
<b>oeilpere</b>: Good thoughts. I love POPEYE sightings, and miss your quality posts, and so does this BBS ... I agree that RT would love to have all three PFs as weapons, but don't you think that the lack of a quality center hurts us more, than if we used one of those guys as trade bait with somoene else to fill that void? So, specifically, (1) What have you heard regarding any possible moves with the trading deadline coming up, especially obtaining a center? (2) Have you heard anything as far as what rebuilding moves they feel we need to make to gain the talent to become a championship team? At this stage, from a rebuilding perspective, (this is horrible to say, and I wouldn't wish any harm to Steve) it could almost be good if Francis ended up out for the rest of the year, so we could tank and get a top 3 lottery pick. But I know they would never do that intentionally due to the importance of the team developing the heart of champion, which is more important even than the collection of talent. Fate could be interesting. (3) What players have you heard they wish to go after, and which Rockets might we trade to accomplish those trades? (4) Have you heard what they might want to do this summer regarding the draft and FA's? (5) And last, but not least, what is your opinion that they should do to best rebuild the Rockets into a championship team, not just a good team that makes it to the playoffs? Do you believe we have the talent to pull that off, or do you feel we are hamstrung with a few of the moves we made this last off-season.
The only problem that I have with Mo playing the 3 is that defensive 3's are much quicker than 4's, in general. Part of what made Taylor's outside shot so deadly is that it extends out nearly to the 3 point line. At that distance, most PF's seem to be inclined to hang back a bit so they might be able to help on defense. This gave Mo the space he needed to pop his J. But if a SF is guarding Mo, I don't think he will get that space, and he is not quick enough to drive past a SF. Now, this might all be a moot point, because if all 3 guys (KT, EG, MoTay) are on the floor at the same time, I think they would likely elect to have their SF guard either EG or KT (probably Kenny, due to his quickness). But if Taylor IS being guarded by a small forward, I think it would be disastrous to his offensive game.
I wouldn't really have a problem with the combo's with the exception that Taylor and griffin play outside a lot. How can we make a small player pay, if all we're going to do is have jump shooting big men. Pretty soon its going to be 1 or the other and then the odd man out is going to the bench and the other is trade bait. We know Griffin isn't going anywhere, i think the battle is going to be between Taylor and Thomas. Both are evg players in this league as we have seen since they've been in. People are still waiting for Taylor to turn the corner like people were waiting for Walt to turn the corner but never did. Griffin has no ceiling and is showing us that now. He can run, defend, rebs and shoot. Neither thomas or Taylor combines that package. I don't think its as hard as people make it seem. Griffin is a player right now and should be starting. Thomas is playing good, but he's going to be a bench player. Taylor is the softest big man in the league and woul be fine in the east, be we play with power forwards and being soft will not help this team. Once Eddie keeps proving that he's the man at the 4 and we solidify the 3 or the 5 spot, we'll be ready to play with the big boys, but until then, we're just ascrappy little team that the upper tier teams really just don't see as a threat.
Sherlock I have heard very little from this end. Center-wise: There is always talk of Cato and Miami was interested in talking about some deal, but have no particulars on the personnel involved. There was league speculation that Alonzo was being traded and he did confirm that he would not be opposed to moving if Riley asked of him. He will either retire (which his family are urging him to do) at the end of the year, or stick around til the end of his contract - 2003, I think. Personally, I think he will play next year, but he won't be playing in Florida. On the heels of all that Clipper talk, I have heard that Kandi man is seriously on the block. I doubt seriously wheterh we are in the running for Kandi, because he doesn't improve us very much for the cost involved (a pick to be sure, plus a player or two). In short he's just too expensive right now. Others: I also had a couple pretty good tidbits on Darius Miles. Seems, he is being sold and being sought by some Eastern teams. It's thought by somne guys a talked to in LA that he will be gone before the trade deadline. Another expensive commodity, and I have no idea the Rockets are even in the running for him. I doubt it. Washington wants Jason Williams at the Number One spot in the draft real bad. They may make a late jump near the deadlines to sew up some lottery picks, so they can maneuver a couple of high picks for draft day trading. Others I have heard are the same old, same old - Travis Best, Jackson, etc.... and they are all being reported in the media as maybes. I think you can pretty well bank on Jackson being sent somewhere, but again, that's all mainstream thinking. One interesting scenario involved Chicago unloading Curry and/or Chandler. Man, they are crazy up that way. Another I heard was a Knicks shakeup, but they are more rumor-prone than any team in the league. Teams to watch for trades: Miami - They gotta stop the bleeding - even a bandaid would help at this stage of the season. Charlotte - They are just so undertalented in some positions. Celtics - They will try to fine tune the attack and help Walker, Peirce and gang more. GSW - They played the waiting game and now they will cash in. If they were a little higher in the standings they would be trading like crazy, but they will still unload Jackson despite Dampier et al limping in the background. Phoenix - They need help if they want to grasped a higher rung. they need consistent play and will trade if they want to move. Houston - Not likely. The same players that were available at the start of the season are the same ones available now. Not enough startling improvements to increase their attractiveness. Walt still has a ending contract, Cato has (a better but ) still single dimensional game, Langhi and Collier are sinkholes (trade-wise), and Torres and TMO will be kept to prove themselves out. In other words unless someone comes around and wants to take Walt then Langhi or Collier, and say one top (not untouchable) tier player we will not be mioving anyone. Smeg Maurice Taylor did a credible job against San Antonio and Phoenix last year, banging with them and holding possession. He had a better than average "deny the opponents their position" type of defense, especially against the East too. He is on record as saying he isn't afraid in there and enjoys the contact. I thought his ability to mix it up close to the basket and use his body to block out against some of the big guys who were trying to hold the middle - including Shaq, Kemp - last year, were some of his best games. To be sure he is not a typical banger, but he can bang. So I'll stand by my statement. Ya'll My view on Griffin - I am perfectly comfortable with Griffin starting or coming off the bench. From his brief and infrequent statements it seems it doesn't matter to him one way or another. They key is not that he hasn't shown us all his moves yet, it's that he is still learning the game and as we all observed he has a great learning curve. let him learn but don't force him into the game. Patience.
Damn...if Washington wants Jason Williams so badly, I say the Rockets should just about anything in their power to ensure that they get that top spot. With Williams as their PG, why would they try to sign Stevie?
Although I agree that Griffin is better than Kenny, I do not however agree that Taylor is better. What is your logic on that statement. Is it because he has the more POTENTIAL? I definately agree on the POTENTIAL, Taylor is the ideal physical specimen when you think of a 4. 6'9 260lbs man if GOD gave Barkley that body I guarantee you Barkley would have been the best damn player in the history of the game, but Hell you give that body to Kenny and he would be putting up Barkley numbers. I have yet to see a thing from Maurice that has shown me he is simply BETTER than Kenny. Their shots are about the same and it can even be argued that Kenny has more range. The rest of their games are either identical or Kenny has the edge. So how can it be said that Taylor is simply better? Is it because he's taller and bigger? Well he sure as hell doesn't use that size so that argument gets thrown out the window. Let me say this much IF Maurice Taylor and all of his 117,9 Kg and 2,06 meters of him got motivated and actually performed to his potential then I would go as far as saying that we would have a Chris Webber type player, but damn the whole league is filled with players like that. We have one in Cato, and we all know how much of a waste he is.
