I hope Battier is a Rocket for life. I think people are delusional when they say Rudy Gay is going to be an all-star. The guy is a scrub who can score inefficiently but can play no D. That guy will never be a winner. Morey is leading us in the right direction... I hope Yao has many more years to come. We have players now, that I think it's safe to assume will stay for many years... I really think our future compared to other teams is underrated... Just as long as T-Mac is gone next year, our future is bright and I think we can ultimately become contenders. I think all we need to do is either re-sign Artest or find another small forward who is defensive-minded. I love the fact that we can say we have two of the best defenders in the world. I wouldn't be as confident had we had Gay and Artest. Two chuckers (but at least Artest plays great D and puts in hard work) playing on our team. So far I'm lovin it... I think Lowry will develop into an all-star like how Harris developed.(YEAH I'M DRINKING THE KOOL- AID) If anything, I think all we need to go after is an all-star powerforward maybe or all-star shooting guard. I think the Rockets are set. Just get rid of T-Mac!!! (Ironic isn't it?...my username) GO ROCKETS BABY!
I agree with you. I think it is great to have two defensive assets in our team. Almost all teams don't have two defensive minded guys like Ron and Shane much less one defensive minded player. We should be grateful that we have the luxury of two stoppers. Most of us are fed up with Tmac. Not only are we complaining about his injuries (not really his fault) but on his attitude. The things he says in the past reflects on how mentally focused and determined he is. We will not probably see an aggressive Tmac in all the games in the future. We will be probably see a great Tmac from time to time even after he gets healthy. It is just a shame if we will never realize the potential of the Tmac-Yao era. I believe almost everyone in this board is still wondering how exciting it to be seeing a successful Tmac-Yao combination. Tmac for me is like Magic without the drive, determination and direction. I believe we have a good foundation in the future. If we get another hardworking and focused superstar (it is possible with the money we have after letting Tmac go), we can be title contenders. The most far fetched but possible free agent I think we can acquire is Wade. He is a winner and he can have the money and title in Houston. If we don't get a superstar, we can probably get two players from the Tmac salary similar to a Rip and Tayshaun combination (We should have traded these two players for Tmac). Caron would be nice as well. For me, we are allset with our players. I think there is really no need to get a power forward because I feel they are adequate. A backup center would do as well but as long as Deke can play, I am all for it. It is really hard to get a good center. Just look at all the other teams and you will know how valuable Deke is. Good centers are hard to come by. I think we can win the title, I really do (Yeah I am drinking Coke). We can beat the Lakers. It looks hard but I think we can. We have more weapons than them. It is great that Bynum is not with the team right now. If we have two players that can guard Kobe, I think we will be alright. Let's not worry about the east. We can beat anyone in the east.
Rudy Gay is a better player but there is a reason we are all happy about that trade. Battier is a high-quality guy and is the glue to this Rockets team. With Rudy Gay on our team I would see us as more of a Denver Nugget kind of team. Lots of talent but no promise.
I HATED the trade the time when it was announced. Now I am beyond happy. A healthy Battier, well, we're seeing what that means. Shane and Ron defending the outside with Yao in the middle? Good times.
Calling anyone who averages 20 points a game in just their second year a scrub, is the real delusional one.
Rudy has the athletic ability to be a top defensive player in the league. Heart/effort is what seperates Battier from the lesser defenders.
He is very useful but he is not worth the 8th pick. We could have gotten Lowry with the 24th pick as well if the Grizzlies wanted Rudy Gay that badly.
Athletic ability is small part of being a good defender. Effort is a big part, but understanding of the game is the most important part. It is not a coincidence that both Ron and Shane are not extremely athletic but are top defenders in the league. This is why I don't see Rudy Gay ever becoming a top defensive player because he just doesn't have the qualities to do so.
Battier is the most underrated player in the league as far as I'm concerned. Gay hasn't proven that he can be a part of a winning team yet. Defense wins.
It should be a moot point...if JVG hadn't tried overly hard in a meaningless game, we would have gotten Roy.
