Rice - It seems no one has ANY faith that he will even be Walt Williams . . much less Starting SF MoT - Some see him as so much Flotsam - cap-eating machine [I just think KT is as good for cheaper . .more hustle] Cato - That little hands and smaller brains just will forever be a back up center Langhi - ain't done nothing - may never do anything Collier - See above On the bubble Moochie - big price tag means big results. he now has to do MORE to be the bargain he was [contract took him from fan fave to nigh Cato status] OT - Disappearing acts T brown - Spurt machine TMo - willing to give him one more year. Rocket River
Did we have to pick up Rice in the first place? Was it that case that if we didn't pick up Rice, Anderson would have just walked away and the Rockets get nothing? Man, I still can't believe that the Rockets picked up Glen Rice who not only was injured at the time, but also old, and also had a fat-ass contract. Why not just burn more money while you are at it. This has to be one of the worst signings in Houston sports history. At least Cato and Taylor at the time had some potential. Can you think of a worse and more dumb signing from either the Astros, Oilers or any other Rockets player? I can't.
Rice was about getting Andersen the payday that was owed him in their opinion. Rockets always take care of their guys in one way or another Rocket River
Signing Rice was almost as bad as when the Astros signed Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell in the early 1990's
That is the generally expressed and accepted viewpoint here at CC. While I don't buy into it myself, there is just not much that can be argued against it. That said, it is worth noting that Anderson's contract with the Knicks last season was not much above the MCE. Anderson's deal was an S&T and the Rockets absorbed Rice's contract as they had the cap room. In any event, even if the Rockets felt they "owed" Shandon something I can't imagine Glen Rice was the only possible option. There are alot of overpaid players who aren't over the hill. In retrospect, thinking Glen Rice was the answer to propeling a 45-37 team into the playoffs and beyond was seriously flawed from it's original concept.
I for one am willing to give Rice and Mo-t the benefit of the doubt. Both players may come back from their injuries to be a big addition to the Rockets. These guy were quality players. As for why we made the Rice trade it was no secret he was always one of Rudy's favorite players. A sweet shooting SF from his alma mater. GP
Well, we really didn't "sign" Glen Rice, but since you asked... Doug Drabek Greg Swindell Scottie Pippen (at least Rice doesn't have a bad attitude) Cato (contract is twice as long) Matt Maloney (aren't we STILL paying him?) Whoever was on defense during the second half of that Bills/Oilers playoff game in 1993
Forgot about Maloney. He must have a good life, sitting around all day collecting pay checks. Didn't Rice have a bad attitude when he was with the Lakers - something about not getting enough shots or something? I can't imagine what he will say once he realizes that Cat will pass him the ball maybe once during the game. If Rice's only contribution is to hang around the 3 point line to shoot 3's, what the difference between him and Bullard?
You say KT is at least as good as Mo for cheaper, but what about when it becomes contract time for KT? Don't you think he's going to command at least as much as Mo got last year? I think Mo can still be a big contributor to this team, assuming he is fully recovered from injury. Some of you put him in the same category as Rice and are willing to just toss him in any trade to fill salary.
Rice's attitude wasn't that bad when he was with LA. He was just there to pick up a ring before he retired. His wife was the one that was doing the complaining. He also averaged almost 17 points a game on a team with Kobe and Shaq. Since he came here, his attitude has been excellent. He was eager to get started, Rudy T actually wanted him to come here. Comparing Rice to Bullard is a little unfair. Rice was one of the most consistent shooters in his prime. There was a five year stretch where he averaged almost 23 points and 4.5 boards a game. He was a proven scorer and noted Rocket killer, which is one reason Rudy T. coveted him so much. Whereas Bullard would get hot for a quarter a time, Rice would get hot for WEEKS at a time. This is no disrespect for Bullard, but he was a role player. Rudy T wanted someone who could go beyond role playing and lead the team. It just didn't work out though, because of injuries. If Rice had been healthy, I think he could have been a great help for us. I have hope that he can contribute...
Rice: Why are we talking about him in the past tense? He's still alive and, what's more, still a Rocket. I have not written him off myself. His last season obviously was a loss, since he was out the whole season with injury. But, it seems a general trend that when players miss a season with injury everyone assumes they're washed up. This isn't necessarily the case. There is a concern that Rice may have lingering injury problems. But, his talent didn't go away. Provided he is somewhat healthy (which is quite possible given his medical history), I expect he'll be quite a good starter. Taylor: There is even less reason to write off Taylor. Like Rice, he is still talented but suffered serious injury. There's a chance he'll have lingering problems, but he'll probably be a capable 4 otherwise. There is the added complication of weight-gain during his rehab, but I actually think he'll shed that this summer. How did he injure himself: he was working out over the summer and getting in the best shape of his life because he was enthused about the coming season. He's got a good attitude. Williams: He wasn't even mentioned, but I half expect him to be back, though it depends on how much we shake up the roster.
Mo Taylor got injured while exercising? He was probably out jogging and saw an ice cream truck. In his over-excitement, Mo probably tripped over himself as he was running towards the truck.
Uh, actually Mo was in "the best shape of his life" (according to himself, as well as a couple other Rockets) and got hurt while playing a game at a gym in Detroit.
Look at Kerry Kittles and Kenyon Martin. We'll see about Rice, but to write off Taylor at this point is WAAAAAAY too premature. He was, after all, our third-best player on a 45-win team.
