If we look at the rockets, we actually have plenty of one on one scoring ability. What many have said is that we need an enforcer - someone in the Ben Wallace mold. Hilario fits this exactly. I see him coming in and getting 12 rebounds and 3 blks a game while averaging about 6 or 7 points the same way Cato gets his points. I propose for the Rocks to trade the #1 for the #5 or 6 and a role player from that team. I know many people on this board are for us drafting Caron Butler if possible and we would be able to do it but I don't think Caron is what we need. We allready have two 20ppg scorers on our team and one potential 20ppg scorer in EG. What we need now are role players. Players who have a specific job and do that job night in and night out. That is why I think Hilario will get us farther than Butler will.
There's no freaking way Hilario is going to get 3 blks a game. Only one player averaged 3 blks or more a game in the association last year, and that is Ben Wallace. Not even Mutumbo.
Hilario doesn't even average 12 rebounds a game in Brazil.12 rebounds a game in the NBA might be a bit of a stretch.
I agree 100% on Hilario....although I think your numbers are a bit inflated. If we were to somehow get him I could see him getting about 8pts/5reb/1.5blk in around 20min/per. The kid is just the kind of enforcer that the rox need to compliment our finesse/perimeter game. Eventually I would think that Hilario could mabe put up the kind of numbers you alluded to earlier11/12/3 while Griffin did much of the scoring down low. There doesn't seem to be much of a shot unless we trade the #1 or Hilarios contract scares away other teams.
I believe a lot of the clamor for Hilario is because he's being compared to being a Hakeem-style center, and rightly Hakeem is given his proper place in the pantheon of NBA centers here, unlike on both coasts. (O.K., maybe a few people here go overboard on him, but that's more justifiable than leaving him out of a so-called Big 4 containing Russell, Chamberlain, Kareem, and Shaq.) Your post, Fadeaway, doesn't jump on the next Hakeem bandwagon; I think it's a slightly optimistic, but reasonable view of what he has to offer. But... 1. We need a center, not another power forward, and the general consensus is moving more and more that Hilario will be a 4, not a 5. Especially since he's turning out to be a little shorter than originally expected. We're wanting 6-8, 6-9 out of our Small Forward, for Pete's sake! 6-9-1/2 just won't cut it as a center, even if he does have a good wingspan, unless he also has Hakeem's incredible combination of strength, agility, and quickness. 2. Hakeem was a great center for a low-post, pass-out, three point offense, surrounded by jumpshooting guards. Adding Barkley made it even more so -- clog the middle, score from the low post if possible, else pass back out. What we have now are NOT outside, jump-shooting guards. We have guards (not just that they're our guards, they're also our top scoring options) who excel at driving to the basket. What's the perfect center for a team of athletic, driving players? A tall, high-post center who can shoot from 15 feet and pass. Not from the three-point line, from the high post. That is close enough to get a very high shooting percentage for a good shooter, and far enough that successful shooting forces the opposing big men out, opening the basket up for drives. Between the pick-and-roll possibilities, the UCLA cut options, opening up the basket for drives by our guards, and having a 7-5 guy who can provide an easy target for a pass-off from the guards if the oppenents close off their driving lane, Ming is not just a rare commodity, he is also a perfect complement to our existing players. Add him, THEN all we will need to add are role-players. (And a defensive SF like Chris Jefferies starts making a lot of sense. Any way we can do a Back to the Future move and bring a 27-year old Rodney McCray forward to 2002?)
I'm just saying this kid is 19, 6'10, and has a 7'4 wingspan. I understand it'll take him a few years (and few more years on the offensive end) to esablish himself but by the time this kid is 21 or 22, I think he's going to be as good as Ben Wallace.
If we load our roster up with finesse players than we are going to get our asses kicked out of the playoffs. We have no enforcer on our team of perimeter players. With the way that Hialrio and Stoudemire play and both of their bodies they could be the perfect Bill Laimbeer types for our team. We have built a team that focuses on getting Steve and Cat the ball (and hopefully EG more next season) for jumpers and penetration. If we have Ming in the high post then we are losing our best rebounder (potentially) from the offensive glass. If Ming is in the high post and Steve, Cuttino, EG, and whoever plays the 3 are all on the perimeter who rebounds?
UT Baller, I share your concerns but am becoming an optimist about Ming. I'd like your thoughts on my new thread.
I agree that Hilario would be a great guy to get. Amare will be gone by 15 and it likely that Nene wil be there. I'd love to have the guy.
<i>If we load our roster up with finesse players than we are going to get our asses kicked out of the playoffs. We have no enforcer on our team of perimeter players. With the way that Hialrio and Stoudemire play and both of their bodies they could be the perfect Bill Laimbeer types for our team. We have built a team that focuses on getting Steve and Cat the ball (and hopefully EG more next season) for jumpers and penetration. If we have Ming in the high post then we are losing our best rebounder (potentially) from the offensive glass. If Ming is in the high post and Steve, Cuttino, EG, and whoever plays the 3 are all on the perimeter who rebounds?</i> If we did get Hilario or Stoudemire, do you really think that they'd spend much time in the low post? If they do that, then they clog the lane for Mobley and Francis. Our current problem is that teams are packing the middle against us and forcing us to shoot outside shots. I fail to see how adding a player with limited offense to the lane is going to do anything but further decrease our guards driving opportunities.
