We are still here...or at least i am. Im so excited about Ming and Nachbar that I didnt want to 'go limp' by thinking about Mo T. Nothing would make me happier than to have Mo T come back better than ever...but I just don't see it happening. Especially since Mo T's "better than ever" isn't that great.
I'll believe Rice and Mo are healthy when I see them playing. It's not that often that players say "I won't be ready for the season" or "rehab isn't going well" or "I haven't lost a lot of the fat I've packed on yet". If they do get healthy, I think they would be huge *ahem* pluses to the team. Collier? who cares?
You seriously underestimate Mo's production and chemistry that was sorely missed last season. Don't be blinded by the glow of the draft. Neither player is going to step in and contribute as quickly as Mo will. Also, even though KT had a good year, the team doesn't run as well as it does with Mo on the floor.
Well yeah, I wanted them to take MoPete but that was never going to happen because of the Mobeley contract situation. I'd say that years' #15 is more like this year's #32 or so !!!! I have much higher expectations of our own #15 Nachbar than I do of our former #15, Collier. Hey guys, thanks for all the other similarities noted but it was really just a rhetorical question! I'm with you Mo-Defenders. I think he goes great in a Rocket uniform.
I too am a Mo T supporter. He got off to a slow start w/ the Rocks but after the all-star break in '01, Mo was ballin. He found his nitch in the Rocks system and after that, he was playing well and so was the team. I don't think it was a coincidence that as soon as Mo found his groove, The Rocks started their playoff run and damn near did it! He likes being here, the players like him so I don't see any need to throw him away as of now, especially if he is getting his MIND and BODY right. We do need to trade KT for a a SG or furter 1st rounder though. I don't really care too much for Collier. He's is just not athletic at all. I remeber sitting in the CC this past season and Collier was on the break by himself. Francis threw the ball out to him, he took a dribble went up for the finish and got hung! A 7 footer getting HUNG on the rim going for a dunk. I was mortified! We need to keep Cato b/c he IS different from Ming. Their contrast is what could make them a good combo. Cato is more physical & Ming is more perimiter. For at least the 1st couple of years while Ming is adjusting to the NBA game, I think it is smart to have a physical back up not another perimiter guy who is soft and non-athletic (Sorry JC ).
Also, doesn't MoT bring like 30 'underprivileged' kids to each home game? How many other players in the league do things like that? Seems like a good guy to have around to me, and if he truly has a serious work ethic to go along with his already reasonably good talent, then he's a keeper.
Athleticism is over-rated. Not just speaking of Collier here, but for many fans, it seems that not be athletic is the ultimate insult you could give any NBA player. I'm not saying athleticism isn't nice to have. But, it falls far from being the whole of what one needs in a player. Intelligence, savvy, work ethic, skill, experience and other attributes are all important as well. Collier is not athletic. He doesn't do much on the high-flying dunks. But, he's fairly mobile, tall, strong and can shoot. He can leave the athleticism to his teammates. He has what he needs to push post players off the block, cut off paths to the basket, foul Shaq 6 times, and draw defenders away from the lane. Athleticism isn't even that relevant to him.
We can get SUCH a good deal if we trade KT and Moochie. Their value couldn't be higher. Moochie played big minutes last year that he WON'T get this year, and same goes for KT. If we can thrown in Cato while getting a C that's more comfortable coming off the bench, that would be great. Cato KT Mooch That's a very nice deal. What if we can get Mutombo for that deal? Philly need some depth. How about Atlanta? I'd love to get Ratliff. Orlando are looking for big men and PG's.
Why would we want to acquire Mutombo or Ratliff? Mutombo is an aging player who is overpaid. Ratliff is recovering from injury and his status is risky. And mosty of all, I hope you just realized that we drafted a 7-5 center named Yao Ming. He is our future starting center, and we don't need another one.
As evident by my post,i'm not really a believer in Taylor. I don't believe it till i see it and none has happened with taylor over his career. What better motivation could you have than playing for less but going into a contract yr? Taylor had all the incentives in the world to prove people wrong and he didn't and he won't. He was basically hanging around with no team really after him, signed with the Rockets and the first words were I'm going to improve my rebounding and this and that. Next time you look up, he comes into camp out of shape, stays in foul trouble and puts up a very mediocre yr 13pts 5 rebs. Then after the under the table deals by the Rockets, he is rewarded with a 7 mill per yr deal. All reports were he is in great shape and ready to play and improve on his past season. . Evereyone wants to point at it took him x games to learn the system and this or that. Its not like the Rockets were running a motion or triangle offense. He settled for jumpers, didn't hit the boards and was outmuscled by almost every 4 in the west. What will be so different for a guy coming off a serious injury and will be battling the same cast of 4's in the west and we are expecting better results? I'm going to be waiting for this.
Good post leebigez. I tend to agree with your thoughts on Mo, although I must say I do like his jumper and size. What are your analyses on KT and EG?
The problem is, KT has all these flaws, too. And don't point to his 7.2 rpg average since he played 35 minutes a game. On a per minute basis it isn't much better than Taylor's crappy rebounding. At the very least, then, I prefer the player who provides some diversity offensively as oppossed to the isolation game. Anyway, I like both players because they are Rockets, whereas if they played for another team I would think of them in a Jerome Williams kinda light. Let's just hope they each hold their own and EG still fights for time and imporvement.
actually, i think that would be an outstanding deal. you remove cato, kt and mooch and acquire a center (mutombo) who can help to groom yao's game (defensively only!) for the next 2 years. in time, yao will be ready to take over, and you can move mutombo again. there will always be a market for players like mutombo because he doesn't make waves, plays GREAT defense, and is a team player. think about it: what are we really giving up? kt? he's the odd man out anyway. mooch? don't get me started on TLD. cato? um, yeah. i'd make that move in a second.
Philadelphia would never even consider it, but adding Mutombo in that scenario would instantly make this team a contender without salvaging the future. Talk about playing for now <i>AND</i> the future.
