Ever since the draft, the biggest story has been the overstock of players at the pf position. Posters have complained that their are three quality players and not enough playing time. However, you guys do not see some of the reasons how it will work and how it will help our team. Reasons it will work: 1. Rudy is one of the best coaches at making mismatches and making the other team change their players to match ours. 2. All three players are able to play three postions, counting C if Rudy wants to go small. 3. Finally, I am pretty sure that each one will miss atleast a couple of games with injuries. Therefore, the other will step right in an fill the void. How it helps: 1. It gives Rudy flexibility over who to put in. 2. It will make the other team change to match-up. For example, if we are playing the Lakers, Rudy can put in Griffin at C and Taylor or Thomas at pf. This will give us easy points since Griffin is much faster than Oneal and Taylor and Thomas are faster than Horry. Also, it will take Oneal out to the three point line to guard Griffin and open up the lanes. 3. It gives Rudy three quality players and gives him the chance to put in the best player that is able to match-up in the fourth-qaurter. For example, he could put in THomas if the other teams pf is slow. He could put in Griffin if he needs shotblocking, and he could put in Taylor the other team's pf is small. Line-Ups I would not be suprised to see in fourth quarter: C- Taylor C- Griffin Pf- Kenny pf- Taylor Sf- Griffin sf- Kenny sg- Mobley sg- Mobley pg- Francis pg- Francis
A lineup that will get killed in the 4th again. Taylor playing center when he can't even play the 4. Sometimes when you have too many young players at the same time fighting for gametime its more of a albotross than a good situation. Its hard to get veteran players to agree to stuff like this, more less a young player trying to prove himself(Griffin), a player trying to get a new contract(Thomas) and a player trying to comeback from a injury. The Clipps are in the same position this yr until they unload a couple of players. I'm more to the point of i like to know who will be in the lineup when the going gets tough. Those trick and gimmick lineups doesn't work when it comes down to playing for the real deal.
I've been discussing such a scenario with MManal for a little while now. Unless a quality player can be found for one of the PFs in trade, it is advantageous to attempt to maximize the value of all three players. First - start the season with Taylor and Cato in the starting 5, if healthy. Bring Ming along slowly off of the bench. In this case, KT would backup the PF spot and Griffin would slide to 5, if needed, for about 10-12 minutes per game versus the backup centers of the NBA; otherwise, he would remain as the backup at PF. Second - phase Ming in as time goes along. By midseason, Ming should be the starting 5...and Cato would probably not be happy with his eventual demotion to the bench. However, this is probably also when he would be at his maximum value, making him prime candidate for a trade - clear salary if the Rockets are doing bad or to add a piece for a run in the playoffs. At that point, Griffin should be the starting 4 alongside of Ming at center. KT's role remains the same - backup PF - while Mo takes over Eddie's old role of swinging between the 4 and 5 spot, when feasible, to cover the times when the bad centers are in the game. This does not include the 4th quarter - unless absolutely needed, the true centers on the squad (i.e. Ming) will be playing at the center position down the stretch, as should be expected. If one or more of the players are injured, though, it makes having all three of them and Cato seem like a good plan, as then everyone can play their natural positions for a significant amount of time per game. In any case - the Rockets will be at their most effective when they can work in all three PFs into the offense in some manner; leaving one on the bench the majority of the time is counterproductive and should be the time the Rockets explore moving them for a quality backup guard. Mismatches all over the court on both sides of the court are, for the most part, advantageous.
So you have Taylor and Griffin getting out-powered by C's (Shaq, Kandi, Duncan) Kenny gets run over by PFs (Duncan, C-Webb, Brand) SFs (Carter, Bryant, Marion, Pierce) blow by Griffin & Kenny like nothing All in the 4th quarter!! Damn Also, KT can't play SF, neither can Griffin. MoT can't play C, and we don't need Griffin to either
well if he's going to be a valuable player, why trade him? i have all the faith in ming, but seriously, we will need a backup C and Cato can do just that or vice versa (b/c ming might take more than just 1 season to develop). NOW is the time when cato does look good on our roster.
Clark, I am with you on that. However, I would go further to include the following: Extend the rotation to at least 11 Increase the defensive pressure on each play Speed up the offense big time All this takes more energy hence the need to play more players In addition to manage injuries and breakdowns, limit the players minutes. I am envisioning a scenario where Francis, for instance, is playing 30 minutes per game but is actually expending as much energy as he did when he played 38-40 minutes per game. Our deepest positions are now C,PF, and SF. It has height, size and bulk and eight bodies at any one time. That depth has to translate into serious defensive pressure. That pressure must be reflected in def fg%, blocks and rebounding. Fouls and fouling should not longer be an issue. That part of what depth mean. Control the lane, fight through screens, aggressive help defense, beat you man to the spot.
In reality, I think we have more than enough capeable pf's. We have Tmo coming off the bench who everyone forgets is bigger than Griffin and is the better all round athelete. I think that of KT, Mo, Griffin, and Tmo, all should start except Tmo on NBA teams. However, Griffin is not ready to start, he's 20 years old and can do nothing but shoot threes right now. We need to keep either Mo or KT. I say we trade one of them for a backup shooting guard and a draft pick. We will then have either Mo or KT starting with Griff being the backup 4 with Tmo taking over at backup if one of them gets injured. It will give Tmo more minutes being able to play both the 3 and the 4.
I don't see why Kenny can't spend some time at the small forward position. Sure, he may not be quite fast enough to keep up with the Mcgrady's and Marion's, but that why it's great to have Griffin and Ming in there. Even if the faster small forwards get past Kenny with their quickness, they still have to shoot over Ming and Griffin.
Good point, New Jack. With a Twin Tower situation like San Antonio has the strategy is to play the guys close on the perimeter and, if they drive, wish them luck against Robinson and Duncan. Yao, Cato and Griffin can give us a similar effect. Of course, Taylor won't contribute much to that. Obviously, you need to consider the opposing offense a bit with these combinations. If you've got a quick slasher at SF, Thomas shouldn't be guarding. If he's a spot up shooter or a post player, Thomas would work well.
Great idea!! So we would be able to cut down playing time for our Centers: Ming, Cato & Collier (to about 12 mpg) or our SF's: Rice, Nachbar & TM (to about 12 mpg), to allow our PF's to increase their mpg. We lock up KT to a long term contract, and force the Rockets into luxury tax in a few years. At the same time we loose trade value for KT in the process (KT+less minutes+less shots+less ISOs=crappy season for him). We throw any potential team chemistry in chaos when the season starts. KT will whine if Griffin starts ahead of him, KT will whine if Taylor starts in front of him and KT will whine if he does not get the majority of the mintues. Sounds like a great idea.
Why do you think Kenny is a whiner? I haven't seen anything from him that indicates he is that way. Is he telling you something?
The idea could work for awhile. But KT or Mo must be traded during the year. We can't afford what KT will ask, on top of Mo's salary.
You do not remember what happen last season? When he returned from being injured? Griffin seemed to be averaging about 20ppg, 10rpg, 4bpg and when KT came back from injury, Rudy kept Griffin in the starting lineup. KT starting whining about loosing his position due to an injury, and Rudy made the change back to KT (the next game). I would call that whinning. When he did return, they moved Griffin to SF (sending your best rebounder/blocker to the wing) which of coursed made Griffins defensive numbers drop and eventually made Griffin regress. When they were on the court together, KT would never give up the ball to Griffin, causing more chemistry problems. KT has some ego issues, which will not get better with limited minutes next season. He has to accept the fact that he will never be a starter in the league, and should work on being a great role player.
Of course kenny has whinged.. its common knowledge that through the season he was unhappy with rudy for not starting him in certain games.. and if he does come off the bench he doesnt produce the same quality of bball if he starts.. don't get me wrong hes a good player for the salary hes earning, but in the west.. u either need a tall/strong power forward or a quick small forward.. and hes neither.. so trade him off to the east..
I'm not sure where the idea that Taylor can't play center came from. In 2001, during our 45 win season, we finished a ton of games with Mo and Kenny up front. They were both starters when Hakeem was out, and even when Hakeem started, they were often together in the fourth quarter. They proved to be a pretty solid combination together, and we won a lot of games with them both. Outside of Shaq, I'm not sure if there's a starting center in the NBA that would overmatch them. And we're not talking about starting them... we're talking about using it as a different combination off the bench in the beginning of the second and fourth quarters. How many teams have a legit backup center? The Lakers have Walker. The Kings have Pollard. The Blazers have Shawn Kemp. None of those are close to true centers. Right now, we don't have room for all three. But, if we can ship off someone on the front line, we do. My vote is Cato. Send him to a team like NY that desperately needs a big man for an expiring contract and a future draft pick. We have a true starting center. We definitely don't need a "true" backup center, especially since more skilled power forwards can handle every center but Shaq anyway. The Kings-Lakers series really exposed a lot last year. The Kings proved the way to beat such a dominant team is by having a lot of multi-skilled players, instead of trying to force unskilled players into a role because of their size. (Cato)
speaking of KT whining.... I heard, from a respectable source, that MoT will be starting and KT is not happy... I hear that MoT is almost near his playing weight and has schooled KT in off-season practices.... hmmmm... could MoT be our starter next year? I think the rivalry could be a good motivator for them during the season, IF they channel the energy in the right direction!?
Yeah, very few teams have good centers much less a good back up center. In fact you are seeing more PF's playing centers these days. I think the positions are getting a bit blurred...especially the new type of PFs and centers that are tall and "thin." I don't think there is anything wrong with having a PF play back up center. It happens a lot. Chris
Who is our true starting center? Ming? He is at least a year (or more) away from being considered a true starting center in the NBA. He is a great offensive player, but he hasnt exactly been a stopping force in the CBA or in the recent global games. You trade Cato and get no center in return? Who is going to be our backup center? Collier? Collier has not even proved he belongs in the NBA, and might be one season away from the CBA. Question, if you think that Taylor can handle center duties (which he might), then do you see KT taking a backseat to Griffin? Do you see the Rockets eventually paying the luxury tax to commit to 3 PF's. Taylor might have the weight to hold down opposing centers, but he is not really considered a defensive player - so what exactly can Taylor provide, besides a big body to help the Rockets at the center spot.
If you asssume that you can't trade MoT, and you also assume that you plan on having him come back as a productive player, it would be foolish to make a move until Mo has proven where he's at on the court in real games. Planning errors always occur when you assume that things will work out for the best. At worst, if you find that people are unhappy during the season, you showcase them for a trade at that point. Mo, BTW, with his bulk, was perfectly effective two years ago against the crappy second-line centers of the league. I mean, how much is there to defending Greg Ostertag, besides having enough bulk to make sure that you can push him off the blocks and box him out for rebounds. Think of guys like Terry Mills, or Robert Traylor, who manage to not embarass themselves against backups at center. His skills on the offensive end would seem to be a closer match to Ming's than Cato's. I assume this would work in his favor over Cato at backup center.
