Reading through posts and listening to sports talk shows, its amazing how many misconceptions I have heard on Jason Collier. If he really was as bad as some make him out to look, then there would be a legit reason for all this anger. I seriously wonder if people slamming him have ever SEEN the guy play. In any case, I want to address some of these. "Jason Collier has no post up game, all he can do is stand outside and shoot" I wonder if people that make these comments saw him play this past year. In previous years, Collier lacked legit post moves, but he really blossomed this past year at Georgia Tech. He has a big lefty hook shot, nice touch around the basket and the ability to face up defenders and make a move to the basket. I was surprised as Rudy was at how agile Collier is and how good his footwork in the low blocks is. I dont think he will be a go-to option or anything, but he will definitely be able to do some solid low post work and atleast be an option down there. "Jason Collier is a slow stiff, he has no athleticism" This is very far from the truth. Jason Collier is agile as Rudy pointed out and runs the floor pretty well. Obviously he is not a high flying, dunking machine, but he is not a slug either. He has good footwork, lateral movement and agility. "Jason Collier is another Matt Bullard" This one is the most ridiculous of all. Let's see, Matt Bullard is slow, has no post game, is one dimensional and cannot rebound. Jason Collier is 7-0 250-260, has good footwork, agility, an inside-outside game and rebounds well. How are they carbon copy players? Anyways, in conclusion, I think Jason Collier will be a solid rotation player for this team, develop into a 15-8 type player. With the Rockets getting a likely 12-17 pick in a much deeper 2001 draft, it will be like they got him for almost nothing. Folks, Rudy T and co. are top notch personnel evaluators. Please watch Collier play with this team before flaming them. He fits the Rockets like a glove and fans will notice exactly how smart this move was come November and more so during the summer of 2001. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
Exactly- I couldn't have said it better myself. Great post MManal. Don't slam the guy until you see him play. For this team, he is a great player to have. ------------------ Member of the pro-Collier/Langhi movement. IN RUDY WE TRUST!!
Its funny how Bullard has had a bigger impact on the fans than we think. ------------------ Now that it seems everyone thinks Rockets blew their picks, you can start reading TDS' 2001 Draft Previews... Draftsource.net
Love the post MManal But if we could pick up a couple of Bullard like guards we could have the All Bullard Team on the floor. ------------------ Stuff BBS, the Rockets and you guys It's all Clippers these days, come join the bandwagon and visit http://www.ClippersCity.com
Hey.......i agree with y'all....... This guy is actually a very good fit for the rockets. I've seen this guy play and he's not half as bad as everyone seems to make him out to be. He's actually GOOD. I liked the way he played in college.....even though the competition is not the same as the NBA level....he spreads out the defense. If the rockets ever want to go to the finals they will have to go through Shaq.....and why not have a 7'0" guy in the middle who actually has a GOOD shot. This will attract Shaq (or anyother big man) out of the lane....Therefore, Stevie Boy and Mobes can take over. This move Rudy T made also saves cap room for next year when "Vince Carter" becomes a free agent.....so maybe......I'M FROM TORONTO AND I KNOW HE WANTS TO LEAVE.....JUST LIKE HIS COUSIN! ------------------ $$ out $$
MManal, Great post as usual. Collier won't be a star, but he'll be solid and he fits with what we have. Fact of the matter is that there wasn't a player available at 9 that was going to have a major impact on the Rockets. So, we got a player that will help us and we got an extra first rounder. I think we made the best of a bad situation. ------------------
It is my first post since the draft and I must say I like Collier's game. Everything you said was correct. If anybody saw highlights of the draft press conference from Westside they would know he has a post game. Rudy said that one of the reasons we drated him was because he had already developed a shot in the post that he could go to nearly anytime. I believe it was Caroll Dawson that said he was blue collar defender. They already knew he could defend. He is not Matt Bullard in fact he is far from it. Personally I think Dan Langhi is a whole lot closer to Matt Bullard than Collier. Yes, he will never be a star but he will be a solid role player for years to come. I just don't think people realize what he will do for our offense. Other teams big players will be screwed. Think about it. We run a guard oriented offense based on nothing but movement and penetration. Almost exclusively penetration in crunch time. We penetrate , the defender must decide do I stay and double Mobely or Francis or whoever or do I guard Collier leaving know double team and an easy bucket and/or foul. They stay and double and Collier has all day to shoot. The best way to get to the basket is to drag the big man away from the basket and that is just what we will be able to do. On a side note am I the only one who thinks Pryzbilla will be a bust. I have heard this guy compared to a poor man's Cato. This guy is a mega project. He could barely score against inferior talent in college. He has less offensive moves than Cato. He is a nice defender but does not compare to the defensive explosiveness of Cato. As far as the trade goes it is not nearly as bad as many believe. They barely made the playoffs and that was in the east. They almost beat the Pacers in the playoffs but wasn't it the Kings who almost beat Utah in the playoffs but still didn't improve the next season. What about the Wizards they beat the bulls in the playoffs a game or two. Indiana played horrible in that series and didn't deserve to win. Fortunately for them Milwaukee played badly enough to lose the series. ------------------
Don't get me wrong, I thing it was really a great move to get Collier, but... The one thing Collier is going to have a bit of a problem with is getting any shot off from the low post other than his hook in pressure situations. He is not a great jumper, he doesn't have the extension to get over defenders, and while he may be quicker than the Rockets thought, he is still not going to be pulling off the CWebber spin move anytime soon. Towards crunch time in big games for GT, he would begin to spend more and more time on the perimeter. If the chemistry thing at power forward thing does work out, however, I think he is a great counterpoint to Kelvin Cato for the following reasons: Cato's offensive game is all about getting the dish from the double team from help defense when Francis et. al. drive. Having anyone else big on the posts at the same time completely removes the only thing he does on O. With Collier on the floor the spacing would be so much better than with a guy like Pryzbilla. Defensively, big guys tend to get pigeon holed as good or bad based on blocked shots. Collier is not a shot blocker but with his bulk is a pretty good position-based low post defender. This allows you to, for instance, have Collier lean on Shaq for position, with Cato floating on the weakside for the double team and block. Also, the type of player that Cato doesn't match up with well, Collier does, with Cato being able to match up with many PF's. In short, Collier + Cato = defensive flexibility on the low post which was not there last year. Cato is a horrible rebounder. It is the one flaw that I don't see him overcoming. Collier is a big, bulky 7'0" guy who developed as a rebounder last year. If his rebounding translates well to the NBA, it could make up for the fatal flaw of Cato. Just one more thing for the people who compare Collier to Bullard. Bullard is a set shooter. He needs a lot of room and time to get his shot off. The first thing I noticed about Collier is that he gets his shot off really quick. Think perhaps Bill Lambier, but smoother. ------------------ [This message has been edited by Ottomaton (edited June 29, 2000).]
Collier won't be the go-to guy in crunch time for the Rockets like he was at GT, so it doesn't matter. ------------------ The Wizard when asked about his WWJD bracelet: "It's my good luck charm. It stands for 'Walt Williams Just Doin' it'."
Despite how bad it might look to everyone. I think that Rudy T made a smart move. I admit that it got me furious once i heard of the trade but you can't really judge a player before seeing him play. I, for one, don't know anythig about Collier's game. But would love to see what he's gonna provide the Rockets with. And hey, you never know what Rudy T. has in mind. People, HE'S the coach, HE knows what's best. ------------------ Ostertag for Three!!!!!
