If Taylor really wants to play, then I think his best path is to work on his defense. He has the athleticism and admitted that he's never really focused on it. The Rockets have defensive match-up problem with powerful point guards, since ours are so small. Imagine if JT could develop enough on D to lean on and slow down the Deron Williams type points or even twos. He's got the size and athleticism. That's more important than length if you ask me. You're not going to block jumpers even if you're 6'7". He's 6'4" -210, which is about the same size as Williams.
He has a very similar skill set and game similar to Wade, but even a little more athletic (SCARY!). HOWEVER, he just has that Von Wafer mentality and me-me attitude when it comes to having the ball in his hands and in his hands only. And pair that up with his subpart ball handling and inconsistent jump shot its like he's trying to be a superstar with a role player's skill set (ie his lack of ball handling)
I think this is very likely Battier's last season with the Rockets unless they do a trade involving Ariza. The Rockets will be hovering very close to the Luxury Tax Threshold this season and with Jeffrie's and Battier both making around 7 mil in the last season of their contract I could see both players moved by the time the trade dead line arrives. Brooks, Lowry Martin, Taylor Ariza, Budinger That is a very youthful, very athletic and very skilled set of guards and small forwards. Only Kevin Martin out of the group has reached his prime and would be the old man at 27 years old. The remainder of that group are all 25 or younger and are still improving. If Taylor continues the coming season the way he finished last season and continues with what he is doing in the summer league then this group is already scary good and still improving. What I really love about Taylor is his attitude and work ethic though. When he came into the league last season he did not show the ability to play defense but by the end of the year it started looking like he might become a much better than average NBA defender. If Taylor continues to grow as a player like AB has grown as a player he could turn into an elite 2 guard. I can't wait to see how his game has grown once the real season starts.
My hope, crash5179, is that something like that happens at least by the trade deadline of the upcoming season. You always look to improve the talent base of your team, if you're a self-respecting GM in any pro sports league in this day and age of free agency. Daryl Morey understands that. The biggest quandary lies, again, with Yao Ming. If he can return to health and dominance, the Rockets might be inclined to go in "win it all now" mode, and sacrifice some of that young talent they've acquired and groomed. A sound strategy. But one I personally hope Morey and Coach Rick Adelman don't decide on. I'm tired, myself, of a dearth of "good guys" and "hard workers" on a team that's trying to win a championship. More Luis Scola. Less Shane Battier. I don't care about Scola's physical abilities (or lack of them) as much as I care about his productivity. When Scola's responsibilities increased when Yao was out, and later when Carl Landry was trade, he increased his productivity. No excuses. None of this "locker room guy" and "true professional" nonsense to gloss over lack of contributions. PER and "no-stats" be damned from "role players", crash5179. As a player with small and specific responsibilities and a ton of playing time, one side of the ball can't be ignored at one's convenience. Shane Battier played that card far too often for me. I like and respect Battier. He plays the game as hard as any All-Star or Hall of Fame player. He just hasn't played it as well, with all of the opportunity in the world to do that. He's always sought to sacrifice for the team. The best thing Battier can do for the Rockets now is to move on. I hope he obliges.....
His game reminds me of JR Rider, a pure scorers mentality...... But he has to work on his passing, unless one of Battier or Ariza gets traded, he will probably be riding the bench or in the D-league. DD
Everybody talks about his lack of passing, but does anybody notice what position he plays and what the Rockets want him to do? Taylor is playing the "shooting" guard position and the Rockets want him to score. Nobody talks about Kevin Martin's lack of passing (a career 1.9 assists per game), they just praise his shooting. When we traded for Martin, it definitely was not for his passing abilities. Yes, Taylor could play a little more under control and more selective with his shots. If any of you watched last night's game, he did a much better job in both of these areas and he did pass the ball. Jermaine is averaging 3 assists in the SL in about 27 minutes of action, that's more than Martin.
That is not the point, he is supposed to score, but there are times when he just bulls into the paint and has no where to go, but because his head is down he has no idea where his teamates are to bail himself out. He is single minded, he has to open up a bit....and use his penetration to help the team overall and pass some, because that will make him more of an NBA threat. DD
I'm sure he will get alot of playing time in the preseason. If he does great he will be rewareded when the real games begin.
We all just hated when Artest bulled his way to the basket and just wouldn't be denied the basket. Funny how Beaubois played a similar style game and the site marvels about him. Maybe we should ask Maverick fans what they thought about Taylor?
Considering how much you loved Wafer, I'm not sure why you care so much about Taylor's passing. The Rockets 2nd team, assuming one of Battier/Ariza/Budinger's traded, likely will look something like: Lowry, Taylor, one of Batter/Budinger, Patterson/Hayes, and Hill/Andersen. Notice the lack of scorers. Taylor's lack of passing may be a problem, but his ability to create his own shot is much more important right now for this team's 2nd unit.
boy gots hopps! i've been drinking his kool-aid. he's fun to watch. highlights remind me of jordan ( in high school ) so he needs to get better all around, but, man, the hops!
I believe he is working on that head down bull rush drives, but overall I see his potential > wafer for sure. At least he is willing to listen/work on what the coaches ask of him.
He's definitely missing the knucklehead quality of the Lebron-like one who got kicked off the floor during a playoff game. I do miss watching him cry over how he couldn't even bring the ball up the court against Vujavic. Still, I don't think Taylor is good enough offensively where he'll be accepted as a one-dimensional player. He needs to learn to play both ends.
