I am satisfied with what we have on the roster. But of course you can never be satisfied. I do think the Rockets need a shot blocker inside beside Yao. Someone that make his presence known. Hill hasn't proven that to me. Patterson shows sign of being a solid player but don't think he's a shot blocker. Miller is not going to be a shot blocker either. That's why we don't seem to be satisfied totally with Scola until we find someone that is not just great offensively, but great rebounder and shot blocker as well. The TOTAL package type of player is what we're striving for inside the paint. I do think getting Iggy is better suit for this team though.
A possible depth chart for the Rockets during training camp next season is as follows: PG: Lowry, Brooks SG: Martin, Budinger, Taylor SF: Ariza, Battier PF: Scola, Hill, Patterson, Jeffries C: Yao, Miller, Hayes, Andersen Unfortunately, the Rockets can only carry 15 players on their roster, and only 12 on their active roster. It should also be noted that Daryl Morey would like to carry 3 PG's, if he can find a third one that is worth a roster spot. Add the extra PG to the players above, and that totals 18 players. Assuming another PG is added, 3 players have to be cut or traded by the beginning of next season. All of these players are good guys, but the players most likely to be traded or cut are David Andersen, Jared Jeffries and Chuck Hayes. It would not hard to imagine Jordan Hill being traded either. But three players have to go (if another PG is added). Budinger is likely to swing between the SG and SF positions this season, as there is not a lot of difference between these two positions. However, within a few years Budinger could develop into the Rockets starting SF, if he can develop defensively to be as good as Trevor Ariza. I am hopeful that will happen. There is no question that Budinger is already a better offensive player than Ariza, and Battier appears to be starting the inevitable downhill slide that comes with age. So there is are some opportunities available for the right player as SF on the Houston Rockets. Budinger could be the long term answer for the Rockets at the three spot. When the smoke clears, I would not be surprised to see a depth chart that looks something like this: PG: Lowry, Brooks, (PG to be named later) SG: Martin, Budinger, Taylor SF: Ariza, Battier PF: Scola, Patterson C: Yao, Miller, Hayes The cuts were justified as follows: 1. Jared Jeffries has a large expiring contract, which has some value, and can be traded. Hopefully the Rockets can get that done before the beginning of next season. 2. David Andersen may have to be cut, although he is really not a bad player. I would expect him to land on the end of someone's bench if the Rocket's cannot find a way to trade him. 3. The last of the three cuts was the hardest. Chuck Hayes was the obvious choice, but there is a loyalty factor, and also he probably has no meaningful trade value. On the other hand, Jordan Hill was the #8 overall pick in last years draft. He has has a bit of buzz around him. Maybe somehow the Rockets can trade Hill and Jeffries for the solid backup third string PG. In any case, if the Rockets trade or cut Hayes instead of Hill, that would be great. But three players have to be cut by the beginning of the season, if the Rockets add another PG to the roster.
I would have to say that the only thing we lack at the moment is a go-to-guy that can take over at the end of the game. Somebody who we can trust to win us games come crunch time, and looking at our roster, I honestly don't see one. You could argue Brooks and Martin but I don't think that they can knock down the big shot consistently enough to be trusted. There's always Yao, and I don't necessarily mind him having it in crunch time, but I like having a guard that I can trust to either get to the line or finish at the rim. Somebody like Iggy, who I really wanna go after if that rumor's true. The first trade offer I heard, I would do in a second.
What we need now is a playmaking wing. Martin, Ariza and Battier are more off the ball type of players. Cross off Granger, Melo and any other "superstar" wing. The one that can be had is Andre Iguodala. He is a mix of both great playmaking, good offense, and great defense. A combo of either Battier/Ariza + Jeffries + Hill for Iguodala and Smith could get it done. Brooks/Lowry Martin/Budinger/Taylor Iguodala/Battier or Ariza Scola/Patterson/Hayes Yao/Miller
i think too much is made of that...it's too difficult to build a well balanced roster versus a top 2 or so with role guys, so i'd say thats why usually you see that modeal, but i dont think it's the only way to win. We've done a good job of getting top talent at every position, with a good offensive system, which we have, we should be able to get good shots during crunch time. I would be more worried about defensive in the fonrtcourt, since D wins championships.
Easily the deepest team in the league. 48 minutes of constant pain headed some teams way you would think. We have a 2 time all star backup center, a first team all defensive player as backup SF, a highly respected defender and speedster backup point guard, a few talented looking 2nd year players in Taylor, Hill and Bud and defensive machine in Hayes. Find me a deeper team?! Oh and then there is David Andersen.............
True. Our defense is definitely a concern right now, but I think having two seven footers that we didn't have last year will significantly help, whether they're defensive minded or not. They can clog the paint, something that we rarely saw coming from our team last year.
The funny thing to me about this whole topic and all of the posts is that NOBODY can truly know what we need until we see this group of guys play together. Yao didn't play at all last year with Martin, Ariza, Hill, or Budinger. He really only played about half a season with Lowry. Martin and Hill only played half a season with the guys. We don't know how Miller will fit and what he will bring to THIS team. We dont know what a 2nd unit with Lowry, Hill, Miller, Battier, and Budinger might do together. So many unanswered questions. We are the biggest unkown in the league coming into next season. I think we have a lot of good talent on the team. We may not have 'superstars' but we have a lot of very efficient and productive players.
If that is all it take i am all for it... on the other hand though i believe Granger/TJ Ford can be had at the right price (BROOKS) NY pick with the same package you mention minus Hill and add Andersen Ming/Miller/Hill Scola/Hayes/PP Granger/Battier Martin/Cbud Lowry/Ford The PG is and overrated postion look at the lakers team that has been winning look at the celtics when they did win... rondo wasnt there best player and he still cant shoot...Spurs (avery johnson) Bulls ron harper/bj armstrong..... Rockets Cassell/K.Smith All we need out of lowry is set up people, dirve hard to the rim, and defend and he does all that....
We don't lack for players becuase it's not like we can get them right now anyways. The next moves, if any, are at the trade deadline. Perhaps the Iaggy move, perhaps more... or less. Now we we need is time for the team to mesh. Rumors have Yao at 40 lbs lighter than before. That's 290 and lighter then he was when he entered the league. If he plays at this weigh, he is going to be much quicker than before. (You just think about doing anything with a 40 lbs bag on you back ). If this allows him to be quick and less prone to injury, great! Now, does it mean he is a push over? Don't know until he gets in a game. Good luck to the Rockets! It will be exciting to see Yao and his team mates back on the court again. BTW, I think AB is going to REALLY breakout this year. You watch. And KM will be a beast and getting to the line.
We don't lack for players becuase it's not like we can get them right now anyways. The next moves, if any, are at the trade deadline. Perhaps the Iaggy move, perhaps more... or less. Now we we need is time for the team to mesh. Rumors have Yao at 40 lbs lighter than before. That's 290 and lighter then he was when he entered the league. If he plays at this weigh, he is going to be much quicker than before. (You just think about doing anything with a 40 lbs bag on you back ). If this allows him to be quick and less prone to injury, great! Now, does it mean he is a push over? Don't know until he gets in a game. Good luck to the Rockets! It will be exciting to see Yao and his team mates back on the court again. BTW, I think AB is going to REALLY breakout this year. You watch. And KM will be a beast and getting to the line. And Miller looked pretty good the last time I saw him play (against the Rockets last year). He is what he is, a backup who know's the system, is tough and 7 foot tall. He can also pass and shoot decent with range.
We signed a Adelman experienced back up and didn't break the bank, I love this move. Sucks though that short of Miller or Yao getting injured, Hill and/or Patterson are going to be riding that bench for most of the season, but Miller gives us a better shot.
Unlike the Sixers, the Pacers have no reason to get rid of Granger. Unlike Iggy, Granger has a decent contract and they have no reason to get rid of it. I've slowly have realized that Granger might not be available.
When the Rockets get CP3 then they are ready to win it all. The Rockets, as they are, are good enough to contend. Martin is all star caliber but his contributions for this coming season seem to be overlooked. With Yao, no matter his level of play initially, teams will have to pay a lot of attention in the paint. Scola has also learned how to play off of Yao. And we know how great a scorer Martin is especially if he is given room to operate as opponents will have no choice but to key in on Yao. If NBA teams do not take them very seriously then they are in for a rude awakening. The feeling of something lacking, I think, is more because of a fear or a lack of confidence in Yao's health. I feel this way so maybe that is it. Now, if only the officials do their jobs properly and fairly, we, as fans, will have a great joyride this season.
The dream PG acquisition obviously would be Chris Paul, but that is a humongous dream. More practical would be the acquisition of Roger Mason, a 6-5 PG-SG who shoots with range and clutchness, rebounds well for a guard, has great handles and is experienced. Mason would be a serious upgrade over Taylor while providing better chemistry as well. Brooks, Lowry (Mason) Martin, Mason, Taylor Ariza, Budinger (Jeffries) Scola, Hill, Patterson, Jeffries, Hayes Yao, Miller, Andersen (Hayes) Use Battier, Hayes, Taylor, Anderson and/or Jeffries as trade bait (in that order)
