Hill has upside. But how much? Everyone knows Jordan took up hoops late and is improving with every game. He has natural shotblocking instincts,a soft touch, and the pedigree of a lottery pick..Still, I think his PERCEIVED upside makes him a big value piece when looking for an established stud.
in a perfect world when yao comes back he starts in place of hayes, and hill backs up scola. as of late the only game where chuck has made a huge difference was his defense on amar'e
i say give Hill the minutes over Hayes (unless special occasion for Hayes's defense needed) but if Hill gets into foul trouble, Hayes can relieve him. Hill is potentially a key asset and he needs playing time to reach that point in the long run.
Yao is stunting Hills growth. Plus Miller is prividing alot more then Yao has or probaly will. I would give Miller and Hill the minutes and lwet Yao earn his minutes
J Hill rebounding is very underrated in here. His missing assignments, lack of concentration/focus defensively on the other hand is one of the over blown excuse not to play him. One can argue that Scola has been one of the worst defender for this team, and his horrible rebounding in traffic gives opponents second chance after second chance. Take Lakers game for example, JHill secured critical rebounds that seal a series of very good defensive possesions by the Rockets. Conversely, last night against the Bulls the front court of Scola and Miller allowed two costly put in and an offensive rebound that really eventually cost us the game. I understand that everyone want to point to the obvious missed free throws as well as missed opportunities to foul, but even Adelman alluded to it after the game, the offensive rebounds one for tip - in were the killer. I say with Miller in scoring is never a problem sit Scola in the fourrth quarter, and let's ride with J Hill
people overrated J-Hill. He is actually a poor defender SO FAR. what we need is his rebounding and size advantage NOW. he still have a long way to go, but i can imagine a bright future if he improves his offense and defense game. PS: i am pretty disappointed on how weak he is on the Bulls game. letting the bulls got all the bounds and scored easily at the last moment..
just a yao fan in general, and comparing both careers overall. i know your just talking about this season though so i get your point.
Disagree completely on every level. Because I have League Pass broadband, I have to listen to the announcers for the opposition. Game after game I can count on the same analysis -- shoot over Hayes and don't worry about him offensively (which is why he is open so frequently). The Chicago announcers repeatedly pointed out the six-inch height difference between Noah and Hayes coupled with Noah's superior athleticism. Hayes faces the same problem with team after team.
If it was up to me, which it surely isnt, I start Jordan Hill and bring Yao off the bench. Since this is not likely to happen I believe Yao will still start and Hill will back both Yao and Scola as the first Big off the bench. Chuck Hayes should only be a situational defender as he was before 09-10. I also believe Aaron Brooks should come off the bench with his first few games back from the ankle injury. This should give the team a good assesment of how he could affect the game off the bench and balance out the backcourt defensively next to Courtney Lee. I just hope that getting these two guys back doesnt mess up the rotations again and ruin the chemistry and balance they have now with the exception of Hayes. This is why I think they both should be integrated back in the lineup off the bench.
It doesn't work like that unless Yao and AB volunteer to come off the bench. Starters don't get benched due to injuries. Its a form of good faith because if the Rockets started doing this without Player acceptance....you think Free Agents will want to come here, knowing 1 injury can cause them to lose their status as a starter? Who would want to come to Houston if an injury like an Ankle sprain would forced them to earn starter minutes? The only common thing about this is, AB haters, Yao Haters would love to see them earn the minutes again from the Bench..... I don't care who gets hurt, if you are starter, you come back as a starter and lose your job.
How can people say Yao hasn't been earning his minutes? A year off from basketball and he comes back shooting nearly 50%FG with near perfect FT%. His per36 stats are consistent with the two previous years in terms of PPG and RPG. He is clearly our best option at center unless we are tanking, even if its only 24mpg.
