The Rockets are looking for skilled big men. Taylor has got plenty of skills. As we've said many times before, the Rockets are not going to be able to stop the dominant big men in the NBA. Nobody can do that. Their strength is in the backcourt. Taylor is an outstanding shooting big man who will be able to pull the more dominant 4's (and 5's, the way Rudy likes to throw out crazy matchups) in the league away from the basket. He reminds me a lot of Loy Vaught. This just further opens up the lane for the guards. I would not be surprised to find out the Rockets have been eyeing this guy for quite some time. His skills really do fit this squad to a T. Imagine having Cato (alley-oop threat), Langhi or Wizard, and Taylor on the court at the same time, along with Francis and either Mobley or Anderson. We're talking about a field day for Francis. Defenses are going to pay and pay dearly for leaving anybody. At least up to this point, other than the Cato acquisition, the Rockets don't really seem to be as concerned with defense as they are with offense. I think this comes down to philosophy. I think those who are crying for more defensive front-liners may just have to accept that it's not going to happen. I think the Rockets are gearing up for a change to a league focused more towards scoring and strong perimeter play. It's possible that they think this is going to be more important than defense. Unless they come across somebody who is extremely dominant down low (top 2 or 3 pick in the draft, or someone of Webber-quality), I think they will continue in the direction they're going. The Rockets have always preferred to double-team in the post anyway, and utilizing a strong side zone effectively can off-set a strong post-up player. However rules are in place to help perimeter players get by their defenders. A front-line of Taylor (6'9"), Langhi (6'11"), and Cato (6'11") should be able to hold its own on defensive rotations. Those who will still insist that a dominating post player is needed, I'm not sure I agree. That may have been the case in the past, but the league is changing. Post-ups are becoming lower-percentage options, and plays generating from the perimeter are going to become high-percentage. Besides that, Taylor is better in the post than anyone the Pacers have, and they were in the Finals! ------------------ Metal Sludge
Great post. Of course it would be better if we got the best of both worlds (Webber) but i think our chances as very slim at best. Who knows, maybe Taylor could even prove to be valuable trade bait for a sign and trade that lands us Webber next year. Right now, he fits like glove, no doubt about it. Match up problems galore for other teams. We´ll have a LOT of players who command double teams. If Taylor really comes onboard we´ll be in the playoffs for sure. ------------------ "Never underestimate the heart of a champion"
So Friday is the d-day uh... I can't see why he's thinking Seattle. I mean they have 2 veteran PF in Vin Baker and Horace Grant, unless Seattle may do a sign and trade deal for one of their two PF's. We need a guy with solid post moves and not sure what the Dream can bring this season. Kenny Thomas has gotten better posting up but Maurice Taylor is better. I see it like this if Maurice takes less to play in Houston for 1 season. He'll be fighting for a new contract, meaning he will have to get better at all parts of his game. Defense, rebounding and a team mentality. And after next season he has not shown improvement then we don't resign him, plain and simple. So he would have to come in and prove he can play. ------------------
Great post! Whether or not he's "dominating", we need a post option, that's really a threat to score, and on any given night, can carry a burden of the offensive load, against teams that have a guard "stopper" and the guards are just not having a good day scoring. Taylor can be that. Defensively, don't forget Shandon. Here's an interesting stat: Over the last 10 games, the Rockets averaged 107.6 points, and their opponents averaged 101.6. Could that be the tell-tale sign the Rockets are looking to outscore their opponents, rather than force their opponents to score less than them. ------------------ The Serious Police are watching. Follow the rules or be assimilated. Shandon is underrated. [This message has been edited by NIKEstrad (edited August 10, 2000).]
Hey Fresk... GREAT POST. Taylor is a great offense threat and that is what need from at least one of our big men. Although I still like Kenny, he does not yet have the nice inside game that Taylor does. Also it's easier to teach someone how to play DEFENSE than to teach them how to play OFFENSE. Learning how to play defense, means hussling and working hard. Teaching someone how to shoot.. well let's just say that's a different story. Plus with Taylor we really don't lose much. If he's a bust, than we use the cap space to sign someone else. ------------------ Soon to be a Member of CCC. inc Pledgee T_Man
Nike, if that's what they're thinking, we'll never win a championship. For those thinking we can maybe sign and trade Taylor away later if he doesn't work out, how will we do that? We wouldn't have bird rights and there will be a half-dozen teams he can sign with outright. For those thinking we can make a one-year trial to see what Taylor can do and think that Taylor will have to play his butt off to show he's got some game: why would Taylor choose to re-sign with the Rockets? It won't just be an issue of whether the Rockets want him; he may not want to sign with us again after next season. ------------------ Rockets Draft Obligations Summary http://www.gaffordstudios.cjb.net/
I'm not so sure what Mo Taylor detractors want. Currently available pfs for the Rockets: Maurice Taylor Kenny Thomas maybe: Brian Grant I personally would like Antonio Davis, but there's no reason to think that he's tradeable. It is important to note, mind you that all trades for a PF would involve addition by subtraction. For those of you w/ Drew + Exception ideas for P.J. Brown, I'm just not sure what to say to you to begin with. Debating the availables: a). Mo Taylor. Rebounded 3 behind two strong rebounders (Odom + Kandi). Has a delusion of grandeur about his worth, but his price = $2.5 Million dollars. Shoots 46% w/ double coverage (?). b). Kenny Thomas. Strong rebounder in limited minutes. Poor shooter within 15 feet. Really poor shooter behind the arc. Currently plays for the Rockets. c). Brian Grant. Tenacity. Strong rebounder, strong defender. Has a delusion of grandeur about his worth, if he's even available to the Rockets. Price = $10M per year. <HR> It seems plausible that chemistry would be drastically affected by acquiring a player that made more than $6M per year. Mobley just resigned on a cheap contract... Cato is 'coming into his own'. Acquiring an injury prone Grant for $10M would have Francis & Mobley looking at the bench in a strange fashion, to say the least. If we had $10M under the cap and the acquisition was Webber (another franchise) you take your chances... besides, how can a guard complain about a high paid triple double threat that fits into their game plan (Webber can spread 'em w/ the best at the 3 point line). That being said, this is really a non-issue. Mo vs. Kenny. Mo is cheap, Kenny is cheaper. I hope the Rockets have the opportunity to spend a $2.5 for a player that can actually play and knows where the post is. As much as I like Kenny, his fg% is gross. It's addition w/o subtraction... a no-brainer. ------------------ I've posted so much that what I say must be true.
Some Mo Taylor detractors might say, "His motivation to play well for a huge contract next year will lead him to hog the ball and try to score too much." For those of you who think that, I need only point to the other free agent PF on the market - Brian Grant. He is coming off the worst season of his career and even at his best is really only slightly better than Antonio Davis (a little more Reb, Def than Davis but less Offense). So why is every team standing in line to give a 12 ppg, 10 rpg player the MAX? Because he is a hustling, never-say-die team player, that's why. He is a good guy, helps out in the community, and is unselfish. Mo Taylor realizes that he has to be the best player possible on Offense, Defense, Rebounding, etc. PLUS he needs to be a total team player if he wants to draw teams' attention as a FA next season. That being said, look for him to have a very good year with the Rockets (if they get him). He realizes he doesn't need to score 20 ppg to get a good contract. But 16 ppg, 8 rpg, a consistent jumper, some unselfish play, and a lot of hustle on both ends of the court should garner him some good money in today's market. ------------------ [This message has been edited by BimaThug (edited August 10, 2000).]
Our #1 threat- Stevie Franchise, #2 the Cat and #3 Dream. What happens when #3 is gone after next season enter Maurice Taylor. Our offense will run throught the guards, then post players. I'd take him. ------------------
JV-It'd need tweaking....but, the hypothetical scenario I like, is picking up a super SF defender (Terrence Morris!) and then throwing out a team of Cato-Taylor-Morris-Anderson-Francis. Cato would man the low block, Anderson and Morris would get the perimeter, and Francis could help swarm Taylor's man. The 107 point scoring team would work for the regular season, but what I meant, is that the Rockets wouldn't get into one of those beat em up 76-72 playoff games (it wouldn't work, not just because of our D, but because our offense is too fast paced). There's still SOME loyalty in the NBA. If we were able to make him happy here (if we're happy with how he's playing, the rest of the team will probably like him, and he'll be happy), I'd assume he'd sign here if we put out an offer. We WOULD be able to give him the biggest contract (assuming we have enough space to max him out), since he's our free agent. Ideally, a contract would be 1 year, with a team option on the 2nd year. ------------------ The Serious Police are watching. Follow the rules or be assimilated. Shandon is underrated.
