What do u think Moochie's problem is this year? Two yrs ago, Moochie looked like a real find. I thought he could start for any team in the NBA. This yr, he looks like he should start for a CBA team.. Mooch wants to be a PG that creates and dishes assists. His trouble is that he's lost his shooting touch outside so noone guards him up close. It's hard to get to the basket on opp that lays off you. On the few occasions when he does, his circus lay-ups thrown from the hip, hi off the backboard have also stopped going in. When that happens, no one leaves his team mates and rushes to stop him so he can dish the rock. Compound his problem, he still feels he should do more than just tossing the ball into the post. He dribbles and dribbles, trying to make something and, more often than not, nothing good comes out of it. He ends up with no option except to throw up a shot himself.
kidrock:- I agree with you but not in such terms! Dont you think that his failure and lazy ways are habbits developed alongside the lack of organised team basketball, which has pervaded the Rockets in the last couple of years? There is an attitude among the Rockets Roster which shows that each individual plays unto himself and is not proud of ateam effort or team chemistry. Its difficult to understand that the team has had almost a full season and has shown only a minute improvement in team chemistry! If Les has any real common sence then he would insist on getting replacements for the desperate parts of the Roster, especially Moochie!
I didn't like these quotes from the Chronicle: New attitude With Rockets guard Cuttino Mobley questionable to play tonight in Milwaukee, guard Moochie Norris could get a second consecutive start in the backcourt. Acting coach Larry Smith said he had not chosen a lineup. But whatever Smith decides, Norris said the Rockets would not see the same sort of play they saw from him Monday. "Last night, I don't feel I did my part," Norris said. "I feel like I'm a reason we lost. My attitude is contagious on the floor. I know if I got going, it would have lifted everybody up. I'm so anxious to get to Milwaukee and play, whether I'm starting or not. I want to let my teammates know that will never happen again. My presence will definitely be felt on the court the rest of the way." Norris made one of six shots and had three assists. He scored four points in 27 minutes. "After last night, I think I just have to be more aggressive," Norris said. "We're missing points with Cuttino, but it's not about points. It's about being aggressive and taking what the defense gives you. Last night was the first night I had butterflies before a game in a long time. I was thrown into the starting lineup, and I wasn't mentally ready. "I think if I played right, that would have been the difference in the game. I was real passive. I went through a whole game trying to concentrate too hard, trying to make the perfect pass, trying to make the best move. That's not my game. I'm a freelance kind of guy, a creator. I wasn't doing any of those things." To me, this sounds like Moochie's game is dribble-dribble until he can feel for the right move. Unfortunately, this type of guard-centered play is what the Rockets have been rightfully criticized for. I think we should trade Moochie for a draft pick to a team where his style of play is suitable. It no longer is for the Rockets.
Oh I think he cares. But there is nothing he can do about it because HE SUCKS! Plus zone defense killed what little skills he had to begin with.
I think he's one of the biggest reasons why we play the ugliest brand of basketball you can find at YMCA courts, college intramural gyms, and inner-city streetball, wherever. I wouldn't mind just flat out cutting him, for the team's sake. However, I don't want Moochie to collect 20 whatever million for doing NOTHING. At least make him work during practice.
Mooch WAS NEVER a starting-caliber player. At his peak, during the 00-01 season, he was a very good BACKUP. Let's not get carried away with how "good" he was in 00-01. Relative to how he plays now, he was an All-Star, but all in all he still was just a backup player. Right now Colin Pine is more useful than Moochie.
Someone in that NJRocket/Murphy/Mobley thread suggested a starting lineup of Posey at 2 and Rice at 3 with Hawkins and T-Mo as backups. I'll take that every day over 27 minutes of Moochie. In fact, if we're not looking at a major overhaul or at least a big trade next year, I think the third guard spot turns out to be our major weakness. That involves a lot of assumptions (that Rice stays healthy, that Posey re-signs or Boki or Terrence steps up and that Taylor stays healthy and Griffin continues his slow improvement), but all those assumptions assume status quo. Right now, after all the hand wringing over the 3 and 4 spots, the third guard is our Achilles heel. We're great at the 5, we're far less than great but decent (and diverse) at the 4, same for the 3 -- and we have one of the best starting guard tandems in the league, with absolutely NO bench to back them. Apparently we're not serious about developing Maddox, whether that's his fault or ours. He's Roderick Rhodes revisited. Apparent potential apparently abandoned. And Hawkins is a great 12th man, but not a consistent threat off the bench. So what's our bench? Cato? Great off the bench. Taylor? Great off the bench if healthy. Rice? Ditto Taylor. And that's it. The rest of the bench is Moochie. For what? Five more years? In a nine man rotation backing Steve AND Cat? I'm actually happy with the rest of our roster once we have a decent coach again (be it Rudy or a new guy that's not Smith). But even if Steve and Cuttino play 40 minutes each a night (and they should be playing just a little less), we need 16 or more minutes from another guard who can run the point and isn't such an offensive liability (read: Hawkins) that defenses can collapse on our post up guy (be it Yao or Mo) without fear of getting burned. We don't have that now and with the contract we're married to Moochie forever. Fix that, get a coach (Rudy, Van Gundy, Lucas, anyone proven), get some time with the rotation and I like our chances. But Moochie's gotta go. Start Mooch and Steve together against Sam and Gary and kiss the playoffs goodbye.
Moochie has been a big disappointment this year. He went from an adequete 3rd guard to a complete liability on the floor. In the short term I would rather have Francis at the PG spot and Hawkins at the SG spot then Francis and Moochie. What does moochie bring to the table? Nothing offensively and nothing defensively! At least with Hawkins you know you will get decent defense! And tonight against the Bucks Hawkins defense on those tough Buck swingmen (Payton, Redd, D Mason etc) will be VERY much needed! You want Moochie guarding those guys???????? Not me! I take my chances with Hawkin's limited offense then my chances with the Bucks lighting up Moochie on the other end of the floor. In the long term there is no question this team needs a SOLID third guard. A spark plug off of the bench. I felt so strongly about this that a few weeks ago I started a thread proposing a trade that would land us Jason Terry as a backup 1/2 guard in the mold of a Bobby Jackson/NVE type. Imagine if we had a reliable 3rd guard on this team that could give Francis and Mobley SOME rest time and at the same time have our offense continue to run smoothly and score points. That would be huge! Moochie just doesn't fit in with this team.
"After last night, I think I just have to be more aggressive," Norris said. "We're missing points with Cuttino, but it's not about points. It's about being aggressive and taking what the defense gives you. Last night was the first night I had butterflies before a game in a long time. I was thrown into the starting lineup, and I wasn't mentally ready. That to me translates to 23 secs of dribling instead of 23. After he took a reaaly bad shot in the Nets game the anouncer for the NBA TV, Steve Snapper Jones said that with steve and Yao in the floor the Rox should not let one of the "two doughnuts" take the shots. The other Doughnut he was reffering to was EG. As embaracing that comment is it is true. for him to learn- if there is any hope- he should be yanked everytime he makes a bad decision. That includes dribling under the basket and having the ball shoved in his throat.
No sh*t...Say what you will about CAT, but we could sure use him...He's a better option than Mooch...Mooch s/b good off the bench and that's it...
You're right, Relativist. This one scares me. However, I have to disagree when you say his style of play doesn't fit the team. Unfortunatly, his style of play is perfect for this team. We have "a freelance kind of" offensive game plan after all, ie. NO offensive game plan.
Moochies negative worth of playing service is the reason the Rockets the are 3-9 in games decided by 3 points or less. hey, I gotta blame somebody.
