Am sure it has been thought and talked about within the rox organization but what do you guys think about the situation ? should Mobley be inserted in the starting line up for a little wile to give Anderson time to heal and get back in his old form?? this would not be inteded to as a punishment of any sorts..... this is a piece writen from the sporting news article........... towards the bottom.... --------------------------------------------- Rockets Team Report By Michael Murphy/Houston Chronicle Slumping Anderson showing positive signs NOVEMBER 25, 2000 Print it Shandon Anderson, the "shooting guard" who has launched just 27 field-goal attempts and only two free throws in eight games, says the reason for his protracted funk is that he has been playing in a mental straight jacket. Anderson said he is still dwelling on the loss of his mother, Dorothy, who died last month after routine knee surgery. Dorothy, 51, had an adverse reaction to the anesthesia, lapsed into a coma and died less than a week later. The significant loss has been weighing heavily on him for the past couple of weeks, he said. "With my mom passing, I think when I'm quiet now and things of that nature, everyone is like, `What's wrong with Shandon?' There's nothing wrong. I've been like that the whole time," Anderson said. "Sure there are up and down days. Some days are better than others. I think about how my life has changed. I think about how much has happened. There's a lot of days I just wake up, work out and go to sleep. It's just a different view of life. "A lot of people can say they've been through it. But no one knows exactly how you feel as a person. Sometimes you just want to lash out." Especially since Anderson is not one to confide in others. "I don't have a lot of people around me," he said. "I don't confide in many people. I try to work things out on my own. It's crazy, but sometimes I feel like the only person in the world I really can trust is myself. "You know it's not like I can't trust other people, but I don't like to go to people with my problems. It's just me. When I needed to talk to someone, it was always my mom. I called her a lot. I guess everybody has someone. I had her." Anderson admitted some frustration at being left out of the Rockets' offense, though. "You want to be involved," he said. "My thing is I didn't want my man to score 20 or 30 points on me and not go back on him. I'm always confident. It's hard to stand in the corner and then be involved. My game does not start at the 3-point line, taking 3s to get my game jump-started. I think I have to get in and make stuff happen. That gets my game going. "It's early. The same thing happened last year. I didn't get touches early. Once I got a good feel for the offense and what we're trying to do, I felt a lot more comfortable. This year, Dream (Hakeem Olajuwon) is playing, Maurice (Taylor) is here. I just have to get a feel for where my shots are coming." The frustration spilled over one night against the Lakers. He and Steve Francis got into a brief shouting match against the Lakers when the point guard waved Anderson out of the way after a strong post-up move. "I think that's just a basketball thing," Anderson said. "It went no further than that. It was during the course of the game. You say things. It's just a part of the game. We scream at each other. You see that all the time, guys getting on each other. "We joke about stuff like that all the time. Sometimes, I'll give him the ball in the post and say, `See, how I got you the ball there. Get me the ball there.' If it was an issue, we couldn't kid about it." Meanwhile, Anderson is still coping with the loss of his mother. "There's no replacing her. You can get a new car or other things. You can have a new girlfriend. But you can never get your mom back. You get one. That's it. That's something you deal with for a lifetime. No one can say in a certain amount of time you're going to get better. You're not." POSITIONAL ANALYSIS Point guard: Francis had been on a tear, averaging almost 22 points over a four-game span before falling into a crater Wednesday against the Celtics, a 96-81 loss. Francis had just six points on 2-of-7 shooting, but he did have six rebounds and four assists. That came on the heels of his 20-point, nine-rebound, six-assist game the night before in a 101-89 victory over Indiana (their first road win of the season). Hey, everybody's allowed an off game or two. Grade: B Shooting guard: Call off the search (well, sort of). Anderson has been found. At least they've found evidence of his long-lost jumper, anyway. Anderson, who had been -- well, limited is not quite the word for it -- to just 16 shots in six games (a total of 13 points), has taken a whopping 11 shots in the last two. Even better, he went to the line twice in an embarrassing blistering at Boston. Anderson had nine rebounds and four assists in the two games -- hardly Jordanesque by any stretch of the imagination, but the overall numbers are far better than he had been putting up. Grade: C Small forward: Walt Williams was brilliant against Indiana (16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and four assist), but, like everyone else, he barely showed up against the Celtics (nine points, zero assists). You have to give Williams the same "Get Out of Jail Free" card Francis flashed for his performance against the Celtics, so we'll cut him some slack. It's the holidays and all, you know. Grade: C Power forward: Mo Taylor's enigmatic season continues. Taylor finished with eight points against Indiana, but hit only 6-of-15 shots. Against Boston the next night, he had just three points on 1-of-9 shooting. He did average six rebounds in the two games, hardly Dennis Rodman-like numbers, but better than he has been contributing. Grade: C Center: Hakeem Olajuwon has strung together seven straight games of double-figure scoring, but he, too, struggled against Boston. Olajuwon had 11 points, but hit just 4-of-13 shots, an odd stat considering the Celtics had only out-of-position Tony Battie to check him. But Battie's quickness and timing on his shot-blocking were keys to shutting down the middle. Olajuwon did chip in with three blocks, though. Grade: B-minus Bench: Cuttino Mobley has shot just 33 percent in his last two games (9-for-27), which is one of the biggest reasons the Rockets' offense has struggled. Mobley struggled against the Celtics, missing 12 of his 17 shots and finishing with just two boards. Carlos Rogers is struggling with his (non)role on the Rockets, logging just five minutes in the last four games (all in the blowout loss to Boston). Rogers is the odd man out with Taylor on board, and his 'tweener size (physique-wise) makes him a difficult fit. Grade: C Coaching: Rudy Tomjanovich is trying to teach the young kids how to respect the league and how tough it can be on any given night. He's had mixed results, but the Rockets are much better off than most anyone thought they'd be at this point. Grade: B-plus INJURY REPORT Center Kelvin Cato (high ankle sprain) is out. Cato underwent a stress test that revealed no severe tears, but he will still be out for four to six weeks. Cato is supposed to be the Rockets' defensive anchor inside, but without that shot blocking presence inside, the Rockets have extended their defense somewhat, picking up more steals and shutting down the penetrators. Center/forward Rogers (asthma) is questionable. Rogers hasn't really been much in the mix this season, so this is not a great loss. He is long and has his moments as a weakside shot blocker, but he is usually overmatched against the bigger power forwards in the West. WHO'S HOT Nobody. As one would expect with such a young team, the Rockets have been inconsistent. When they're on, they can be brilliant, as Isiah Thomas learned on Tuesday. But when they're off, the Rockets can be as hard to watch as one of those old driver's education movies. Brutal. WHO'S NOT Everybody? Jason Collier hasn't exactly been getting any calls for endorsements from the folks at Sterno. Collier has made just three of his last 15 shots, has grabbed only six rebounds in his last 59 minutes (a span of four games) and has not blocked a shot in those four games. Kenny Thomas couldn't find his shot with a divining rod. He has made just 16 of his last 48 shots (over nine games), but to his credit he's been out there busting his considerable backside every time he hits the floor. Another guy who has been out of sync because of the acquisition of Taylor. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME As a short-term fix, perhaps the Rockets should consider inserting Mobley into the starting lineup in place of Anderson. Mobley's ability to create shots for himself and others should open things up considerably for Francis, who has been facing more and more double teams. The move is not intended to punish Anderson. It is instead intended to give Anderson a chance to think things through and get back in the frame of mind where he is again able to focus on basketball. The subtle aspects that Anderson brings to the game -- off-the-ball movement, defense, tough rebounding -- would be missed, but Mobley's explosive scoring ability would allow the Rockets to start the games more aggressively, putting opposing defenses on their heels. With Mobley on the floor, the Rockets could throw quite a bit of offense at you. But Tomjanovich loves having an "energy guy" coming off the bench, injecting some juice into the offense. Mobley, much like Sam Cassell before him, is that guy for the Rockets. But the team needs that juice in the starting lineup right now, and perhaps a short-term change is order. ------------------ If you are a positive thinking person but yet you listen to country music, isn't that odd?
Right now, what are they trying to "fix"?They have won 5 of 6 and the lone loss was certainly not due to Anderson. Leave things alone. The Rockets do not need Anderson to score in order to win. Anything they get offensively fom Shandon is a bonus. Now if for some reason, Mobley goes into a slump or gets hurt, then they do need Anderson to score. ------------------
I dont feel that moving Shandon to the bench is a solution by any means. Even if it was intended to help him recover some, I think it could really backfire as Shandon could see it as a loss of role and importance to the team. The last thing you want in this situation is for Shandon to lose his confidence and be in more of a rut. The press esp in Utah would blow this whole thing out of proportion as well which would cause even more distractions. This team is a solid 8-6 considering how difficult of a schedule they have had so far, the last thing they need is something to kill their momentum. They did a really nice job last night of putting the Boston debacle behind them. Also, I dont give much credit to what Michael Murphy has to say. He has made a lot of idiotic comments in the past (Jason Collier is a 2nd round scrub that is another Bullard etc among other things) and doesnt really think his points through. I have noticed that Jonathan Feigen is slowly but surely taking over the NBA writing in the Chronicle; I really like what Feigen has to say and feel he has a much better grasp of the game than Michael Murphy. I still remember Murphy saying dont be surprised if the Blazers deal Pippen to the Lakers for Rice after the Rockets dealt him to Portland. Anyone with an ounce of sense would know that the Blazers would never give their rival the final piece to become unstoppable. Not to mention, Glen Rice is a lazy, no defense playing, whiny.... ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net [This message has been edited by MManal (edited November 26, 2000).]
Put me down for another vote for "If it aint broke don't fix it"Takeaway the Boston game when honestly nobody played well and the Anderson/Mobley tandem has worked well enough that who starts shouldn't be a question afterall Mobes gets starters minutes anyway. ------------------ Mitch Meluskey...The real Slim Shady
Mobley is not as good when he starts. He feels that added pressure and his shot is usually off. When he comes off the bench he knows his role is to bring that instant offense and he feels more confident. I like the way rudy uses the 3 guard lineup sometimes, but I wish he would use the Francis/mobley/shandon lineup more than the francis/mobley/moochie lineup. ------------------ www.truebballfansite.homestead.com
Is Shandon worth the money he is expecting next season? I understand his role, but he has indicated frustration with being left out of the offense. I'm sorry, but I have seen many offensive opportunities he has passed up. Right now, he's one-dimensional (defense) and not aggressive enough to create or get his shot. I realize Shandon plays a vital role but I don't think his overall output warrants a crazy salary increase. I think the ROX organization understands it must effectively utilize the money they will have next year to have future success. ------------------ Sometimes you gotta do the next best thing!
I think you're right. About the organization and $... But I also suspect that Shandon realizes that, too. He knows that to get a good contract he has to produce (excellent D doesn't show up on paper, so he has to score sometime - otherwise he'll get ripped in the negotiations). Give him a little more time to get out of the (mom-death-induced) slump. He will produce when he's ready. I have a feeling that he'll let everyone know when he comes out of it (like a 30+pt game). He waited for us, signed a below-market level deal to play with us. The LEAST we can do is give the man some time to get over his mom's death... He is NOT gone, he's just preoccupied. ------------------
I sayed that Anderson won't be back because I don't think he really likes the Offense in Houston. I think he will bolt at the end of the year.
Shandon shut down Eddie Jones yesterday. He had Eddie pressing for an oppurtunity. Eddie scored mainly against Mobley, and when Walt was in the game. The defensive intensity really went down when he left, even though he didn't pack an offensive punch. Shandon is not an "instant offense" type, which is usually a characteristic of a 6th man. Mobley is better off the bench, Shandon is better starting. It's that simple. I personally would like to see a backcourt of Moochie and Shandon for a little bit. Moochie is the type of PG that I think could get Shandon some offensive chances. ------------------ The Serious Police are watching. Follow the rules or be assimilated. Shandon is underrated.
Out of the mouths of babes..... .....comes indefensable statemants and mindless drivel. ------------------ Save our children from the TAAS test: TAAS test report card TAAS test fact sheet
Lil Francis: That possibility exists of course, but he did manage to average 15pts last year... which he wasn't unhappy about. His troubles seem to be mainly coming from: A. the death of his mother, and B. Francis' and Mobley's possible cliqueishness. I *really* hope that if B. becomes much of a factor, that Rudy takes steps to resolve it. Francis and Mobley aren't going to win a championship by themselves, and selfish play is going to alienate the rest of the team eventually, not just Anderson. BTW, I'd keep Anderson starting. Mobley has been playing better, but I think his game is really suited for the bench, when he can score without worrying about too much sharing with the 2nd unit. ------------------ Shandon Anderson rocks. The lottery sucks. Playoffs 2001.
If they want this to grow they should stick with game plan. Shandon is trustworthy. He will come through. That's how you become a solid team, keep it together through the rough. Mobley is full of talent. They can put him in anytime as far as I am concerned, but the formula they have now is the key to a successful season. moochie is underrated! ------------------ bigmoo
Definitely keep Shandon starting.. the last thing they should do is bench him now. ------------------ against all odds
I am a proponent of the "if it aint broke, don't fix it" theory. However, Fancis and Mobley starting the backcourt is an intriguing scenario. Who could shut down that pick and roll? Would there be a better backcourt? So, yes, I'd agree with Mobley starting. It's worth a shot to see how effective it would be. 1-Francis 2-Mobley 3-Anderson 4-Taylor 5-Dream
No, when Cat comes off the bench he provides an offensive spark to our squad. I also agree with everyone else when I say with our recent record there is no reason to change starting shooting guards. ------------------ Ceo of the Walt Williams fan club. Web site coming soon atheistalliance.org
No. We need everybody in the game mentally. Benching shandon doesn't add anything to the team. It subtracts. We still need his minutes if he starts or doesn't start. Keeping him happy is a good thing. However, He's not fitting into the system very well. He's got to improve or he will be moved. ------------------ humble, but hungry.
