I might add that I like Tarik's game but anyone can see that he needs at least 1 or 2 years in the Dleague to be that consistent 6-8 and 6 player every night I am not seeing the advantage to give him 8-10 minutes while he can play up to 40 minutes down in Rio Grande Valley. Capela and Black duo would wreck havoc in the Dleague at least for 1-2 years
What would it take to get Biyombo from Charlotte? For them he has not developed quickly enough, although he just had a very good game with the first meaningful minutes this season. Still has upside and can at least hit an okay percentage of FTs, rebounds well and can block shots.
If Dwight is going to go for the shot block (or goaltend) Hw need someone whos going to rebound on the other side.
You guys realize he's an undrafted rookie right? So what are the expectations you guys have for undrafted rookies around the league? Black legitimately earning the spot was more of a testament to how terrible Dorsey was coming in more than anything. The backup 5 spot is an issue that I'm sure Morey will want to address ASAP if he isn't already trying to do so. However, I think we should all commend Black for what he's been able to do so far despite being at such a huge disadvantage of experience, size, and skill level at this point in his career. He's showing promise in the future but its only a matter of time before Morey addresses the need for the stretch run of the season.
He was taken ahead of Jeff Adrien in training camp. So, I can expect him to play at least to that level.
There's a reason he is the back up C and not Adrien, not Dorsey, and that is because he earned it. You can't teach hustle and heart and the man has both. It's his first year playing, and I have seen every game and when he is out there he is playing hard on every play, just like Pat does. Is he the best option at back C in the league? No, but back up C's don't just come around. He is doing what he is asked to do. Dwight plays most of the minutes anyways. In the words of Clyde "I like him".
Like I said in another thread, Black is a try hard guy who made this team on pure hustle and because Dorsey was injured then played like trash once he got in there. Black and Dorsey to me are fringe NBA players at best but both will not cut it if the Rox expect to do anything like contend. Black should be in the D league right now and Dorsey should be back overseas not on a contending team.
I have AT&T so i cant watch all of the games , but what he did against the T-Wolves was exactly what we needed he finished around the rim (5-5) and some of those were difficult shots . I felt like he played well defensively and rebounded well.
That was the only game so far in which he played like that. Simple fact is that the Rockets only have 3 NBA level big men, and one of them is hurt right now. This is obviously a big problem that Morey will have to address in some manner.
Black is a rookie and is only playing because with everyone healthy they are very thin at the PF-C, and with Jones hurt ...
I would take a scrub who dives for loose balls EVERY time than some prima donna FA who is more concerned about his health than winning. Pure will will ALWAYS win over talent. That's why the Spurs win day in and day out with their scrubs. I think the Rockets are trying to build a culture of rewarding good play, just like the Spurs where the system works. We are winning and we look consistent. IF we stay with it, we will be contenders for years to come and NO ONE will want to leave this team.
Consider that he is an undrafted rookie, people. In that light, he has looked decent - even if his numbers are terrible. If you're expecting him to come in and replace Asik that's not very fair to Black. The person we should be directing our disappointment at is Joey Dorsey. If he were competent enough to play backup C (which Morey apparently thought he was) then Black would make a great 3rd string center who would play sparingly when we needed some extra energy or extra rest for Dwight. Unfortunately for Dorsey (and us), Dorsey stinks and Black outplayed him in the games and probably in practice too. So I don't think we should be giving Black grief for outplaying the guy who was supposed to be above him on the depth chart. We need to upgrade our bench all around, though. That's why I'm skeptical that we'll be able to trade for some bigger name to fill our void at PG or PF. It's on Morey to find guys who can contribute and not hurt our long-term cap. I know that's what he's tried to do with guys like Garcia, Daniels and Dorsey, but so far that hasn't worked. (Also, before anyone suggests it: the answer is not Capela. He's at least 3 years away from contributing on a winner, IMO. He could be a Jordan Hill type player, but it took Hill 5 years to get to where he is today - and he wasn't even as raw as Capela was when drafted.)
An excellent take. Unfortunately the Rockets only have three very good trade chips. D-Mo, Papa and the NOP pick. Unfortunately point guards are a dime a dozen in this league as are athletic power forwards who can't defend. So much for getting anything back for Jones. D-Mo will have to be traded. He is going to be worth a fortune on the FA market (SportsVU and Synergy people before you take pot shots at that). The NOP pick? It all depends on the Pelicans record. Papa? Why trade away the future?
