Posey is gone & Nachbar doesn't merit the job yet. Piat is really a backup SG. The EG as SF experiment failed. Barring any moves now, our starting SF is Rice. Can he handle 25+ min's a game, w/ Nachabr & the occasional small ball lineup filling out the rest? In Rudy's system the SF was an afterthought. What about in JVG's?
I really think JVG is trying to trade for a better sf but if he doesn't, I see Rice getting the same amount of minutes he had last year.
OK, so then we have a gaping f-ing hole at SF. If Rice can't play starter's minutes, Boki sure as hell isn't ready to step in & fill it up.
Rockets can trade Rice/Cato for 2 or 3 players. This makes sence to me since are back up players are less. We dont have a great bench, so i would trade Rice/Cato future 1nd rounders for Lindsey Hunter Morris Peterson, Jerome Williams. and Mamadou N'diaye These players could help solidfy are bench, Morris Peterson would be an excellant Sf as he avg 14+ per 2 previous seasons. I would even sign another player to vets min. (Bryon Russel) Ming/Willams/Mamadou N'diaye Griffin/Taylor/Willams Peterson/Russel/Boki Mobley/Pike/Hawkins Francis/Hunter/
Rice has not been healthy an entire season since he has been here and he is not any younger. I think the Rockets will use the first half of the season to determine if Boki can handle the 3 spot so they will know if they should use Rices expiring contract to go after a small forward or a power forward.
If Rice is healthy and can play, I like the game he brings when he's on the floor. Yeah, his defense isn't all that great, but he makes smart plays when they count. Our offense just seems to flow better when he's out there making buckets.
Let's just stick Boki in there. We don't need him to score with SF, Cat, and Yao being the main options; just play competent D and hustle. Maybe it'll give him the confidence he needs to get his legendary shot back.
Pike might not be ready to be a starter, but he's at least as ready as Rice is. Rice isn't consistent enough to be our main outside shooting threat. I'm just going to wait and see what this team looks like and what kind of system we run.
Last year, Rice was active for 62 games. He started 26, and 29 times he played 25 or more minutes. 4 times he played 40+ minutes, 10 times he played 30-39 minutes, and 15 times he played 25-29 minutes. I don't know if this is the telling stat, but from March 16- April 16, he only played more than 25 minutes 3 times, and only once after April 1. I think Rice can play starter (25-30) minutes the first half of the season with Boki and Piatkowski splitting the rest of the minutes, but after the all-star break? Boki needs to be ready for the stretch drive. j
Rice can play 25 minutes per game. I think that Boki can handle the rest or we do SF by committee. But I am ready to see Boki play. I was a little dissappointed in his performance in the SPL but think he is better than that. I would really like to see what he can do with Steve and Yao on the floor with him. He is really the last option with those guys. Remember it is SF's job to make players around him better and I think he can make Boki better. I will wait to see how Boki reacts and plays with high quality NBA players around him. I think he will be much better than in the SPL.
Glen Rice indicated last season that he has only very limited playing time left. Not only that but we should expect that he wont be available for 50% of the Games due to injury. Considering this Gleen Rice cant be considered in the plans of our starting five.
Truthfully, I didn't think Rice was a good option for a starter last season. A team with him as the starting 3 is definitely on the bubble as far as the playoffs go. The only thing about dismissing him all together is that when his strok was on, the Rockets played the best ball of the season. A shooter like Rice was great at spacing the floor and making teams pay for double teaming. I'm happy that we have a new shooter, and hopefully he will be a weapon that improves the team.
That's really not a fair statement. Rice only missed 17 games last year, and there were a couple, I think, that were CD's. Rice has been extremely durable throughout his carreer. 01/02 was an isolated incedent. And I'm sure the comment about limited playing time left was an indication that the years are winding down, not the minutes per game. j
Rice won't last half the season playing 25 minutes per game...but the Rockets lousy financial situation doesn't leave any other options. They should have never acquired Rice.
