Something i noticed with this Rockets team compared to Adelman's Kings and Blazers of the past. Yao Ming is being used like Arvydas Sabonis. Carl Landry is being used like the young Buck Williams. Shane Battier is being used like 3 different players in this system. Doug Christie, Jerome Kersey, Clifford Robinson. Tracy McGrady is being used like the next Clyde Drexler. Bobby Jackson is just Bobby Jackson off the bench. Rafer Alston as Mike Bibby but not close enough. Aaron Brooks as the new Terry Porter trying to develope as Bobby Jackson off the bench. Steve Novak is the next Pedja Stojakovic. Deke Mutombo as Kevin Duckworth. I was comparing statistics with these past players mixed in with the same system and current roster and the numbers are almost identical. So much for Vlade Yao Ming heh? Avydas Sabonis put up the same exact numbers as Yao Ming this season except he did it in the playoffs. Its funny how those past teams with those players have similar roles as to what we have today in Houston with these players. Adelman has never had Drexler or Sabonis on the same team though.
Keeping in mind the Rockets need to dump salary next season and LT will be around $70.58M. Battier+Alston+Hayes+Head for Darius Miles, James Jones, draft rights to Fernandez, draft rights to Freeland = c. -$1.330928 (if both Fernandez and Freeland are signed) Brooks, Jackson, Francis McGrady, Fernandez, Newley Jones, Harris, Miles Scola, Landry, Novak Yao, Woods, Freeland = c. $70.06M + Landry's salary Deke would cost less than Woods by 200-300k. Rockets can salary dump Jackson for a package of players totalling around $1.22M less in return. Miles has two more seasons to go. If Landry can sign for $1.5M equivalent to a second year 2007 mid lottery pick Rockets should get under LT.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cJU9owEMMz0&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cJU9owEMMz0&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> Here is the answer lolz !!
We probably will not make a move until the trading deadline next year. Morey said that was the main reason he traded James is because it gave them a chance to package several expiring contracts and more for a real quality player that is being shipped out for salary reasons.
That's what morey said, but we will see. If that is the case, why wait till the trading deadline? Why not do it early offseason to give the team a chance to adapt?
guys steve is done...im positive he won't be effective or useful at all, probably just sit his entire time on the bench
James Jones is underrated probably can be described as a athletic version of Battier but not really. Battier has the reputation. A lateral move at worst. Rudy Fernandez is the centre piece of the deal. If he's all that he's hyped up to be he'll be that elusive 3rd piece in the Rockets big 3. Maybe even be the starting SG with T-Mac at the Point? On paper Portland are getting two starters and a two primary backups from a 22 streak 50+ win season WC team. They get to dump Miles in the process. Rockets on the other hand get more athletic with better shooters and cut some salary.
If his surgery is succesful, and he regains 75% of his explosiveness, he can still be a 15-5-5 guy......
Tendonitis in the knee — Jumper's knee, the most common form of knee tendonitis, involves either the patellar tendon at the lower edge of the kneecap or the quadriceps tendon at the upper edge of the kneecap. It is a common overuse injury, especially in basketball players and distance runners. He dont need atleticismn to be succesful in this system but could regain his explosiveness penetrating. I mean he can still dribble and penetrate and shoot and lay it up with no problems and the key of all "pass" and move around just like Bibby. He can start to strengthen his tendon to get it ready after rehab, but he will basically have to play his way back or close to 100% just like last season but will have to gradually do it with slowly increasing minutes each game. Look at Adelman's King's they were not to athletic to begain with. Look at his last game in Phoenix when he was the key reason why we won there (see below). I believe some nights he can be a 15/5/5 guy but only with the right kind of minutes and only "if" his knee lets him average those minutes. Keep in mind that this injury this season is different than the injury he had with the Knicks. If its surgically repaired correctly then he could pick up where he left off last season but it might not be as strong untill he strengthens it. At 75% he would need to play atleast 35 minutes to average that and he wont get those minutes next season. Not every night will he see those kind of numbers and it will be more like once every 6-10 games will he be able to put that up depending on minutes. His new role with the Rockets will be the ultimate bench warmer and would have to work his way up to the ultimate 6th man. He will never be 100% but i have faith he will be close to that than he ever was the last 3 seasons. He has got 3-4 months rehab then he can start strengthening his knee back as he starts running and get ready for training camp in August. I hope he certainly does better than that though please prove me wrong. What i dont understand is why did it take so long to have the surgery? Why not get it over with as fast as possible instead of having his rehab end right at the same exact time as training camp next season atleast he would have a good 2 months ahead of schedule and have his quadriceps primed for training camp? <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jAZYfB7AkAE&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jAZYfB7AkAE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
Dog! How can anyone watch that footage and not love Francis? Knucklehead, I don't care, bad shooter, big deal. Dude has a ton of what we need. H-E-A-R-T This guy always played so hard. I really want to see him come back and succeed on a championship team. He may have lost some athleticism now, since he has had this latest injury, but you couldn't really tell it too much when he dunked that ball back down off the rebound during preseason. However, I can't see him losing his quick first step which is where he has the advantage on a lot of NBA points. And he's still gonna have that NBA body that always allowed him to take a ton of contact and finish. Watching that footage just made salivate for a super aggressive, relentless penetrating point guard leader, who won't take no smack off nobody and is not all mouth but will back up the mouth with his actions on the court.
I hope for the best and Steve was always one of my favorate players. I thought Grant Hill went through the same kind of freakish injury just like Francis and Grant in Orlando came back the next season or 2 with Francis in the run n gun system and put up 19.1 ppg and i thought his career was over too but i will have to research Grant Hill's past injury to make sure on that.
Francis is DONE! I watched him after he left houston and he had a decent yr with orlando, but once he lost his explosion, it was over. He was never a smart player and now to take his one assett and ask him to be effective is asking too much. Stop wasting ur time with 99 Francis and let it go. Now on to serious business. On the discount type, Carlos Arroyo would be a good backup to Brooks who should be the starter next season. The guy mentioned miles and fernandez. What gives u any idea that fernandez will come over and be effective? Why would any team want miles who makes 9m per and hasn't played in 2yrs. Once again, his atheleticism gone, now his little game he had is ghost also. I also look at dicount guys like Mo Evans, a upside guy like Childress. What ever happens, jackson,head,hayes, alston,francis shouldn't be on this roster next yr.
i did mention hype. the rockets and blazers scouts have been doing well recently. so there's a bit of faith in that. obviously miles is a price that makes trades happen.
I would hang on to Francis to atleast the deadline to see what happens. But just for the record Francis is not done by any means. He had 2 good years in Orlando and his 2nd season his worst year in Orlando was better than his last season here in Houston. Keep in mind with everything i have said and keep in mind nobody ran Adelman's offense to well either mixed in with no guard like 6 of them not knowing their roles or getting enough steady playing time to adapt on the fly how is that possible to learn with mixed rotations?
yep we could of got Branden Roy but the Blazers wanted the Rockets to take on Darius Miles' contract. IIRC.
Something i noticed about Francis is he did have a good November when he did get minutes but what i noticed the most is he does get to the line quite a bit more than all the other guards even with limited playing time still just like he did in his career when he averaged 6 attempts to the line per game. This could be do to the fact it will drop more if he isnt in controll of the rock more instead of sharing duties with Marbury and T-Mac and other point guards who dominate the ball more so. Something else i noticed again is he is not taking enough shot attempts is another reason why statistically he looks like he is on the huge decline. I think someone should tell him this preseason to start looking for his shot more and find ways to get open to recieve a pass to get your shot off. If he was supposed to be that 3rd scorer and possible starter then he should be taking atleast 14-17 shot attempts a game just like Alston does when Yao is out but even if Yao is still playing all 3 guys T-Mac/Yao/Francis should be doing the same because Scola will get his and same with Battier and it will ballance the attack atleast on paper and should on the court as well. I believe if he was to be the main distributer when he is on the floor his assist would go up and would regain his status as a simi playmaker/penetrator getting to the line more and getting others involved instead of sharing duties with Marbury and point guards who take controll of the rock more on the court together and with T-Mac as well. The truth is he isnt really even a 2 guard he is more suited as the main distributer with the rock. The numbers dont lie they would add up correctly if he has more shots or in more controll of running the offense.
Francis has great court vision as seen in that Phoenix fast break, maybe not as good as T-Macs but even being hobbled (which I think he will bounce back from..) his passing abilities and penetration are invaluable. He's only about 10x better at finishing around the rack then Alston.
