I thought this is a correct move because MO has longer shooting range than Howard and works better with Yao at low post to beat double team. On the other side, Howard has better post game than MO and provide better offensive when Yao is off court.
I like it.. MoT is a younger better offensive player than JHoward. What he lacks in rebounding and defense (which I think is debatable) he makes up for with this shooting. MoT is hands down one of the better (best) midrange shooters in our lineup. You give him the midrange jumpshot he will knock it down. I think this move gives Tmac and Yao more room to operate. (kind of like using Padgett @ PF instead of the clones) I do hope MoT works on rebounding at a better clip I feel his man to man defense is as good as Howards. J
I'm guessing that JVG feels that Mo won't get many minutes if Juwan starts and he knows the system better. I would have liked Howard to start but he can be the main player off the bench which is quite weak IMO.
I think it sort of explains why JVG wanted Mo to practice 3 pointers. Why would Mo be shooting long-range jumpers if he is the playmaker off the bench?
Does it really make a big difference which one starts? I think they will split the minutes pretty evenly...something like Mo 20, Howard 24, Weatherspoon 4.
I don't think Howard has a better post game than Mo. Mo can be unstoppable down low, and scored many big buckets for us down the stretch from the post. Howard's post game is decent, but i think the main reason for the change is Mo's range.
Me too. I guess MoT made it into the 7 man rotation if you connect all the dots Tyler. I think this either means a) they are showcasing MoT(don't think this is the case, but it would be a shrewd move if true) or b) MoT has shown JVG more than Juwan in practice/preseason/offseason.
Mo fed the ball to Yao pretty well last year. With ball moving from one side through Mo, Mo could then either shoot it or entry pass to Yao in the middle. This worked very well last season. One way or another, Mo and Howard are going to split the minutes, so it really doesnt matter who starts in my opinion.
I am very surprised at this move. The reason why I would've had MoT off the bench was cause he was the better scorer than Howard, and now that we have MoT, TMac and Yao in the starting 5, isn't that a bit too much offensive power? Howard would've been better cause he's the better rebounder. Oh well, can't wait to see the game tomorrow!!!
I think this is a good move. No matter what everyone thinks about Howard, MoT is money in the post and has a great offensive game. We should get a good offensive lift with this move.
Yao / TMac / MoT starting together sounds like a pretty potent offense .. TMac and MoT will keep teams honest and make them pay for doubling down on Yao. Isnt this what we wanted last year when Cato couldnt hit a jumpshot to save his life. I think we are going to be suprised by how well MoT and JHoward play this year. We have 2 very servicable PF's and if both stay healthy we are looking at a nice rotation of big men. MoT has all the offensive tools and the only knock on him was his defense and rebounding.. MoT has been working hard this off season (according to reports I've read here) and I wonder if he has shown JVG he is the better player. Either MoT outplayed JHoward and won the starting role or JHoward is not the player we thought. J
I trust JVG's basketball knowledge; he may not be warm and cuddly, but he lives and breaths the game. Go for it. No big deal. If it doesn't work out, Howard comes in.
Maybe it might work out to JVG's advantage. Bringing Howard off the bench might be a good boost to this team. But I'm afraid of MoT's defense....sad he doesn't have any.
Interesting decision. MoT's offense was not sufficiently better than Cato's (can you say infinitely?) last year to offset his lesser defense and rebounding to be a starter. Could it possibly be because MoT's offense is streakier than Howard's? He had many games when his offense was off, as well as those games where he was on fire. Playing with Yao and TMac would lessen the effect of him having an off night, rather than when he comes in with the team really needing some offense out of him. I haven't seen Howard play much, but is his offense more consistent? If Howard is playing against second line PF's, will he dominate? When MoT was off, he was off, regardless of who was guarding him.
