Why shouldn't the Rockets try to move Boki to back-up SG. There was no one behind Cat the last 2 seasons and I think Boki could be turned into a Brent Barry type player. He is athletic enough, a good shooter, don't know about his defense since he hasn't played, but he is certainly big enough to stick with some of the bigger 2's around the league.
What if he played 2 on offense and guarded the 3 on defense? Then who would guard the other guys 2? Aw, forget it.
ok. but they also uncovered that boki was one of the most nba ready players in the draft....that he'd make an immediate impact. the only immediate impact boki made was the dent he left on the bench.
Exacly. So if the scouting reports said Boki was NBA ready and he wasn't, wouldn't it be safe to say that they overated his skills, including his defense (i.e. they said his quickness was average and his D needed work; its entirely possible that his D and quickness are even worse than 1st though). Either way, I trust the judgement of the Rockets coaching staff, who unlike any of us, saw him in practice and concluded that he would not contribute at the 3, much less the 2.
Boki is close to 6-10 in shoes. He's way too big and slow to play the 2-guard spot. As is, he was compared to Vladimir Radmanovic when the Rockets drafted him. Radmanovic is a SF/PF 'tweener.
codell, i hear ya. but i don't believe a word the rockets have said about boki. as soon as rudy told that bullsh.t line of "he's our draft pick for next year", my confidence and faith in the rockets/boki situation went out the window. as for the scouts, it's possible they were right, isn't it? maybe he is/was nba ready, and we just did not play him. remember the Doc Rocket comments about boki not playing for a reason he did not agree with? Oeilpere confirmed that, as well, i believe. the way i see it, we've been screwing the pooch with boki.
We will see in the Summer Leagues what is up with our young talent... It is only a few weeks away, with only a couple of games being televised this year. So only box scores, and first hand accounts from people in the LA / Long Beach area to get the scoop from. http://www.summerproleague.com/teams_participating.htm Teams Participating in the SPL Lakers Clippers Grizzlies Raptors Hornets Rockets Nuggets Sonics Warriors Mavericks
i was always under the impression that predraft scouting showed boki as an "athletic" peja stoyakovich (sp). this was what i heard over and over again, that he could shoot, and was rare as a european player in that he was athletic and liked to play above the rim...at least that is what rudy stated over and over when asked about him.
That's the impression that I got from Rudy and from the highlights from Europe. He seemed quick enough to me to stay with many 2's but could also switch off with Posey and take the slower 3's.
Me too. I also heard them comparing Boki to a young "Thunder" Dan, not the 3 point shooter of late, but the slasher he was when he first came into the leauge. Summer leagues should be very interesting.
yeah, last year he missed out with a groin injury, right? hopefully he'll get off on the right foot this season...
Ok...this is a s good a place as any...I have a serious question, and beg/plead anyone with any answer to this to respond: What the hell happened with Boki last year? I mean seriously? I have always had a problem with Rudy's handling of rookies when given a choice, but that was extreme. Was he just terrible in practice? Did he exhibit a God-awful work ethic or attitude? What!?!? I have never seen nor heard any sensible explanation for the amazingly limited number of minutes he received, and considering that this very site's pre-eminent power is Boki's biggest fan, I don't get it. Someone...please...Yeah, I know he had injuries...but even when healthy enought o play, he got scrub minutes at best. What gives?
the rockets official "answer" to this question i believe was that because they did not have a first rounder this year, they would sit him and wait until this year to develop and move him into the rotation, so there would not be a stoppage in talent progression....this is what rudy and carrol stated repeatedly...but i think there is definately more to the story than that...
One would hope....Good God, if they've actually tried to rationalize stemming someone's development for the sake of esthetic continuity, I'm depressed.
Rockets 2002 Draft Grades http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_Draft_Grades-48439-34.html The Rockets drew plenty of national praise with their selections of Yao Ming, Bostjan Nachbar and Tito Maddox in the 2002 NBA Draft. Rockets.com took a peek at what a few of the experts had to say following the draft. NBA.COM - Marty Blake "Houston has Maurice Taylor, they have Moochie Norris, they have some very good guards in Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis -- now they get the one piece of the puzzle, a center. You get a great center maybe once in your lifetime and a regular center every two and a half years. They got Yao. They're the one team in this draft that can maybe go from 21 wins to 51. They really helped themselves, I thought. They got Yao Ming and Bostjan Nachbar. Nachbar can play a couple of positions. Tito Maddox will be fine if they can keep him straight." ESPN - Chad Ford They went international and it will pay off huge. Yao is a great fit for Houston and Houston is a great fit for Yao. The Rockets will challenge for a playoff spot with Yao, a healthy Steve Francis, Glen Rice, Bostjan Nachbar and Mo Taylor. Nachbar, who is 22, will step in immediately and provide sharp shooting. Tito Maddox, at No. 39, was also a steal. He was the best pure point guard in Chicago. Grade: A SPORTSLINE - Mike Kahn With the first pick overall and No. 15, the Rockets went international with 7-5 Yao Ming and 6-9 Bostjan Nachbar, filling in the needs for dynamic players at positions of weakness. Yao's size and skills are bound to pay dividends, and Nachbar is expected to make just as big an impact. And even in the second round, they got point guard Tito Maddox, who will provide quality depth. Grade: A WHAT THEY'RE SAYING “(Houston is) one team in this draft that can maybe go from 21 wins to 51. They really helped themselves, I thought.” -MARTY BLAKE, NBA.com NBA DRAFT.NET The team went with a huge project with Yao Ming but his talent level is so high, and the economic value that he brings to a team so great, that he was a done deal for the Rockets as soon as they won the lottery. The Chinese Government was the only snag and when they cooperated it solidified the selection. The team landed a gem with their second pick Bostjan Nachbar. This kid is much better than Seattle's Radmonovic. In a few years he will be closer to a Peja type player. Not the shooter, but a better team player with defense and more athleticism. Watch out for this team! Tito Maddox, ho hum... Grade: A CNN/SI - Marty Burns Filled their biggest needs at center and small forward with two outstanding prospects. Yao Ming is a potential franchise player, while 6'9" Bostjan Nachbar is a versatile scorer who could blossom into a star. Grade: A SPORTING NEWS - Michael Murphy The team had two objectives on draft day, one of which was extremely obvious -- take Yao Ming with the No. 1 pick. Once the political hurdles were cleared -- and there were many -- the team was happy to select the 7-6 1/4 Chinese center. Yao is an unbelievably skilled player, able to hit jumpers at the 3-point arc, dribble, pass and rebound. Oh, yeah, the guy can block a few shots, too. Yao's impact on the team should be tremendous. Bill Walton says Yao has one of the best outlet passes he has seen in the past few years -- not too hard to believe because very few players these days even know what an outlet pass looks like. Bostjan Nachbar poses with his new Rockets jersey. Andrew Ware/Rockets photo Rebounding and outlet passing should be enough to fuel the Rockets' fast break. That break should be even more effective because the Rockets were able to address their other draft-day need -- at small forward. Nobody was happier than the Rockets when David Stern announced the Pacers had taken Freddie Jones with the 14th pick, a move that allowed the Rockets to take Bostjan Nachbar at No. 15. Think of him as the Slovenian Kiki Vandeweghe. In the second round, the Rockets took Tito Maddox, a 6-4 guard out of Fresno State. Can't see him sticking among the team's deep guard corps. Nachbar, a 6-8 forward with deep range, can run the floor and finish the break with a dunk. He put on a show during his workout with the Rockets, drilling 3-pointer after 3-pointer and finishing his stint with a slam over the defender. Nachbar isn't exactly Clyde Frazier on defense, but with Yao and 6-10 leaper Eddie Griffin up front, Nachbar won't have to be. The question now is this: Do the Rockets try to fit Yao into what they've been doing, or do they scrap what they've been doing (the isolation offense) and alter the offense to take advantage of Yao (and to a lesser extent, Nachbar)? The answer to that will be huge. And it will have much to do with how well Yao and Nachbar fare this year. FOX SPORTS - Mike Monroe Yao Ming. After all the anxiety about Yao's availability, the Rockets got their man. Now all they have to do is worry about how he's going to hold up over the grind of an 82-game NBA season. First order of business: Showing him the weight room, then the cafeteria. Don't forget: Last time the Rockets used the very first pick of the draft on a foreign-born player, he led them to two NBA titles. Yao's never going to be as good as Hakeem Olajuwon, but when you're 7-foot-5, with skills like Yao has, you've got a chance to dominate. Bostjan Nachbar. Perhaps Benetton Treviso ought to get an expansion franchise next season. Nachbar was the second Treviso player taken in the first 15 of this draft. Ironically, he played a lot more than his Treviso teammate, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who went fifth. Also of note: When Tskitishvili was asked to name the best player he'd played with or against in Italy, he said Tyus Edney was the best payer he had played with and Emanuel Ginobili, a 1999 pick of the Spurs, was the best he'd played against. Where does that leave Nachbar? WHAT THEY'RE SAYING “Yao Ming is a potential franchise player, while 6-9 Bostjan Nachbar is a versatile scorer who could blossom into a star.” -MARTY BURNS, CNN/SI MSNBC Ming is athletic, has size and shooting touch, but is still a project. He excelled in the Chinese League, but needs to show it on the NBA level of competition. Nachbar - A combo forward who can play guard. He is a great marksman and has a well-rounded game on offense. A hard worker, and team player. USA TODAY - Roscoe Nance Yao Ming. The Rockets finally got the I's dotted and T's crossed in their long-running negotiations with the Chinese government, the Chinese Basketball Association and the Shanghai Sharks and a cast of thousands as they pursued Yao. Don't look for much out of him right away. Bostjan Nachbar. A face-the-basket scorer who rounds out their offense. INSIDE HOOPS - Louis Rock They have a new center in Yao Ming, a new small forward in Bostjan Nachbar, and a new backup point guard in Tito Maddox (a second round steal). Great night for the Rockets.
