TMac#1, LOL, any starting lineup with Stro in it automatically has at least one hole. I will be very down on the Rockets if he isn't traded. The guy is a worthless bust. mogrod, point taken. The fact Luther's shot is from the side makes me uncomfortable because I can't think of another good, consistent shooter who does that. If Luther doesn't become a deadeye outside shooter his potential to help up is very limited.
Whatever your thoughts about brewer, one thing is for sure... he can really fill up a stat sheet. that, more than anything else, shows me that he will be a good pro. if you can only do one thing well in the nba, you are a one dementional role player worthy of only 12 minutes a game. if you can fill up a stat sheet, i don't care if you're shooting form looks like kirilenko's face. we need penetraters who can take advantage of the new rules. if he can handle the ball like a PG, slash to the basket, and finish with his strength and athleticism then we can use him. if he can use his passing ability to kick it back out for a 3 point shot from tmac, head, etc.. great. right now i rank him ahead of carney.
No, what I'm saying is that I would like to see how Carney responds in a 3-man game with Yao and TMac. 2 on 2 matchups are almost all about 1 on 1, so I don't see why they would be that important. Like I said, I'd be happy with both of these guys, but don't let one bad workout sway you, and so far, one workout is the only thing we've heard about. And to be fair, there have been a TON of players who had amazing workouts and have just been terrible in real games, us Rocket fans should know this.
What about John Stockton. Or Michael Redd, and Derek Fisher. And don't forget Mario Elie. His percentages might not be that stellar, but the guy who put in the clutchest crunch time 3 in Rocket history has to be worth something. All of these guys to one degree or another, shoot from the side of their head.
I remember a guy back in the 80's that had a funny looking sling-it-from-the-shoulder type of shot. He managed to hang around the league for a while, if I'm not mistaken. I think his name was Larry...Larry something...
lol ... Jamaal Wilkes of the Lakers ... this guy had a very strange shot too ... 18pts/game in 12 seasons ..
Just wanted to point this out for anyone who might have missed it on the first page of this thread. It's only got a few Brewer highlights, but it gives you an idea of what he could bring. He's #10 in white and I believe he's the only one with a headband. If it's too blurry for you, just keep an eye out for someone that moves/plays almost identically to Josh Howard.
I agree with this exactly. I personally think that in reality, bargnani and roy will be picked before we can. But I love Brewer's size, defensive ability, and his versatility being able to play 1,2, and 3. Plus scouting reports say he could be a lockdown defender in the league. I believe also he will work hard and improve his all-ready decent shooting skills. I think he should be our lock for the eighth pick!!!
In terms of all the guards/swing forwards I'd rank my favorites as: 1. Gay 2. Roy 3. Brewer (barely) 4. Carney 5. Ager 6. Redick Shawne Williams might sneak into there, but I've only heard a little about him. In my mind the best case scenario is if Tyrus Thomas lands at our pick and the Hornets are interested in him (It would seemingly make sense, since they could use another young big, and there's the Louisiana connection which would presumably help them if they go back to NOLA.) I would target the Hornets 12 and 15. If Brewer, Ager, and Redick are all avaliable at 12 then we should be golden (I'm assuming Carney goes at 11 to the Magic). We'll take Brewer at 12, Philly looks like they might go with a PG/combo guard, and Utah will probably take either Ager or Redick. So we'd be left with the other one at 15. I'd be exceedingly happy if we landed Brewer and Ager/Redick with a number 8 pick.
If we could nab the 12 and 15 picks it would be a dream come true, but I'm not so sure the 8 is worth that much. We would have so many options... The following players might still be around at 12 and/or 15: Ronnie Brewer Rodney Carney J.J. Redick Rajon Rondo Cedric Simmons Maurice Ager Mardy Collins Randy Foye Hilton Armstrong Quincy Douby Guillermo Diaz Imagine picking any TWO players from that list, and then getting another pick at 32. I think I'm going to stop daydreaming or else I'll just be disappointed when this doesn't happen on draft day
After watching the impact of Bruce Bowen for years and Raja "the Irritant" Bell this year, I lean toward Brewer, particularly given the questions re Carney. Having that type of defensive stopper/length to pair with Tmac would be outstanding. There does not appear to be much doubt about Brewer's defensive attitude or tools.
Like I've said before, I'm not high on Sheldon at all. The way the league is moving to speed and skills in the frontcourt as well as backcourt, I'd rather stock up on as many swingmen as we can. In my mind four guards/small forwards around Yao is the road to success in the new league. The trick is getting an "Horry" who has the length and athleticism to guard PFs in this league, while still retaining "small man" type skills on the other side of the ball. Maybe Carney or Brewer could fit the bill.
Well all I have to think about Sheldon Williams is him matched up against Garnett, Duncan, Sheed, Brand, Dirk, Gasol, and several other 4's. If we are going to replace Howard and Swift let's at least get an athletic stud who can compete against NBA 4's. We don't need a 6-8 little bit heavy banger who could create space in college.
There is not a better matchup for Duncan, Sheed, Brand, and Gasol than a 6'9" stud with 7'4" wingspan. If you know someone better, name them. Shelden may indeed NOT be a good matchup for the more perimeter oriented players such as Garnett, Dirk. Pray tell me, who is? But if you are talking about defense in the post, the only player that is available that would be better is Big Ben and he is too expensive, too old, and too one dimensional. The key to the Rockets offseason is going to be their ability to move Juwan/Swift for a quality perimeter SG, either directly or indirectly. If they move one of those two, then they should trade down in the draft and pick up Shelden as well as another perimeter player. For instance a deal with NO for their two picks. Take Shelden with the higher pick and then take whatever is left between Brewer, Ager, and Redick with the later pick. Shelden is the most NBA ready young player that we could draft that would be able to step in and contribute immediately for this team. We've got a coach who is extremely high on veterans that know their job and extremely low on inexperienced players. Shelden is a four year college boy who has proven he will get the job done. And he plays a position that is arguably the worst or second worst matchup for us every night. He would automatically be an upgrade over Juwan and Stro defensively and if we could combine him with a shooter like Pittsnoggle in the 2nd round, you have a much better defensive/offensive cover of the PF position than we currently have. This woiuld help our interior D, and be another deterrent to perimeter players slashing to the hoop on Yao. Now, we would have 2 intimidators/shot blockers back there. Not to mention, he is going to clean the glass. The only thing Shelden DOES NOT have is shooting range. Put him and Pittsnoggle at PF for us and our PF problem is solved. Then we've got Stro and Juwan as parts to trade for experienced perimeter help. Antonio Daniels, Jamal Crawford, Maggette...etc. Depending on who we picked up at 15, we could trade for our starting SG. Then bring in James with the MLE. The first place to start with this team is trying to move Juwan. We need to find out what we can get for him. This will in turn effect all of our other moves. If we can't move him, then we should try to see what we can do with a combination of moves including Swift and trading the draft pick down for multiple picks/players. We have to get a definitive 3rd scoring option and we really need to remove Juwan from the rotation so that we don't have a huge hole defensively next to Yao.
When I saw him play he looked like more of a low post defender and he didn't look quick, I thought he measured out at 6-8. Anyways is he another Othello Harrington or the next Elton Brand? If we don't draft a Josh Howard clone I will be disappointed, if there is one out there, I know Tracy does not want to ever move back to the 2 because he said it took a toll on him on the defensive end.
I doubt that applies anymore. He said that a year and a half ago, before his nightmare injury season. There's the distinct possiblity that having him "bulk up" in the offseason in order to better play the SF position contributed to his back troubles. Things have surely changed since then. And even if we draft a SF we can just rotate him and Tracy on difficult opposing SG's.
