Building the Perfect Power Forward Next to Yao Ming

Well I personally think we need someone with height AND quickness and speed who can rebound well. Of course the first names that come to mind are Stoudemire and Bosh, but just wait a minute... Don't forget one guy we have right now, Jordan Hill! This kid is awesome so far in the minutes he has played. He definately has parts of his game he has to work on, but he has an extreme upside. Give him some intense training and workouts over the summer and he could be possibly be competing for a starting spot.. Or in worse case scenario a solid back up.

Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to have Bosh or Stoudemire but lets be realistic. We are only gonna get one of them by giving up something good, which is a part of our core. So if worse comes to worst... Don't forget about Hill!

 

Rebounding, speed, and shooting range.

Now that I think about it, that's pretty much Chris Bosh.

 

I picked the same 4.

Position versatility is almost a prerequisite given Yao's injury history and our general lack of depth in the front court.

Shooting range has always been something the organization has claimed to look for in a PF to put next to Yao, as it would truly open the lane for the big guy to go to work. It also would make fronting a less efficient defensive strategy, as there would be no big inside to deter slashers or lob passes.

Rebounding and shot blocking are attributes you want in any PF. Also, with the way our lineup is currently imbalanced in favor of the offensive end, I think you have to look for a guy who can singularly impact the team's defense.

 

Bosh doesn't excite me too much. His defense is poor (but I guess he could possibly be taught). He doesn't protect the paint and he only gets one weakside block a game! A guy with that kind of talent should be doing more defensively.

Offensively he shoots mostly jumpers or drives, not really a prototypical big man. Not a great passer from what I've seen. I really don't think you can run an offense through him.

On the plus side he has range, gets to the line (and makes), is a decent rebounder (could be better).

He's soft and rail thin. Yao, Kmart, Bosh all have injury histories. If they're all healthy and play together we can be a really talented offensive team.

I guess if we don't give up too much to get him, I'm fine with it.

 

we need some shot blocking presence and someone that can also backup yao, since that is still a big question mark as far as his durability. its sad when i look at the box score and battier has the most blocked shots.

 

I think lbj can play pf so he is the perfect pf.

 

I think they are going to go after Bosh thinking he is the right 4. If he does agree to come to Houston, then obviously it is bye bye Scola.

So what does Bosh bring? High basketball IQ, he is a tall PF, he has athleticism to help with weakside D, and he has a good offensive game where he can hit the midrange shot or post up.

I think if they don't get Bosh, they would be inclined to stick with Scola. Especially if they see the necessary improvement they want in Hill. Scola would start until they feel Hill is ready to take over. Luis probably won't break the bank as he is closing in on 30 and Hill is still under his rookie contract for 3 more seasons. That approach of course is depending on what they think of Hill.

 

didn't we go through this exercise with our last franchise center, only to find what we were looking for in the most unlikely of places?

Spoiler

if i had to rank attributes i'd put some combination of positional versatility, speed, and defense near the top. he'd need to be able to move over to center to spell Yao, either during a game, or when Yao is (inevitably) sidelined for a while. speed would give us an option of a change in styles with the young run guns in the back court. and we need someone who can play shut down defense against the boozers of the world.

a younger, camby-type would be ideal. i'm not ready to annoint him just yet, but at the risk of sounding like JJ during the Bledsoe era, speaking of the team's search for a franchise QB: he may already be here.

Spoiler

 

a younger KG would be a perfect fit. For current players I would say Bosh.

 

An athletic freak would be perfect. Somebody who can block shots and throw down MONSTER dunks.

 

I picked Position Versatility, who can play both C and PF, But I don't like Amare, I think Bosh can play both position, he got the height and athleticism but I think he can play both positions too.

 

Eddie Griffin with Scola's b-ball IQ... Is what I thought of when I first saw the question.

 

He got bright future, but he is far away from what he can be.

 

mmmm, R U SERIOUS ?

 

If we want to go after a Rasheed Wallace type player, why not draft him?

Epke Udoh is the guy we need then and DraftExpress has him compared to Wallace but without the attitude.

 

If we fail to land Bosh, whats the problem with trying to go after Amare or Al Jefferson?

Amare didn't want to come to Houston because as we all found out, he hated T-Mac, and didn't want to play with him. Amare felt T-Mac ignored him and didn't respect him. Now that T-Mac is gone, I can see Amare coming here.

Also, Al Jefferson would be a perfect compliment to Yao. Al would dominate the low post while Yao would go up to the high post, and with his deadly jumper, would excel and keep his lower body stress free.

 

The Ideal PF next to Yao has:
Tier 1
Speed/Athleticism, Terrific Shooting Range, Rebounding

Tier 2
Height/Size, Shotblocking

Tier 3
PF/C Versatility, Post Scoring/Defense, Passing



This is Because Yao himself is probably
Best at:
Height/Size, Post Scoring/Defense, Shotblocking

Okay at:
Rebounding, Shooting Range, Passing

Poor at:
Speed/Athleticism


In other words, Chris Bosh. The only thing that Chris won't be able to do is make up for no Yao, which no player available can really do anyway.

 

Our perfect PF is being built is we speak. :grin: