Yeah, Landry's a freak. His growth has been remarkable. You really can see him getting better almost every night. That being said, he has a great deal left to prove. Surely, with Yao out, we'll see him post up more and, in general, his defender will be able to devote a great deal more attention to him. I think we don't need him to become an all star this season, as that's just a grossly unreasonable expectation. A question, though. If Landry progresses at the fast pace he has established thus far for the remainder of the season, will this be enough to get us into the playoffs and, once there, have some success, i.e. see the second round?
Landry's play will definitely be key to getting us into the playoffs. I don't see him being a difference maker in winning a playoff series though. We're too shorthanded without Yao. Although if we matchup with a poor defensive team like Phoenix, he'd give us a decent shot at advancing.
Every team that wins a championship needs a little luck to fall their way. I'd say in the whole scheme of things. We are due for a little luck.
Yeah, poprocks, I'd say we are due for some as well. Come to think of it, given the injuries between the Texans and Rockets this season, I fully expect a luck fairy to descend from the sky in a chariot driven by Yao, D-Rob, Andre Johnson, etc. Upon landing, the luck fairy will deliver the NBA championship to the Rockets and we'll call it even.
Like everyone else, I'm awestruck. Where did this guy come from? Did anyone even dream of getting this kind of production from this guy in his first year? Fantastic leaping ability. If he is anywhere near the basket, he'll go for the dunk. Hard. All those gimme layups that Chuck used to miss from awesome passes from Tmac are 100% guaranteed LandryDunks. (And I don't want to rag on Chuck too much, I LOVE Chuck.) Awesome rebounder, particularly on the offensive boards. Hustle, heart, never gives up on the ball. I was worried about his defense at first, but he's better than I thought. Who was that guard he was isolated against in the 4th quarter last week? Baron Davis? He had to cover a guard on the perimeter off a switch, and did a great job of staying in front of him! This is everything we dreamed of getting from Swift and more, isn't it? However, IMO Landry can't be discussed as star material until we see some 1 on 1 skills, the ability to make his own shot without help. Either a face-up game or back to the basket post game or both. Explosive dunks and 10ft jumpers are exactly what we need from our PF, but you can't call him a star or potential star until you see him get plays called for him and dominate from there. If/when we see plays called for him from the low or high post, isolated, with a chance to score 1 on 1 or make a play- then we'll see what the kid is made of re: future stardom. But even if he doesn't have that ability, I don't care! Landry provides exactly what we've wanted at the 4 for years. This year we have several hard working, blue collar HUSTLE players! Scola, Landry, Chuck, Battier- these guys will FIGHT for the ball and NEVER give up on a play! I've had an idea on my mind- what about a front line of Scola, Landry, and Hayes at the 3? It would screw up the spacing on offense, likely. But I think Chuck can defend the 3 (see his block of Durant in our last Sonics game) and our offensive rebounding/putbacks would be SICK.
kenny thomas with a better jump shot. if kenny thomas could shoot, he'd still be the rockets powerforward.
Yeah, Nolan, I think you are exactly right. He's developed so fast, and the next phase of his progression as a player would seem to necessarily involve the type of offense you refer to. It has to, now that Yao is gone. Good news is, Landry has given us no reason whatsoever to believe that he is not capable of taking the next step. We know that Landry can dominate the boards in a way that few players can. Also, he finishes as good as anybody in the league. No developmental issues here. These abilities are already in place. Couple that with the type of offense that Nolan describes and the Rockets are SCARY. Every night.
Good comparison. Once Landry establishes his faceup/post moves in the NBA (as Nolen alluded to), then the Brand/Boozer comparisons will follow.
Mandry sounds pretty good. He has other moves you guys haven't seen yet, I have while he was playing at Purdue. As the coach focus on him more with the absence of Yao, he will get better every game. Brand and Boozer comparison might not be that far off by next year. Now Morey just need to work some of his magic to sign the guy to a long term contract.
The Boozer comparison is good because both he and Landry were undersized PF second round draft choices who will (or have) capitalized on their second round contracts due to exceeding expectations. In terms of playing though, Landry is quicker than Boozer, and he looks like he has a smaller frame to me. I like the Swift with a brain comparisons, I think those are on target.
