In this case, yes. I would take team play, hustle, defense and a nice shooting touch over a shot happy Cuttino. Scoring is just one facet of the game.
To further fuel any Shawn Bradley-Yao Ming comparisons... When Bradley was an 18 year old freshman, his only college season, he averaged 15 and 8 for BYU in the then very competitive WAC. An 18 year old Ming averaged 21 and 13 in his Chinese league. I can't correctly evaluate the talent level but I would say that overall the players in the WAC in 90-91 are better than in the current Chinese league. Bradley got by on his height then and that is exactly what Ming is doing now. He has little or no competion sizewise in China and can easily exploit that, and with little intensity. That is similar to how Wilt Chamberlain dominated in his early days when he played against no competition. However, as Bradley found out and Ming surely will, size is only part of the equation in the NBA. Being physical and intense is the best attribute a player can have, not his size. Ming will get toyed around with inside and will gradually be forced to rely on his shot and will become an outside player. I won't go out and say that Ming will be as bad as Shawn Bradley, but that is his downside. However, his upside is only Shawn Bradley Plus or MAYBE, MAYBE Arvydas Sabonis. That's not exactly #1 pick and franchise material.
Regarding trades for Crawford, it could work out. However, because Crawford is 6'5, the Bulls were looking at him playing SG next to Jay Williams, meaning we likely wouldn't resign Travis Best, not the worse thing in the world, but he's certainly a competent Starter/Backup PG who can play in the clutch. If we did send the Rockets Crawford so they wouldn't pick Jay Williams, resigning Best would make alot more sense since he and Jay could play in the backcourt together, and we'd also still have Trenton Hassell and Eddie Robinson as potential starting Shooting Guards. A factor which was brought up on this board which I really didn't think about was not wanting to help the Clippers, another young Western Conference team looking to move into the playoffs. Is that really that big a deal for the Rockets, because if so, Jay Williams would likely really improve the Clippers. They'd have: PG - Jay Williams SG - Q. Richardson SF - Corey Magette PF - Elton Brand C - Michael Olowokandi Other Key Players - Darius Miles, Eric Piatkowski, Kurt Thomas Rockets would have: PG - Steve Francis SG - Cuttino Mobley SF - Lamar Odom PF - Eddie Griffin C - Kelvin Cato Other Key Players - Moochie Norris, Maurice Taylor, Later 1st Round Picks And IMO, the Bulls would do the following (not Ming) PG - Crawford SG - Jalen Rose SF - Caron Butler/Mike Dunleavy PF - Tyson Chandler C - Eddy Curry Other Key Players - Travis Best, Marcus Fizer, E-Rob, Trenton Hassell
OK, if you're going to whip out the numbers, how about the truth instead of some half-baked argument. A <b>21 year old</b> Ming averaged <b>39</b> points and <b>21</b> boards in the CBA playoffs. Last time I checked, in order to <b>average</b> 39 points you scored more than 39 points in half your games. Also, last time I checked, in order to score <b>39 points</b> in a game you had to make 19 shots in a single game. In fact, if you look at his numbers, he averaged 72% field goal percentage <b>FOR THE REGULAR SEASON</b>. So, please, next time, really do your research instead of just putting up numbers that only support your argument. Thank you. Next....
"I would not be surprised one bit to see the Rockets new acquisitions be: Odom Wilcox Juan Dixon" Yeah, I was thinking the same thing after watching Mobley tonight. Oh well........I think Stevie is taking his nickname "Tha Franchise" too seriously. Like someone mentioned earlier.........the only sensible thing Mobley said was that Griffin is a "4". I think the real question is.......who wins if Rudy wants Ming, but Stevie and Mobley want Odom??? I guess we'll know who's team it really is by the end of the off-season. Anyway, for those that say Ming isn't a proven player, neither is a college lottery pick. Goes both ways.
I didn't read all the posts, so forgive me if this has already been said: When did Odom become a "proven player"? There's no doubt the guy has skills, and he's played well when healthy, but I'm not sure I'd call him proven. I don't really know what to make of Cat's comments, and I have no idea what the Rockets should do. After all, I'm just a guy with no special basketball knowledge who group up in the Houston area and loves his home team. Having said that, the Steve and Cat routine is starting to wear thin with me. I'm not saying the Rockets need to ship them out or anything, although I'm not saying they shouldn't either. Again, those decisions will have to be made by someone who understands things a little better than me. There's no doubt that both Steve and Cat have skills, and it's great that they're friends. But I really don't believe the Rockets need to become equivalent to the "ex-students association" for Maryland and Rhode Island. I would have used "alumni association," but some of these guys don't qualify for that. I've got a question: Is Cat good for Steve? Not only does he make dumb comments, it seems to me that he plays dumb basketball. I'm not sure either have been without effect on Steve, and he already has some problems of his own to overcome. I'm not sure he wouldn't do better without Cat long term. Once again, I'm no basketball genius, but even I can see that our guys don't always play smart. First steps and vertical leaps are all fine and good, but I'd like to have a few guys on this team with a basketball IQ higher than their jersey number. Is that too much to ask? It really doesn't matter who we draft until we get some smart play out of the guys we already have. I'm not saying the Rockets need to trade Steve and Cat, but I don't really consider either of them untouchable anylonger. Rant over. Note: Opinions subject to change without notice.
Does it? Perhaps it only hurts Krause (has no more trade bait - except NY). I think this will take the trade talk to a new level. If other teams think the #1 can be had for Odom, #8 & #12, then it will just make all the other teams increase their offers. This hurts Krause more than anybody else. If you really want to read into this, maybe the Rockets wanted Mobley to talk about it. Maybe they have leaked a few stories to Troy. Perhaps they requested Jay Williams for a private workout (right before draft night), to cast confusion on draft night. If China fears Ming dropping in the draft, they might agree to let the Rockets have their private workout. If Ming is the real deal, let him prove it before draft night. I cant say I blame Francis/Mobely wanting a proven impact player. They do not want to wait 2-3 years for Ming to learn the NBA game. I think if Mobley/Francis could see Ming at a private workout, they might see the future. HAS ANYBODY THOUGHT ABOUT THE TRIPLE TOWERS: Cato (or?) - center Griffin - PF Ming - SF If ming has all the running, dribbling, passing & perimiter skills of a guard, why not a SF? I read the other day, that Ming might have to play forward if he wants to have any impact in the league (first few years). He was unimpressive in Chicago on defense, and most reports agree he is to soft to handle the larger PF/C's in the western conference.
And if you want to continue to compare Ming to Bradley, don't forget to mention how much more athletic Ming is to Bradley, the better jumper, can actually move with out looking extremely awkard, and the fact that he is already 30 lbs larger. Well, according to ESPN who have him listed at 295/296.
Just thought I'd throw this out there. China has one billion, three hundred million people (more or less). Ming was the only child of two professional basketball players. Out of all those people, is it unreasonable to think that China might produce some good, possibly great players? Perhaps Ming is one of them. Cat should concentrate on not wearing himself down playing ball this summer and watch some film with Steve instead. And keep his mouth shut. (unless told to do otherwise by CD, RT, etc. )
Axeman- Bradley had no other college stats to report. But since you persist, I will compare their stats as 21 year olds. Ming averaged 32.4 and 19 during his regular season. Bradley averaged 10.3 and 6.2 in the NBA, as in the National Basketball Association, not the Nazi Bamboo Alliance. I don't know if you're Chinese and have a sense of pride or are just misinformed, but you seem to treat the Chinese league as if it has any merit. Remember, its second best player, ZhiZhi Wang the Fantastic, averages 6 and 2. Oh and for the third best? Mengke Bateer averages 5 and 4. That bodes really well for ol' Yao. He should pull in a good 9 and 6. I don't know why anyone would even cite Yao's numbers, they don't matter. ...and the official anti-Yao chant...... YAO HAS NO SCROTUM, WE WANT ODOM!
Whats that quote about inmates taking over the asylum? Thats how I feel right now. I was happy as crazy when we got the number one pick, but this offseason is not fun anymore. I sure hope Rudy and CD dont listen to Cat and Steve. I hope Cat and Steve are just spreading false rumors. Ming is exactly what this team needs and we better not **** it up. What is better? Cato---Ming Eddie---Eddie Odom----some guy who we can get with #15 and KT Cuttino--Cuttino Francis--Francis I'm going to go with the Ming lineup. A team with Cato as the starting center is not going to cut it.
Just a passing thought... How funny would it be if the Rox traded for Odom, but used Mobley and the 15th as the bait? HMMMM
i think maybe 4 people have kept a level-head in this thread. all that interview was about, was cat giving his take on what he'd like the rockets to do, nothing more. because of this he's running the team? c'mon.
LOL - Ming playing the SF??? thats hilarious... 7'6" trying to move around perimeter and stop people like Lewis, Marion, Odom... and those are the non-all stars... you must be kidding...
If I was a betting man, I'd bet that Cat was "coached" on what to say on the show ahead of time... and maybe even get a little slap for opening his mouth... its all part of the game. The Rockets brass were in on what he had to say, I believe. This isn't Cat's "show." It would be stupid of him to offend the Rocket's brass during trading time. The Rockets have always been the master of misdirection when it comes to trades and the draft. Why would they all of a sudden change the way they do things. Doesn't it seem at all suspicious to you about all the different "leaks" we are getting? And this BBS is probably the biggest "leak" of all, with the power of the internet growing like it has. Guys, get a grip! This is all part of the "art of the deal." The Rockets have to walk a balance beam between showing the Chinese respect for their national hero, and keeping his value high with good negotiations, whether we keep him or not, and letting others know we're looking at other options, without offending Yao. So, for instance, if we are trying to get Krause to cough up Crawford, so we don't take Williams, the best thing would be for someone, besides the front office, to say we ought to trade the #1 pick to someone who REALLY wants Williams, who could give us what we want, such as Odom and picks. Then we trade Crawford to LAC, to help us get Odom, and still keep Ming. Or, this will let other teams know they ought to make offers to the Rockets that are better than Odom and picks, or else they won't have a chance to get the #1 from us... Hey, this is a poker game, guys... its all setting the stage for NBA draft mania, the ultimate talent auction.
It's amusing that you guys are all over Steve when the only thing I've heard him say in public is"it's management's decision. Oh, and Achebe, Steve is worth more than a #2. Let's take all hearsay from "insiders" with a grain of salt. as far as I'm concerned, Steve loves Ming. We don't know.
I can't believe everyone (but Sherlock) zipped right past New Jack's solution. Let me try it again as I think his idea is a stroke of genius. . 1) Tell Krause you're getting some heavy deals for Williams but you won't take Jay Will if Krause will send Jamaal Crawford as a token gesture. (Actually he'd have to send Crawford to the Clipps as the Rocks are over the cap). 2) Draft Yao Ming. 3) Trade Crawford + Kenny Thomas + 15 for Odom. Now this is what I'm talkin' about: 5) Cato / Ming / Collier 4) MoT / EG 3) Odom / Rice / TMo 2) Cat / OT 1) Steve / Moochie Giving up the #1 for Odom is a disaster waiting to happen. Kandi (approximate equal of Cato), MoT & Odom were part of a Clipps team that went 15-67 a few seasons ago. That haven't matured that much. PS to tozai - Jason Kidd rebounds and the Nets still get down the floor quickly.
Your post is very anti-Chinese. Are you Mexican or something? I guarantee you Ming will have a better career in the "nba" then Bradley. Guarnatee you. The Chinese national team has played well against the US collegiate all-stars. Before you laugh that, some collegiate all star teams have given dream teams problems in scrimmages.
