HotRocket: i think you bring up a good point, though. we now truly have the ability/flexibility to go with either a big lineup or a small lineup. in fact, i could see very brief periods where you'll see this lineup: PG: Tito Maddux 6'5 SG: Boki 6'9 SF: Griff: 6'11 PF: MoTay 6'9 C: Ming that lineup lets cat and steve catch a few minutes of rest while letting ming, motay, griff and boki get some offensive touches. the best part about that lineup? NO MOOOOOOOOCHHHHIIIEEE!
That was a great article to see. I have said ever since KT came into the league that he has the makings of a good SF. He could wind up being this team's Mario Elie. And as far as his outside shooting, maybe my memory is hazy, but I seem to recall KT's impact as a rookie being much more involved in taking, and making, a surprising number of 3's. He just simply has not been asked to fill that role the last couple of years, and the few times he did have to take that shot, the rust was evdent. But I think that if it becomes his role, we will all be quite pleased with his outside accuracy. On a side note - a couple days ago, CD was briefly interviewed on the morning radio show, and he specifically mentioned Rice as an important piece of the puzzle this year, and to quote him directly: "Glen is slimmer now than he has been since he was a rookie." If Rice can get even close t what he once was - one of the best players in the league - then this team will be able to go from being an embarassment to having an embarassment of riches. I just hope we don't turn into Portland.. Ciao
I fully agree with the assessments in your post and also with the numbers posted. This sounds very realistic.
Glen Rice's rehabilitation of his surgically repaired right knee is scheduled to be tested Friday. This also proves the rumors that Rice was playing well this summer are false.
HotRocket, That was a bad quote of mine. I meant one or the other, when I said Griffin and Mo would do that. Juan, I agree that the quote means KT starts camp at the 3, rather than being a issue of who is the starter. <blockquote><i>Originally quoted by krosfyah</i> Have you heard anything about an injury? Not me. </blockquote> krosfyah, the injury is mentioned in the article. It says they will start "testing it" this week. That's not a good sign, imo. Makes it sound like he hasn't been working out much. I expect Rice to start if healthy, but I expect a quick trigger finger from Rudy in games that Rice isn't nailing his shots. I could see games where Rice plays 5 minutes in the 1st quarter and goes 0-3 then gets benched for a hotter hand and ends up with only 10 minutes for the game. This is similar to what we started doing with Walt. I think Rudy is losing his patience with letting the sharpshooters shoot their way out of slumps. oops sorry, Possum beat me to it and said it better.
Hot, do not forget we can put in Cato for MoT and have Yao play PF. Reounding and defense would be at its best.
I read all the posts---well, I skimmed some---so forgive me if these ideas have been posted before, but: Having KT and EG on the floor at the same time isn't necessarily a bad thing. He can overpower other 3's on the way to the basket, or he can play low-post offense with Eddie either backing up the play or popping outside for the pass and a long-range shot, or KT can play mid-range while EG takes it inside; and, on defense, depending on the matchup, EG and KT can each guard 3's and 4's. You might not see those two together on the floor for extremely long stretches of the game: EG's still young and learning. But we'd certainly have dangerous matchups. I'd love to get Mickeal; he could be out there, too, with EG and KT, providing perimeter D that KT might otherwise lack on quicker SF's. I really hope this works out. On the other hand, I don't like Mr. Goldberg talking out both sides of his mouth. He's a lawyer, so it's natural to him, but "Ming will play here" doesn't mean "Ming will be on the Rox hardwood on opening night." I really, really hope (as we all do) that that comes to fruition.
I'm not buying KT playing 3 as a starter. He obviously has the post moves, but his quickness was "quick" on PFs, not on SFs. His handles are far from desirable. And his jumper is VERY inconsistent. The mechanics are just awkward, and I don't believe it'll improve any more than every other player in the L improves(not that much). I'd love KT as a back-up PF, but after last year's performance he'll demand MoT money next year, at least IMO. Mickeal sounds good as a back-up SG, but I'm not sure if we should give up on Torres yet. Watson and Goodrich are obviously fillers, but compared to Collier, who knows? Maybe one of them would replace Collier, because Jason does NOT belong in the League at this time.
The quote doesn't state that KT is the starter. It states that he'll come into camp at the 3. This doesn't concern me. This is just standard procedure to check to see how the surgery healed. You are assuming that because they are doing the test, there must be something wrong. Barring injury, Rice is our starter.
do you buy quentin richardson as a 2 guard? how about corliss williamson as a 3? steve francis as a point guard? these are all players that are not your prototypical position players. these guys break the traditional rules of what a "numbered position" should be because they have strengths they can expose at that position. there is no reason to believe that kenny cannot be one of those players. do you honestly think any 3 in the league can do a better job holding kt than any 4 did last year? i don't. and on defense, as long as we have 2 erasers in the middle (ming/griff) our perimeter defenders can play a little closer without fear of getting blown by. that, along with kenny excellent instincts (quick hands), could turn him into an above average defender. for a point of reference, look at rick fox. the only reason he's a good defender is because he can play that much closer to his man. and the only reason he can do that is that 400# bohemoth camped out in the paint. kenny can do it. go k9 go!
What about Glen Rice? I'd much rather have Glen Rice start the first couple of games before I start Kenny. I bet you anything Kennys is asking for a big long contract and thats where they are having trouble resigning him.
To me CD's words sort of hint that they feel EG and MoTay are secure in their roles on the team and that KT may be the odd man out if he isn't able to make the transition to the 3 spot. The comment CD makes about KT being able to improve his market value and get a better contract next year also hints to me that he is not in their plans. I mean, why would CD want to wait till next year to sign him if he thinks he'll really have to pay him more?? IMO, unless KT really flourishes at the 3, I think he's been deemed the odd man out.
I still wouldn't be suprised if we see a lineup simliar to one like i had said. I'm just glad that Rudy is willing to try new things, rather be stuck in the past.
<blockQUOTE>Originally posted by pippendagimp IMO, unless KT really flourishes at the 3, I think he's been deemed the odd man out.</blockQUOTE> You really read it that way?? I don't. I read it as there is no odd man out. I read it as this BBS and Feigen have been assuming there is an odd man out and the coaches never have subscribed to that. Rice is gone soon, and we need a 2nd SF. TMo is not that player. The quotes to me solidify the fact that they do not want Griffin playing SF anymore like last year, and it solidifies that KT is versatile to be that 2nd SF. If he were an odd man out, there would be no quote! He would just go unmentioned. No??? The contract talk also states that CD has been trying to sign him to an extension...how does that get interpreted as they want him gone? CD said that they are worried that he might excel again and price himself out of what they can afford, like Lewis did. I read it that Kenny is the final piece, and they want to locked him up. Kenny is a prototypical tweener. He can cause fierce mismatches in 2 position. imo, he is not a bad tweener like Corliss or Fizer.
HP, you are correct there. It is clear to me that KT is in their plans and there is clearly a place for him. He also said there will be no major changes from here. Odd man out is a concept that has cemented inself on this bbs, and it is hard to get rid of it. For some time now I have been asking people to appreciate the need for depth and the ability to survive some injuries, like last year.
Great thread guys. Gives me goosebumps at the possibilities. I fall in the camp that interprets the quotes as KT being a keeper. He is a warrior. He has shown he is willing to do whatever it takes to play. He will absolutely abuse SF's down low with single coverage. He is the type of lunch-bucket worker/warrior that every team needs. As verse pointed out, having Ming (and Griffin) hovering in the background will make everyone else's defensive assignments that much easier (ala Fox).
I dunno, I thought that's what they meant at first, but now I'm not so sure. Whatever the case I'm sure they mean the majority of his minutes will be at sf, instead of having to battle Mo and Griff for 10 minutes of garbage time at backup pf, cuz it seems like the team are extremely pro-Mo and Griff. Them wanting to get KT time at sf means they are pro-KT too, which is a relief. I thought maybe he would be brushed aside and forgotten. 20 - 30 mpg would be excellent and I want big lineups. His D and quickness are so underrated. I have no concerns with him playing sf d, hell, he could be an d upgrade over what we've had there since Elie, imo(course I could be wrong). Possum, Him running tests and such does not prove that "rumor" false. Hell, Clutch had that up on the front page, he wouldn't do that if it came from an "iffy" source.
Rashmon beat me to it. This has turned into a terrific thread. I got from the article that the Rocks want to resign Kenny. Why wouldn't they? If he's signed to a reasonable contract and continues to improve (which I think he will) then he'll be locked up here for a long time (great!) or highly tradeable later if we decide to move him (also great, maybe). I like the ideas verse, ROXTXIA, HotRocket and others had about mis-matches, line-up options, and KT playing with Yao in the high post. I don't think his shot from beyond the arc is that hot, but if you remove the 16 clunkers from his attempts last season, he shot almost 49%. I can live with that () with the other shooters we have. I loved how KT responded to all the adversity last season, and how he turned up his game after the fight with Rahim. To me, it was like a light bulb went on in his head... "Hey! I can be a bad-a$$ in this League and it's far ****'in out!" He needs to work on his free-throws and pass the ball more, but otherwise I think he fits in beautifully with the team. K9 gives us some bite.
I agree with HP and Deckard and some of the others that think the Rockets have been trying to sign KT. KT will be a great part of this team as a starter or as someone capable of Moving between the 3 and 4 spots. If KT is successful at this then this prevents the Rockets from having to rely on a broken down Rice to start at the 3 or prevents having to start 2 rookies. Boki may be the eventual starter or he may be someone capable of playing the 3 and 2 as a sort of super sub. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone coming off of the bench and providing an instant spark like Cat did a couple of years ago? This will only be possible if someone like KT can step up and make the transition to the 3. Imagine having a bench that consists of: 1. Boki backing up Cat and Kenny 2. Moochie backing up Steve 3. MoT backing up Eddie Griffin There is your 8-man rotation right there. MoT can shoot lights out, Moochie has been a dynamo off of the bench and if Boki comes as advertised then we are set. Nothing left to do but sit back and enjoy the growing process. Now who backs up Yao Ming? Using Cato would totally change the offensive philosophy if he came into the came to back up Yao. I don't think Collier is as good of a center as Cato but he certainly would fit in a lot better than Cato in a high post offense.
