i'm not going to argue whether or not van gundy sees talent or potential in chuck hayes. that's assinine. chuck didn't exactly get better with more playing time last season so it was probably for the best that we use his high intensity play in short spurts then push him out there for 30-35 minutes. if you put what van gundy has said about chuck being a guy to expect a lot of improvement from next season, plus this article that says he's working on conditioning everyday, i fail to see why anyone would conclude that van gundy doesn't see something in him. imo, the swift trade was partly a move to buy more playing time for hayes.
At this moment, it is just based on opinion. If JVG trusts Chuck and gives the minutes next season which I doubted. All we have to do is to wait and see who is right. I am not saying you will be wrong but I do feel that will be the case.
Perhaps if Chuck continues to improve, he can be the source of heart and spirit this team missed when Sura got hurt.
Good post and stats. I would caution against reading too much into this, however. If Hayes has no plays called for him, and scores off "garbage" buckets, his "efficiency" should be higher than a player that has plays called for him. If Hayes progressed to the point where he got looks at the basket, you would naturally expect his efficiency percentage to drop. Nonetheless, the stats are helpful in comparing apples to apples, i.e. Hayes to Bowen. They are not as helpful in comparing apples to oranges, i.e. Juwan, who was (unfortunately) probably the third or second scoring option when he was on the floor. And no one would argue these stats mean the offense should run through Hayes instead of Yao.
In fact I wouldn't read anything into those stats, according to that Motumbo and Hayes were the best on the Rockets Are you truly going to tell me that Hayes and Motumbo should get a majority of minutes over Yao and TMac???? Flush those stats down the toilet.
Don't have the numbers in front of me, but he is a legit 6'6" and his wingpsan is roughly the same as for a 6'9" guy. Having watched this guy torment by Florida teams for four years in the SEC, I have a pretty good comparison: Udonis Haslem. Now, Hayes is a good inch to inch and a half shorter, but their games were very similar. Both were undersized, but tough, intelligent, and productive post players in the SEC who could score, rebound, and defend. Both however lacked the size, handle, and perimeter shot to play the three, but after some wandering (Haslem in Europe, Hayes looking for a team), each proved to be a contributing role player while refiding their skills. Now, Haslem dropped a bunch of weight and added a mid-range jumper, then put up I believe 8 points and 5 boards a game as a rotational second-year rookie. Hayes averaged basically 4 points and 4 boards as a rotational first-year rookie in less minutes, so I think that kid is poised for a potential breakout campaign. The game will naturally slow itself down, but he will also be working on his mid-range jumper. If that starts falling, Hayes is an outstanding post defender and offensive rebounder, not to mention a fairly intelligent player and ballhandler. At best, I can see him giving us maybe 9 and 8 over 25+ minutes a game, but we may not need that much on an improved team that will rotate Howard, Battier, Hayes, and possibly another play at the four.
look at his stats. he led the team in RPG/48. he led the team in SPG/48. he led the team in FG%. he is one of the leaders in BPG/48. he is one of the most effecient players on the team. this guy needs to put Jho on the bench!
I remember one of Chuck Hayes's first games where the Rockets were playing Miami. (Maybe this one?) On a couple of rotations, Hayes got stuck defending Shaq. Shaq lowered his shoulder to bowl him over, and didn't move him. Shaq then threw up a 7-8 foot hook, and while I don't remember the result, that is got to be the preferred way to let Shaq shoot (other than from the line). He also was able to box out Shaq, Mourning, and Haslem. At the end of the game I looked at my buddy and said, "That kid just clearly out-played Udonis Haslem." And I have the ultimate respect for Haslem. The future is bright for Rubber Chuckie.
Man Durvasa. I love your stats. They have a way of defining and explaining what we are seeing out there on the floor. What I see in Hayes is a dude that gives us so many extra opportunities to score with his boards, defense, and takeaways that it doesn't matter whether or not if he scores or not. The other things he does just helps us out so much.
Better shooters on this years Rocket team will effect Chuck's rebounds. AND THAT IS A GOOD THING !! DD
2005 Measurements Name Height Height(shoes) Weight Wingspan Reach Hayes, Chuck 6' 5½" 6' 6¾" 232.4 6' 10" 8' 8½"
I think it was Van Gundy that said that Chuck was better in shorter spurts then long time. As he went in and brought havok as he was really motivated to make an impact quickly. This I think was part of his rookie "I need to do good things so they keep me." mentality. This year is different he is on the team for the year and has been given the chance to really shine. I think we moved Stro so we could use Chuck more. I am hoping as he is one of those fan favorite types, I love cheering for this guy when he was in ABQ it was the same, that he can stick around and give us the grit we need. Fierguard - Celebrating 20 years of Bleeding Rockets Red.
