In no way am I saying his he on the level or even close to the level of Charles Barkley but he reminds me of him on the rebounding side. An undersized PF getting rebounds over the taller guys. He times the jump perfectly just like Sir Charles. He knows where the balls gona land when it comes off the rim. That gives him a advantage over other players who are stronger & taller than him. Keep it up CHUCK!
I agree with this one. He FORCED shots last night and got wasted cuz he got blocked he a couple of them he just threw away, just like the way Cato shoots the ball. As if he's saying, everytime he gets an offensive rebound, this play is for me cuz this is supposed to eb a garbage ball possesion. He should be smarter.
The reason why he hustles a lot is because he can't shoot. We don't need him to shoot. If he gets forced to shoot from the outside, then it's time to fire Gundy.
just my thoughts on these issues. I agree that Chuck Hayes needs to convert easy shots more. However, everyone would like the entire team to do everything perfect and consistant. In this case, I'd think that if Hayes could do all that stuff, he might as well be the next star. With Hayes, personally, I felt that for a guy with his jumping ability and athleticism, he should put it down more than laying it up. He's in position to dunk the ball more often than not, and I think he has the basketball grip to do it more frequently than to lay it up on an off-balance shot. To me, his problem is that he might be a little afraid of getting blocked when he takes his time, and it's causing him to shorthand his layups.
Chuck has never been one to dunk the ball. I don't know why, but its like his fundamentals mindset doesn't allow him to take the chance of bouncing it off the rim or something. He's got the hops, but for some reason though he just doesn't seem comfortable doing it. Maybe Tmac can show him how to get it done that way (then he won't have that one blown layup on a pass from Tracy McGrady! )
Didn't see this posted. A good article. You have to fall in love with this guy, not even with the Lenovo. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Hayes_thriving_after_extended_-197496-34.html Hayes thriving after extended journey to NBA Before leaving the locker room on Tuesday night, Chuck Hayes was asked how much he enjoyed defending Minnesota's Kevin Garnett. He didn't pretend like it was the greatest evening of his life. "I'm tired, man," Hayes said after watching Garnett score 25 points and pull down 11 rebounds. "I've just got to stay mentally tough because I've got (Phoenix's) Shawn Marion next." Hayes is indeed quickly learning what life is like as an NBA starting power forward. Since finishing a standout career at the University of Kentucky, Hayes has made the journey from undrafted rookie to NBA starter in his second season. The 6-foot-6, 238-pound power forward is expected to be in the starting lineup Wednesday night when the Rockets visit reigning two-time MVP Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns. Hayes will, in all likelihood, be given the task of defending another one of the NBA's top interior scorers in Marion, one night after guarding Garnett. So far, Hayes has proven that he can handle such a challenge. The Rockets (10-4) are off to their best start in a decade partly because of the surprisingly quick development of the power forward. Hayes has transformed himself into one of the Rockets' best low-post defenders. He scraps for loose balls, set screens and willingly does the dirty work so that Yao can avoid foul trouble. With that style of play, Hayes has found himself in the starting lineup even though he wasn't even on an NBA roster less than 12 months ago. "I don't want to say he's arrived because he's far from arrived," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "He has without question fit well into the starting group, but there's no doubt that he can play better. I'm looking for even more from him because he's just going through the league for the first time." Hayes began this season as a backup behind Shane Battier, but after the Rockets were dominated inside by the Utah Jazz in the season opener, Van Gundy inserted Hayes in the starting lineup at power forward and moved Battier to small forward. The Rockets have responded to the lineup change by outrebounding 11 of their last 13 opponents. Hayes has been a starter in nine of those games, missing four with a hyperextended left knee. He is averaging 6.1 points and 6.3 rebounds. After beginning his pro career in the NBA D-League, the power forward admits that even he is a little surprised to find himself in the starting lineup for an NBA team. "It's surprising to be a starter," Hayes said. "The reality of it doesn't really hit until the starting lineups are introduced before the game." Hayes didn't take the typical path to the NBA. Despite a solid college career at a storied program and earning MVP honors at the Portsmouth pre-draft camp, the forward went unselected in the 2005 NBA Draft. He signed a rookie free agent contract with the Rockets after playing on the franchise's summer league team, but was released before the team opened the 2005-06 regular season. Hayes wasn't picked up by another team and ended up being drafted by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in the NBA Developmental League Draft. Unsurprisingly, Hayes had a few moments where he questioned his abilities. "I had a lot of doubts," Hayes said. "I didn't know what I had to do to prove to people that I could play on the NBA level. When I was down there in the D-League, I tried to stay hungry. I just kept telling myself that I was going to make it if I got another opportunity." After leading the NBA D-League in rebounds with 12.2 boards per game, Hayes rejoined the Rockets on a 10-day contract. He made the most of his second chance, posting a double-double in his second career game with 12 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Chicago. Houston signed the forward for the remainder of the season shortly after his contract was up and brought him back for the 2006-07 season. "I'm still grateful for how everything worked out," Hayes said. "I've come a long way because I've had to fight and scratch to get here. But I'm not satisfied. My expectations for myself have only gone up. " Since he is an undersized power forward, Hayes knew he had to become a player who could outrun and outwork his bigger opponents to earn steady minutes. Rockets strength and conditioning coach David Macha said Hayes spent most of the summer running on the track with team at Rice University to make sure he wouldn't be lacking in energy. "When he first came into the league, he didn't really know what was expected of him," Macha said. "We spent a lot of time working with him on being able to sustain his effort because he needs to be a high-energy guy. He's in much better shape now than he was at this time last season." Hayes wants to improve his ballhandling skills and eventually add a mid-range jumper, but Van Gundy said the most important thing for the forward -- right now -- is maintaining a high-energy level in every game. Hayes has showed he's capable through the first month of the season. While Garnett got his typical numbers Tuesday night against Hayes, the Rockets power forward still managed to have an impact. He attacked the offensive glass, picking up six offensive boards on his way to an 11-rebound performance. He also made Garnett work for his shots. "He's up for the challenge and I think he's very capable of playing solid defense against that caliber of players," Rockets forward Tracy McGrady said. "He's a small forward, but he plays like a big man." Despite a minor setback with his left knee earlier in the season, Hayes has clearly found his niche with the Rockets. "I see myself as the defensive guy on the team," Hayes said. "I try to help Yao out and keep him out of foul trouble. I'm also trying to get rebounds and I'm trying to set the picks that get the other guys open. Every now and then, I might have to guard the premiere post player on another team." That, of course, means defending guys like Garnett and Marion. Hayes realizes it won't be fun every night, but he doesn't expect to make it easy for the guys that he's guarding, either. "I like the challenge of it," he said. "I think teams always isolate against me because I'm smaller, but I'm a lot harder to score on than they think. I might be smaller than you, but I'm not going to let it be easy."
That is a great article. Thanks for posting it here. There was an article written about Chuck by Dick Vitale just before the draft in 2004 that said Chuck was the type of player that would do well in the NBA and that he should be drafted. Though he got a couple of workouts, I knew on draft night he was going to be left out. Dickie V was one of the only "experts" who even recognized the hustle and talent that Chuck had. But you can probably ask any coach he has ever played for and they will tell you that they aren't surprised with what Chuck has done and they will also tell you he will keep working to improve. It's really cool to have so many people, because of Yao worldwide, see him do what he does best and appreciate it. That was just a feel good article for me!! and I can't stop grinning.
I agree. I think Chuck fits in perfect with his current role. He has a knack for the rebound, and that's huge for this team. He'll pick up tricks as he gains experience. IMO, Chuck is the 2nd most important player on this team. I would have put T-Mac at 2, but this team is winning even when he is off. Chuck does the things that open opportunities for the other players. Him and Yao work very well together and the other players are picking up on it more and more. Yao is the rubber and Chuck is the glue. Whatever bounces of Yao to Chuck is an easy 2.
