If we lose Shandon, could we start Langhi. Offensively he is growing, but defensively he has a long way to go. But in a zone defense his long arms and build could be a huge advantage. I know it would be nice to bring him some big time draft choice but I think Dan could really benefit from the rule changes. He is a good spot-up shooter. He is tall so he will be able to get his shot off. His size will allow him to recover and switch nicely on zone defense. I know others have touched on this as a last resort but I think it might be a good idea. ------------------
Yeah, we could. No, we wouldn't. Langhi apparently isn't ready for big NBA action yet, otherwise you would think he could have garnered more minutes in the last few reg. season games. ------------------ HEAD KNIGHT: We are now... no longer the Knights Who Say 'Ni'. KNIGHTS OF NI: Ni! Shh! HEAD KNIGHT: Shh! We are now the Knights Who Say 'Ecky- ecky- ecky- ecky- pikang- zoop- boing- goodem- zoo- owli- zhiv'.
He probably won't be the starter, but Rudy has openly stated that Langhi will be in the rotation next year. ------------------
I guess no one reads the actual thread anymore. Langhi is certainly no more of a liability on offense than Shandon. Shandon is a slasher which will be to his detriment in a zone. Dan is a spot up shooter which is a positive. Defensively a zone plays into the strengths of a 6'11" long armed SF instead of a 6'6" guy. Yes I know he kind of stank this year but he got better and I can promise you that he will be much better next year. My question is, if we can't get anyone good in the draft, and no one is available via FA, can he be a starter with Walt backing him up. Talk amongst yourselves and let me here some real feedback. ------------------
Although the idea is reaching, knowing Rudy he is loyal to his players and if Dan puts the work and effort in the off-season, I could see Rudy giving Dan a shot of at least being in the rotation next year. ------------------ take it one day at a time
Rocketsauce, No disrespect, but I read your thread as being a very straight forward question: could, or should, Langhi start at SF? Answer: No, Langhi shouldn't start at SF, and neither should Shandon. Langhi would be better as a 3/4 off the bench who creates mismatches, too tall for 3s, too quick for 4s. I'd personally like to see him get up to around 230-235lbs, get stronger, and provide energy and offense off the bench as a 6th man. On another note, IMO there will not be this steady diet of zone defenses next year in spite of the rules changes. The coaches and players in the NBA, contrary to popular opinion, are too talented and intelligent to see the same defense over and over, just ask Pitino if this is true. Coaches will probably work SOME zone into their basic gameplan for a different look and as a "curveball", but they're already doing that now. ------------------
1. Langhi probably doesn't have what it takes to play defense in the NBA, yet. He's extremely slender, and not very quick... not a good combination. He can't stay with the fast guys, and he'll get brushed aside by the large ones. Besides, defense was his weakest point in college. 2. We have no idea if Langhi's offensive game is ready. He didn't exactly shoot the lights out, even in garbage time this year. We know he can shoot, but that's a big difference from producing. 3. Slashing will NOT be made less valuable with the zone defense. Indeed, some people think that penetrating a zone through slashing is as important to beating it as shooting over it. The person who can slip between the zones cracks will be invaluable. I *do* agree that Langhi probably won't be worse offensively than Anderson... probably. But the Rockets are a team that's already fine, offensively... they need defense. I'd like to platoon Langhi at SF with anothre young guy, maybe a defensive specialist, and see if: 1. one of them works out by improving his shortcomings, or 2. they supplement each other nicely. But if we want to make the playoffs next year, Langhi is probalby not enough there. ------------------ I would believe only in a God who could dance. - Friedrich Nietzsche Boston College - NCAA Hockey National Champions 2001
Dan Langhi could very well have a future in this league as a starter and be something special one day, but as of now, he is not ready. Langhi definitely has plenty of talent and fits this system well, but he needs time to add bulk and get used to NBA speed. Personally, I dont think either Walt or Shandon are the answer for this team next season as the starting SFs which is why I hope the Rockets can pull off their targeted deal to move up into the top 10 and draft Shane Battier. Dan Langhi should atleast start getting more meaningful rotation minutes next season but is not quite ready for a starting role. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
LIve.. None taken. I just ask that if an oppinion is given that it be explained. I gave reasons why I thought that it is not out of the question. I hear your reasons but I'm not so sure. Steve and Cuttino are both penetrators. This IMO is the reason that Shandon wasn't more involved on a regular basis. We quite possibly will lose Shandon and be SOL on a new starting SF. If this happens I believe that Langhi could be our man. I think he would naturally improve in his second year and all of the rule changes would benefit him. I'm not saying that we shouldn't try for Battier or Jefferson, I'm just saying that it wouldn't kill us either. Maybe the summer has just set in a little early with me and I'm making the mistake of looking at statistics and potential as an indicator of a players real value. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. ------------------
haven -- he's got more than Walt, and I know you've been a defender of Walt (or maybe not, I'm really not sure ). Of course he's "not ready" right now. The guy has barely played. It's not like he got to start every game alongside Barkley, Pippen, and Olajuwon his rookie year like Mobley. But he's no less ready than some other rookie, no matter how high he was selected, would be. ------------------ "I fell off the toilet!" ---Estelle Costanza "I'll be gettin real drunk and making fun of everybody"
thefreak: I'm not arguing that a rookie should start at the expense of Langhi, merely that recognizing Langhi's physical defensive problems (too slow to guard fast guys, too slender to guard large ones), that we should draft someone we can platoon him with. He wouldn't necessarily be ready either, but he'd have better physical tools for defense. I have defended Walt, a bit. However, I think Langhi can take Walt's place. Without another shooter, Walt was necessary to open up the defense. If Langhi can shoot... well... there you go. ------------------ I would believe only in a God who could dance. - Friedrich Nietzsche Boston College - NCAA Hockey National Champions 2001
IMO, Langhi's defensive problems stem from not having the bulk to get through pick's and not having the speed to get around them. This is the area that will be most effected by a zone defense. You will see a lot more switching and double-teams. I think that he will prove to be an effective defender in a zone. I know that there will still be some man to man, but I think that the SF position will be the one that is most often used as a swin g postion in defensive strategies. In this situation I would prefer Dan over walt. Shandon has been a solid defender but against jump shooters he will suffer. Besides, my money has him leaving this season. ------------------
Rocketsauce: I personally don't think the zone will last for too long. I mean, it'll work in places... but I think NBA shooters are ultimately going to make it worthless. The best teams in college usually kill zones pretty easily. In the NBA, where EVERY team can shoot well, I don't see them as having much utility once the novelty wears off. Maybe if you're playing a team with a really dominant center, it would work... but there aren't many of those left. ------------------ I would believe only in a God who could dance. - Friedrich Nietzsche Boston College - NCAA Hockey National Champions 2001 [This message has been edited by haven (edited May 01, 2001).]
Langhi hasn't shown anything yet. He hasn't shown he even deserves more PT. He has the worst shooting percentage on the team except for Sean Colson. Hell, he barely made half his freethrows. He is no more than a work in progress at this point. Hopefully he will get better but, he has a long way to go both offense and defense. ------------------
All Langhi needs is a chance, I don't think anyone in here has seen enough of his game to make a proper judgement. Langhi may be great, or average, or crap, the truth is we just don't know until he gets a chance. I would be willing to give him that chance as he can't be worse then Walt or SA. Now, if we can get Battier.... DaDakota ------------------ If you like RTS games, check out this one. www.frontierwars.com coming soon to a PC near you.
in one of my previous threads long ago (shandn is G-A-R-B-A-G-E, et al.) i brought up this very point. IMO, langhi would bring more to the table than shandn would as a starter. shandn, overall, is a negative on the court. he plays slightly above average defense and FAR BELOW average offense. that equals out to a negative in my book. langhi can shoot the ball - given the pt. langhi plays, IMO, at least average defense. langhi also has the intangibles of height, jumping ability, and experience of being "the man" before (college, i know, but better then than never). even if dan didn't play a stamp lick's worth of defense, his offense is more valuable than shandn's overall game.
