I didn't get to see the game, bc I am in Dallas. Anyhow, it seems Damon hit some threes. Can anyone describe his defense and play on the court? Torres didn't have a good shooting night, but I'm sure he'll get to prove his worth if Mobley sits out somemore. Anyhow, who do you think will make the team and why?
Frankly I wasn't hugely impressed with Torres as he shot 1-7 (14% shooting), D Jones shot 3-9 (33%) was more respectable than Torres. Jones had 2 steals, 2 boards and an assist and was generally decent. Problem is Jones played much poorer as the game went on for some reason. Torres probably had the worst game of his life. We all need to see more of them this preseason to determine if they can help us.
Francis was the only one that impressed me last night. The other Rockets seemed a little rusty. The jury's still out on the free agents. Hopefully, Torres will have a better night against the Mavericks. I was impressed my Glenn Rice's jewelry though and Mobley's cap....
with just one pre season game under their belts, i think it's too hard too make that choice right now... I was impressed by Jones' passing and some moves he made with Cato(?) and Francis but Torres looked like he had a nice touch when shooting... gimme a couple of more pre-season games and then I'll make a more informed decision... go rocks! rH
The Rockets went into the tank in the last moments of the game which , even though its preseason tells me Marc Jackson will help this team greatly. Thomas had problems finishing over taller guys, and the perimeter went cold as it did last year during times. Everyone who said we don't need a low post scorer is crazy. Its only preseason, but you live by the jumper, die by the jumper
RIGHT. Too early to tell..... But my opinion at this stage is that Jones has proven to me at the NBA stage that he can compete and oftentimes run the show when it is asked of him. He has had big moments at the highest level of basketball there is. Torres? Uhh, he averaged 15 points for a Venezuelan team. Sure, he could come around and play well. But I'd rather have a guy that I know can play than a BIG guard. We shall see.........I hope Torres comes around.
Yeah I agree. Jones will be a great spark off the bench this season. Torres on the other hand will be cut ASAP.
The ball movement seemed really good when Damon Jones was on the court. I think we should definitely keep him to come off the bench.
Well, it looks like the tables may have turned a little towards Oscar's side after the Detroit game. I personally hope they both make the roster. Jones had a good game in Dallas and Torres had a FANTASTIC game in Detroit. Good thing for Rudy there are serveral games left before he has to decide what to do with these two players. B
I'll be very surprised if either Jones or Torres don't make the roster. If neither gets cut and Jackson does become a Rocket, the real question is will Jones or Torres or both have to spend time on the IR? I think Langhi would be likely to start the year on the IR cause of his sprained ankle or it could be T-Mo. Then that would leave Jones or Torres to have to be on the IR.
So far, there is no doubt: Torres is the keeper if it comes to a choice between Torres and Jones. He's taller, a better defender, equal in 3-pt range, seems to have a better grasp of the offense and could even play SF. The argument for keeping Jones is that he is a backup PG. However, we have Francis and Norris with Mobley and Walt Williams (not often or likely) who can play that position. Jones is too small to guard the big shooting guards. I know Jones has a contract, but that was insurance in case Moochie didn't come back. I'll bet it was only partially guaranteed. I hope we can find a way to keep Jones, but I'd rather see the Rockets scoop up a glass-cleaning big center from somewhere.
I just cannot see any of these guys going anywhere. First of all, they are more valuable to us than the amount we are playing. They will practice competitive, also. The fact of the matter they fit the system and they are highly skilled. When you think back of the days of the junkyard dog, you see these guys are definitely an upgrade in terms of talent and athletism. To think that weeks ago people were speculating about us picking up Pig. No suck thought now with the talent on this team. Please remember that depth is critical to maintaining a high level of play. We also have to run people off the court with our speed and defense and 3pt shooting. For that you will need these greyhounds. So the team will not get a roster exemption for Taylor which will allow them to have 3 players on IR?
Cato had 8 points, 8 boards and 1 block in 28 minutes last night against Detroit. That's about all you could want from him. Granted he missed some easy dunks or layups... But he seems to be playing with more intensity. I'm not ready to cut him. I want to see what he can do this season (when it actually starts) cause that darn potential is still there. -krosfyah
Torres is the man, he was all over the court last night!! Rebounds, steals, points, and probably a block. Steve connected with him on a dunk, just like cuttino does. Jones is Ok, but hands down Torres is two levels above Jones. And he also really does look and kinda plays like Clyde. There was one play where he drove though the lane with the one armed, palmed ball straight up in the air, like Cylde use to do for his layups.
Feigen makes a persuasive case for why Oscar Torres might make the roster over Damon Jones in Today's Chronicle. Oct. 14, 2001, 9:58PM WHO'S THAT GUY? Rockets discover real gem in Torres By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle PORTLAND, Ore. -- John Hammond, the Detroit Pistons' new director of player personnel, found Rockets trainer Keith Jones in a Kemper Arena hallway, meeting him with a smile and a question that just had to be asked. There would be time for Jones and Hammond to exchange a few of the perfunctory catching-up questions. Jones would eventually offer Hammond his congratulations on the new job. Hammond would ask Jones about the family. Small talk, however, had to wait. Before anything else could be said, there was something Hammond had to know. "Oscar Torres?" he said in loud, mock incredulity. "Where did you find him?" That scene has been repeated in one form or another throughout the Rockets' training camp and preseason. It is the sort of question scouts and general managers live to hear and that preseasons desperately need. There is gold out there to be discovered. Hammond gave the night's find a name, repeating himself with more enthusiasm. "Oscar Torres?" The Rockets "found" Torres, a guard-forward, two seasons ago on the Venezuelan national team and have kept an eye on him since. The real question has become not where they dug him up but how great a find he will turn out to be. "He's very impressive," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He's very athletic. He's very strong. He can shoot, defend and pass the ball, but the biggest thing is that he hasn't turned the ball over like you'd expect. He loves to play and plays so hard. He's a joy to be around. He's become a real favorite of everybody." Torres' 18-point, seven-rebound, three-steal scene-stealing act against the Pistons in Kansas City on Saturday grabbed the attention of even casual observers. He has rapidly moved from a good training camp body to a solid roster contender to a presumed factor this season. At 6-6 and 210 pounds, Torres brings shooting range, unusual speed and strength, and remarkable poise for a rookie. He also brings a faint resemblance to former Rockets star Clyde Drexler, particularly with his freakishly muscular thighs powering a slender and strong frame. The comparison became unavoidable Saturday when Torres took off on a full-court, fast-break drive with Drexler's unorthodox head-down charge. "When he accelerated, he really did remind me of Clyde," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "He's doing great. He does have a poise from years of competing down there. He's super talented with a shot. "He can play defense. He shows a good court sense. He's made some really nice passes and created in the open court. He's strong. He's pretty well-rounded. But he can really catch and shoot." Some of that analysis could have come from Torres' brief showing with the Rockets' LA Summer Pro League team. The Rockets had already hoped he could provide the backcourt speed and strength they had over the years from Shandon Anderson, Michael Dickerson and Drexler. But his work in two-a-day practices was enough for the Rockets to confirm how much he had grown as a player since their radar first picked him up two years ago. The speed, strength and shooting touch were evident even before he knocked down five 3-pointers in a quarter in his last summer league game before heading back to the Venezuelan national team. But in training camp and the Rockets' first three games, Torres has shown a polish that could earn him regular-season playing time far ahead of schedule. But Torres insists he is not an ordinary rookie. The talent in Venezuela might not match the NBA's, but professionals can play with poise and intelligence no matter how high they jump, and Torres said he had two seasons of learning to play like a pro. "I felt like in Venezuela I had pretty much dominated the league," Torres said. "I wanted to know if I could play on the elite level, the highest level there is. I am a rookie here. But I am not a rookie." Torres has prepared for this chance since he began following countryman Carl Herrera's NBA career. Dawson told Torres two years ago that he needed to let his game grow into his talent. But in Venezuela, he was quickly regarded as a future star. "One of the better players, one of the young stars of the league," Rockets center Ike Nwankwo, who played with Torres for Marinos in Puerta la Cruz, said of Torres' reputation. "People looked to him as a young and up-and-coming player. They didn't really know how to utilize his talents. I was glad to see him come here. He wasn't getting instruction he can get from Rudy. "He runs the floor real well, is an athletic guy on the break, can hit jump shots. He's just a great player, a great all-around player. Great shooter. Very athletic. Busts his butt whenever he's on the court. I love playing with him on and off the court." Such raves have grown common as it has become clear the Rockets expect Torres to be part of their happy and hungry rebuilding. Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley call him to the bus with shouts of "Andelay! Andelay!" "They don't know that's Mexican," Torres said. "Not Venezuelan." Interviews have been arranged with Spanish-language media outlets. And Saturday, assistant coach Jim Boylen began a planned routine of sitting down with Torres -- with Rockets Spanish-language play-by-play announcer Adrian Chavarria serving as an interpreter -- to go over that night's game plan and scouting report in greater detail than pantomime and a blackboard can offer. "In training camp, I did it with Ike translating," Boylen said. "We had a couple of sessions. On the plane, Adrian and I decided to do it before every game. We'll go over the game play, his assignment, talk about who he is guarding. It makes a guy more confident and comfortable in the system. "He's doing unbelievably well. He deserves so much credit for the way he's making the transition, picking up things. He is very skilled and a great shooter. But he also has a toughness. That's big in any sport, on any level." Torres also has an abundance of confidence, which is just as crucial because he knows the NBA game is much faster than the style played in Venezuela. "But that's how I play anyway," he said. There is more zone defense played in Venezuela, but I played man-to-man in Montana in the IBA for four months, so I already adjusted." Even the language barrier does not seem to be a problem. "I usually know what they're saying," Torres said. "In South America he's had a lot of success, which breeds confidence," Dawson said. "He has confidence, and it's not the wrong kind of confidence. He believes in himself, and that's a big thing in this league." Despite all the raves, it is too early to declare Torres the league's next big thing -- or even the next great Oscar. Though he is familiar with some current players, Torres said he had never heard of Oscar Robertson, one of the game's all-time greats. "I'll just have to make a name for myself," he said. Oscar Torres? Oscar Torres. Two things jump out at me. One is the line I bolded. Two is the focus on Spanish media outlets. From a marketing perspective, adding Torres sounds like it could significantly help increase interest in the Rockets from Houston's Hispanic population. I mean, look how much attention Eduardo Najera got when he entered the league. Okay, that was a lot different for many reasons, but still.
