It will be difficult using Wells to backup Battier because if previous years are any indication, TMac is going to miss some games this season due to his back. When that happens, we need Bonzi to step in at SG and pick up some of the scoring responsibilities. That will leave us with very little depth at the 3 spot, just Battier and Snyder. I think we need another SF more than we need another PF.
i don't think we need a starting PF because we needed one, I think we should add valuable player for excessive guards on the roster. also we need to start thinking about solidify our roster for next season 2008-2009, as wells will be gone and maybe some player may not pan out. Francis/James/Brooks TMAC/Bonzi/Kirk/Head Battier/Novak/Reed Scola/Hayes/Landry Yao/Butler alston, JL3, Deke, sura. i would trade with the wolves to see if they would be willing to part with some of their excessive young players or picks.
Even if the Wolves were to part with their young players, many of them received from Boston have 1 year left on their contract. Therefore, we'd have to sign them immediately to an extension without seeing how they fit into our team or risk losing them in the offseason. I am not so sure a possible "rental" is what we need right now. As for small forward, maybe Harris (ex rice player) will pan out. Who knows right now.
How do you guys feel about Melvin Ely? he was decent when he got the time with Charlotte, but never got any playing time in SA.
I have high hopes for him too. I think he could be a valuable to the team, but for this season I dont expect him to do that much. Take a look at what the poster a few spots above has marked down as our 3 spot depth. Battier/Reed/Novak. So I guess that means if Battier doesnt play 48 min were in big trouble?
Yeah. I've always felt the Rockets needed one more swingman to stabilize the position. I wish they would have filled that need somehow instead of drafting Landry. But I'm thinking Novak will backup Battier right now. He's similar to Stojakavic in that he can shoot the ball, has height, but couldn't defend if a max contract depended on it (Although Peja was close to that kind of contract haha). With that said, I wouldn't mind at all if Rafer was traded for a swingman. Although getting Jeff Foster would be perfect because he adds more depth in the front court, and he would compliment Scola's game the way Hayes does for Yao. What about Chris Wilcox for Rafer/Snyder? What's seattle's situation with their point guard spot. I know they've been trying to move Ridnour...anything else?
I would love to get an insurance policy at the four and, assuming we could do it with the spare parts we have already, then I would be game. But talented fours have been rather hard to come by this offseason and I don't see anyone itching to deal a legitimate four for Rafer, Sura, and a young kid. Maybe we missed the boat on Kurt Thomas, who could have at least given us a bigger low-post defender, but I don't think the Suns wanted to take anything at all back for him and I am not even sure how well he would have fit. On another note, why do people assume having a good four would stop Boozer? It was Yao who was getting toasted regularly by Boozer in the playoffs and that was because we didn't want him defending Okur out at the arc. How would getting a more talented defender at the four change that? Yao would still be in the paint and that means he would still be defending Boozer, not matter how good of a defender we had at the four. Now, if someone wanted to argue that we need a longer defender who could keep Okur from getting of his shot, that might be a more relevant point about the Utah series, but that won't help us at all on Boozer.
The problem with Yao on Boozer is a strategy issue on Van Gundy. He should have left Yao on Okur and let Hayes and Deke handle Booz. What will change under Adelman is he will leave Yao on Okur and in fact move him up on Okur to deny the long shot and he will put defenders on Booz. That being said, we need another 6 fouls from a good defending big to be able to throw on Booz/Duncan when we face them.
Hayes. Hayes. Hayes. We had the fifth best record in the NBA with Hayes as our starting power forward. And that was with Yao missing a large chunk of time and TMac being out on occasion. Our team problem last year wasn't with our starting PF or starting PG. This issue was the drop off when they went to the bench. No steady consistent offense what so ever. Head and Howard had their moments. But we needed someone capable of being the third option with the second unit. Repeat... third option with the second unit. If we keep both Alston and Hayes as starters (which I think we should) and Yao and TMac stay healthy... we are already better off than last year. Replace our second unit with James, Stevie, an in shape and motivated Wells, and Scola instead of Head (who I would still like to keep), JLIII, and Howard... I really like where we stand. We will never find someone to guard the elite power forwards in the league. Let Hayes pester them and make them work but don't ever think we can stop them. But the key is for other teams to have to find a way to stop not only TMac and Yao (can't be done consistently) but to also stop our second unit which is vastly improved over last year and we can make an early case that it is the best second unit outside of the suns in the league. We don't always need the best five players on the court. But the "team". Hayes and Battier are all about the "team".
It'd be the best if we can get a tough post defender coming cheap. Turiaf? I like his game and demeanor. Lakers let go of Smush, they still need a PG, right? Rafer prob doesnt fit with triangle very well but he's more experienced than Farmer. the salaries dont match though, I m not sure Rox would take any fillers.
Yao can not be made into a perimeter defender because of his lack of foot speed. A perimeter defender is not only responsible for guarding his man at the three point line, he must also be able to make the appropriate rotations. And the farther out your defensive responsibility, the more ground you have to cover making the rotations. Plus, outside of Mutombo, Yao is our best defensive rebounder and interior defender because of his size. Any positives he might bring on the defensive end would be completely nullified. It just wouldn't work.
Tough post defender? I dont know if you were watching the Rockets' first round playoff series against Utah. Chuck Hayes SHUT DOWN Mehmet Okur. Memo couldn't ever get post position on Hayes despite being 6 inches taller. Plus, Hayes was all over him on the perimeter, which is why Okur shot so poorly. The Rockets have their tough post defender in Hayes.
I'd actually like to see us go after Tim Thomas. He reminds me a lot of Big Shot Bob in the sense that he has all the tools to be a star but excels as a role player. Me thinks he'd look good on the PnR with McGrady at the top of the key or hitting 3's from the elbow on kickouts from Yao. As we saw during his run with Phoenix, he's clutch and not afraid to take the big shot. Maybe Rafer+Novak could get it done. Foster would be a good look too for all the reasons mentioned above. (Head+Sura?) James/Francis/Brooks Mac/Wells Battier/Thomas Hayes/Scola Yao/Foster/Deke This roster has a ton of flexibility we can go Big or Small, we can Run or play half-court, we can run PnR all day or we can dump it in.
Scola is the best PF previously not in the NBA, he is an olympic champion, two time league MVP, so there is absolutely no reason to be skeptical about his skills. Chuck Hayes is an undersized PF who can clean up on the boards and defend with tenacity, so he'll be a good option off the bench and should still get some significant PT. Snyder should not be getting any significant PT this year. We need someone who can play SF more than we need yet another PF.
durvasa, Okur does nothing, absolutely nothing offensively besides stand at that 3 point line in hopes of receiving and firing. He can't put the ball on the floor, he can't drive, he can't dish. He's like a 7 foot, slower Luther Head. Catch and fire, that's it. I'm not talking about making Yao a perimeter defender. Utah is one of those exceptions that runs the center outside and has a very good post up PF. Yao cannot defend Booz. The logical thing to have done would have been to run Deke out there with him on Booz or let Hayes have him and let Yao get up in Okur's grill and force him off the 3 point line. I'll take Okur trying to dive into the paint, receive and finish against 2 cat quick defenders in Hayes and Battier anytime over him spotting up at the 3 point line with an undersized Hayes trying to defend him while Booz makes hay with Yao.
Head starting over T-Mac ? what're you smoking? our line-up would look more like this: Yao Ming/Butler/Deke New PF/Scola/Hayes Battier/Wells/Novak T-Mac/Head/Snyder Francis/James/Brooks
After seeing how bad shane looked as a 4 last season, i hope and pray we dont see that again. i still would like to see another 4 signed or traded 4. i guess it will all depend if we sign Landry. someone mentioned ely, he wouldnt be too bad incase of scola struggling at the start of the season. Say Scola struggles to adjust to the nba, were left were only hayes to manup the PF spot. there is noway thats enough. with webber going to dallas or staying with the pistons, the options are pretty limited. I just dont dont think a rotation of hayes and scola is enough for us to compete with the likes of dallas and san antonio.
Why not just put Yao on Kirilenko. Kirilenko does not have that much of an outside shot....even if he makes some, he's not as much of a threat to go for 30 points. Maybe, Adelman will use more zone defense. Anyway, we shouldn't assume that we'll be playing the Jazz again. We should just make sure the team is balanced enough to battle against any of the western conference teams. I would prefer to have Okur go off than Boozer. Boozer struggled in game one when he tried to pound it in the paint....he only prospered when he took it further out and started hitting those jumpers. I wouldn't mind Tim Thomas....I was impressed with his competitive spirit during the playoffs....I always thought of him as an underachiever, but he hit some big shots. Foster, though, is still the best fit for this team in terms of his size, defense, and reboudning. I thought Seattle was going to keep Kurt Thomas? Why would Seattle buy him out?
