Link to the Rocket's summer league stats Some good things to see there, we had players excel in Shooting, rebounds and assists.... Very nice. DD
I missed both games Dorsey played. I really liked Leunen and was surprised how versatile he seems. His shot is no where near the pure stroke of Novak, however, and was overpowered often. Green seems like he might crack the second unit. He's got size, speed, and he won't be passing up any open shots. Wasn't impressed with AB. He's still fast, he can still shoot... I knew that already. Maybe playing with NBA studs would make him look better, I dunno. Berrerra also caught my eye and looks like a sleeper but the sample size is so small. Probably no room like Azubuike last season. Mike Harris... You kill me! Too good to cut, too short to get minutes. I'm glad someone smarter than me is making the call on him.
Greene - Potential star, but has a long, long way to go. Shot selection is terrible, defense is sub-par. I think he makes the roster, but he won't see much time this year. Great pick at 28 though. Very excited about this kid. Dorsey - Potential Ben Wallace, but has a long, long way to go. I was not that impressed with his defense, although he certainly has the athletic ability to get better. He needs to be coached up. He's a natural rebounder though. Knows how to use his body, and he is strong around the rim. Another great pick who has a chance to contribute this year if Deke or Yao goes down. Luenen - Potential to be better than Troy Murphy. Believe it or not, I think he is the most NBA ready of any of the summer leaguers we had out on the court (including Brooks). I think he's better than Novak right now. He's faster, better ball handler, quality 3pt shooter, plays much better D, he's a good passer, he's got both an inside and outside game, and he can rebound. He is an all around good player. His IQ, good fundamentals, and hussle will make it hard to keep him off the roster. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that we trade Novak before the season starts, and this kid makes the team. (i can see Novak and our Memphis second rounder for a late 1st rounder. Some team in contention might do that deal. Afterall, he's a shooter). Barrera - Potential to be an NBA player; however, not this year. It's a shame cause with his size, passing, ball handling ability, great court vision, and high IQ, I think he could develop into a player ... with the right coaching. Unfortuanately we won't retain his rights. Wouldn't surprise me if he got a shot with another team (6'5" PGs that show promise are in demand). I can only hope that he plays another year overseas and comes back to try out for the Rockets next year. If we didn't have so many expiring guard contracts that are worth something (francis, head, Jackson), I'd consider using our 15th spot on him, that's how much he impressed me. Brooks - his court vision and passing improved, but his shooting is still very very suspect. He may never be a reliable shooter, which will limit how effective he will be in the NBA. If he sticks to penitrating and dishing, he'll be very useful, but he still has a long way to go to be our backup PG. I don't trust him to play important minutes on our team right now. Hopefully he'll get better as the season goes on. No reason to think he can't develop into the player we want him to be, but he's not there yet. Harris - Love him, worthy of a roster spot, but may be out of luck. The way I see it, there's just not enough room on our team right now. If Novak is traded, and if 2 of our 3 draftees play elsewhere this year, then maybe, but I expect Greene and Dorsey to make the squad, so I think Harris is out of luck. He'll be the first person we sign should someone go down though. Another team might offer him a contract btw, so it may be a moot point. After his solid play in the reg. season last year, and his strong showing in Summer League this year, I would be shocked if he didn't catch on with some team. Robinson - like someone else said, looked great in the first game, but didn't see much from him the rest of the time. Obviously talented passer and ball handler. Can't shoot though. I think if he works on his game, he may have a chance to make it to the NBA some day.
From a pure shooting standpoint, I think Novak might still have the edge on Leunen. His form is better, gets his shots off arguably faster, and if I had to bank on one of them to make an open 3 to win a game, I'd still bet on Novak. That said though, Leunen's game in other areas just totally blows Novak's out of the roster. I think he's signed with an overseas team though...and we did already pick up Novak's option, so I don't know if there'll be room for him. I could see him becoming like a second coming of Scott Padget for us. Definitely has a place on the team. Dorsey and Greene are both raw imo. Dorsey is a bull, but he has a lot to learn about sound, fundamental NBA defense and Greene, well, he can definitely score the ball, but needs better tempering on the mental side of the game. One interesting lineup that I would go with for stretches this season would be McGrady at the point, Battier and Greene on the wings and Scolandry and Yao in the post. That would be a quality big lineup capable of both scoring inside/out and defending.
Great posts so far! I was very disappointed with Dorsey's defense. As much as he was praised for it he didn't show much in his 2 games. I still think he'll continue to show his great rebounding abilities and improvement on the defensive end in pre-season and by-pass the NBDL. If Novak is traded, I think they give Leunen a shot as well. He's so much more of an athlete. I for one am hoping for the trade. If no trade happens unfortunately he'll be headed overseas imo. Brooks just does not seem comfortable at all trying to be more of a pg and run the offense. I definitely agree with DD in the fact that he replaces Jackson as the scoring pg off the bench. His change of pace is great to have off the bench. Harris was great as usual in SL. I just think it will be tough to find a spot on the roster for him. He tried expanding his game and become a better perimeter shooter but he did not look comfortable to me. He did look quicker though and was taking it hard to the hoop. If he wasn't undersized he would be a lock to be part of the team. I'm glad I am not the one making this decision. I would love him on my team but who doesn't make it?
Greene. I don't feel he'll see the floor much. Away from the basket players seem to just stroll by him on defense. Under it he occasionaly gets a hand on the ball. If he does get floor time it could for 2 or 3 3pt attempts. Under those circumstances I don't feel he'll hit. Dorsey. Rebounding will keep him on the floor. My guess is at first his defense could see him collect quick fouls rather than help. If he adjusts he should see consistent minutes especially if Deke isn't re-signed. Leunen. Played well. On the Rockets could maybe be a Scalabrine or Padgett. On his season long Eurotrip needs to prove he can hit from outside consistently in the pros. Brooks. Best player on the SL team and looked it. Future on the Rockets might be as a backup SG. Harris. Played strong, second best player on the SL team. Though he could still be cut because of roster numbers or if the Rockets get a backup swingman with defensive abilities via trade or FA, eg Maurice Evans.
After John Lucas put on a show two years ago and became the SL Vegas MVP, I thought he was going to be a big part of the Rockets. Hell, even the Suns were trying to go after him. Well, two years later and JL3 is no longer in the NBA. So lets just say I'll reserve my judgment until I see these youngsters player in the real league.
potential to be better than murphy? come on let's be a little realistic. murphy averaged a double double in 3 seasons. maarty couldn't even average 5 boards in the summer leagues. he certainly looks like he could be an upgrade over novak since he is more well rounded but the guy is not a nba starter. plus murphy has 2.5 inches on maarty and probably about 30 pounds heavier and that matters a lot in the paint when you are fighting for boards.
Brooks: He started off shaky and clearly he was trying to be more of a distributor and it was affecting his play. He still does too much decision making in the air but by the end of summer league he had improved his playmaking. I don’t know if he is our backup pg. He plays mostly at 1 speed, is a bit of a liability on D and still doesn’t seem comfortable enough shooting the 3. I don’t like him just driving down and jacking up shots. But he can get to the rim better than most anyone else on the team and that is a desperate need for the Rockets. Honestly I wouldn’t mind him as a backup if we had a more physical defensive minded point. But with Rafer leading the way I am not crazy about Brooks as a backup. Greene: Donte had me after the first game. He should have quit then. Donte will have no problem getting his shot off in the NBA. In fact Donte will be more wide open than he has ever been in his whole life with Yao and Tracy demanding doubles. But the problem is right now he doesn’t no the difference between a good shot and a bad one. He forces too many shots. I will say I thought he played within the offense mostly. He didn't just come down and jack up shots. But he settled for jumpers too often and didn’t get that his jumper wasn’t falling so maybe he should take it to the hoop. To his credit he definitely adjusted by the last game. And he did play harder on D. My biggest disappointment is his lack of hustle on defense. He will never be confused for Battier in that department. Fortunately he has enough physical abilities that if he wants to improve he will and you can't teach him everything in 1 week. NBDL bound but could be a solid contributor by seasons end if he listens to the coaches. And still all in all a pretty damn good player for the 28th pick. Dorsey: He is what we thought he was, a beast. He has a ready for NBA body. He has a lot to learn about defense in the NBA but with his physical size, athleticism and passion I expect by mid season he will take Hayes minutes backing Yao. I would have liked to see him play more but I saw enough to know he will contribute this year. He will have to control his emotions more. But it will be nice to have a real enforcer on the team. Leunen: Every team could use a player like Leunen who hustles, is fundamentally sound and can shoot. He is more athletic with better handles than Novak but not as pure a shooter and a slower release. Already looks to be a better rebounder and defender than Novak but probably both Novak and Hayes would have to be traded for their to be a spot for him. Harris: A backup 3 who can rebound and hustle as much as he does would be such a great addition. But I still see a small 4 trying to ba a 3. His short game is lacking and spends most of his time in the paint. With Landry Scola, Hayes and Dorsey we don’t need another small 4. To his credit his 3 point shot has improved and with Donte looking more like a project the Rockets could use a backup 3 more than any other position. Still the question is can he consistently hit an open 3. Because if he can’t then he can’t help spread the floor and he becomes another player the other team doesn’t have to guard. Morey talked abiut a small trade to balance the team. I expect Novak is gone and maybe they will bring in a backup 3 to replace him. If so Harris is out. Barrera: I like this kid a lot. He has so many natural PG skills that you just can't teach. And he is fun to watch. His downfall is his speed and D… He can be pushed around too easily. Perhaps if he adds strength . It looks like he his frame can handle more size. He is definitely a project that would benefit from the NBDL. (In fact I would consider bringing him to training camp just to get a little more experience) But right now he is not ready for the NBA and the Rockets don’t have the space. So many things would have to happen for him to get a spot. Robinson: I really like this kid after the first game but he never looked as good. His handles actually looked worse and his shot wasn’t falling. Plus his decision never returned to that level of the first game. By the end Barrera took all of his minutes and looked much better… Still he plays solid D and seems to be a more natural distributor than Brooks. If he goes overseas and improves his handles and shot he might eventually make it back to the NBA.
I hope Marty Leunen replaces Novak. Brooks and Leunen were on the same college team, so they have chemistry together. I still can't get over how good of a GM Morey is. Making the 56th pick or whatever count by drafting Leunen. I have a bigger mancrush on Morey than Yao and Landry combined.
A lot of really solid posts. I saw the Denver/Houston game again to get a better look at Dorsey,so I'm going to confine my comments about him. Solid rebounder.He surprised me with his scoring in the low post, relying mostly on his power there. He has good hands, got to the ball on a few occasions around the high post. His low post defense was disappointing. He gave away too many easy baskets. Chuck Hayes is way better than him as a defender. I don't see Joey getting too many minutes but he will make the team.
come on saleem you know the team needs some changes give dorsey some credit, he is gonna give hayes a run for his money!!!
i think leunan earned a training camp invite. you dont have to cut the roster down to 15 until the end of preseason, and i think the rockets will wait as long as they can.
Summer League only shows you so much, although it showed that everyone was raw. But, actually, I was disappointed. No one impressed me like last year. Of course, Landry sucked in SL, and look what he did. Brooks blew everyone away, then fizzled out during the year. lol ... glad we got Dorsey in the 2nd round, but there is no way he is the best defensive big in the country, have to agree with DaDa on that.
Greene: Yeah he has weaknesses but so does everybody in the NBA. I laugh at people who think the athletic starved Rockets, length starved Rockets can send this guy to the D-league. When Rick gave every single player on the team a shot looking for somebody to score the ball. If he works hard, by the middle of the year he won't start but will eat heavily in Shane Battier minutes mark it down. Greene is the steal of the draft. Dorsey: The guy is a Ben Wallace mini me because he is two inches shorter than Ben he will never be the shot blocker, but if he every starts down the line can get you 10 rebounds a game and hustle. Leunnen: I'm shocked thought this guy would be a scrub, then jumped on the bandwagon. Can shoot lights out, shows some toughness, can put the ball on the floor, good passer. Will make it in this league, would rather have him than Hayes right now. Barrera: We would be stupid not to find a team to give us a second round pick for Luther Head, and give this guy a spot. 6'5 pure point guard, great form on his jump shot, good passer, a younger Brent Barry without the hops.
I really appreciate the analysis, I didn't see the games. I would say that it sounds like this group gives Morey some options as far as making some minor moves to the bench.
I remember last year around draft time, and after we took Landry (passing up several 'name' players) and everyone saying 'Who is this guy? Morey is nuts!', I went back and tried to figure out what Morey saw that no one else was looking at. I am sure Morey has a ton more statistical analysis, but just looking at the position breakdowns on a place like DraftExpress, it was easy to see why Morey rolled the dice on Landry, because he was at or noear the top in most of the productive categories. So before the draft, I took a look and looked for this year's Landry - a guy not being hyped, but who stood right there with the 'big boys' - a high-value guy who might still be around near the end of the draft. Leunen stood out in the important categories, in a similar way that Landry did last year. Landry scored near the top in all the 'athlete' type categories, where Leunen stood out in the 'productive' categories, such as A/TO ratio, pure points, +/-, shooting, things like that. Leunen was easily in the top five at his position, you could probably even make a case for maybe top 3. In fact looking at it, if you were going in just looking for a guy who would be an ideal perimeter big in Adelman's offense, Leunen would probably be one of the guys who would be the best fit. BB IQ appears to be head-and-shoulders above everyone else at his position in the draft, and rivaling point guards in the assist categories. I was surprised and pleased he lasted as long as he did, and I think if anyone will eventually be known as the 'steal of the draft', he has as good a shot as anyone.
