TMo really didn't look offensively aggressive. He seemed to be content to just go with the flow. Nothing really stood out about him offensively as much as it did defensively. I'll try to keep a closer eye on him in the next game. I was really watching Griffin and Gooden go at it this game as well as follow the point guards. He also didn't get as much time in this game as say a Griffin or a Tierre Brown.
Yeah, I didn't notice he had that many turnovers, but there were several points during the game where it was helter skelter basketball - really sloppy play. He seemed to be a bigger guy; possibly PF? I really didn't pay much attention to him. I'll check him out next game. As for Eddie, I didn't really notice any one move, but he had an assortment of jumpers, a couple of turnarounds, and some putbacks off of rebounds.
Eddie's offense seemed to mostly be 18 feet and in. He hit a couple of 3's, but he definitely wasn't living out at the 3 point line as so many complained about during the season. Perhaps the added bulk will allow him to play inside a bit more this season. I saw a few plays where Griffin was the recipient of the PG's drive and pass out. The defense collapsed on the penetrating guard leaving EG wide open for an open jumper. He did mix it up inside a bit, but usually on rebounds and putbacks. I loved his defense in this game, especially on Gooden.
Thanx for the info DoD...If Eddie doesnt get MVP this year....Im changing my name to EddieWasSnubbedtwice......
Thanks for the fix. No Fred Jonzen I thought he would be on the summer roster. Oh well thanks again for the info. Take that camera to Best Buy they can show you whats up.
I fixed the camera... sorta. I had fiddled with some settings on it and screwed things up. Now my only problem is that the lighting is not enough, and flashes are outlawed. I can slow the shutter speed and open up the aperture to get good pics if people happen to be motionless, but if they're moving, everything I take is kinda blurry... it's times like these I wish I still had my Canon SLR... My other alternative is to take the dark pictures, then brighten them using something like Photoshop, but I know they' turnout goofy looking. Anyway, I'll try to do my best, but I can't promise anything...
he's on the roster, don't know if he played the first game though....I'll try to find out later, proexposure is down.
July 12, 2002 vs. Phoenix Suns Rockets 110 Suns 102 Dunk! Did Eddie and Amare go head-to-head?! Yes. For those interested and to those who may be loyal fans... Kyle Hill and Fred Jonzen both entered the game tonight, but played very limited minutes, and from what I remember didn't really do all that much. This Ahmed Ishmail guy seems to be getting a lot of minutes and producing points. I saw Rudy get really excited after a play this guy made... one of those times where Rudy says "did you see that?" He seems to really like this kid. Someone asked how big he is. From what I can see he is only about 2 or 3 inches taller than Tito Maddox. He's also got some of the biggest calves I've ever seen on a human. He's stocky as well. He seems like a PF with an SF or SG's height in terms of physique. Tito turned over a new leaf Tito Maddox did play much better in this game than in the last game. He was much better in terms of handling the ball and not trying to force the issue; he was more under control. Gone were the wild drives into opposing defenders and double-teams. He seemed more like a floor general in this game than in the last as he directed traffic on the court telling people to position themselves. Tito definitely has an explosiveness to his play, but there's just something that's awkward about the way in which he explodes and I can't really describe it. He isn't Allen Iverson explosive, at least not from what I've seen, but he is aggressive. At 6'4", he does try to drive his man into the paint and attempt mid-range jumpshots. I saw him on several plays try to get into the paint and swipe at balls the opposing player had rebounded. He has a bit of Steve Francis in him in that he doesn't seem to be afraid of the paint. Did Amare get the better of Eddie? No. Tierre Brown... The little general, the human dynamo, instant offense, etc, etc. For a while during this game I didn't know if I was looking at our 3rd string PG or Isiah Thomas. Of course he's playing against guys that are struggling to make NBA teams, so I suppose I should qualify my entire summary with that. Still, Tierre was making great decisions throughout the game. He was passing the ball well and also driving extremely well. He kept Tito off the court for much of the 2nd half if I recall correctly. There was no real hesitation in Tierre's game today. If he wanted to drive, he drove. If he wanted to shoot, he shot. And he did each well. Tierre had a knack for finding the open man in the halfcourt offense and made some nice plays on fast breaks as well. Towards the end of the game he (and the entire team) began making some sloppy plays and it began ticking Rudy off. Despite this, Tierre was the 2nd best player on the court by far today scoring something like 25-30 points... yeah, I know : "SO WHO WAS THE FIRST, DOC?!"... Come on DOC, how did Eddie play against Amare?! What? ... and the rest Nobody else really stood out. Oscar Torres ended up getting about 13 or 14 points I think (don't quote me on that), but no one else really stood out. TMo did his usual quiet game where he wasn't a scoring machine or anything, but played solid, aggressive defense. He seems to have bulked up a bit. I could be wrong, but his arms seem a bit bigger. A front line of Ming, Griffin, and TMo could have potential if TMo ever finds his shot consistently. For the love of God DOC, tell us about GRIFF!!! Oh yeah... Griff... I almost forgot about him. Let's just say that Griff is what? Nineteen or 20? And Amare is what? Nineteen or so? Two boys went into the game... only one came out a man. New and old friends I met... I didn't concentrate on the game as much during the first 2 quarters because I was discussing the Rockets and their history with a newfound Rockets friend who lives in the LA area. This guy says he visits the bbs all the time but hasn't really registered... you don't know what it means to be a rabid fan until you've seen the love for a team this guy has for the Rockets. Sonny, props to you my man!! I finally met the "kid" that gave the bbs quite possibly the wildest, most far-fetched method of acquiring a scoop : rocketsfan34. This is the guy that overheard someone on a cell-phone talking about the Rockets trading for Steve Francis. I also managed to meet Big E who provided us with pictures from last year's game. He was wearing his Hakeem Olajuwon #34 jersey and passed near me. When I was sitting next to rocketsfan34, I told him "I think that's that Big E guy from last year that posted the pics". RF promptly ran him down and brought him over. lol. Did I mention that we were sitting RIGHT BEHIND Rudy and we talked to him and got to shake his hands? It was sweet. We could even hear the commentary Rudy and his assistants were making as the game went on. I hate you for holding out information on us Doc, I absolutely hate you! Calm down, calm down. This is just like dessert or Vanessa Williams... you save the best for last. As I said... two boys went into this game. Two boys guarded one another. One boy was clearly a man. That man is ... Eddie. Griffin ended up guarding Amare much of the time in this game. Amare was rejected at least 2 or 3 times by Griffin. Griffin ended up with something like 32 points, and believe me, he probably could have had 40-50. Griffin was a man among boys as the over-used cliche goes. Griffin had at least 4-5 blocks in this game. One of the blocks he had was an attempt by Amare to jam it over him. Uh, no go, Amare. Eddie The Eraser nullified that attempt. Someone else on the Suns rebounded the swat Eddie placed on Amare and thought "hey, Eddie's still coming down from that Amare swat, so now's my chance to go back up with this rebound". Uh uh. Don't think so. In a move that reminded me so much of Hakeem in his prime, Eddie first blocks Amare's dunk attempt, then recovers and pogo sticks up to block the second attempt by Amare's teammate. The CC.net Rockets clan on the front row erupted into ovation. It was awesome. Eddie's points during this game came, as usual, in a myriad of ways. Jump hooks, putbacks, and wide-open 3's. If this SPL session is any indication, we should be expecting to see more of Griff in the paint. Of course this all hinges on whether or not he can control the paint... we'll see. Amare couldn't guard Eddie and lost him frequently in the defensive rotations or as Eddie circled around the arc. Griff was often a recipient of a kickback from a PG's drive. Griff would summarily drain a mid-range to 3-point range shot. Griff absolutely dominated the court tonight and there wasn't anything Amare or anyone else can do about it. I do have to give Amare credit on a play later in the game. Amare's go-to shot appears to be "the dunk". He had blown at least 2 monster jam attempts during the game and had at least one jam attempt stuffed by Griffin. Towards the end of the game, Amare got the ball in the paint and elevated. Eddie came swooping in from the side to attempt a block. Had Eddie blocked this dunk attempt, Amare would've probably asked to go back to high school. Unfortunately, Eddie didn't time the jump quite right or didn't have the right angle because he flew right by Amare who finally got the thunderous dunk he seems to want so bad. As he and Eddie both jogged back down the court, Amare said something to Eddie. Eddie just kept jogging down the court, kept playing, didn't say a word, didn't show any emotion... Take that one Amare; it's yours to have... you were shown what a true manchild can do this day. In his benevolence, the real Man Child showed you what is possible when you have an outside game, and inside game, and a defensive ability that no 20 year old should have. Houston has the real boy wonder... begone Amare... maybe someday, but not today. I'm so freakin' hyped watching the spectacle that this kid put forth today. His game alone is worth the price of admission. I hope he gets into the rotation more and we use him as a go-to guy, but with Francis and Mobley I don't know how many touches Griff is going to get. Of course once again I must temper all these statements with the fact that this is summer league game and he wasn't playing against anywhere near the best talent, but he did well and that's something to be excited about.
we should call eddie 'the sniper'--comes in, sets up, does what he does best, be quiet about it, and go home happy. i hope what amare said to griffin was a bunch of trash talk, because when the season rolls around, The Sniper will take amare out of commission.
Thanks DoD of the recap. Ah my God, we won't have enough shot to go around this year. what a wonderful problem to have.
Sweet lord I have died and gone to heaven Oh yes this team will be special... Houston in the playoffs? Place your bets now boys... Rudy isn't stupid.. he's going to give Eddie good minutes, even if he doesn't start Great stuff again Doc, any idea if Mo T will get into a game?
Man dunk, you are so cool!!!!!!! you should be a pro writer. Your recaps are awesome. You are just the coolest dude to ever like The Rockets. We should all be thankful you went to Long Beach this year!!!!!! please don't come and kill me
It's exciting to hear Eddie scoring with jumphooks in addition to putbacks and his outside shot.Thanks for the recap DoD.
