A recent first offense might have contributed to this decision. Think NBA drug policy. (hint, hint) --Ready2Go
It feels really good to have a U of H product on the floor. Unfortunately, Ford bolted from UH before he had time to polish his game. He's only 22 though, so JVG is right.. his upside is there.. I hope he's a big part of our future. Seems very Charles Oakley like in his build/game.
Well, if true, that would explain it. How dumb do you need to be to blow your big shot at the NBA? I was digging him, too. Oh well.
If I had to make an educated guess, then I'd say that Ford has too much up side to pass on. The guy was the #1 rated junor in the nation while he was at Milby. His senior year, his supporting cast was pretty weak and his stock fell a bit. He's had an NBA body since he was 17 ,he's got tremendous footwork,shoots the ball really well and has a bit of a mean streak. To go along with his postup game, he could step out and hit the 3pt shot from the 19'9" line. In fact, as a freshman, Ford won the 3pt shootout at UH's Midnight Madness. In HS, he could do whatever he wanted, so he didn't work really hard and he had alot of attitude on the court. He came to UH out of shape and had to learn to work hard for the first time in his life. He continued to improve and played very well the last few games of the year. It was too bad that he decided to leave the Coogs after only one season. If the Rockets are really prepared to give up on Eddie Griffin, then Ford is worth taking a chance on. He' s got the body and skills to be a big time player if he's willing to put in the work to improve his game. Hopefully, being cut a couple of times has lit a fire under him. As far as Braggs, I love his work ethic, but realistically, he's not going to get that much better. Why did they keep Braggs instead of Ford initially? My guess would be that they didn't know how much or how well Taylor would play upon returning. Because of that, there was a chance that the #3 PF would be called upon to play significant minutes for us. Braggs knew the offense and defense much better, so he was a better option at that time.
Unless they bring Braggs back after they are able to legally waive the injured Ben Davis, this is the first Van Gundy move I find puzzling. With the possible exception of Padgett, the Rox do not have one athletic big. Not that Braggs was the ultimate answer, but aren't there enough hack-a-Shaq type fouls amongst Yao, Cato, Amaechi, and Taylor? IMHO, Braggs could defend the Garnett, Nowitski, Wallace type PF better than any other big on the roster. Plus he was moble enough to execute a trap or a hard double out of the PnR. Again, Braggs is not the ultimate answer but we do not have one PF who can also play SF under certain macthup conditions. The Eddie Griffin, Terence Morris, Matt Bullard, Robert Horry type PF is totally missing from this team. Unless Scott Padgett is JVG's version of this type of player....
aelliott - After the give up on Griffin comment, I have to ask.... What about Ford's perimeter D? Does he have any footspeed or shooting range?
Braggs was my favorite newcomer; this is really disappointing. I hope they are able to bring him back. Being a Rocket's fan sometimes is like being in the movie Clockwork Orange, nothing makes sense.
I don't get this at all. I thought Braggs was doing a heck of a job - he was even proving to be a legitimate threat with the baseline jumper, and if the Rockets are lacking in anything right now it's his toughness and size. Oh well. He must have done something to piss off JVG. That's the only thing I can see that would explain this move, IMO.
Gater, As I said, in HS and college he could step out an hit the three pointer from the 19'9" line. That being said, his game is in the post. He's got really good footwork and knows how to use his big body to create space for himself. He's got a nice drop step move, and up and under move and he can turn to the middle and shoot the jump hook. The biggest challenge he's had is learning to play against other big guys. In HS, when things got tough, he could always rely on physically overpowering his opponent. His game isn't that of a long athletic, versital freak like Garnett. He's a big guy that is going to post you up and bang on you. The thing that always separated Ford from other big strong guys is that he also had all of the post moves and could shoot the ball. The other thing that I like about Ford is that he's always played the game with aggression (kind of the anti-Eddie). If he can add some dicipline and hard work to his game, then he could eventually be our answer at PF. Only time will tell, but I do think that he's worth holding on to and giving JVG a shot at developing him.
Eddie Griffin is still on the roster... Plus, all the guys you mentioned could step out to the 3 point line, and had an aspect of finesse to their game- I think Braggs is the bruiser type, not really comparable to those guys. Scott Padgett does actually come much closer IMO, as far as being able to step out. I look at Bullard as a 3 who has the size to play 4, and same with Horry (early career Horry, not the Laker/Spur incarnation). Perhaps Boki fills that definition for you? I think aelliott is spot on. 3rd string PF- one is a high ceiling local kid that's not even supposed to be out of college yet, the other is a hard worker, but never really made it out of the "other" leagues for a reason. Van Gundy has sort of created interchangeable parts at the 4/5. Outside of Yao, Amaechi (who plays the bench) and Padgett (who is a specialty guy, IMO), the rest of the big men can play either slot (Cato, Taylor, Ford). I think Ford's size fits the prototype of what JVG wants to employ his suffocating defense much closer than Braggs does, and they're willing to give a little now in their 3rd string PF for the potential rewards down the line.
Given that Ewing supposedly spends alot of time working with Cato, that's not hard to imagine. Although, I still think the team ultimately needs a Griffin/Horry type PF. However, if Ford makes too much progress too quickly, his single year contract means he can't be protected in the CHA expansion draft. If he performs well, he will require some of next years MLE.
I don't really expect Ford to see too much time on the court this year unless there's an injury to Cato or Taylor. His progress will be made in practice.
Do you guys think that this was b/c the Rockets learned from Rashard Lewis. In a sense that they don’t want a hometown player w/ potential get away? I'm a big Ford fan b/c I attended Milby and UH, but Braggs is better player.
Well, considering he's 3rd string right now, I can't imagine him just absolutely setting the world on fire and requiring a huge commitment. More likely, he'd take some of the million dollar exception, or sign on for the minimum another year to get early bird rights. As you said, we won't have to worry about Charlotte just ripping him from us in the expansion draft. In the event he continues to show his abilities, we have the clear inside track on resigning him, not only being his current team, but his hometown team.
I cant wait for some statement from the Rockets about this move. Its weird because if they knew that this was going to happen why did they release Ford instead of Braggs when MoT initially returned...Something must of occured during or after Portland game? In any case, both players are scrubs in my opinion.. Braggs hustles which I like but he also looses the ball alot when going for layups...Ford...Well I dont know..he barely even played. So what do the Rockets gain? I dont know? Braggs was already sort of in tune with the offense/defense...what about Ford..
Sorry for the late response - yes, it was heard that he failed a test for mary-jane. Sometime around the time Mo was suspended (or maybe a little earlier). I alluded to it in another thread, but did not think it was a big deal. However, seen in this light, maybe it was a factor and the Rockets did not want to take a chance. --Ready2Go
