Pued... you said in your earlier post that Pike isn't totally deficient at defense... most others seem to think he is a matador on D.. I havent watched him, so I dont know... Which is the real take on Pike's D?
It's not entirely un-crappy. It's the kind of defense you expect out of an offensive bench player - he'll get destroyed by good guards on a consistent basis - but occassionally he'll jump a pass and make a decent play. Or he'll contest a shot, and leak out on the fast break to get a wide open lay-in to seal the game for the Clippers as they defeated the Rockets. Also, I was being sarcastic about Jackson - to clarify. I think Pike is a quality player.
Significant downgrade from Posey and clearly a bench player. I find it really annoying that Les cashes in the arena naming rights on the same day that he cries luxury tax in letting Posey go. How can he not see how bad the two look together? Or maybe he thinks most fans are too stupid to notice? At any rate, I still the Rockets will be players this off-season. I predict that Rasheed Wallace will be brought in for Cato, Rice, and Eddie.
Very well put. That's got to be the BEST view on the future of this team that I've heard on these boards.
The only thing sad is that we loose Posey and get nothing in return! Pike is a great pickup but we could of picked him up no matter what we did with KT last year. The Rockets should of already know they could not afford to pay Posey or KT this year. They should of traded KT for some draft picks, or something.
Quality pickup, but not much else. Be nice to see a shooter on the court to help Ming with those double teams but ... Pike isn't really a sf. I'm thinking it's his job to lose, but Boki is going to get every possible chance of unseating him when after the season starts. I liked Posey's hustle and athleticism, but eh, I don't really think he was a good fit on the team, offensively and even defensively. Now we need a good backup pg, and mebbe a couple of other cheap scrubs.
While my initial reaction is that I like the shooter, my second thought is that (almost) all of the moves that the Rockets have made in the past few years that have sucked the life out of this team have involved an obsession with players who have diverse offensive skills at the expense of the rest of their games. When viewed in this light, Pietkowski worries me because he fits the mold of players like MoT who can do many different things as a complimentary offensive player, but is lacking in the basic basketball physical ideals and mental toughness that make someone like Posey effective without demanding the ball. In otherwords, go Pietkowski, but I'm worried we're making the same old evaluation mistakes that have deemphasised athleticism.
good pickup. although, he's only played in 3 playoff games in his 9 years...not exactly the 'veteran experience' i had in mind...but, what do you expect from a guy who's been with the clips for almost a decade. it goes w/o saying that we still must make a move at the 3...maybe move eddie to the 3, at times...not crazy about it.
Honestly, i don't think "losing" Posey (and his defense) to Pike (little to no defense) is a big deal. We need the shooting more. Why do I say this? I believe Van Gundy's gonna lay down the defensive dogma, and if anyone slacks, they can get reamed by the bench. Defense can be taught, and involves working harder and stepping up the hustle. Rudy didn't preach the big D, JVG does.
Its pretty simple to me. Yao and Steve get doubled all the time. And Pike is a great shooter. Brings consistency from the outside (ever heard that word Posey/EG?) Also, he is lot more mobile on defense than Glen Rice ever was. And He may not play the lanes like Posey, but he is 3x the shooter. Stuart
Good signing. Now it's time to bring in Mark Jackson to replace the little dribbler and show Francis some smarts. Veteran bench players will help this team tremendously.
I miss Posey already but this eases the pain. Once Rice is gone we won't have to worry with Pike as a fairly priced 3 point gunner who can actually run with some young guns. Did I mention I miss Posey already?
interesting that Van Gundy's first acquisition is yet another in a long line of Rudy swingmen. And he's white, to boot. hehe
All-right!! Nice pick-up by the ROXS & @ a much better price than the 6 mil/yr that Jpo wanted!! A good Value pick! Opps.. I'm startin' 2 sound like Mel Kiper ! Anywayz, Pike's A shooter the team needed 2 take pressure off the Ming Dynasty down low....& also off..... Cato . Now we need 2 address the needs @ the point & PF if possible! Hopefully, JVG can whip MOOchie into bein' a good guard!
Exactly what I was thinking. Wouldn't be to thrilled w/ Russel though. What does this bring our roster to, 10 players? We have to sign a few more players. Sure would be nice if it was Stephen Jackson or Jimmy Jackson.
How much do we have left in cap space? Can we afford guys like jim or stephen jackson? Im really worried about our SF spot for this coming season. Rice and Nachbar just wont cut it.
We don't have any cap space and haven't had any since Dream went to Toronto and we re-signed Mo T and traded for Rice. The Rox probably won't have any cap space for many years to come since Cato and Taylor make big $, Francis was max extended and they will need future $ to max Yao (and maybe some big $ for Griffin). You (and hundreds more posters) may be confusing "cap space" with the Rockets stated desire to not exceed the Luxury Tax. "Cap space" and the "Luxury Tax" are mutually exclusive events. The cap for the coming season is reported to be around $42.9m and the LT (which has never been invoked) has been stated anywhere from $52m to $55m. At the start of the July signing period, the Rockets and about 23 other NBA teams were "over the cap" and thus only had the MLE to offer FA's. The MLE is about $4.9m and can be split into pieces. Since Pike got about ~$3m, the Rox have ~$2m of the MLE left...if they decide to use it due to the LT (not cap space).
Could you list what those teams loss? Spurs loss Robinson and [rose?] Lakers Lost HORRY KARMA!! Sac lost Pollard more a grittyand tough than miller IMO Blazers lost their minds Rocket River
