Great post! Battier should be able to space out the floor and provide a lot of intangibles. Only concern is rebounding, which we'll probably have to make up with better rebounding from our guards, especially if we're going to shoot a lot of 3s.
Yeah no kidding. He was guarding the 7'3 dude from san andreas for much of the 2nd half and had no problems other than a play or two when he was caught too far underneath the basket and had to foul to bail himself out. If Battier can play at least 50% percent of his minutes at the PF then it really is a heck of a trade for us.
Nero, I agree with you. I know I'm new here (first post =)...), but I think there's a lot of negativity and fear of the unknown going around here with Battier. He is a smart role player extraordinaire. He's just what we need! Grab some rebounds, play some defense, and more importantly, be a good citizen for Rockets. I think he will help our team image and hopefully put some more fans in the Toyota Center this year! Go Rockets! =)
If you want Evans, you might as well trade Howard for Miles and play Alston McGrady Battier Yao Miles or even occasionally Miles Snyder McGrady Battier Yao Miles is the kind of freak athlete that woulc complement our big 3 perfectly. You want some perimeter shut down defense. Throw Miles, Battier, and McGrady out there. Problem solved.
Respectable post. I am 100% against Battier being PF unless it's for matchup purposes(Suns, Mavs). The PF we need is one who could block/contest shots, rebound, box out efficiently, and get some spot minutes as a backup C. Battier is here to guard the opponents best wing. It's that simple. Battier at PF defeats the primary purpose of bringing him here. You may have decided to leave some dudes out because they're PF/C, but the fact is their primary position is PF. The others you mention all have one advantage over another over Battier when it comes to post play. They're either longer, stronger, or more athletic. Others have those wide box out bodies to take space. He's gonna get abused and owned. Sure he'll put up a good fight, but I rather see him help prevent our worst defensive problem(dribble penetration) than banging with the bigger boys in the post. And who says he's too slow to guard SG's. Bruce Bowen isn't no Maurice Greene, but he gets the job done. Battier is just as quick, bigger, and maybe 85% as physical.
i think the BAT MAN played very well last night, he sure can play PF for us. basketball IQ and attitude are most important
Rebounding. People complain about J Howard relentlessly, but he's a much better rebounder than Battier at the PF spot.
I'm against Battier as the primary PF because I think it's giving up too much. He can be a good player and elite defender at the wing positions, or he could be a so-so defender at PF. I also want to see Hayes get more minutes, since he was excellent in his limited time last season.
I think the standard bearer is Tim Duncan at the 4. If the Rox are to go to the finals, they will have to play against him and shane is in trouble. I think on certain matchups he's cool and gives you flexiblity so when you play dallas, you can slide him to dirk, but for the most part its the mentatlity, not the size. You have to want to battle guys that are used to playing low and banging around. Its one of the reason why someof these 6'10 dont want to play center.
Before we make him as our starting PF, there is one question needed to be asked: Do we have another guy can defend other teams big SG? Look at our roster, we only have ONE possible option: Kirk Snyder if we move Battier to PF. How good is his defense? Can you trust him defending Kobe/Wade/LBJ/Pierce? I think we will see Battier playing PF if needed but not full time. Howard will be the starting 4 if he is not traded.
If you saw the game in Las Vegas last night, you have your answer. Battier did many things well, but not handling their big guy underneath. He got overpowered. Size does matter.
BINGO. I'm not worried about most of the power forwards that Nero mentioned in his post. I'm only worried about Duncan and Stoudamire period. I think the Spurs are going to come back this season with a chip on their shoulder and if the Sun's are healthy [ie.Kurt Thomas and Stoudamire] you can practically hand them the best record in the league right now. The rockets are going to have to definetly go through those two teams if they want to advance in the west. Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudamire and Tim Duncan all average at or above 10 boards a game. I know the rules about hand checking has changed the NBA game to a speed game, but I still think the rockets need some sort of athletic descent sized rebounding thug.
I think he can and SHOULD play the 4 spot in certain occasions, but that's not where he should get most of his minutes. The size thing is definitely a factor. And not height. I mean bulk. I just don't see Battier as the guy who pushes someone planted in the post off their spot. And that's basically why I don't think his primary function should be at the PF. Guarding guys with their back to the basket is a waste of Battier's defensive talents. I wanna see him moving around on defense. Taking calculated risks, getting in the passing lanes, drawing charges. Not just standing behind a guy with his back to the basket.
