hardeji, Don't judge a guy's entire career based on one game. Yes, Christie had a bad game in Game 7, but throughout his career he has proven that he is a good outside shooter (career 36% from down town) and defender. Okay if you don't want to hear it, name one SG in the NBA that has consistently shut down Kobe. There isn't one, no one in the NBA who can guard Kobe one on one, so don't say Christie is a bad defender because he couldn't stop the best SG in the NBA. Maybe Kobe is mortal without Shaq, but the fact is the Lakers have both of them and it is damn near impossible to shut down either one, especially when the game is on the line in the playoffs.
These armchair GMs are driving me crazy. You all want to swallow and not chew, then swallow. You take a bite of an apple, my god!, chew it up and savor the taste and then swallow. The roster is all set. With CD and Rudy options are always open; but this team is set and Christie will not improve it. I cannot understand why a team with 3-5 options for each position would still need to go out and pick up somebody's scraps. Hands down, this is the most talented Rockets team in history. It is not talent deficient. We need to tighten up the system and let some seasoning take place and the results will follow.
Bond, James Bond, I presume: I agree 100% with you. With that said, why do we need to insert a defensive stopper if we're trying to outscore our opponents? I used to be down on Mobley; but when compared (on a FG%) with other mid-tier 2's, he's OK. Plus, he's got the ability to turn up the heat and make things happen sometimes. Therefore, I'm OK with Mobley. But, would you pay Christie, what $10 MM/year, to be a "defensive stopper"? My hope is that (assuming Ming works out well) is we package Rice or Mobley, and either KT or MoT, and move up to a 1st tier type of 2. Do you think that could happen?
hardeji, I am by no means saying that the Rockets should go after Doug Christie, we don't have enough minutes for him. I was just trying to make sure that you weren't judgng Christie because of one bad game.
I don't see how too many players will demand the ball. Nachbar, Ming, and Griffin are all players that can thrive off the penetration of others. Taylor is for the most part passive. Mobley and Francis will have the ball in their hands for the majority of the game, and Kenny Thomas will be the go-to guy off the bench. For this season, the defense will certainly be a problem. They should be able to score with anyone but it remains to be seen if they can make the playoffs without an interior defensive presence. Taylor is nonexistant and Griffin/Ming are still in their infancy. I think over the long haul the Rockets should be fine as Griffin and Ming adjust their bodies to the NBA and become defensive anchors. With those two shotblockers inside, penetration will be kept to a minimum allowing the guards to gamble in the passing lanes.
thacabbage is right. Look at Dallas. They simply outscored people. If our 2's and 3's work out ok, we should enjoy the same success.
Defensive Specialist - Kelvin Cato Last year Kelvin Willis did such a great job of helping Cato with his game. Next year Willis will help Cato even more as he develops his defensive game. Cato is already athletic and can jump high, which makes him a solid shotblocker. With the support of Willis, Cato can develop other aspects of his defensive game such as guarding the post. Tenacious role player - Kenny Thomas This guy works hard, period. He does everything. He can post up defenders, hit the jump shot, fake/drive to the rim, and much more. For instance, in one game last year (against the Sacramento Kings) Kenny Thomas played with extraodinary effort. He not only used his athleticism and strength to score points, but he rebounded and played defense. For instance, Thomas faked his defender, dribbled the ball to the rim and slammed down an emphatic dunk on Vlade Divac of the Sacramento Kings. Another example was when Bobby Jackson of the Kings got the ball on the fast break and tried to run in for the layup. It seemed like a guaranteed two points for the Kings, but Kenny Thomas came out of nowhere to swat Jackson's shot out of town. The Rockets nearly won that game because of Kenny's great effort. It was amazing to see how this guy came in and almost led the Rockets to victory over the Kings. Despite injuries to star players Maurice Taylor, Steve Francis, and Cuttino Mobley, the Rockets, who were severely hit by the injury bag, had one guy who led them through the fight: Kenny Thomas. Veteran Leadership - Kevin Willis Kevin Willis is a great veteran leader to this team. Willis started the season like a man on a mission. He was getting double-doubles, rebounding, playing defense. Willis was not only playing with lots of heart, but he inspired other players. For instance, he helped Eddie Griffin in the weight room.
Elie played enough tenacious defense to rank him above average as a defender, and during the season we had Vernon Maxwell.
Perhaps we could swing a deal for self proclaimed Kobe-stopper: Ruben Patterson. He's a head case, but can play some D and doesn't demand the ball. Maybe he's worth a look.
'Defensive stopper' = 'Highly athletic player with little skills' Uh....NO THANKS!! Once again, the Rockets' defense will improve once their team concept and approach to defense improves, i.e. everyone making a solid effort to play better individual defense and help defense. For example, take the Celtics. They have even worse individual defenders than the Rockets do, yet they finally decided that they were tired of losing and began to play team defense this past year. And we all know how their season worked out. I'd rather convince a team of scorers to play defense than try to get a team of 'defensive stoppers' (look above for the meaning of this term) to be a good offensive team 24/7/365/Infinity.
