I think its time to realize that MoT's time as our starting 4 is over

I'll disagree that MoT over KT will be traded for 3 reasons.

1. MoT's adds needed size/bulk.
2. With KT and MoT putting up similar #'s, MoT get's his points in the flow of the offense. KT needs an ISO. We've got enough folks to ISO already. We need guys that can score off a pass.
3. Plus I doubt you'd get true trade value from MoT with his recent injury whereas KT's stock is pretty high w/ his production and small contract.

But with the right trade offer, anything is possible.

 

Eddie could be a marcus camby type center who causes mis-match problems due to his athleticism

 

"Personally, I'd be VERY suprised if Mo happily agreed to come off the bench. Do you think otherwise? "

I think it is interesting ever since EG has started playing well and is in the starting rotation MoT has annouced he is coming back early. I don't think he wants to play off the bench.

 

It is really an unfair statement to say that KT points comes of ISO's. How can someone who has a low post game, extended range on his shot and driving ability be classified as a limited, ISO's only player. KT scores in a number of ways.

 

Crash...that is funny stuff.....it is true! We are the fattest city in the U.S. afterall!

Actually, I am 80 and I grew 1 inch last year

 

I was just basing that on my own experience of course.

 

Mo doesn't seem like the complaining type. He already has his contract anyhow.

Mo can get 30 minutes off the bench. He and Griffin can play the 4/5 together off the bench.

Eddie does not have a 3's game. He simply is not comfortable putting the ball on the floor, and his perimeter D is not too great.

It'd be ideal if Griffin grew into a center's frame, but can we really say that he'll definitely grow 1-2 inches, and 30 pounds?

crash-when has he said he'll use them as a forward combo? I think he means with Eddie/Mo playing the 4/5, similar to how Eddie/Kenny play the 4/5.

 

Before he got injured, wasn't Mo supposedly in the 'best shape of his life', having lost 20 or so pounds and really working on his quickness?

Maybe the plan is to play both Eddie and Mo together as combo Fs, a la Minnesota, which would actually be great.

IMO, the one big thing that is holding back the Rocks isn't necessarily the C position, but a lack of complete players, especially on the offensive end. That's why Mo is so valuable and sorely missed, he has the ability to be a very good, well-rounded scoring F, a possible 18 pt\7 reb PF\SF.

 

Wish I had a link to back up that statement but even before the Rockets drafted Eddie and we thought we were in the hunt for CWebb there was a lot of talk about MoT slimming down some and playing the 3.

There was definetly a lot of talk about MoT and Eddie occupying the forward spots with out the exsitance of the traditional small forward, power forward roles. But maybe I am confusing some of the conversations on this board with actuall Rudy T comments.

Does anyone else remember Francis and Rudy both commenting on MoT's role on the Rockets if they added CWebb? I am sure they both commented on MoT possibly playing the 3.

 

I don't have a link, but I remember Steve saying in the offseason (Webber speculation) that Mo was " a 3 in a 4 or 5's body", or something to that effect.

 

Anyone who has 3 good PFs and no center and no small forward and doesn't get those 3 PFs 30+ minutes each is strapped by the rules of an outdated Dreamcaster playstation and Fantasy League rules having no creativity in their bones.

Witness the glory of Chuck Daly:

<ol>
<li>Mark Aguirre -- powerful small forward who could play PF when Daly went with his glorious 3 guard rotation.
<li>Dennis Rodman -- Best defender/rebounder PF ever! Their key to guarding Larry Bird. Commands 40+ minutes
<li>Rick Mahorn -- PF/C at 6'10 the heart and soul of the Bad Boys a 11/8 guy,
<li>John Salley -- PF/C
<li>Bill Laimber -- C/F one of the nba.com Top 90 players
<li>James Edwards -- C</ol>

How the hell did they manage to work in an Hall of Fame SF, a Hall of Fame PF, a Hall of Fame C with three other very important big men: Mahorn, Salley and Edwards??

surprise...none of them got 40 minutes because Chuck Daly was not trying to win a Fantasy League...their first ring breaks down like this:

<ul>
<li>Aguirre -- 30mpg
<li>Laimbeer -- 32 mpg
<li>Rodman -- 27 mpg
<li>Edwards -- 17 mpg (scoring 14ppg for the second ring getting 28mpg)
<li>Mahorn -- 25 mpg
<li>Salley -- 22 mpg</ul>

fancy that...they had the scoring machine Aguirre, with two guys who scored 14+ with the Pistons, 4 guys who scored 9+, and 3 guys who pulled down more that 8.5 rebounds.

what do we have:

only 3 guys to build a core for 3 positions: Griffin, Mo, Thomas (jury still out on Morris as a core minutes man)

Take stock...We are totally, completely missing the center position.
We are still searching for a small forward.

Therefore, we MUST keep all three power forwards. Besides, many, many great teams have 4-5 PFs/Cs as a core. We only have 3.

chill out. We need to keep all three. We need to make it work. If Chuck Daly can get Aguirre to take 30 mpg and Rick Mahorn and John Salley to share time with Dennis Rodman, then Rudy can make this work.

Trading Mo and Thomas is a GM blunder ... we are centerless in a centerless league. We are going to have to do it another way. No one is going to trade a center to us.

 

I expect to see Mo T and Eddie start next season.

I don't know if the rockets will play them both as forwards or as a forward and a center.

Eddie can play the 4 and some 5. I wouldn't play him at the 3.

KT can only play the 4. A little short for the 4 much less the 5, his greatest asset at the 4 is neutralized at the 3.

Mo- I prefer him at the 4, but could see him offensively play any frontcourt position. Defensively, I wouldn't want him at the 3, but it could work if he had a shotblocking center and Griffin behind him. At the 5, it would be wierd. He'd get pushed around some, but he'd have Griffin backing him up. The biggest problem with Mo at the 5 is could he take the wear and tear of playing bigger, but less talented players.

Mo and Griffin both bring tools to the table the rockets need. Mo brings very efficient scoring and Griffin helps the team defense. KT brings better ballhandling.

 

''Take stock...We are totally, completely missing the center position.
We are still searching for a small forward.

Therefore, we MUST keep all three power forwards."

Agreed. Don't get rid of any of them for the sake of getting rid of them. Both Eddie and MoT are capable of dipping into 5 minutes. Remember, Mo did it last year with KT. How many game did they start together when Dream was out?

But, if either Mo or Kenny (assuming Eddie will be the best of the 3) can lead to a sure thing small forward or center via trade, that's another issue.

 

I am actually thinking the complete opposite. It is clear having seen Corliss 3 times live now that Kenny is taller. Kenny is faster. Kenny is stronger. Why do you say his greatest asset is speed when that is what he must do at the PF spot? Why do you seem to assume he can't score down low against a smaller guy? He did consistently in college, and he is showing up in the NBA with all his college accollades and more

Kenny would mismatch SFs as much as Corliss and Mason do. He is already being guarded by 6'10 guys every day. Why is Rashard Lewis all of a sudden going to have his number, when Griffin is reporting that Kenny "tossing me around." He has the speed and power to abuse Pedja and all the other shooters, not to mention getting them into foul trouble. He has the power and spin moves to piss off the non-defense Vince's of the world...and again, getting them into foul trouble from low block positioning.

Besides...with speed like Griffin and Kenny...we could start playing some creative match-up zones to help out Mo'. It is clear that Cato has not one brain cell devoted to basketball fundamentals...there is no way Cato could play a creative zone, much less remember that it is OK to jump again, even though the coaches asked you to stay down more this year.

 

It is not another issue because I believe we have the talent on this ball club to get a serious SF assuming EG does not play the 3. One, two or all three of Tmo, Langhi and OT could blossom into that special SF. In fact it may be a collection kind of thing. Toronto's SF Morris will have nothing over these guys by the end of the season. The SF needs to be able to hit that open jumper and I have no doubt that after Rice and Walt, these guys will be as good as any doing just that. Please direct your attention to the C spot.

 

Crispee, I have been harping on this KT for SF thing for some time. Folks, including Jeff, were saying he was to slow, en fin, en fin. If I am not mistaken, he came back this year to play SF, when he did not know of the MoT injury and the Rice Trade.

 

Crispee,

Disagree with the "must" keep all 3 PFS. I'd prefer to keep them, but if Mo or KT could net a valuable upgrade at the center, I'd say cya. I expect all three to stay since I doubt a center will fall from the sky.

 

Crispee

Why would the SFs be guarding KT if they couldn't take his power? The SF would be guarding Eddie. KT would be guarding the SF. I think whatever advantage he gives the rockets against the PF he gives up against SF. I like forcing oppossing big men to guard Eddie.

I don't like this, but I could be wrong.

 

If the SF guards Griffin or Mo', then Kenny still has his same advantages against the PF. If Kenny gives up too much defense to a superstar SF (which I doubt after watching Fox destroy Pedja), then you have Griffin or someone else like Morris take those special SFs or use a zone. Just because I'm suggesting giving KT 25mpg in two positions, doesn't mean he gets those minutes every game. Beside, I think you are underestimating Kenny's speed. He isn't just fast for a PF; he is quick footed for a small forward, too. And he has the quick hands of Rick Fox too boot.

The NBA is a game of mismatches. Kenny will destroy small forwards or get them into foul trouble or both. He is a keeper. I would not trade him for a SF when all three of our power forwards can play that position, when we have a great 3 guard lineup equal to Isiah's, and when we have Torres and TMo.

As DearRock said, you *have* to throw all your trade talk into getting a center.

And right now, the NBA is a game with few centers. A center is not going to fall into our lap, especially by trading someone a short PF or one who can't rebound with major achilles surgery. The only way to get a center is by trading Francis, Griffin or Mobley. Face it. There is better trade bait out there for any good center should someone foolishly place one on the trading block. It is easier to be a Rockets fan when we just accept that we won't get a center via trade worthy of more than Ostertag minutes or bigger than Griffin in 3 yrs...so let's keep the 3 power forwards. And we damn sure won't get a top center via the draft, when there remains enough stupidity and guts in the NBA to trade Brand (stupidity) for a lottery pick and Shareef (guts). Kenny and Mo will not bring that kind of pick against the competition.

We just need to learn a creative zone. We have the shotblocker; we have the heart and speed in Kenny; we don't need a marginal center at the expense of a power forward. For instance, would you trade Kenny and Torres for Kandi? Now you lose your two players who can start successfully and backup 3 positions between them, and you still are not matching salaries. Would you trade Kenny for Nesterovic...I might, the guys is solid, but then again...he got drafted #17...why trade for him?

and Dreaming about a good center for one of our power forwards and scrubs just because realGM says "TRADE ACCEPTED" is masochistic.