Moochie brings stability, court awareness, knowledge of the system, and an insurance policy in case Francis gets injured. When Francis got injured last year Moochie stepped right in and ran the offense without a problem. He is the best pure PG on the roster, and he brings energy and adds depth and flexibility off the bench. People keep saying there are dozens of CBA players who can do what he does, if there were dozens of CBA players who could do that how come teams can't find them? How come Miami, and Dallas have shown interest in Moochie instead of going to the CBA and picking one of these "dozens" of CBA players? <b>not to mention, i'm not a huge proponent of the "pure" point guard.</b> Well you're the only one, because EVERY team in the playoffs last year had a pure PG. EVERY TEAM had a PG to set up the offense, even the Lakers. The Lakers were actually BETTER when Derek Fisher, a pure PG running the offense then they were the year before with Ron Harper running the offense.
<b>shammond williams, anyone? damon jones, anyone? moochie norris, anyone? mahmoud abdul-rauf, anyone? kyle hill, anyone? khalid el-amin, anyone? sean colson (blech!!)</b> I wouldn't take one of those guys over Moochie. Even Vancouver barely used Mahmoud! The only one who fits the Rockets is Shammond Williams. And I would take Moochie over him since Moochie has nearly 2 years of experience in the Rockets system.
verse - I for one do not feel comfortable with a guy at point who has never run a game before. There is something to be said for experience. Remember how many stupid rookie mistakes Steve made in his first year? In his case, his pure talent and ability allowed us to forgive him for them. I doubt this will be the case for Hill. He will have to learn how to coordinate the offense from scratch, and I doubt anyone will have the patience for that. Hill is, IMHO, merely a last fallback insurance piece who may have some value in practices. As for a "pure" PG, it's nice to have one. Having a SG play point means few assists, and that means a less potent offense. I still don't like it when Cat plays point... IMO, of all the guys you listed, Mooch is the only one I'd want. Next would be Williams, but that'd only be to prevent Colson or Hill from having to play point.
RockMill, incorrect. LA Lakers: d-fish IS NOT a pure pg. if anything, he's a small 2 that can play the point. SA Spurs: terry porter started at point in the playoffs and is a another small 2 that can play the point. Portland Jailblazers: stoudamire...point guard height...shooters mentality...= small shooting guard. see above 2. Utah Jazz: one of the few, and one of the BEST EVER pure point guards in the nba. Dallas: nash is a pure point guard, also. his childhood idol...john stockton. Sacramento: if you call j williams a point guard again, i'm gonna slap you Phoenix: kidd was the consummate pure point guard. Minnesota: pure point guard. that also shoots well. 50% were pure point guards. 50% weren't. pure point guards look to create and pass first, then shoot 2nd.
Shandon, Originally posted by Shandon Andverson If you think we missed the playoffs in part cuz of Moochie having to step up at times late in the game and make some big shots, then I couldn't disagree more. I agree that Moochie shouldn't have to take big shots, and that the Rockets don't want him to necessarilly. But somtimes even lesser players must step up in dire situations and take crucial shots. I believe Moochie did a fairly admirable job of that last year. I hope Kyle Hill is a tremendous sucess for the Rockets, and at this point would agree that if Rudy has had his eye on him, then chances are the kid has game. But, he is still unproven on the NBA level. I am not willing to risk Stevie's backup at pg, to be so inexperienced next year. I feel that if we wish to make the playoffs having a backup point with NBA experience is a must. And as others have pointed out, compared to what is available, I feel bringing Moochie back is still the most potent option we posses at backup point guard. If he leaves he will be more sorely missed.
We don't need a back-up point guard. Steve can play 48 min. a game! If for some reason he gets an injury I know a guy at the park who averages about 12 points per game. Who needs Mooch? Nevermind the fact that he's a clutch player. Forget that he can SHOOT pretty damn good. Forget that he can create for others. Forget that he's the best ball handler on the team. Forget that he's good for chemistry. Forget that he averaged almost 20 ppg as a starter. Bill & Calvin are stupid for saying "Good things happen when Mooch checks into the game." It's his fault that we didn't make the playoffs. I wouldn't pay him minimum wage to play for this team. KYLE HILL'S THE ANSWER!!!
I like the way money does not matter anylonger, most want to sign Moochie regardless of what it takes. He really, really wants to be in Houston but MONEY does matter. This kid Hill can not be counted on as he was drafted 44th and Moochie was drafted 33ed, but then he did get cut by 3 NBA teams before the Rockets picked him up out of the CBA. This Hill kid went to E Illoniois st, they could not have near the program that Western Florida has that Moochie went to. If we want to make the play-offs then we need a experenced backup at point, no rookie. Moochie has over a year experence and we really didn't make the play-offs with Maloney or Mobley playing point did we? But thats right they would have had an experenced point to fall back on, not like a rookie would now with only Francis to take over for him. He played as back up one year and now everyone wants to give him his money for a long term guarenteed contract, doesn't that ring a bell with anyone? Just think in 4 more years we will be done paying for the last point guard we did that for.
The Rock's would be smart to keep Moochie, if for no other reason, TRADE VALUE. Mooch doesn't have too much trade value right now. But play him another year and other teams will see that he is a consistent and solid NBA player. Dallas already sees it. Other will too. Therefore, he'll become a bit of a commidity allowing us to possibely pick up a solid role player at a difference position (uh, 5). He's solid and not that expensive. Most teams value that. It's not as though keeping Mooch hinders our team. He has something to contribute. I think letting Mooch walk is a mistake. But pulling of a S/T won't get you much...right now. Next summer his value will be higher than it is now. -krosfyah
RudyT has done it time and time again. He has dipped into the CBA to pull out a player for a minimum contract to be a backup point guard. If Moochie does not sign, we will probably get another person from the CBA. Sure Kyle Hill, may get a shot if he goes off in preseason games, but I really doubt that he will play more than 10 mins a game. In fact, I don't see the backup PG playing more than 10 mins a game anyhow.
I have mentioned in 2 other threads that I HAVE seen Hill play in person. He can score, he is a decent passer, but I SAW HIM PLAY THE 2, he had a few assists but he was set up alot by his teamates. EIU sucked and Hill was their one option, the other team really focused on him and he still dropped in 30. He found ways to score at his level. Do I think he can play the point...no. Moochie is by far the better ball handler. I think Hill can be a 11th or 12th guy on a roster, step in to back up Mobley for a few minutes and maybe hit a few nice shots. Maybe go for 15 once or twice. To tell you the truth I think that Moochie and Hill could be exciting to watch together if Steve and Cat get in foul trouble or something like that. The team would be far better off with Moochie. We'll have to see about Hill. I have my doubts about Kyle because the Lakers are a little better than the S.W. Missouri St. Indians!
