I still love Boki, I just don't know why. I have seen virtually nothing of him on court as a Rocket. I hope Jeff is right. Rox'll need young legs with Rice's ancient legs & back always a question mark... So, Boki for Rookie Game, as a 2nd year player in '04...
I want to see him get fit and on the court off the bench so we can get some more points from the SF spot but it seems he will only get a few minutes this year.
He would be playing if he could hold his own on defense, but he looked terrible in the few games I watched him play. Maybe mid-year, hopefully next year !
None of you guys have ever had a hiatal hernia, have you? It is a brutal injury. It often gives people severe gastro-intestinal distress to go with the pain the hole that is in the diaphragm (that's what a hiatal hernia is in the first place). The diaphragm is a big muscle so it hurts like any other torn muscle on top of everything else. When you have that kind of injury, especially to your body's center, you can't run or workout at all. It's similar to back injuries in that respect. This isn't a case of talent wasting on the bench. After hearing some further comments from people, this sounds very much like a kid with a nasty hernia who isn't close to game shape at the moment.
I hope Rudy doesn't Langhi the guy. There are some good players that do not fit in with Rudy for whatever reason. DaDakota
I might be totally wrong, but I will take a guess at the problem. The Rockets have 3 PF's and TM who probably plays better at the 4 spot. Then we only have Rice at the 3 spot (who actually fits the SF type), but since he likes to run that DAMN 3 guard lineup (when Cat returns), there goes about 20+ minutes from the SF spot. Then you have 3-4 PF's, that demand time (except TM), who take another 10+ minutes from that spot. So the reality is until Rice retires (or is injured), Rudy just does not have any time for a SF on his team. I think Rudy was thinking that Ming (or Cato) would not play well this year. That way he could play Taylor & Griffin at the center spot, to give Boki (or ?) some playing time at the 3 spot. I remember Clutch, grabbed one of my quotes last year (for the homepage), and it was something like, "even if the Rockets get a top notch SF via draft (or trade), would Rudy give up the small guard lineups, so he could play!". Well I guess we have the answer. I hope Jeff is right about the injury, but who knows!!
Because they are already thin at the 2/3 with the injuries to Mobley and Rice. Why do you think Tito Maddux is not on the IR? The guy is still capable of going for some minutes if necessary, but there is a big difference between being in shape and being in GAME shape. Boki isn't close to game shape and he's still a ways off from being in really good physical condition. Better to have him working out with the team on a daily basis than not.
I can tell you for a FACT that this is not the case with Boki. Rudy was never high on Langhi, but Boki was his pick. He loves the kid.
Jeff, was this after they drafted him? That trade is so lopsided (with Dallas) now after the fact. Were they convinced that Langhi might be a sleeper Matt Bullard type, before the draft?
I heard it too. Along with comments on the PF spot, which he noted needs to change to consistant minutes. Didn't say how . Did say he'd give MoT a chance, a shot, a fair shake, something like that. Plus a lot of excuses for him. I translated his Boki Pollyana junk as "Will not play this year." Hope I'm wrong, I'd love to see this guy get some time.
I heard Rudy on his talk show last year talking about Terrance Morris as if he wouldn't amount to much. I remember really being surprised at the time because he really didn't have a lot of positives to say about him and Rudy is good about putting a positive spin on most situations. Rudy really seemed to change his tune about TMO during the training camp then the injury hit and now TMO is back to doing nothing.
I was told last year that Langhi wasn't someone Rudy was completely sold on but it was a second-round pick in a draft that wasn't very deep. He took a shot. Boki, on the other hand, was a very different story. Besides, the only reason anyone seems to be making the comparision is because they are both tall, skinny white guys who can shoot. Technically, Langhi has more in common with Morris than Boki given that they were both second-round picks that they got as the result of trades. Boki was the 15th pick in a draft loaded with talent. Big difference.
I swear I'm gonna print up my standard answer whenever people are bewildered that Rudy is arch conservative about bringing rookie X along when he has any kind of alternative.. " You don't mean....no! It's not possible....Rudy has found a reason to not play a rookie as much as we think he should!?!? Rudy!?!?!? You mean he's decided that ____________ needs more time to develop his strength and confidence, and he doesn't want to put too much pressure on him!?!? "
if boki can't go, then he can't go. i trust rudy and the coaching staff knows more about his situation then anyone else and wouldn't just hold him back if they thought he could contribute. with a pretty deep frontline who all want playing time it's pretty obvious that there's not a need to rush him. even if he didn't play one game this year it has no bearance on how highly they think of his future on this team. the extended minutes he got on sunday were real nice, enough to where i still think we got a steal at that position when he's ready.
Jeff, Boki does not have a hiatal hernia. He has an inguinal hernia, which is a herniation of the bowels through the inguinal canal near the groin. It's completely different. With a hiatal hernia you aren't really limited by pain past the initial recovery from the surgery. With inguinal hernias, you can't do any exercises that substantially increase intrabdominal pressure for 6 weeks post-op, because it is very easy to have a recurrence if you're not patient. So strenuous exercise does take a while to get back into, and your whole body suffers. In a few months, he should be able to get his abdominal strength, leg and upper body strength back to what they were. Until then, everything about his game will likely be affected...especially his confidence with what he can do physically.
Blessing in disguise. I mean if the man can score one point per minute when he's not fully recovered, he will explode when he gets all the strength back.
My mistake. Inguinal is worse for sure, particularly for conditioning. Someone told me over the summer it was hiatal. Thanks for the correction.
