Subject Kenny Thomas I am so tired of hearing how great of a defender Kenny Thomas is, what has he done defensively for anyone to say this. I'll give him one thing, he tries really hard, he plays with the fire that a guy without a Multi million dollar contract plays with, ala Kelvin Cato pre big contract days. Will he be this same player in another year? Who knows, because nobody knows KT, he was never a guy that fans really knew. A role of the dice for the future and an undersized PF with no Shot blocking ability = See ya later Everyone acts like he was a defensive stopper, against above average PF he gets lit up, didnt block shots wasnt a big threat for steals. He had a great spin move and could finish around the hoop. Well guess what? we dont need an inside scoring presence anymore, and I feel that this is all we loose. He wasnt a passer or a good shooter. Griffin, in my opinion is a far better defender than Kenny. The NBA games are won in the last 5/6 minutes of the game, and if nobody has noticed that is when MING and GRIFFIN get their swats down the stretch, and that is what we need. Posey allows us to be able to put a long/quick body on the ace 2&3's in the league, which by the way there are alot of them around. Who does this now? Rice with to broken knees. Mobley, I say that he is improving but is still undersized on the 6'6-8 guys. This trade in my opinion is great for the Rockets, based off what we needed it filled the void. We traded from strength to add strength to a weaker position. Kudos to CD and the ROCKS!
Do you think Mo T feels stupid now? I mean, just a few days ago, he was crying about not getting enough playing time. I'm sure that, as he was talking to reporters, Rudy and team were on the phone with Denver and Philly. To me, Mo T now looks like an a55 for his complaints about playing time. Rudy isn't dumb. He (obviously) knew that he had a situation to deal with, and was making efforts. If Mo T would have kept his mouth shut for a few more days, he wouldn't look like such an a55. And all this from a player who still has a lot to prove for himself: spent last year out with major injury, missed first five games due to drug suspension. IMHO Taylor needs to immediately start shining. -- droxford
No, he's not on drugs during games. If you know anything about cannibis, it stays in the fatty cells of the brains. It stays there for months. It slows down brain functions and reactions. That is a fact. So yes, it effects him in games and practices. As far as 60% of the league smoking pot, there's a big difference in the side effects of smoking pot occasionally versus using pot chronically. I tend to believe Mo is a big time toker. That's my point. He doesn't have the technique or the effort. Technique is learnable. He doesn't seem to have the desire to learn it. I wonder why that could be.
In Taylor's first year with the Rockets he averaged 9.2 rebounds per 48 minutes. Last year Thomas averaged 9.9 rebounds per 48 minutes. Not much difference. As a Rocket he is averaging 11.8 points and almost 5 rebounds per game. If you're going to attack the guy, at least get the number right.
Who cares about MoT, he has proven to be the next Vin Baker...overpaid lard. He is a toker and you can tell by his game and work ethic on the court. He is a passive(symbolic of tokers) PF, preferring to face up rather than use his big a$$ to back somebody in and get a bucket. Signing him was almost as bad as signing Matt Maloney. Good thing we have Griffin, I still have not given up on MoT and his chances of returning to the 2000 edition that we had. I also think that as a passer he can proove to be effective working with YAO. If he can get that mid range jumper working then he can draw that defensive attention in order to open things up in the middle.
it never surprises me how f*ckin stupid some people are. mo-tay is trying to recover from not playing for a real long time. alot of basketball is confidence, and that is not there. mo had 5 pts, 5 rebounds and 2 steals and 2 assists in limited minutes. he is hustleing out there. that is a start, and he will do better once his confidence gets back. to make assertions on his personal life is just wrong. i guess i can make the assumption that those of you bashing mo-tay are worthless pieces of ****..... but that would be wrong of me.
Ever hear of anger management classes gram? It's not much of an assumption about his pot consumption since his been busted a couple of times. Bottom line, he can't defend and he's a poor rebounder. Is that too much of an assumption for you? And just to clarify, I'm refering to Mo pre-injury just and much as now.
God, this is so stupid. If you can't see that those numbers from the first part of two years ago were influenced tremendously by learning an entirely new system, I don't know what else to tell you. When Mo has been healthy and comfortable with the system, his numbers have been 16 and 7. Those are the only numbers that matter to me. As far as 60% of the league smoking pot, there's a big difference in the side effects of smoking pot occasionally versus using pot chronically. I tend to believe Mo is a big time toker. Based on what, pure hatred? That's my point. He doesn't have the technique or the effort. Technique is learnable. He doesn't seem to have the desire to learn it. I wonder why that could be. Technique is heavily dependent on instinct. You don't learn instinct. Nope, but he's shown a long pattern in not improving his game. His game has not developed since his first season. In his last four complete seasons, Mo's points, rebounds, and assists have all been higher than when he was a rookie.
It's a huge assumption to expand two busts into being a chronic user. And, as for Mo "not defending", Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, Elton Brand, and Tim Duncan were all held below their averages in 2000-01 vs. the Rockets, when Mo Taylor was our starting PF.
anyone else find it a tad ironic that BONGMAN posted the news of a trade that opened up some minutes for Mo to play!!!
paging hp, paging hp... guess we'll never discuss wether KT was a black hole or not when I get to see the Rockets around here again, huh, hp? Really, part of me is sorry for seeing the guy go, but Posey seems like a perfect fit. What are your thoughts about the trade hp, as you were arguably KT's biggest supporter around here? BTW, look for KT to blossom in the east. It wont be too long before he gets the starting nod over there. If he can pass the ball to Iverson, that is.
<i>Based on what, pure hatred?</i> Nope by his poor reflexes and his eyes. <i>Technique is heavily dependent on instinct. You don't learn instinct.</i> Just to play the devil's advocate, why is Taylor so hearalded by you and so many others if he doesn't have instinct and thus can't improve his technique? Sounds like a terrific investment. <i>In his last four complete seasons, Mo's points, rebounds, and assists have all been higher than when he was a rookie.</i> Looking from his sophmore year on, any improvements he's made have been marginal at best. <i>And, as for Mo "not defending", Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, Elton Brand, and Tim Duncan were all held below their averages in 2000-01 vs. the Rockets, when Mo Taylor was our starting PF.</i> I'll take your word on that. I wish I had those games on tape to see how much time Taylor spent defending them and who the players wher that were helping defensively. I'd also be curious to know how many other players on those teams scored above their season averages due to the looks? Did the Rockets win those games?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/news/2002/12/19/burning_questions/ 1 Which team got the best of the Kenny Thomas-James Posey trade? James Posey AP Give the slight edge to the Rockets. Houston had to give up a pretty good player in Thomas, but it needed a perimeter defender and complementary scorer. Posey, a lanky 6-foot-8 athlete who can run the floor, should provide that missing dimension. Look for Posey to split time at small forward with sharpshooter Glen Rice. Together they give coach Rudy Tomjanovich greater flexibility, depending on whether he needs a stopper on the court or someone to spread the floor. Also, the move clears playing time for Maurice Taylor and shot-blocking specialist Eddie Griffin at power forward. Quietly, the Rockets have become a dangerous team. With center Yao Ming improving each game, Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley driving and dishing in the backcourt and now the Posey/Rice combo at small forward, Houston has some weapons. If the Rockets stay healthy, they could finish among the top four teams in the conference. The Sixers also have to be happy with the trade. They got an underrated player in Thomas for bench-warmers Mark Bryant and Art Long. The only question is, where will Thomas fit in? Coach Larry Brown already has a crowd at power forward with Keith Van Horn, Derrick Coleman and Bria Skinner. As for the Nuggets, they made this move strictly for financial reasons. Posey is a free agent after the season, and Denver didn’t think it was going to re-sign him; this way the Nuggets avoid losing him for nothing. They might struggle now to score 70 points many nights, but they probably just gave themselves a few more ping pong balls in the LeBron James Lottery. p>
Looking at MoT's numbers his rookie year, they're just as good as any other season considering the minutes he's played. The guy hasn't gotten significantly better since he was a rookie, except in his assists.
I think this is the best trade we could possibly make in this situation. A few observations: 1) Our roster after the trade - any holes left? Barring any major unforeseen developments, I really think we are all set now. I think chemistry has improved a lot - Kenny T. was b****ing too openly about his contract. I am so much looking forward to seeing this team grow, the mix seems to be perfectly right. As far as I could follow Posey, I think the characterization "poor man's Artest" is pretty good. One interesting thing about Artest, though, is that it took him a long time to get his fg % up to where it is now. So there might be hope with Posey who also never had the chance to play with a point guard as great as Steve Francis. What I really like is the mix of players we have now. PG: Francis (offense and everything), Norris (sparkplug and buzzer-beater [but the guy needs to get in shape!! being a clown is not enough]) SG: Mobley (offense), Posey/Hawkins (defense) SF: Rice/Nachbar (offense), Posey/Hawkins (defense) PF: Griffin (defense), Taylor (offense) C: Ming (everything), Cato (defense) It's perfect. We have offensive and defensive specialists at every position now. If you break it down by specialized skills, it all comes together nicely as well. I think that all these guys are in the top 10-20 % in the NBA for the skill mentioned. 3-point shooting: Rice, Nachbar, Mobley, Francis Blocks: Ming, Griffin Steals: Posey, Francis, Mobley, Hawkins Rebounds: Ming, Griffin, Francis (for a PG) Assists: Francis - here I would like someone better than Moochie, a more pure point guard to complement Francis - someone like Brevin Knight or maybe Marko Jaric. I don't know if Tito (Troll Doll) could grow into that role. I think all these guys are going to be in the rotation somehow in the middle and longer term. Morris will also get some minutes as he is an adequate defender that can play several positions. I think he will get some time at PF. Nice complementary player. Collier and Maddox will probably only play when someone gets injured. I think Mickeal is probably the odd man out if Posey and Hawkins do well. I would now rather have some veteran shooter of the Bullard or Curry type and/or someone who plays good post defense and can bruise opposing PFs a bit. Chucky Brown, anyone? 2) Mo Taylor's recent statement Nobody has mentioned this yet in this thread as far as I can see, but Mo Taylor recently said something like "Of course I am frustrated, but things happen for a reason and I will just have to be patient." I think by "things happen for a reason" he implied that showcasing Kenny T. for a trade could be the reason. 3) James Posey I'm surprised that people haven't posted more pictures of him yet! He can dunk! ...on people!!! Was David Stern standing on a chair? Or is Posey not really 6'8? I like that hustle!! Overall, I have to say, this was another good day for the Rockets!!! Just when you thought you could not get more excited about the growth prospects of this team...CD and Rudy pull off another nice deal .
One thing I forgot to ask...does anybody think Posey and/or Hawkins could also defend some point guards when they are in at the same time with Steve Francis?
How uncharacteristically disrespectful of me. I shall respect HP's misery from now on. Seriously, I'm just curious about what he has to say about the trade and the new team outlook.
