I noticed them both out there in the 2nd quarter against Boston, and quite honestly these guys didnt look bad at all. Both seem to play hard off of the bench looking like they have something to prove (although if your butt was glued to the pine for the majority of the season, you would probably have something to prove too). It was nice to see Rudy T have enough confidence in these guys to play them in the 2nd qtr, when we normally wouldnt expect to see them until garbage time. Hopefully the trend will continue as they both played their roles well getting us back into the Boston game.
We've discussed Langhi's lack of PT, but what about Collier? Anyone got a clear idea why he hasn't been getting PT (no 'because he sux' responses, please. While that may be valid, it's not very informative, and doesn't make for worthwhile discussion) He's been healthy for quite awhile now. Is it just because Cato and Willis are more productive, and Rudy just wants to give his most productive players minutes together?
Jason is healthy but he got WAY out of shape when he had the shin problems. Also, Rudy has been going with smaller lineups, using Griffin at center sometimes. If it came down to Collier or Griffin getting the minutes, I'd rather see them go to Griffin, personally.
Getting back to Langhi for a second... it sure seemed that after the preseason when the Rox were even touting him for some backup SG time he sure dissappeared. I know Oscar surprised and took up that available PT, and TMo scarfed up a lot of the available SF time, but it sure would be a help if Langhi could fill in some of the whole caused by Rice's injury and Bullard's departure to CHA. If Collier could be aggressive around the basket (rebounds and defense) and hit that high post jumper he would also make a difference. Still looks a little soft and slow though...
I'm really glad to see both these guys play. We dod not know what Collier can do yeet. He is a very good shooter. At 7'0" -What if he could become our Sabonis or Nowitski, or at least Bullard?? Langhi impressed me in the 2001 Rocky Mountain review- he can move well without the ball, and shoot well. These guys can really help if given playing time. Calvin Murphy said during the Boston Game that Collier cannot really get in playing shape without game minutes. He cannot get the game minutes until he can prove efffective off the bench. A catch 22.....
