Actually, what makes me so happy with Landry is that he doesn't RELY on that explosiveness. He didn't have it against Dallas, for example, but he was still very effective (his rebounding suffered, but I'm not sure how much of it was because of his knee). As for the injury, I said it about the Lakers game, but I think Landry will play against Boston. I think we'll need him very soon, and possibly one reason he even sat out against LA was because Gasol was out... Either that, or the team is just keeping him out until we lose a game, haha.
Feign said in his Rocket Talk video that Landry is going to play on Tuesday. Anybody knows if it is true?
harris is a revelation. you see a dude like that who wasn't even in the league a month ago. living in china eating rice and dumplings or w/e and you just smile to see him deliver on the court when he's called up landry however was playing on an entirely different level. landry was a potential ROY candidate. there's no comparing harris and landry's hops. harris is strong physically but goes up slow and opposing players can anticipate his shot. landry has the ability that players like hakeem have, he can go up and grab a board or take a shot before other players are even set. he looks to have 8-10 inches on harris and can finish with dunks even when he's fouled hard or pulled down by opposing players I actually really like what harris brings but he's basically a chuck hayes player with some offensive game. he's at best a solid journeyman in the league landry has the potential to be a lot more. he can definitely start in this league and really has the potential to be a special complementary player on a championship contender like horace grant or oakley.
i live in new york and have rice and dumplings at least a couple times a week. hmmm, szechuan dumplings from pig heaven on 2nd ave. what're "w/e"?
i think that the differences between landry and harris are minimal. Landry is 6-9 and Harris is 6-6, sometimes that's the difference between a future starter and a journeyman. Think about different players and imagine how much better they would be if they were 3 inches taller, especially fowards. A 7ft landry might be an mvp candidate.
I think the athleticism is a big difference, though. As someone else mentioned, Mike Harris can jump, but he is slow to get off his feet. That quickness by Landry makes a HUGE difference. As much as I hated David Robinson, it was something that he possessed too that gave him an advantage. You don't have to outjump someone if you get off the floor a half second before they do. Also, someone mentioned this in a thread in the past, Landry goes at the RIM, not up to the top of his jump and then to the rim. The result is that he is at the basket before the defender is really prepared to block the shot.
I hope he isn't coming back too soon. The worst thing to happen is rush back to please everyone, and re-injure the knee and be set back even longer than originally and potentially miss playoff time. With that said, it'll be nice to have him back.
I know in today's Rockets notes, he said he might but nothing's definite. Rockets forward Carl Landry experienced no difficulties with his sore right knee after Saturday's strenuous workout and will test his knee again today, with hopes he could be cleared to play Tuesday against the Celtics.
Unless you think Harris is only on the roster while Landry is hurt and will be subsequently replaced by a guard, this is false. The more interesting question becomes who goes to the IR (with Francis and Yao) when Landry returns. My guess is either Justin Williams/replacement (Dale Davis) or Aaron Brooks.
Rockets put 22-game win streak on line against NBA’s best team By CHRIS DUNCAN, AP Sports Writer 2 hours, 13 minutes ago HOUSTON (AP)—Tracy McGrady bent over exhausted at midcourt after the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to 22 games by beating the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. There’s no time to rest, however. The Rockets host Boston, the NBA’s best team, on Tuesday. “It’s going to be a challenge, it’s going to be a tough game for us,” McGrady said. “But we’re capable of winning it.” The Rockets’ streak was already the second-longest in NBA history and they took over the top spot in the Western Conference with Sunday’s 104-92 victory. McGrady scored only 11 points on 4-for-16 shooting and the win showed again that the Rockets have become more than a one-man show since Yao Ming went down with a foot injury 10 games ago. “That’s the makeup of our team,” McGrady said. “You just can’t rely on one guy. There are going to be some nights where I’m going to be off. We have multiple guys who can pick up the slack. That’s a good thing to have.” ADVERTISEMENT Point guard Rafer Alston hit eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points on Sunday, and has averaged 16 points and 6.6 assists during the streak. Shane Battier has shot 39 percent from 3-point range and embraced the role of defensive stopper, handling the opponents’ most dynamic scorer. He harassed Kobe Bryant into an 11-for-33 performance on Sunday. Luis Scola is making a case for rookie of the year, averaging 12 points and eight rebounds since Yao was injured. Alston credits Coach Rick Adelman for implementing a system that keeps every player in the mix. The Rockets run set plays, but the offense mostly relies on cuts and motion, giving anyone who gets open a chance to score. “We’re getting it every night from different guys,” said Alston, who had five assists on Sunday. “We can call a play for Tracy, but everyone is still involved in that play. We’re all moving, the ball’s hopping.” Even when Adelman has turned to his bench during the streak, his unsung reserves have produced. Bobby Jackson scored 19 points on Sunday, his best game since the Rockets acquired him on Feb. 21. Chuck Hayes had 12 rebounds in Houston’s 83-75 win in Atlanta last Wednesday and 10 boards in the win before that. Steve Novak sank a game-winning 3-pointer against Sacramento on Feb. 13, the eighth victory in the streak. Luther Head scored 20 points in the 111-107 win over Golden State that launched the streak on Jan. 29. “What’s good is we’re getting four or five people in double figures every night, so we’re not relying on just Tracy trying to get 41 points,” Alston said. “That says a lot about us and our team and how everyone has turned their games up.” The unlikeliest new hero is Mike Harris, a 6-foot-6 forward who was playing in China in February. The Rockets reluctantly cut the rookie from Rice in the preseason, but never forgot him. Harris averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds in 25 games with DongGuan in the Chinese Basketball Association. That season ended last month and when rookie Carl Landry went down with a bruised knee, Harris was back in Houston working out. The Rockets offered him a 10-day contract and he was playing two days later. Harris had six points and seven rebounds in his NBA debut, Houston’s 91-73 win over New Jersey on March 10. He had six points and five rebounds in the second quarter Sunday as the Rockets opened a 15-point lead. “It gave me a lot of confidence to get thrown out there so early,” Harris said. “It kind of caught me off guard. Coach was walking down to the end of the bench and I thought he was looking at the game. He gave my name a call and I was kind of shocked for a second. It was great and I’m very grateful that they gave me the opportunity.” The Rockets rewarded Harris with another 10-day contract on Monday. Landry said he may return Tuesday and the Rockets were also planning to work out 38-year-old Dale Davis to possibly join them for the stretch run. As remarkable as their season has become, the Rockets say there’s nothing to celebrate yet. After all, they’re only six games ahead of ninth-place Denver in the tightly bunched West. “Even though we’ve won so many games in a row, we have to keep winning,” Alston said. “We’re only like 1 1/2 games ahead of a couple of teams. If we keep winning and if other teams continue to lose, we widen the gap. So, every game is important until we have a three- or four-game cushion on these guys.” I don't know this is significant or not.
Heard on the radio this morning that his knee is still bothering him and he will miss some more time. Of course, this was coming from Mark V and Andre W, so who knows. I don't see any reason to rush him back. Harris is playing ok, and we're rolling. Don't bring him back until he's 100%.
