If we don't pick Redick, we're going to regret it. Both he and Brewer will probably end up as role players in the NBA, and both will probably do fine in their roles. But of the two, only Redick has all-star potential (however slight). Redick has the best chance of becoming an all-star if he lands on our team. But the benefit doesn't flow only one way, from the Rockets to Redick.. He will give T-Mac and Yao as much or more than they will give him.
I've a feeling that JVG is just blowing up smokes to cover up their real target in the draft. Hyping up the type of players they don't really want as the first option, so their first option can fall to them. Stockpiling shooters makes the Rockets offense a flawless plan. The options for defense to stop T-Mac and Yao, right now, are double teaming, trapping, and zones. Shooters get rid of such defense and the defense will get screwed one way or another, either by 111, or by our shooters. That's the way we scored repeatedly over 100 points a game when Wesley, Barry, and James were hitting their 3s, and Juwan was hitting that money jumper. The Rockets are among the best on defense, and among the worst on offense in the league. It's time to strike a balance. It's like a tank with thick armor and inaccurate canons. Redick is that laser gun the tank needs most.
Team's need: better perimeter defense, clutch rebounding Yao's need: guards to stop dribble penetration It'd be funny if the Rockets don't draft a SG with the 8th pick. The notion of Shelden or Foye as the best available by the time the Rocks choose wouldn't be inconceivable.
Rockets' perimeter defense is not that great last season. If Wesley retires or he is not re-signed next season, I predict the perimeter defense will be worse. Do you think pairing Redick with Alston is gonna stop other teams' backcourt from scoring at will?
At agility test Redick is right there with Brandon Roy, he's also 10 plus years younger and 4 inches taller than Wesley. Wesley didn't play that good defense last year. So there won't be much dropoff on D, if at all. Actually, I'm pretty optimistic on Redick being better on D than the old, slow and short Wesley. This leads us to the overall picture of our defense last year, which, despite Yao and T-Mac's absence, has been among the best at No.4 in opponent ppg, holding teams to 90 points a game. Sure, it makes our defense look bad when our perimeter is penetrated, but our rotations and Yao/Swift have done an adequate job in holding the ppg down. If we can roughly maintain the D and get our offense back to the level of 04-05's Rockets by following the same recipe, only being better because Redick and James are the premier shooters now that don't just fall in laps, I think we'd be in good shape.
Did Wesley execute bad defense or was it more of Alston being there with him instead of Sura & James?
