Thabeet has been a offensive liability in College. You can't post him up and let him do work. That's been one of his cons, he's also been known to get bullied by bigger stronger guys. At worst Marcus Camby? That's a Can't miss prospect, if that was so he'd be going #1 right now. At worst he's a Samuel Dalembert, Gortat, type of Center who just defends the paint. -draftXpress Why do we need another player that needs his shots created for him? We have two guys that can create shots on this team...Tmac...and Yao...and one guy is never mentally/physically right...
I just don't see it. Yeh he is young, but his performance in the olympics wasn't all that impressive. He had a high turnover rate and his shooting was below average for a player who is supposed to have an inordinate amount of skill. All the hype, and publicity he gets in the press, all the quotes from paul, and kobe...all that is is the media asking about a player who they only see once a year, and the player responding with the politically correct response that he's a good young player.
No, but I feel Rubio can help us more in 2009-10 than Brooks did 2008-09. Brooks, when he isn't scoring...has a bad night. Rubio doesn't have to score to have a good night. Brooks also doesn't create for himself, Yao creates for him and he creates for others. I wouldn't give up too much for the #2 pick though.
Woah. Ok first of all. Any player that averages 3.8 offensive rebounds a game and 64 percent FG% on a contending team is not an offensive liability. The post game will develop over time. You cant teach what thabeet can down in the paint. He's freaking 7 3 and an explosive leaper. Dalembert is 6 11 and gortat is freaking gortat. hes not nearly the athlete thabeet is.
because hes the posterchild for euro bball right now. he's flashy and fun to watch, but that doesn't always translate in to winning basketball.
You can't teach the vision and creativity of Rubio also. Rubio can also get a shot which would VASTLY improve his overall game. If you read the report, Thabeet is 64% off of players creating for him...there's a difference. Blake Griffin averaging 55% and Thabeet Averaging 64% there is a big difference. One player creates all of his shots and opportunities, the other gets dunks, put-backs, and etc. Just like Landry, he has a slight better FG% than Yao. Thabeet would be another player on our team who can't create for others. Otherwise Yao is going to be the only player we can run our offense through (Unless Tmac....) and we all know he can EASILY be fronted.... Yeah the Post game CAN come...just like Rubio CAN become a better shooter.
1999 Draft Steve Francis Baron Davis Andre Miller 2001 Draft Tony Parker Gilbert Arenas 2004 Draft Devin Harris Jameer Nelson 2005 Draft Deron Williams Chris Paul 2006 Draft Rajon Rondo 2008 Draft Derrick Rose There have been a lot of good PG's in the last 10 years.
rubio seems to be the type of player who needs the ball in order to be effective. If he's not handling the ball, without a jumper, he's useless. Then you turn around and he's guarding the likes of Paul and williams will have the strength and quickness advantage over him. I just don't see the potential for greatness. You say thabeet's points came off of people creating for him, well in the nba, the guard play is significantly better than a NCAA team. Despite what people will say, scola is a guy who is efficient offensively while allowing other players to create for him. He gets alot of points off of offensive rebounds, guard penetration, or by running the floor. Thabeet can be effective even without developing a post game on offense. His offensive rebounding alone would get him 8-10 points a game. Then he will also be able to draw fouls and get to the line, and he runs the floor well too. Thats just the impact he can have on the offensive end without even comanding the ball...Now you look at him on the defensive end and thats where he is going to earn his money. Shotblocking, changing shots and rebounding...Its what wins championships.....Hmm if only he can develop a post game and a midrange jumper....hmmmmmm
Well it still says something. That without being prompted like "Kobe, what do you think of Rubio?" he just instead throws his name out there after being asked how the international game affects the NBA...and he just thinks of Rubio? Why not Gasol, his own teammate? You ask me, he's genuinely impressed with what the guy can do. He didn't even have to mention his name. I just think Rubio>Thabeet for this team. Simply because we have too many players who don't create and rely on a well run offense. When we NEED a score, you'd be lying if you told me you weren't nervous. Because these our are scoring options of 2008-09... 1.) Throw the ball to Yao, if they don't double. Yao take it! If they do, Yao pass out and hope the player you pass to makes the right decision. This works for the most part...but teams easily can counter by fronting, which works EXTREMELY well. So what do we do if Yao can't get the ball? A.) Brooks...do something please. We'll set a bunch of screens with Yao, Scola,or who else...just try to do something. B.) Artest...Jack up a shot or something...dang. C.) If Scola has the mismatch give it to him. D.) WAFER! SAVE US! The thing is...Scola, Artest, and Brooks can play one-on-one and can create for themselves...but not for others consistently. That's what Rubio is about, creating for others, getting them in the game. His vision and creativity with the ball allows him to get into the lane despite his lack of 'quickness' (even though he's far from being slow...) because you never know what he's going to do. He has a sick crossover, plus him and Scola on the pick and roll would be DEADLY...hell him and Landry would also be killer. We need more Offense, another guy who we can give the ball to and trust. We can't completely trust Artest and Brooks when Yao is being fronted. We can't really on Tmac coming back either. So if we had the #2 pick, then Rubio makes a lot of sense. But I don't expect us giving up too much for the pick. I'd be surprised if we did get it.
LOL...DD. What is your obsession with white players with handles and good court vision? Every possible opportunity you get to slurp on this kind of guard you do and you always take it to ridiculous levels. LOL a once in a generation PG? you have got to be kidding.
I think Rubio's court vision is better than all of those you mentioned, with the sole exception of perhaps CP3..... That is how good I think he can be.... I find it extremely racist of you to hone in on skin color instead of style of play, I prefer players that play a good team oriented game, and skin tone has no effect on that whatsoever. If you read my posts you know it is about style...period...not skin tone. Unless you are telling me that Von Wafer, Corey Maggette, Mike Harris, Ramon Sessions and so many others are all white guys.... Style...and hard work matter the most to me....thank you very much. As for Rubio there is a reason the 18 year old is going to be drafted number 2, he is one heck of a player, and will be great in the NBA...not good, not average, but great, IMO of course. DD
Heres the thing about scoring......Its easy to find. You can get it on the cheap. Wafer for instance...Brooks...Landry. These guys all can score in double figures on any given night. Wafer was a guy we picked up off the street, Brooks was a late round PG that costs us about a mill a year, and Landry was a second round pick. I think James white is a guy who could throw up some points if given the opportunity also. Another guy morey picked off the street. I think you also forget that mcgrady will be back next year which will help and then we still have the games best offensive center in Yao ming. When youre picking second in the draft you're not just looking for a guy who can create. You're looking for a guy who impacts games. Thabeet is the kind of dominating prescense that makes an impact just by being on the court.
Every great PG needs the ball, but actually on his scouting report his off the ball mentality has been praised enough to being a strength. And Rubio will be handling the Ball a lot. Because...Artest handling it isn't ideal, and Yao fumbles the ball a lot. Your right about Scola getting points off his teammates, but Scola has post moves aplenty, and he has a mid range jumper to where no one is planning on leaving him open to hit it. Two things Thabeet lack. I don't think one thing wins championships...it's a combination of things. Right now...our offense is VERY VERY limited and at times, very stagnant. The Rockets and the Cavs, you can argue that both of these teams were by far the best team defensive teams in the NBA...but when they needed to score or keep up with a hot shooting team like the Lakers and Magic...they lose eventually. Well the Cavs just had a lot of mismatches on their end. Our offense overall is average, dependent on Adelman's execution and Yao's post skills. I thought that's why we moved Alston, because Brooks gave us more of a scoring threat. This team is already elite defensive wise, as long as we have Yao-Artest-Battier, that isn't changing soon.
I would trade Aaron Brooks for Rubio. The reason is Brooks does not make play for this offense. When team double Yao, the Rockets' offense is stagnant. Ron couldn't do much! So we need a PG that can generate the offense. Brooks use his speed to create havoc but his IQ is low and he aren't good at passing and court vision. That is why Lowry is better than him when it comes to running offense. So Rubio is clearly superior and we need his creativity to run the team when they front Yao.
All these guys you mentioned...Wafer, Brooks, Landry. You can't run the offense through any of them. They don't create for others, they either... A.) Catch and shoot. B.) Beat their man one on one C.) Get a great pass for a layup. Brooks is the best at creating for others among those three...but he still over-dribbles, doesn't have good vision, and scores first. Tmac...again...he's a complete variable. We can't rely on him coming back. I'm sure you're going to say Brooks tore up the Lakers, but it was Brooks going on on one, getting to lane, and creating for himself. How many assist did he have? Yao Ming creates for others, but he's fronted and that stops our entire offense. I'm tired of that, wondering "When are they going to front?" which inevitably ends our entire offensive flow and makes our defense work harder in the end to win games.
I just find it a bit odd that every player i can remember you harping on has been the same skin color and type of player. The mike millers, the kirk hinrichs, the vspans, the rubios of the world. Players that have never won squat. Why? because they play no defense and they need the ball in order to be effective. do you remember how hyped up marco jaric was when he came in the league. the guy is a scrub. The NBA is not about style. Its about substance. Its about toughness and defense. Its also about effeciency. I dont see any of those qualities in rubio nor do i see those qualities in any of the players you want to bring to the rockets.
i guess you werent joking..... first, you were comparing a scrub and back up, Luther head, to Brooks....the spanish team is the best of the best from spain, who starts and who doesn't isn't always indicative of who's the better player. Their guards play about 20 mins each, so it's more about rotating them, keeping them fresh and the team constantly attacking. It's not like in a league where the started plays 30+ mins and the back up gets a few minutes. It could simply be better for them to start rubio because at his age he'd have more trouble coming off the bench cold, where a vet like navarro or calderon wouldn't have as much trouble. As for seniority..yes calderon has played longer, but i'm pretty sure there's new things they work on every olympics...they dont always face the same competition and certain players get older or better. I would guess Rubio had a heads up earlier on their philosophy going into the olympics since he's hanging around there, where calderon and navarro were in the NBA.
I look at fit and roles on the team too......sometimes players that struggle elswhere fit in here better. I manage companies for a living, chemistry and defined roles are very important in my every day life, I think that those traits make me see the roster in a different way than most as well. I look for players that can fill a particular needed role on a team and whether they can fit into the style Rick Adelman is running. I don't care what their record was on the previous team etc...for me, it is all about fit on the Rockets.... I just think outside the box......life experiences sku my opinion I guess....probably same as yours does. It is all opinion anyway..... DD
All the guys i mentioned are also still developing. Brooks just became the starter. Landry only plays 20 minutes a night and he's always effective even with limited time. Im not a huge Wafer supporter but he can definantly put the ball in the hole. I agree, our offense can definantly improve. But i think if you give our young players more time to develop, they will become more efficient offensive players. Yao and Brooks are still developing chemistry. landry added a nice midrange jumper to his game this year, maybe hell bring something else next year. You also have to remember that we got a pretty good PG in Lowry to replace the black hole that was Rafer alston. I also am one that believes tmac will return next season and play a significant role on the team.
