I'm with you. Sura should be rewarded with a starting spot for his hustle and effort. If only Sura plays well and healthily, don't break the chemistry we've got. I also want Mike James to play a lot of minutes, even more than Sura's minutes. I watched every Rox's live. As a PG, MJ on the count made better decesions than Sura did, IMO.
Ha ha, this topic is going to be the new "Should SF3 be moved to the 2?" Only way more fun. In my mind, there is no question that Sura is the starting point guard on this team, and I'm dead certain that Van Gundy feels the same way. How quickly we've forgotten that Bob Sura can become a triple-double threat in a heartbeat. This guy can score, rebound and assist, but those are just the abilities that ALLOW him to start. The real reason we need him on that court is because of his attitude. He keeps the Rockets fired up and focused. All he cares about is winning, and he's perfectly willing to get on anybody's case, from Yao Ming to the referees to Steve Francis, if he feels they're standing in the way of that. The team's intensity level rises tremendously when Sura is on the floor, and intensity is one of this team's weak points. Keeping Sura in the game is all about helping our weaknesses-- toughness, intensity, rebounding. Not that I don't like James. He's going to play a very important role on this team, no less important than Sura. He will provide energy and offense, and I believe the longer he plays under Van Gundy the better defender he will become, as well. I agree it seems likely that he'll be finishing a lot of games. The real issue is, coming off the bench is no less valuable to a championship contender than starting is. That is why Jeff Van Gundy did what was necessary to get James in Houston.
What a nice problem to have! Weren't it not too long ago when we started Tyron"I'm really a Shemale" Lue, Charlie"I'm older than Matheusla" Ward. I am really excited about our point guard situation now. When Sura gets his legs back you should see our team playing even smoother and more cohesive. Give Bobby some time, he's been away for more than 3 weeks. I personally want James to come off the bench, he has that score first mentally(which is not a bad thing given the right situation). I noticed when James is playing with Yao, there is a lot of hesitation in James trying to pass to Yao or sometimes not looking for Yao, and he tends to take more shots than Yao. On our current team, I do not want to see anyone taking more shots than Yao other than TMac, If after last night's did not prove to you Yao is one of our superstars, I guess nothing will! One more observation, Barry without a doubt , our best passer to Yao. No hesitation, crisp passes to Yao, more importantly he's always looks for Yao first. I hope JVG will stress more to our players how important and crucial it is to get Yao the ball often and in a timely manner!
-- This in a nutshell is my belief articulated by others. Sura is our offensive leader- our MOJO and Rocket Karma..His back and knee are bad- we need the aggressive intangibles besides assists and rabid tough guy defense to success. I never want to hear Kenny Smith's name in the same sentence ar Sura. He frustrated me to no end with his inconsistent play-another matter...[ QUOTE]from David S-"Start or not. Just keep him healthy"[/QUOTE] Please - Sura should start-respect for our team leader- he is the point guard.--Again - health is sooooo important- we really need him for this all to work. chemistry is intangible-with this guy - we have something special. Never forget that when Pat riley had a blnque check in Miami when hired-he wanted Surato be his shooting guard. Riley recognized this man's talent to a team!!! Keep Sura healthy so we do not have to rely on only James..No disrespect to James at all... Again - in a nutshell- Sura should start, play limited minutes and not run him down. we need him come playoff time real bad. This is so cool actually having two very good to excellent talents at the point. go Rockets!!!!!
I agree completely Wizardball- Start Sura - carefully monitor his minutes and let Mike James come off the bench and get most of the minutes until Sura is in game shape.... Sura should start
I'd start Sura... Here's why. He brings the intangibles that doesn't show on stat sheets. He runs the offense better, he plays hard, there is trust with him and the rest of the guys. He is a better "navigator". James is and should be the energy guy. OK, give him the majority of the minutes so that Sura can be that much more healthier for the playoffs, which we are a lock for for the next 5-7 years. Keep our first round picks, draft a PF and PG and another swingman in that order. Our PG position is set for the rest of the season and next, only if we could get Sura to heal up completely. and get rid of Moochie and Ward
James is a shoot first guy. Start Sura. Whoever is playing better and/or matches up better that game, gets the most minutes that night. Simple. Next thread.
I like to start Sura and play James more late in the game. Sura is gelling with teammates better at this point and his board/toughness is required. Wesley usually plays very well in the first quarter, and declines a little bit in the second half. I attribute it to his age and stamina. So the 3-person rotation of Wesley, Sura, and James is perfect. I think JVG will make adjustment according to our opponents. I am happy with the rotation now, very happy
Strength of James (comparing to sura): much better shooter; a little bit better slasher (imo) Weakness of James: dribble too much (even more than sura); worse to find the open teammate; much worse rebounder He is perfect being a sixth man.
Re a previous post, James is actually only two years younger, not four. James has been great since he's been a rocket, but all of his stats are *way* above his best previous efforts, including pts (17.7 vs 11.4) fg% (47.1 vs 44.6 (which was 3 pts above previous high), assists, rebounds, etc. If these number bear out, great, but more likely he'll level out to the player he's been his entire career. Still valuable, not not a Sura. Sura, on the other hand, improved dramatically last year, and so has a year and a half track record of performing at a high level.
I agree also. Welcome to the board. I haven't seen James enough to judge fairly, but I also don't quite see him making the steals and blocks that Sura provides. What a thrill to see your PG (Sura) block a PF (Etan Thomas) on a top of the key shot and then lead a perfect 2-on-1 break (the thrashing of Washington last month).
If Sura is struggling James should be paired with Barry. Jon can get the ball down to Yao and Mike can shoot which can make things easier not only for Yao but can open up space for T-Mac as well.
Sura is a ball dominating guard... I think james knows his role better... and when he's the in the ball moves better.
wow omg shows how many of the rockets games you have watched you have it totally reversed. TOTALLY reversed.
IMHO James dribbles too much. He is a great spark off the bench. James, Barry, Deke off the bench! Man that gets me excited.
I like Sura starting for a few reasons. 1. Rebounding. It really suffered when Sura was out because it seemed like we missed all of the long rebounds that Sura normally got for us. 2. I think Sura runs the offense better than James...at least for now. James is still new to the team and may be a better floor general in time. 3. Sura's hieght allows him to switch off on taller shooting guards allowing Wesley to defend the smaller quicker point guards. 4. Attitude. Sura has the attitude of a Junk Yard Dog. That is something that the Rockets need. 5. Energizer Bunny! Sura's motor runs one speed and that is wide open. The guy never slows down and unlike Allen Levell he never seems to be out of control. Both Sura and James play great defense but I think Sura's hieght allows him to match up better against the taller 2's in the league. Both Sura and James push the ball relentlessly trying to creat fast breaks. Both Sura and James seem to be tireless workers on the court and both are great defenders. Bottom line is that I like em both and prefer either running our offense to anyone that has run the point over the last several years. I say give Sura the start but lock James up for the long haul since Sura is on the wrong side of 30 and James is still in his 20's.
