EXCERPT FROM THE CHRONICLE Rebounds or not? Shandon Anderson did not really get 11 rebounds Tuesday. The way Maurice Taylor counted, he got a few boards and picked up a whole bunch of loose balls. "Shandon's don't count," Taylor said. "Before he got his, five people touched the ball, so that doesn't count. He didn't get any of the glass. I told him that when I saw the film. ... That's not a rebound." Anderson said Taylor is unfamiliar with his rebounding prowess. Anderson averaged 4.7 rebounds per game last season, with five games in double figures. "The stat man gave me 11," Anderson said. "I'm in there getting the boards. And what if there's a few I tipped that he got? ... He doesn't know my track record. Every now and then, I get a double-figure rebounding game." Now what the Hell is that? I truly hope Mo Taylor was joking. I thought he was great in his debut, especially that beautiful assist to Shandon and the hustle on the boards but Shandon is everything Mo is not: a damn solid defender, great rebounding guard and very consistent. Seeing how last year Mo only averaged 2 more than Shandon, I hope he is not competing with Shandon over the Post Hakeem Jackpot. That would be terrible for the team. I love Shandon's game, he gets his points out of the flow of the game, hustles 100% and always plays monster defense...he is also clutch, has been since Utah ( he saved them from a first round loss to Sacremento ). I truly hope the comments were in a joking form, because Shandon's seems though he's never been into personal stats, but MoTay obviously knows his contract is riding on his defense and his rebounding. Thoughts anyone? ------------------
Hey man, take it easy. He IS joking. Otherwise, his statements would border on insanity. No one would EVER said seriously that. *i hope* Nice to know that his intensity is there. The man CARES about rebounding. ------------------ By moonlight, we RIDE ten THOUSAND side by side...! [This message has been edited by Thanos (edited October 12, 2000).]
FDKHAN,I thought the same thing exactly while perusing this morning's bird cage liner.IMHO MO can't say too much until he grabs 11rbds. ------------------ I'm not the type to eat it up but the type to hit it raw dog and seed it up.
i'm quite sure that mo was joking. anyway, i'd be willing to bet that mo averages at least 9 to 9.5 per game. did you see how wide those shoulders were? dude looked like bruce matthews out there! i think with a better team and a very defined agenda mo taylor will have a career year in rebounding and assists. his scoring will go down a shade because we do have a guard oriented offense. but he will be a better player. the only complaint i have, is that i'd like to see him with his back to the basket just a little bit more. the times he did he swung those big shoulders the mavs were bouncing off of him like the naps on kobe's fro. ------------------ Essentially the top two players to come out of college the last couple of years are Duncan, Carter, and Francis. - vince [This message has been edited by verse (edited October 12, 2000).]
That is true, at least he is making a great effort to increase his rebounding. I remember Chuck thought every ball was his, even against his own team. I like competetiveness but I don't want it to split up the team mentality. And could this develop into a problem. With Shandon and Mo knowing there is money at the end of the year and who will get more of it? If MoTay got a Max contract and Shandon got considerably less, I think Shandon would resent that. Intangibles win championships and If I had to pick of the two, though we need a PF badly, I'd go with Shandon and test free agency for a PF... ------------------
Very True Verse.. Did you see how big Mo Taylor Looked! The guy looks taller than 6'9 and more than 260 lbs. He is just big. And should probably learn some inside post up, back to the basket moves instead of facing up and shooting. But did you see the respect given to his jumper. He was past the free throw line and defenders were jumping out there to defend his shot. Imagine how that will open up the lane for the slashers (Franchise, Cat, Shandon). Plus Hakeem can hit that 15 footer pretty consistently himself. I think with the size and defensive presence of Hakeem and the New MoTaylor, plus the 3 guard rotation, we will be a very dangerous team. I am pumped about this season and think he will be a perfect fit for the rockets. I was worried about his passing ability, but not anymore...he has the size, the desire, the shot and the ability to eliminate some of our post problems. Since OT (maybe Kevin Willis)we have not had a solid sizely (sorry chuck) fixture at the PF spot. I think a large defensive power forward will open up the lane also for Hakeem to block shots because MoTay's big body would be in the lane to allow Hakeem the defensive flexibility. Hakeem had his best defensive years when he had OT filling this role. 2000...Millenium season's going to be great... ------------------
Guys he was playing, Shandon was right next to him when he said it. He was laughing with him, and Shandon had a crack back saying he needs to get rebounds, so he can get paid like the big men. All in fun, and I can tell they are pretty tight! ------------------ A Chuck paraphrase: It was surreal! And I don't even know what that means! Charles after Eddie hit THE SHOT
FDKahn: it's beautiful when a plan comes together, isn't it? MoTay is yet another perfect fitting piece to the rockets puzzle. he's a big body who can hit an open jumper, rebound, and occasionally post up. and man, he is a big body. i, too, think that 6'9", 260# might be shortchanging him. he looked closer to 6'10 1/2 and maybe 270. ------------------ Essentially the top two players to come out of college the last couple of years are Duncan, Carter, and Francis. - vince
Shandon? Joking? Laughing? what will happen net I like Shan but he seems to be Mr. No Emotion This is good to hear I like This type of connectivity going on Rocket River ------------------
What a relief, I started this topic and read it from the Chronicle, but never saw the interview live. I did not know if it was serious or not. Thats great that they can joke about that. We've always prided ourselves on having a team with great chemistry (except Chuck vs. Drex) Go Mo...i love him already.....younger and cheaper than Webber too! ------------------
I understand they were joking, but what I thought was funny was that I'd consider loose balls more valuable than rebounds anyway. Grabbing 5 loose balls shows some hustle. ------------------ Rockets Draft Obligations Summary http://www.gaffordstudios.cjb.net/
I love the fact that these Rockets already feel close enough to kid eachother like this. Rudy has gone out and built a team, and that means matching talents AND personalities. All the currents Rockets seem like great guys, and I think their cohesion will pay great dividends down the road. ------------------ What a slam dunk!!
I saw this interview on the news last night and I know for sure and positively that Mo was joking about this matter. He was just talking trash with the Anderson. The positive thing that I saw is that they all are already geling together with Mo. But this was only friendly trash talking!!! ------------------ "Instinctly u recognize things,now take advantage of what u just recognized!".. Hakeem..
