I agree, we should sign MJ and trade Rafer and go for a solid PF. Has anyone thought about Jermain O'neal at PF for whatever money it takes? He has eveything we're looking for, versatile, shot blocker, scorer, young, run up & down the court and a great compliment to Yao. I would like to see Dallas & Phoenix go small on that. We can move Jermain to the 5 and put Battier at the 4.
yep, he'll taking away heavy minutes from dirk mavs have got harris, terry, stackhouse, howard and now ager. daniels has been disappointing for dallas ever since he got his contract, he was a just a very expensive third stringer for them.
I think you're right that we need outside shooting from our PF as much as rebounding. But there's no reason we can't demand that a good-shooting PF get a decent # of rebounds as well. Effort and determination are a big part of rebounding, and any 6'9" or taller guy who plays the 4 and can't get 7 a game (assuming that he's expected to rebound) leaves me concerned about whether he really "wants it" badly enough. I think our guys got away with being subpar rebounders that year because of one thing and one thing alone: As you noted, Hakeem Olajuwon was the most dominating player in the league on both ends. If Yao ever plays to that level, then we can probably get away with it again. But in general, I'd be skeptical of our chances for a title if we were below average at team rebounding. I do agree that we don't have to have a 12-a-game guy or a tough guy "banger," but I think it's fair to expect our PF to grab at least 7 rebounds a game. (9 or 10 would be even better.) I don't know the answer to this, but is there any champion in the last 10 years that has ever finished in bottom half of rebounding as a team during the regular season or the playoffs? My guess would be that the answer is no, and that the '94 Rockets were just a lovely exception to the general rule. But I don't know, that's just a guess. I'd actually be fine with Battier getting a lot of minutes at the 4, because I think he does rebound well enough, and if he's told that he needs to get more rebounds because the team needs him to do so, I believe he will.
When you talk about PF's that rebound and can shoot I think the Rockets should try to pursue Troy Murphy or Kurt Thomas.
I think the problem is Yao spends too much time in foul trouble because he doesn't have enough of an inside presence along side of him and he hasn't yet learned when to pick his stands. Even overpaying for a defensive PF is addition by allowing Yao more minutes on the court. We understand Yao is turning into a dominant player, but what good is that if he is sitting on the bench in the 4th quarter in a tight game?
But he has really good size, all he has to do is be a nuisance, a bit of Rybo defense. Juwan is a terrible defender, but if he were 6'11 245lbs, he'd be a little bit more effective. But he's a board crasher and a shooter, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
you know why 94 team had low rebounding numbers? it wasnt because Dream/Horry/Otis werent great rebounders. Dream/Otis were monsters, it was because of the Rudy T offense. We shot so many 3s that the rebounds went to the perimeter.
I don't know if this has been mentioned but a guy that might be "gettable" is Kenny Thomas. I know he isn't ideal, but he can shoot with range, is definitely a better rebounder then JHo, and has good lateral quickness defensively. JHo and RyBo for KT works this would give Sac a little more cap flexiblity.
If we could redo the battier trade, I would be alot happier if we traded swift and rudy gay for tyson chandler. the hornets gave up something very similar to what the rockets gave the grizzlies, but got something so much better in return.
Not sure I like Tyson Chandler better than Battier. Chandler would definately be a backup player here whereas Battier is a starter. Chandler is a better rebounder but Battier scores more and fits right in to our system. On THIS team, Battier is clearly better than Chandler.
Battier can play spot minutes at PF under certain matchups. He is not a full-time PF option. Chandler is no longer obtainable so there is no sense in wasting space on him. I'm going to get razzed for this but the Rockets might look toward acquiring Chris Taft from the Warriors. He's 6-10, quick, can slide over to the center on occasion and should be fairly inexpensive to acquire. Please remember, the Warriors have a glut at PF. Now I know Taft would be too green for JVG, but he would be a great addition depth-wise and flexibility-wise. JVG could give him limited minutes, but next year when JVG is gone, the new coach will have a chance.
T-Mac will play SG most time for a better health. And Bettier will be a PF or SF, depending on emulant's team-star's position. Maybe Cato is the best choice.
if possible maybe we can trade for jason collins from the nets hes a good pf wit defense and can help yao on teh "d"
He has one of the most underrated defenses in the league but I doubt we could get him because the Nets know that and he is their starting PF.
I'm starting to like this idea more and more. The Bucks want to get rid of him and his defensive/rebounding skills are righting up our alley. Not sure how many minutes he would get at the four, but he could easily eat some of Yao's minutes in uptempo games, while providing a larger, more physical option at the four. Plus, and here is the kicker, Milwauke might be interested in taking the Howard. With Bogut moving to center, Gadzurick backing him up, and Villanueva being a staring four who can also play the three, you would think they might like a veteran four to balance things out down there. A Howard and TE deal for him might work, especially if we throw in an extra draft pick. I also think they might be interested in Alston since Williams is their only legitimate one after trading Ford. Maybe a Howard-Alston-Bowen for Magliore and draft pick would sweeten the deal for them and possibly free up some roster spots for us, but it would require us to either use the MLE or do a sign-and-trade for Marcus Banks (depending upon what the James deal turns out to be). Too many options to get my mind around right now.
another thing about magloire that all you should appreciate: he's 28 yrs old, PLAYED ALL 82 GAMES last year for the bucks, and averaged 30 minutes. considering how pathetic our durability was last year, we could use a player like him. plus, considering how bad our perimeter defense was last year, and how easy it was for opposing guard penetration, magloire can sacrifice himself and foul instead of yao picking up those silly fouls. in 5 games vs the pistons in the playoffs last year, he averaged 10 pts and 8 rebs... not bad for a role player against that team. on another note, the rockets played their first summer league game (scroll all the way down) in Vegas today: "Point guard John Lucas led the Rockets by recording a double-double with 26 points (10-17 FG) and 10 assists in 35 minutes of action. Sharpshooters Steve Novak (8-12 FG) and Pat Carroll (9-14 FG) accounted for 22 points apiece. Lonny Baxter chipped in 10 points, while Chuck Hayes added eight. Lucas, Novak, Carroll, Baxter and Hayes were the only Rockets to score in the game." "Novak, who hit six of his eight 3-point attempts, was happy to start his NBA career off on the right foot." " 'It was a great feeling to get off to a good start,' Novak said. 'This is a good shooting gym and I was happy to do what I do best.' " Maybe Lucas could at least be our 3rd string PG. you have to like 10-17 FGs. if anything, he can provide the ryan boweness plays like loose balls, offensive rebs, etc. while still being able to put the ball in the basket. it's already known that van gundy appreciates his hustle.
The only concern I have about Magliore is his ability to play the four. His defense and rebounding are good enough for 10-15 minutes at the five and maybe a few at the four against longer, more physical power forwards, but his lack of a jumper or face up game makes him somewhat of a gamble offensively. Then again, so does Hayes, while Howard is a liability defensively. Sigh.
I gotta tell you.I didn't like Magliore coming out,but he has proved me wrong.This is a guy that provides exactly what we need...defense and rebounding with the ability to back up at the 5.As far as the 4 goes,Magliore's more than capable of filling the role we need him to.
