The difference between Reef and Quitten, in my eyes, is that Pippen is a role player who wants to be the man. Reef is a player capable of being the man, but is satisfied with just fitting in, like Grant Hill. And, even though Mo and Reef would operate in the block, Reef has a wider range of offensive weapons then Mo, that is why Reef would fit in better SF and help out Mo. One of the knocks on Reef in Vancouver is that he doesn't demand the ball enough and doesn't take over games, he pretty much just fits in, the same things people said about Grant Hill and David Robinson. You drop Rahim on this team, and I'm pretty sure Rahim would be more then happy just to be the 3rd option, and it doesn't help to have TWO low post scorers instead of one. And unlike Chuck and Dream, Mo and Reef can operate AWAY from the basket, meaning the paint area won't be clogged, allowing our guards to operate as normal. and if Reef and Mo do their jobs we will have a front court that can rebound and score. People are worried about a center and having a soft front court, but how many teams HAVE a dominant big man in the middle? Two, three? Do you mean to tell me that you don't think that Reef and Mo up front with say Cato, couldn't help us against Portland? Would Mo and a journeyman big man make us any better? And if we can find a way to dump Country, which is possible I guess, then drop Cato at center or draft or sign a decent center. With a front court of Mo and Reef the Rockets could operate without a dominant center. ------------------ No sleep and no trade info make RocksMillenium something, something! [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited January 29, 2001).] [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited January 29, 2001).]
thx Live and Millenium...that makes me feel better. From what you've said, it sounds like a Mobley and Reef pnr would be unstoppable. Also, I do like the idea of Reef in the low post and Mo' running the high post pivot. You can get a lot of motion going with that. Interchangeable forwards like Mo/Reef is a key to Motion.
partner, is there something that you want to tell us about an upcoming acquisition? ------------------ I've been reading movies since 3 o'clock..
... Takes a deep breath. SAR. MO. Shandon. Cuttino. Francis. an intimidator in the middle. A Mutombo-like player or the man himself. the stuff from which dreams are made of. dreams of the golden, championship kind. Make it happen. Please. Pretty please? ------------------ "Dream another dream, this dream is over... Dream another dream, this dream is over... Dream another dream..." - from the Van Halen song, "The Dream is Over" (Thank you, Freak). Fitting, isn´t it?
And I certainly wouldn't mind if, occasionally, for small stretches, Rudy goes small and inserts this lineup: C - MO PF- Reef SF- Shan SG- Cat PG- Franchise I don't have HeyP's knowledge of offensive sets and plays, but this sounds damn good to me, especially against other teams with small lineups. ------------------ "Of course, everything looks bad if you remember it!" Homer Simpson
Great point!!! Actually, this will probably the Rockets' best lineup, assuming that Reef becomes a Rocket. ------------------ "ON-BEE-TAH-BULL!!", Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon, alumnus, University of Houston
And another benefit of this lineup over, say, one with Cato, is that Taylor could draw the opposing Center out of the paint with his long jump shot range, making it that much easier for Cat and Steve to penetrate uncontested. ------------------ "Of course, everything looks bad if you remember it!" Homer Simpson
Well, the starting 5 would probably be, assuming that Reeves stays: C -Reeves PF-Mo SF-Reef SG-Shandon/Cat PG-Steve But unless he's having a good night, Reeves probably won't play much past the 1st and the beginning of the 3rd, I would guess/hope. Now in terms of next year, that all depends on how free agency and the draft goes. Who starts at the 2? Does Shandon want to play the 2 or 3? Will he re-sign if he's asked to come off the bench? Will Mo re-sign? Then again, you never know. Reeves could be rejuvenated coming to a better situation, get in shape, and start to earn some of his salary. maybe, maybe no (Sorry, couldn't resist) ------------------ "ON-BEE-TAH-BULL!!", Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon, alumnus, University of Houston
Thinks for making my point. The 76ers have lost 7 of 17 against the West and only 3 of 27 against the East. More proof that their record is inflated by the Conference they play in. ------------------ [This message has been edited by crash5179 (edited January 29, 2001).]
Philly with a blue-collar front line is 10-7 against the West and I proved your point? If the Rockets had a .588 winning percentage versus the West (Philly %), then they would have about a 18-13 record versus the West. Coupled with their wins against the East, the Rockets would have an overall record of 29-15 versus their current 22-22. 29-15 is a winning percentage of .659 which is good enough for third in the Western Conference. The point that I am making is that the Philly model isn't that bad an idea for the Rockets to follow. If you want to sidetrack this on to some minor point that the East is weaker than the West, make yourself happy and do it. I will close with an apt quote that somebody made in this thread. "......You keep bashing statistics. No stats don't tell the whole story but they are a very good measuring stick for ones ability......" Mango ------------------ Spring cleaning [This message has been edited by Mango (edited January 30, 2001).]
Hey Mango, Thats unfair! you're not allowed to use my own quotes against me! Seriously, I think that quote is dead on. But in this case you also have to take into consideration Health. The Rockets have been depleated in the Front court almost halfe the year. Cato has been out almost the intire season. How do you think Theo Ratliff would handle the ware and tear of pounding agains the big men of the west? How about the momentum you get from playing so many eastern conference teams and bringing a nice winning streak to the west. We have seen what negitive momentum did to Van after what appeared to be a good start. Do you really think that Philly has a good chance to split or win the season series against some of the west teams like San, LAL, Port, Sac, if they play them more than twice a year? And what do you think the chance is of them winning the NBA finals. Not just going. Personally I like some other teams a little better as a role model than Philly. But that could be caused by my lack of respect for the East as a whole. ------------------
As good as Philly is playing now, and it sure looks like they will come out of the east, i just don´t see them winning it all. If you shut down Iverson they are in trouble. Of course that´s easier said than done, but the team has limited offensive capabilities. The truth is, they have been playing playoff basketball in the regular season, as far as defensive intensity goes, and is exactly THAT intensity that their opposition is failing to match. Come playoff time though, when all teams play defense minded basketball and it becomes a half-court battle with scoring in the lower 80´s, Philly will be in trouble. We have to be aware that we are only so concerned about defense and rebounding because Mo still isn´t delivering in that department. If Mo was a consistent rebounder, a front line of Mo, Reef and and a Mutombo-like player, or Mutombo himself, would be more than adequate to accomodate even the greatest preachers of defense around here. Now, the towel boy, has mentioned that the entire team is aware of Mo´s rebounding problems. Will he eventually come around to being a consistent rebounder? Probably not. At least not the kind that averages 12 reb per game. But with Reef helping out and a rebounding C it shall prove to be enough. ------------------ "Dream another dream, this dream is over... Dream another dream, this dream is over... Dream another dream..." - from the Van Halen song, "The Dream is Over" (Thank you, Freak). Fitting, isn´t it? [This message has been edited by Thanos (edited January 30, 2001).]
Crash7179 and Thanos, How do I like Philly's chances in the Finals? They are an excellent road team, so that is to their advantage. They have the ability to grind it out and play defensee. Even with Iverson dinged up, they still find a way to win. They have split with: Portland Sna Antonio Minnesota Utah Dallas so they have played and won some against the better teams of the West I like defense & rebounding and Philly has a good shot as long as Theo & Co stay healthy. Mango ------------------ Spring cleaning [This message has been edited by Mango (edited January 30, 2001).]
