I'm of the opinion that in order for this inside out system to work, the team needs shooters, and smart players. Two players I'd love to see are Scott Padgett come back, and Matt Harpring be our starting Small Forward next year. The problem with Harpring has been injuries in his past but his pay check isn't too bad and he's a pretty consistent FG % shooter. The thing I like about him so much is he can crash the boards pretty well and likes the mid range jumper. His deficiencies are speed which is a big thorn on our side against teams like Phoenix but a consistent jumpshot, solid rebounding, smart basketball player would help instill the Rockets play their game and don't fall prey to the quick tempo game of teams like the Suns next season. Scott Padgett is obvious again. He a great outside 3 point threat, can crash the boards, and is also another smart basketball player. I thought it sucked to see him leave because he was one of the most efficient players coming off our bench when he was a Rocket. Small upgrades? Absolutely but they also aren't upgrades that will break the bank, and could very well help the Rockets shooting woes. I've no idea what trade proposals could be done to bring in these guys, but I do know they're terrific complementary players especially for an offensive system we've been running these past few years.
I really liked Harpring a couple years ago, and thought he'd be a great fit. He's really been injured a lot since then, and he seems to have lost a step. He can't play defense as well, and needs a little more time with his jumper. He's a good role player, but may not be a starter anymore. He's got a pretty good relationship in Utah with Sloan and AK47 - I'd think they will keep him.
Yea I noticed he's only playing 25 minutes per game but is still putting up double figure numbers. That said I'd still like to see him in a Rockets uni because I do think he'd be a good fit into our inside out game on offense. It's tough to really specify what kind of players this team needs because there's a lot of issues to address. The team is slow, a little undersized, and has no consistency with its shooters. And the talent that's out there that covers fixing the above criteria is either snatched up by another team, is due for a big paycheck, or is undiscovered to our scouts. I think at best the two guys I listed are a patch to cover up the deficiencies on our squad, but not necessarily the kind of players to make our weaknesses one of our strengths coming into next season. I do think offensively as it stands you can't have too many good shooters that can actually make open shots because McGrady and Yao are going to create so many open looks for our roleplayers. If even the above two players can help increase our PPG average by 5 points, that would probably equate to 10 more wins and we'd be talking about fighting for a 6th seed instead of walking the thin line of lottery talk and the 8th seed, While it would be nice to see this team make the playoffs this year, and 8th seed isn't going to exactly make me jump out of my seat with enthusiasm. This team should be better than that.
How about Kwame Brown for PF? A lot of people look at this guy's height and bulging muscles and they say "center". I think he would actually be more suitable as a PF: his post game sucks but he is pretty quick for his size and he has a pretty sweet shot, and his skills and IQ are off the charts. We already have a huge presence in the low post, so on this team Kwame would be free to do what he clearly prefers, which is to float around outside the paint. He would be OK on defence, though he wouldn't be anything to write home about. The only problem is, he seems to have even less energy than Stro. But maybe that's because he's been playing out of his natural position, which I think is PF. He has the potential to become another Rasheed Wallace (but hopefully without the hysterics). It might not be too hard to get Kwame from the Lakers; he's not even starting anymore.
HELL NO!!! Rasheed Wallace!??!! Are u kidding!!??!! Kwame has the potential of becoming a Dampier! No thanks! I like Swift for our future, but we will need a back-up PF like a Chandler, or hell...even Chucky Hayes can do the job after a few years experience.
Try to trade Juwan if you can. If not, cut him outright, and just eat his salary. Addition by subtraction. If JH is on the roster next season, I will be really disappointed with Rockets management. I can't believe he has 3 years left after this season.
uhhh..no. Kwame Brown has started 23 games at PF and 8 games at Center this season. He's been pretty miserable at both spots, but he's actually performed better at center. Most stats are similar, but his FG% is around 8 pct points higher when he's playing center. The fact is that he's not very good no matter where he plays and he's paid way too much for his production level. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/splits?statsId=3511
We would have beat Dallas with Howard last year. He may not be an all-star, but if this team had a better season, he would be important.
Is this a joke? If not, it is one of the worst analyses of a player's game I have ever read. First of all, Kwame has been playing PF this year, and he sucks. If his shot was so 'sweet', then maybe he would take (and make) some in game situations. He is probably one of the least skilled players in the game, and he makes Stro look like Hakeem in terms of finishing around the basket. I don't know much about the guy's IQ, but he has proven to be mentally weak and unreliable. Not to mention the fact that he has small, rock-hard hands. Kwame has one redeeming factor. He is very strong and a good post defender. He's good at bodying the big centers such as Shaq and Yao. Seeing that one of those two players is already on our team, that diminishes his value to us even more. Oh yeah, did i mention makes like $8 mill per year?
We need a backup small forward who can D-up and hit from outside to relieve Tracy, and in case he goes down for awhile. We need a backup 4 (a starter is probably too much to hope for, unless we snag someone in the draft) that can rebound, play defense, and stretch the opponent's defense with an outside shot. We need a legitimate starting 2 who is a third scoring option, and can play decent D, with some length (at least Cat's size or larger). I'm assuming we can pick up a backup point, although a new starter that would let Skip come in with the second unit would be ideal. (geez... when you add it up, it sounds like a lot!)
Call me crazy, but how about Stromile Swift and a conditional 1st rd pick for Darius Miles. Miles can play multiple positions, and has improved immensely over the past two seasons. But if the season doesnt get turned around, then we can just draft Rudy Gay!
that's just not true at all. I'm sick of Rockets fans using that as an excuse. Let me be the latest to explain the true reason why the Rockets lost the series to the Mavs. We went up 2-0 on the Mavs last year without Juwan Howard. In the first two games last year the Mavs played Shawn Bradley and Keith Van Horn significant minutes, and didn't play Marquis Daniels. My point is that the absence of JH is NOT the reason the Mavs won the series, it was Avery Johnson taking Bradley out of the playing rotation for Games 3 through 7, and Van Horn getting hurt in Game 3 and not playing the rest of the series. Avery made the neccessary adjustments The Mavs went small with the addition of Daniels to their playing rotation and the Rockets could not match up with them. Had Van Horn not gotten hurt in Game 3, Avery would have likely continued to play him, and the Rockets would've beaten the Mavs in 6 games. JH would have only had a negative impact on the series. He doesn't do the little things that a rugged PF needs to do to balance Yao's finesse play. He's a terrible fit for this team. He doesn't cut to the basket like Hayes or Swift does. He doesn't rebound like a starting 4 should.
how can you hate j. howard that much, he's not that bad of a player. I do think we could have a better role player at the starting PF position, but J. Ho was the one who stepped up when we were shorthanded. Even though we didn't win, he still proved he is worth a roster spot, even the starting position. He is a veteran, and can sometimes knock down that 18 footer when he's left wide open, but has shown inconsistency. When last years team was clickin at full throttle, J. Ho was an important ROLE in it. It's exactly what we need. If we can't get any good value for him in an offseason trade, hopefully he can step up and be more consistent coming off the bench behind Stro!
OK, I admit it. I don't see many Lakers games. I must have caught Kwame on a good day against Memphis (mid February, I think), when he shot 6/6 for 18 points and pulled down 8 rebounds.
#1. bring back calvin murphy #2. find a way to get rid of juwan for a smaller and shorter contract(s)
