I agree with roxan1. What is 'a PF that can bang' anyway? Isn't that all Cato does? I don't understand the infatuation with a new PF any more than I do the infatuation with a 'pass-first' PG. To me it's all about people wanting prototypical players at every position. SSDY. The Rockets already have a PF(s) who can defend. Their defense was great this year - I don't get the supposed need for 'interior defense'. The Rockets' interior defense was fantastic. By my count, the Rockets were 4th in the league in rebounding differential. So rebounding was definitely not a weakness either. That leaves scoring. Scoring was terrible. Agreed there. But why does more scoring necessarily have to come from the PF position? Why can't it come from anywhere? The Rockets have plenty of scorers - Ming, Francis, Mobley, Taylor, Jackson - those guys can all score. Why didn't they score this year? I don't know ... maybe ask Gundy that question. Look at the recent PFs who have won championships - a 50 year-old AC Green, a 50 year-old Horace Grant, Robert Horry (with Hou and LA). There's never one position that you HAVE to be great at to win. It depends on the team's strengths. You can win with a defensive specialist in your starting lineup - SA proved that with Bowen. Just because Karl Malone had a good series doesn't mean the Rockets suddenly need an all-star PF to win.
Malone killed us because Yao was too slow to get out and cover him and he was only on Malone because he couldn't handle Shaq and he would've fouled out in record time.... Hmmmm, dare I say FRANCHISE? Yeah right.
