I think James should start but they should get about equal minutes (about 30). IMO Sura is a better creator, that is extra useful with the more talent challenged but good shooting 2nd team. James is definetely the better spot up shooter and more efficiently punishes opponents who will have to try to help on Yao in particular. I think it is a lot like the Kenny/Cassell role of 95. Start line-up (aver 20 MPG together) Yao JH Tmac Wesley James Mixed it up special reserve line-up (aver 18MPG) Deke Padget (or others depending on match-up) Tmac (sorry, TM has to pull special duty though Sura sets it all up) Barry Sura Some combination of the above for the rest and spot minutes for Mooch and Bowen in blowouts (10MPG). Also remember Sura is coming back off an injury. Want to keep him fresh and healthy through the playoffs. It is clear we are not going to lose much with MJ in there.
James at PG and Sura at SG but we'll more than likely see James coming off the bench once Sura gets back.
I don't agree that Sura and James have similar skill sets. Here are two skills worth discussing: Mike James is a very good ball-handler and is super fast. The bulls were not able to run their press last night because James was able to get the ball up the court so well. I don't think that Sura can do this. The Rockets may also run the fast break better with James in the lineup because he is so fast. Sura however, is an excellent rebounder and without him in the lineup the Rockets have given up a tremendous amount of offensive rebounds. I don't know who the better shooter is. I haven't seen enough of James. While James was insane last night, I can't imagine he will shoot that well every game. So at the end of the day, I'm torn. I like both of them. I tend to agree with many of the posters that I would prefer to see both of them start and have Wesley come off the bench. However, I think that it is likely that we will see Sura come off the bench simply because he is never going to be at full strength.
All depends upon how the team is playing when Sura comes back: If we are hot with a 4-5 game win streak, don't expect JVG to upset the chemistry. Sura will probably come off the bench. If we are struggling playing .500 ball or less, then JVG will shake up the starting lineup with Sura back at point and maybe James over Wesley depending on our perimeter defense. Also it will depend upon James continuing to play well, our rebounding and turnovers. I think right now we definately have the best depth we have had in a long while and we can contend this season barring any further "I" word.
Who starts is nowhere near as important as who finishes. Along the way, you emphasize things that are more needed for success in any particular game...slashing & rebounding is Sura, distance and mid-range shooting and defense is James. Sura, James, Wesley & Barry are all mentally tough. A great problem to have. Especially considering only one of them had a Rockets' contract at training camp...and he (Sura) was injured.
They both contribute significantly to the team. However, with a name like MJ should give him a starter job no matter what. Rockets will be the laughing stock of the league if they let the best guard ever to come from the bench.
I'm one of those guys who believe you shouldn't lose your starter spot due to injury so it should be Sura. Also Sura was largely responsible for this teams turnaround and once he's healthy I would hate to tamper with the chemistry of the team by sending him to the bench. James has shown to be a pretty good player too and if he keeps it up I think he would be more valuable as a spark off the bench at the same time though if Sura falters when he gets back we've got the confidence to put James in.
This has been a trend of the Rox before, think about bringing Cassell off of the bench in the mid-90's or Mitchell Wiggins in the mid-80's. I don't see any problem with that because sometimes its good to get that spark of a really good hustling point guard off the bench to shake things up when the team gets stale in middle of a game.
If Mike James continues to play near the level he did last night, he should be our starting PG. He has PG skills, handle, passing, quickness. His shooting fits nicely with our team also. Sura provides the toughness and rebound better but he does not have natural PG skills. His handle is not that good and he does not shoot outside as well either. Bob has done a tremendous job in a position he was not trained for but it will benefit the team if James takes the most minutes at the point. I don't like to bring Wesley off the bench either. He is a very good lock down defender. He also shoots better than Bobby. David is our best SG. Team will have hard time double Yao and TMac if we have shooters like James and Wesley on the court. We've seen them double off Sura lots of time and sometimes he made them paid, sometimes not. We also have a very good shooter in Barry, if he was 2 inches taller, I would have him back up TMac. As it is, Barry needs to play the 2. Sura is not taller than Barry but his toughness will allow him to body up opponent's SF better. Maybe Sura can back up all 3 positions 1, 2 and 3. My preference would be: 1) PG: James (30 min), Sura (18) 2) SG: Wesley (33), Barry(15), Sura 3) SF: Tmac (38), Sura (10) Jeff is gonna have hard time deciding.
You don't know BB, do you? Just because the guys takes a lot of shots, it does not mean he plays like a SG. Against the Bulls, he played like a PG should. He distributed the ball then went to the open spot. When opponent sagged off from him and the ball swung back to him, he did not hesitate to take the open shots. He took some shots as the shot clock was winding down too, his clock management was excellent last night. A bad PG would have tried to pass the ball again with the shot clock running down and left teammate with a hurried shot. James did not do that.
our second unit is going to be deep!! Dikembe, barry and James as the leaders of the second unit, we will go far
Start them both. Yao Howard Tmac Sura James Our best line up. Tall, strong, scoring punch from every option, quick up the court, lots of passing options, makes the defense pick poison. On D, disruptive backcourt and packed paint. Mix in Deke, Barry, Wesley, Padgett. Sura is pretty good slashing. Let James feed him. As a cutter, he can use the penetration (less dribble!) to sag the defense and make the kick out to Tmac, James, or a post man. Of course, he can also decoy, drawing defense away from some pretty good other options, that James will feed instead. . Take advantage of both.
Sura should transition back onto the court for the first two-three games back, then resume starting. The healthier, speedier James should get more minutes for the remainder of the season AND PLAY THE 4th QUARTER. Both guys are 'energy' types, and we'll need to arrive at the postseason with both of these players healthy and game-ready. Both guys have the right understanding of 'TEAM' and will do whatever it takes. You can confidently make moves to maximize MJ's impact and conserve Sura's health without worrying about someone whining. Rotation players: Sura James Yao Deke J'Ho Barry Wes TMac Padgett Spare parts: Spoon (banger/rebounder) Bowen (hustle) IR rotation: Mooch Vin Barrett Ward
Sura, at 6'5, can put the lockdown defensively on most opposing 2's, and you don't really lose anyhting with Wesley off the bench. I say start him at 2 and leave James At 1. We'd get taller in the starting lineup. 6'2", 6'-5", 6'-9",6'-9", and 7'6" I don't think Wesley would be opposed. He's a good character guy and I don't see him whinning about losing his starting job. And I don't see him really playing less minutes, anyway. Man, our guard rotation is looking awesome. If James can keep playing like this, we're gonna be tough to beat.
I think James will start until Sura gets his legs back, and then Sura will start over James. Like others I think James will be a great offensive spark off the bench when either Yao or T-mac goes out. I also believe if David starts off slow you might see James come in quickly as well and get most of the minutes from there. Sura will be there primarily for rebounding and dishing the ball out. Since rebounds is such an important key stat for us, sura can really help set the tone early for hustle and toughness. A lot of it will have to do with match ups too. James might be a younger version of Wesley at first glance. catch and shoot player with good perimeter defense. Though he doesn't have the knack for steals like david does. I'm just glad we have this problem now instead of choosing the lesser of two evils between barrett and strickland.
I hope when Sura is healthy, it doesn't cause any trouble within the team. I don't think it will. James is a great pickup. However, he will not shoot like this every game. When his shot is off, however, he will still have his speed and quickness. His addition to the overall defense will be significant. To try to say there is something lacking in Sura's handle is laughable. The proof of the pudding is in turnovers. He may not have as many fancy crossovers, but he uses his relatively big body (for a pg) to protect the ball and gets pretty much where he wants to on the court. His rebounding is critical to this team. So is his toughness. He should start, if healthy. James, Sura and Wesley should all get roughly about the same minutes. Add Barry, and wow, what a great guard rotation.
Sura will be the starter when he gets back. He has more than earned it and the team plays with a different intensity when he's on the court. But boy, is it nice to have a guy like Mike James on your roster! What a performance against the Bulls. No way the guy's goingto be scoring 26 ppg anytime soon, but it's great that we have another guy we can rely on to play hard and smart and come through for us when he's needed.
