i like padgett..... i like him more at the 3 and move JJ to the 2 while Mcgrady is out, gives us better shooting on the floor....or we can play him at the 4 and he'll stretch the defense like ya'll said.... overall, he came cheap, so i applaud the signing....and a big plus is he wants to play here....good guy! good signing....
Coming at this from another angle. Maybe it's Spoon that's the odd man out. If he could be dealt for a backup C, that would balance out our roster nicely. I guess we'd be looking for a trade kind of like what Seattle and Dallas did earlier this year, with the Fortson/Booth trade. Any backup C's out there that's making about the same as Spoon.
i could be wrong but i don't remember padgett playing the 3 at all last year. i thought it was the 4 and 5 he played. i imagine he would get toasted on D at the three.
He can improve our 3 point shooting and rebounding. We need help in both areas. I don't think a trade is coming up but I hope that we won't make a move unless we get quality back.
Of course some of these are very unlikely to be traded for what the Rockets have to give back but... - WEATHERSPOON - $5.9 - BULLS: Dekembe Mutombo - $4.5 PISTONS: Elden Campbell - $4.4 PACERS: Scott Pollard - $5.8 BUCKS: Joe Smith - $5.9 WOLVES: Michael Olowakandi - $5.5 Ervin Johnson - $5 SONICS: Jerome James - $4.5 WIZARDS: Kwame Brown - $5.4
Padget, Pike, Sura, Ward, Boki... these are all hard nosed, good shooting, smart, tough defensive role players. All are the kind of players that help teams win championships. In my little world, all 5 would get playing time behind our main four of Yao, Tmac, Howard and JJ. To broaden this a bit (and bash TEAM USA at the same time)... Padget, Pike, Sura, Ward and Boki are all players who would do well vs international comp. Smart, not flashy, good shooters. I wish the ROX (and the NBA) would go more towards those types of players instead of the MoTaylors and other all flash players. I hope we keep all five of the players listed above and move Spoon and Taylor instead. Ok... Spoon fits in with those other guys... I just don't care for him that much.
I think Lue and Spoon are gone. Pollard sounds like a nice option, and the Pacers do need a PG. So do the Celtics, who have Blount and Lafrentz at C already. They also have Perkins (from Houston right?) and Michael Stewart (crappy, but it's just 10 minutes a game). The Bucks have 4 C's - Zendon Hamilton, Dan Gadzuric, Zaza Pachulia, and Daniel Santiago. Maybe we send them Spoon for one of these guys? If we're trading away Spoon, it should be for a small contract (similar to his or less). We should be able to get something done soon. I'd rather keep Pike. My favorite option is Lue and Spoon for Pollard. Gives them quality depth at 2 positions - right now their backup PF is Croshere, who is not really "power". Tinsley is inconsistent, they lost Brewer, so Lue can be some help as the backup. Yao/Pollard MoT/Howard/Padgett JJ/Boki/Pike McGrady/Pike/Sura Ward/Sura/Gaines Solid.
Aside from that, Sura is not "good shooting" either. Wish I could sy the same for Eddie Grifin though.
Sept. 1, 2004, 11:43PM Padgett, Rockets reach deal Sharpshooter strengthens bench with versatility By MEGAN MANFULL Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle With camp beginning in a month, the Rockets continued to solidify their roster by re-signing Scott Padgett on Wednesday. The 6-9, 240-pound forward was a consistent threat behind the 3-point line in his first season with the Rockets. He shot 43 percent from beyond the arc and averaged 3.4 points per game. He finished last season ranked fifth on the team in 3-pointers made with 28. "He's a real good shooter and the ultimate team player," general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He gives you a little bit different kind of four that can shoot a 3, and that always helps. We've had a lot of luck in the past few years, even with (Matt) Bullard here, playing four and shooting 3s. "When you have a center and we'll have another couple of guys needing double teams, it's always good to have the shooters. And he's a smart player that's been down the road before, and we're thinking he has a lot to contribute." The Rockets hope to fill at least one void before their Nov. 2 season opener against the Detroit Pistons. With 14 players on the roster, the Rockets still need a backup center. megan.manfull@chron.com
The first four guys would have been a better fit on the USA Olympic team than some of the guys that went. If we can't assemble a true dream team in 2008, then I'd rather see 2-3 superstars plus these types of players (plus Redd and Ray Allen) on the team.
Did you not watch any game last year? He was one of our most consistent scorers out there. I really don't understand why there is so much hate towards MoT. I personally like the guy.
Sane, I think giving up Lue will be a mistake for us. We would have Ward as a PG and Sura as a PG/SG. This would be a weak combination IMO. Pollard is a good player but I hope we can get somebody better than him and with a little more height and size.
Let me take a stab. First off I personally dislike the guy. I have never met him but I think the way he left the Clippers is an insult to professional ball players, I think the way he handled himself in front of the Webber grand jury is an insult to honest and hard working people, and I think the way he turned a season long injury into a season long plus five games missed is just plain stupid. But that is all personal. The reason I dislike his game is that it is so one dimensional. You are correct, he was one of our most consistant scorers. But he realy does not give us anything else. His scoring does not seem to improve the rest of the players. By comparison when playing with Yao, JJ and Cat both had career highs for three pointes made. Yao, by his mere presence made them better. We don't get that from Taylor. His rebounidng is weak. Though I will admit he is getting better. He no longer appears to be running away from the ball. Same for his defense. Very poor, but he is getting better. He is obviously trying the last two years, while he was not three years ago. He rotates now and occasionally the defensive assignment is strong enough to stop a play. By himself he contributes very little on defense. Though I do appreciate him playing center which is clearly out of position for him. His passing is also pretty weak. I do remember a game where he was making the inlet pass to Yao with stunning results, so that may be more of a function of design. But IMO the bottom line is if he is not scoring, we are getting nothjing from him. Compare that to a guy like JJ. If he is not scoring, he will still contribute to a win. JJ, not suprisingly is well liked around here. One dimensional scorers are fairly common.
Regarding MoT.. I just gotta say, I have never seen one player take as many charges in one season as he did last year. Until you stand there fearlessly and let a 280lb man run over you, don't fault his effort. I think he cares, and I think he tries, but rebounding and defense simply may not be his strongest suit. At least he gives the effort, even if the quality is sometimes lacking. Unlike Cato, who too too many times I would see allow a missed shot to land on the floor two feet from him and just run to the other end of the court. You ever see Rodman let a ball land like that? It's just those occasional freaks of evolution who absolutely MUST get to EVERY loose ball - that's what the Rockets really need - a la when the Admiral had Rodman alongside.. All the hate for MoT is just because he is not a defense and rebound maniac - just don't forget the guy was a serious contender for 6th Man of the Year last year. We can't NOT have scoring punch on the bench, after all.. That said, this may very well be the reason Padgett was re-signed. If we assume that JVG will try not to have both TMac and Yao on the bench at the same time, then we should almost always have a go-to scorer on the floor, which leaves an outlet-type guy like Padgett as a viable option. In fact, as I sit here thinking about it, it's starting to look really good to me, as long as the guy (or Pike, who knows, maybe the Aliens will come back and return the REAL Pike and take away the replicant they left us with last year) is able to consistently hit the outside shots. So maybe MoT is gone, but he ain't garbage. He definitely has some value, especially to a team without a lot of other options.. I could easily see MoT becoming a starter and a 20ppg player in the right situation.. just wouldn't really see that team winning a whole lot of games though, unless they have a serious rebounder/defender to go alongside him. Gut feeling - Howard stays, and Mot & maybe someone else (Lue, Spoon?) get dealt for a backup 5 and filler or a draft pick. Could Chandler be the guy after all? If we work on wrestling Chandler away from Chicago, and Deke decides he wants to retire instead of playing for them, who's to say we couldn't then lure him back out of retirement for a year or so?
