I think one point that people are missing is that a gunner has a role on a team. Look back at our championsip years, Mad Max was a gunner. Hakeem was able to get him more open shots and make him better but he was definitely a gunner. Same with Sam Cassell, the dude takes steps back to shoot a three. Then we have guys like Sam Mack and stuff. Look at the Lakers, Kobe is a gunner, just a really really good one. Sacto got Bobby Jackson. Dallas has Nick Van Excel, Pacers have Reggie Miller, yata yata yata. I think every team needs a gunner, a x-factor. But I do agree that if the guy is making a lot of shots, get him the ball less. I have seen Mobes shots going down so I do believe that he can be an integral part of our team.
Here's a joke, courtesy of gr8-1 Yao's scratch in his arm is actually the result of Mobley trying to steal the ball from Yao.
His defense is still great. He sets the tone and plays well early. His shooting has not been good recently but I am sure that he can find a way to score again. And he only took 10 shots last game. That is good because he only made 3 of them. But at least he did not go crazy and try to force his scoring. It is weird to see Mobley scoring very few points, but beating the Jazz by 30 points it not bad at all. Mobley has some assists...some steals...some rebounds...a few turnovers...and some blocks. We really need him because he's our only shooter...though he is having a slump. I hope he can recover soon. We will need his scoring. Keep up the good defense. And man...he's cheap too.
If you trade Mobley you either have to a) get equal value in another swingman, or b) get a true PG and convince Stevie to move to SG, all of this talk about trading Mobley for a PF doesn't make since because it leaves us way too thin in the backcourt. After looking around the league the guy I would make a deal for would be Micheal Redd of the Milwaukee Bucks. He is one of the best three point gunners in the NBA and he would be perfect for Yao to dish out of double teams for the open jumper. But, of course there are problems, I don't know if Milwaukee would make the deal, and even if they agreed, Redd would have to ok the trade beacuse of his trade restriction after signing an offersheet this offseason. Oh yeah and I forgot to add that the Bucks have a pretty good 2 guard by the name of Ray Allen, so I'd doubt they'd want Mobes. But, he would definitly be the perfect man for for a Mobley trade.
legrouper, stop being a jerk off to people that have been on the board one month less then you. seriously...maybe they dont feel like posting on the messege board as much as you do. you are as much of a newbie as them. just because you post five million times a day doesnt mean you are more important then everyone else. the only thing worse than an annoying newbie is someone who acts all cool by bashing annoying newbies.
LOL. Legrouper, I registered in 04/99 and still have not cracked the 200 post milestone. Does that make me a newbie, a slacker or an insignificant fan? I like to read the post and many times I just don't feel like adding my redundant opinion. After a Rockets' loss, I prefer to just punt my cat across the street. Just kidding. Relax folks.
Again, why the double standard in here? This guy makes a thread saying just trade Mobley, so we can make the playoffs and it continues running. Yesterday a guy made a thread saying trade Yao for a proven veteran, so we can save the season and make playoffs. It got to run for a whopping 20 minutes before they shut it down. Why are we only allowed to talk about trading anyone other than Ming? At least the guys he was naming in the trade Yao thread were really helpful to the team. How does Wesley or Terry help this team? The are both grossly undersized sg. All the guys named in any of these trade player x threads are dreamcasting anyways. So again, Why the double standard?
Yao Ming is 22 and will improve. Cat is 27 and will never be better than where he is now. Essentially you'd be giving up a potential franchise player vs someone who is at his peak now. If you don't see the difference, you're truly ignorant. Given your posting history, that would be a fairly accurate description.
Here are my thoughts on Mobes, some of them already mentioned: 1. For his talent, we got a bargain of a contract. 2. The guy has heart. He wants to win. 3. He CAN shoot the ball. We dont need to trade him for a shooter. 4. He is best freakin friends with Steve. You cant piss off the best player on your team. Sure, this is a business, but you gotta keep your players happy. Ever since the all-star break, I feel like he is understanding his role on the team a little better. His shot if off right now, but had he even remotely shot like his usual self, we would have beaten Utah by 10 at home and 35 on the road. With Steve consistantly going down low to Yao now, it seems like the offense is getting more organized. Now, if Mobes can play D like he did last night, then thats just something additional that he can bring to the table. This team is fine the way it is. No more TRADE MOBLEY threads. Case dismissed.
Riet, Griffin is 20 and will improve, yet the trade griifin threads never get locked. Essentially, you'd be giving up a potential franchise player. If you can't see this, you're truly ignorant. Given your last post, I would say that is a fairly accurate description.
T-Man, Ive read your posts and rarely do I slam a poster. But frankly, you have no clue what youre talking about. Eddie Griffin has holes in his game the size of Swiss Cheese on steriods. Watch while almost every legitimate PF takes him down low. Watch him shoot 25 ft 3 point jump shots with no arch. Have you ever seen him dribble? You think Eddie Griffin is a franchise player? Watch a game please. T-Man You are one of the worst posters on this BBS.
I don't know what your biases are, but If you think Eddie Griffin or Cuttino Mobley are even close to having the same potential as Yao, you are seeing it from an entirely different view point than almost anybody on this planet.
Riet, thank you for the kind words. And I appoligize for having an opinion and not obsessing over a particular player. Contrary to the way it looks, Yao has proven that he has some potential and grown on me. It just irritates me that every other player on the team is subject to critisism other than Yao. If you do not see it as a double standard that we are allowed to talk about trading any player other than Ming, then I do not know what to tell you. There is obviously no hope at having an intelligent conversation with you. And Obsessive Yao-fans are the worst posters by the way. They could care less about the team and are only worried about his stats. Every other player on the team sucks and Yao is a god. They cannot hold a normal conversation cause they see everything through their heart-shaped obsessive-Yao eyes.
T-Man and Riet, Ill give my opinion on the matter (not that it matters). Ive always been a fan of Griff and been against any trades that involve him. However, I think its quite obvious that he just doesnt have what it takes to be a franchise player, not even close. He can become a good player in the league, but it will take a few years. He cant shoot worth a crap. He cant dribble. His man to man defense isnt that good either. Honestly, he needs to just work on every aspect of his game. He is a great weak side defender, I'll give him that, but there are many more areas of his game that he needs to work on. At 20, he is still young and will improve. My prediction is that he will be a poor mans Rasheed Wallace (minus the attitude). About 14-15 ppg, 8-9 rpg. Not bad, but not great.
This is exactly what Im talking about. Do you even have any idea why every other player gets subjected to trade talks and criticism except Yao Ming? Here's a clue: Same reason why Amare Stoudmire gets a free pass even though he's not a good defender, can't really pass, and has absolutely no game outside 3 feet. Have you ever heard any trade rumors regarding Amare Stoudemire? No. Why? His stats are almost the same as Yao's. Phoenix and Houston's records are about the same. You think it's just because people are obsessed about him? No. It's because he has amazing potential. No way anyone would ever consider trading a player like that. We have our own here, except a super-sized version that includes intangibles - super publicity, great unselfishness, consummate team player. If you are truly a Rockets fan, I just don't understand how you can't see that.
Yao is a rookie. He gets a free pass on the blaming every thing on him. Last year all the let's trade everyone all the time guys did it about every player except Eddie. This year Eddie is often times blamed for every thing along with everyone else and is constantly the subject of trade talks that in fantasy produce instant playoffs and championships.
The reason Eddie gets blamed is because he hasn't improved. He showed a lot of potential last year but we thought, well, he's 19 and he'll improve. He hasn't really improved. He needs to gain a lot more bulk (which causes him to constantly be in foul trouble against the more dominating PF's). His shot is still terrible (maybe even worse than last year) and He can't dribble to save his life. Great shot blocker but other than that, how has he improved his overall game?
Riet is correct. The guy hasnt improved since last year. Im gonna give him one more offseason before I write him off.
The guy is 20, in his 2nd year and he has his flashes of greatness. With 2 more years of nba experience, what is to say he won't have more than Yao at the age of 22. Mcgrady, J.o'neal showed nothing until their 3rd or 4th year, yet both are franchise players now. This is not the point though. The point is that it is not right to be able to talk bad about or demand a trade of every other player on the Rocket's other than Yao. That is an obvious double standard. If you do not see this, then you do not know what a double standard is. It has nothing to do with how much potential any player has, or how well or bad they are playing. It is all about being able to state your opinion about anyone, not just anyone other than Ming. I am not saying Griffin is a franchise player right now, but neither is Ming. Neither one of them can lead a team to a championship right now. I just used the same criteria you used to describe Ming to describe Griffin. Last year everyone was saying Griffin was our future, but not freaking out over him like the Yao-obsessor's. Ming is averaging 13 pts and 8 rbs a game. What is so great about that? Are you a fortune teller? Can you tell me Ming will have a better future than Eddie? No! Look at all the great center's rookie seasons. They were pretty dominate from the get. Ming has flashes, but 13 and 8 is dominating nothing. People say what about Shaq-Yao 2? Shaq murdered him the first game. Yao blocked a couple of his shots, but he was still above his average in points and rebounds with 30-15. Yao had 10 and 10. You think because he blocked a couple of Shaq's shots in the first minute of the game, he was somehow better than Shaq. And please don't ask who started in the all star game. That had nothing to do with who is better. We won the Rocket-Laker game and that is all that matters, but most of you do not see it that way.
