Jon Granato had an interesting assestment the other morning that was absolutely spot on. The Rockets were in the process of building a certain type of team, and a monkey wrench was thrown into the mix (albeit a good one in Yao Ming). Every team needs a dirty work guy, and we had ours (supposedly) in Cato. We had a softer 4 in MoT that was supposed to provide offensive punch, and EG as a 3 to help cover for his weaknesses- rebounding and defense. Now that we have a center that can provide an inside presence in Ming, we need a 4 that can provide the dirty work - tough inside D and rebounding against all the 4s in the west. Also, since Ming is more of an inside player than MoT, we need consistent outside shooting to open up spacing for the low post guys to go to work - we don't have that. I think they thought Nahcbar would provide that, but spot up shooting ain't easy. Why else would Air Bull, Eddie Johnson, and Dell Curry and other limited players have such long careers? I think they realized that Nachbar isn't a spot up shooter and that he is limited defensively. I think that they will spend some time trying to figure out how to best utilize his skills in the off-season, and that he will be a productive player next season, possibly scoring off screens, pick and rolls, and in some iso situations. The point of this thread is to illustrate that Rudy T and CD are not the idiots that some make them out to be. They had a plan that was changed when our ping pong ball came up last year, and I look for some personnel changes in the off-season to compliment our new and improved direction with Ming. I don't think a true point is an absolute need at this point because much of our O will run through Ming. Francis, no matter what his is listed as, will play a simialr role that Clyde played when we won in 95. We need a new 2 that is a better shooter than scorer, a 3 that can hit with some regularity from the arc, and a 4 to help with the inside dirty work. I believe that this will come in the off-season, and we will all be a much happier bunch this time next year. Our problems are no bodies fault in particular. Yes, there are a ton of things we could do better, but patience is in order. Now, if things don't change next year, I plan on gathering a mob, going to the new arena and whooping some serious ass because, then they will deserve it.
Good idea. I think you should start recruiting. First though, you need to create a name for your mob. That aside, I have the exact same assesstment. Now if only the offseason changes part would come true. May the ping pong ball bounces our way, this time in terms of trade and free agent.
Well...Mo Taylor is not as inside as Yao? I think he is...and he doesn't look too soft to me anymore. If he's soft...then so is Eddie. Bostjan...what a wasted pick. So what do you think the ROLES should be? Center- Now is our inside presence. What should the power forward do? Small Forward- needs to be able to catch and shoot and defend. Guards- Need to be playmakers and score. So what small forwards can we get that are able to catch and shoot and defend? "Spot up Shooters" Please don't say Bruce Bowen. And what is an example of a power forward that will fit on our team??? We are pretty much stuck with Eddie and Mo. Yes. Rudy and CD are not dumb. But now that we do have Yao Ming...they have to make some personnel changes to create a good team...or better team.
Good post. You are right on about Boki. Everybody says he is Peja, but I have a hard time believing that if he was near as good a spot up shooter as Peja, he wouldn't get any playing time considering our shooting woes. Wasted pick?? I wouldn't go that far yet, he is still a rook, but if he doesn't start getting some PT by next year, I think you can put the Collier tag on him. IMO the most important issue to address this off-season is at both forwards. Eddie isn't ready to be a starter, and JPO can't shoot. This doesn't bode well for a team wanting to build an O around a center.
Like most things, people want the easy, quick answer and, in truth, there are no easy quick answers. This isn't a black and white situation. There are dozens of elements that play into the problems: age, experience, chemistry, coaching, playmaking, mentaility, basketball IQ, work eithic, injury, conditioning, strategy, strength, execution...and on and on. It would be nice if there was one simple cure for what ails the Rockets. There isn't. It is NEVER as easy as all that.
