I am reading all these threads about trade this guy..move this guy..and I must admit I have been shaken lately by the Rockets play..seeing as a trade is highly unlikely..what about this: Start Moochie at the PG..move Francis to the SG..Posey at SF..MoT at PF ..and Ming bring Mobley off the bench as the 6th man..experiment more with Cato at the PF spot..try Griffin at SF (might be a reach) let's see how Francis can take the full-time SG spot.. You might argue that Moochie ain't good enough..and there is something to that..but you get in his face and say "you are the PG..you simply distribute the ball to our biggest weapons". This would free Francis up to move around without the ball and cause the defense to react..as a PG Francis is not as effective because he is bringing the ball up and taking himself out of the initial pass..I think it would help our team spacing..because the defense would spread out! Ok BBS....tear me apart!
Actually, your idea is not entirely bad. After last night, we need to shake things up. I like bring up MoT, not just because he had a good game, but he's been playing well without pain in his achilles lately. I'd love to see mobley come off the bench and give us a spark WHEN we need to him go off, not from the gate.
mochie is a career backup point guard, who's too slow and can't shoot. no point in starting him. francis and mobley starting are all right. i do like the idea of playing cato at power forward in the 4th quarter. he's a good rebounder and shot-blocker that should help the rocket defensively while the offense will be better without griffin throwing up bricks. james posey is another guy that throws up garbage; his shoot is so damn flat. Pose: stop shooting, you don't have a J. can you be a defensive stopper like bruce bowen? you shouldn't take more than 3 outside shot per game.
I know a lot of people in here are talking trade..trade Mobley..or even Francis..but before that happens lets see what a new lineup would bring. I am not the biggest fan of Moochie but I think you are not giving him enough credit..One thing Moochie can do is dribble and pass..so let's let him do it.. I more want to see Francis at SG than Moochie at PG..Mobley is off the bench and his shots won't conflict as much with Francis and Ming..plus dammit just stir something up..There is no way you can say..everything is alright..cause it ain't!
it's not going to work sitting mobley. he's a starter, whose confident will be shaken if he were coming off the bench. shoot conflicts? he will learn that he's the 3rd option on the team. if he remains foolish, get rid of mind.
The only player I would move into the line up is Mo' Taylor, but he was supposed to be the starter anyway, so this is nothing new. I'd make him earn it for a few more games. Then insert him.
What about this starting lineup: PG: Francis SG: Posey SF: Morris PF: Taylor/Griffin C: Yao Terrence usually plays up or down, but I've been surprisingly impressed by his role playing skills when he gets the minutes. He is a solid defender and rebounder, and that lineup would give us great defense out of the gate and a size advantage on most teams. Mobleys 40+ minutes a night comes down to about 35, which is still a lot, just off the bench.
leave moochie's chunky ass on the bench, where he can gobble Krispy Kreme's and practice braiding his hair.
Mo can start for me any night. However, starting for an NBA '4'? He can't stop anyone taller than he. Garnett, Sheed, TD etc etc eat him alive. Start MoT -- on the way to RaptorLand. Or somewhereland. He's ok, and seems a decent sort, but -- he's not playoff worthy let alone title worthy.
Just get the ball out of Francis hands and good things happen. Feed the post, he gets his shots when they're there. Its no need for a pg to get himself in the game so early when he dominates the ball so much anyway. Taylor has a good game about every other night similar to Griffin. When he started when Eddie was hurt, he sucked,got into foul trouble.
I was actually going to post something very simliar to the above, with the only variation being Kelvin Cato at the 4... and maybe Rice at the 3 for consistent shooting... but the main point remains- Moving Francis to SG and send Mobley to the bench. Rox need better focus on both offense and defense. First unit with focus on Francis and Yao. Moochie, Cato/MoT, and Rice know their roles. Cat can lead the second team, something with Hawkins and Cato, a more energetic unit... focused on defense. Something like what the Blazers and Pistons do with their benches. STuart
No...NO...NO !! Break Moochie's ankles...put him with Ted Williams...freeze Mooch...FREEZE !! Start Tito Maddox.. DD
Listen.. I ain't saying that this new lineup would be full of better athletes than the existing one.. I am saying that the new personnel would change up the nature of the offense and how plays begin and how opposing defenses responds.. I think we might like the result...
I like your ideas. People have to remember that other teams have to guard us as well. I honestly believe we need a change just for the sake of change. It doesn't have to be a trade, but something needs to give. Rudy needs to experiment with all of his options and find groups that work. We have played well against fairly good teams, so don't change that. I think we should shake things up when we play tier one teams and tier bottom teams. They say, "Good teams beat the bad teams". Good teams beat bad teams because the only thing they can do to lose is something they do to themselves. In other words, good teams don't do anything to take themselves out of their game. The Rockets do all kinds of things to take themselves out of games. We are not good yet, so we need to do something about it. It's a problem, figure it out Rox! In the mean time, I shall still cheer.
I know.....but he have already changed our lineup so many times. The only two other teams that have changed their starting lineup more than us are very crappy teams. Maybe because of the trade and some injuries. I guess it would be good to mix things up. ANYTHING TO MAKE US WIN ON THE ROAD. Anyways, Seattle tried this. Didn't work out too well.
Having Cato at the 4 in the fourth quarter with Yao,and putting Posey at the 2 with Morris at the 3 when Mobley is shooting poorly is ok with me. If Francis is not able to set up anything,Moochie should come in for some minutes to try to distribute the ball but Francis should still be the starting point guard. If Posey is shooting well which unfortunately is quite rare,Mobley can also move to the 3 against smaller 3's so he can drive and get to the free throw line but I would only do this as a last resort. Mo and Griffin should rotate at the 4.For now I would leave Mo as the starter.
I am curious to see what would happen if we give Steve the ball in a position to score nearly every time down much the same way the 76ers do with Iverson.
