So with all these player projections, there is no talk of...

Tmo is this year's Langhi.

TMO will not contribute much.

DD

 

i think he can blossum into a good defensive player and can be an offensive presence on the court. kinda like byron russel but at the sf position

 

TMo is definitely going to have to increase his shooting percentages if he is going to crack the lineup. He plays decent defense, is a good slasher and is active on rebounds but he shot himself in the foot more than the basket.

I will have TMo on the my IR list to start the season if I don't see much in the preseason from him.

 

I like TCDREAM's comparrison of TMo to Russell. He'll never be a top 3 offensive options on a team but if he can hit the open 3 he could definitly have aplace on this team. He's long and can board well for a SF and the lenght doesn't hurt on the defensive end either. If could improve his laterial quickness just a bit, he could be our defensive specialist for players like TMac, Pual Pierce, even Nowitski. Maybe i'm just being over-optimistic but you never know.

 

1st of all, TMO blows.

2nd of all, there is no value in the nba for guards that are "defensive specialists" but can't hit their ass with either hand.

3rd of all, bryon russell was always a capable shooter. tmo isn't capable of shooting a bb gun.

4th of all, there is NO "defender" that can challenge tmac, paul pierce and dirk diggler. great individual offensive players ALWAYS beat great individual defensive players. the answer to stopping those guys is great TEAM defense, and you don't want to have tmo out there if you want to do that. why? because he hurts you too much on the other end. it's 4 on 5 on offense and 5 on 5 on defense. that's not a winning proposition.

5th of all,

don't ever put the name "wilt" in the same sentence as "langhi". it just doesn't look right.

 

I liked TMo's game ... during his early college career. I'm a Maryland bball freak and have been for a long time. I was so excited about that dude's career after his sophomore season, but it's been downhill since then. He would defer to Baxter, a guy who is now lacing 'em up in the Continental B.A. So I just don't think he has that killer drive; he'll always be sort of passive. Much as I hate to say it, I just don't expect he'll ever give the Rocks that much other than limited role play, 8 minutes here and there at best.

 

he wont get much Pt this year. he may not even get on the active roster.

last year rudy played him much more than langhi would ever dream of playing. i see Tmo as a stacy augman...if he ever gets PT. if not, then we have incredible depth.

 

My bad then. I saw him in the 2nd round of the CBA draft, but they often draft people on a flyer there, hoping their NBA career doesn't pan out. I like Lonny and I hope he sticks w' Bulls. My point is still the same though. TMo is ultimately a passive nice guy, and I don't know how far that'll get him.

 

Well said verse. Tmo just doens't bring much to the table. He doesn't do anything particularly well.

Since we didn't bother to let Augmon on the practice court as a Rocket after the Pippen trade, I think it's safe to say Tmo won't last much longer if he doesn't take his entire game up a couple levels.

 

re: augmon.


augmon had one advantage on tmo: he at least had a defined position that he was good at defending. he was an above average defender against the opposing water boy. tmo still has to beat out jason collier to earn that title on the rockets. but i have faith in tmo. i have faith.

GO TMO!



please GO!

 

Tmo you are teh wekest link, goodbye!

Maybe not goodbye butI'm sure he will have a new position "Guard". As in guard the water bucket.

 

Verse,

Seems like Doug Christie has some value. One could argue that he falls under your definition. Darvin Hamm. Stacy Augmon.

I think there is certainly room for a defensive-minded 2 or 3 in this league with limited offensive production. The key is inserting these guys into an offensive system that involves passing, setting screens and cutting to the hoop. If their only offensive mandate is to sit on the 3 point line and wait...then clearly a player like this puts you at a disadvantage. I think we, as Rockets fans of the last 10 years, tend to forget that this isn't necessarily the only way to run an offense.

 

He isn't going to even make the team this year unless it is IR with Collier.

 

I agree with you that Russell is a much better offensive player than TMo. But I don't agree that individual defensive player is irrelevant against great offensive players. Great defensive players do make a difference against great offensive players. (Didn't we all rave about how MJ feared Mad Max's defense?)

That said. I believe a perimeter player who have limited offensive skills is a liability no matter how good a defender he is. So TMo's value is very limited to the team.

 

Christie has skills on the offensive side of the ball. Hamm has some O too, but I'd call it athleticism rather than skill. Augmon is a defender, with a nonexistent offensive game. Tmo....well, he's good at keeping the bench from levitating and building the confidence of guys like Mobley, Rice and soon to be Boki in practice.

 

First off I disagree with the offense always beats defense statements. I think Hakeem's defense of Starks in game 6 won us a championship. There was a guy hitting everything till...
In fact our one-on-one defene was our biggest strength. Remember ugly ball - we couldn't score, couldn't board to save our soul, but won the championship. And yea the big guy created instant team defense, but Maxwell, Thorpe and Horry were all excellant one-on-one defenders to compliment Hakeem.

But I digress, the real reason for my post... I guess I saw something different from the rest of you in TMo. I thought he was a real good interior defender. I think he has a real knack for being in the right place on defense and rebounds. I know he played four years in college, but he was still a rookie. And thrown in with a rag tag group of players not used to playing together and not running established plays. I think if he is brought along in an organized situation with set rotations he will contribute. I don't expect him to start or finish games, but I can see him contributing 15 minutes of important ball. Russle was mentioned as a comparison, but I think Shandon Anderson is a better comparison, in terms of contribution to the team. Say what you want about his Rocket and Knick history, he was a very important part of a very good Jazz team. Hey they could have won a couple of championships if Jordan had stayed retired (OK now I'm making fun of them- but Anderson though not a starter was a valuable contributor).

If TMo can develope an outside shot, and generally grow over the next few years, he could be a Doug Christie. Who I think is a tereffic player and every team in the league can find room for. Yea I know he sucked in the crunch in the playoffs, but I say they never would have been there without him. If he dosen't develope a shot he will always struggle, but I think can fill a marginal role still.

TMo has potential. Just like or team - give it time to grow.

 

Nice post, Pat. I want to be optimistic, and I like TMo. Here's what I come up against. I can't name one player that was tenative and unassertive in college hoops but then found some sort of intensity in the pro ranks. I wish I could think of somebody -- then I'd have more hope. Anyone come to mind?