My point is that I think he would play better if he was on the court at the beginning of the game. He's always played better when he starts.
when stromile was inconsistent in the past, was it because of lack of effort or just having bad games? the other night he wasn't out there not trying. what i saw was a guy who was working hard and a guy who was trying too hard at times. he was out of position a lot, and he had a few mental lapses here and there on defense. but the effort was there. that's what i'm looking at.
Dude, that's exactly my point. He'll get us 10-5. Which ain't great, but it's not bad either. It's fine...
Well, Stro only cost us the MLE, so he's still a good value, but people have to temper their expectations. I pretty much expect Stro to remain on the bench until JVG has confidence that he won't blow defensive assignments. He's also got to prove that small injuries like that forearm injury won't sideline him. Swift had proven coaches like Hubie Brown and Mike Fratello before, so it's not like lack of instruction was holding him back. But I don't know if he had the same pressure from his teammates as he does here with McGrady and Yao, and a bunch of hungry veterans who haven't had much playoff success.
If God created human, then why didn't he make us perfect? I mean, on one hand we are smart enough to make such nice things (see the picture above) to enjoy, but on the other hand many of us are too dumb to enjoy it because they see that glass of wine is only half filled. Give it a rest guys, it's only one game. Stro is going to be fine here because his role has been significantly changed. Unlike before, he is now on a team with two go to guys. Here he has a limited but clearly defined role which is to rebound, block shots, help defense and make easy shots. We all know he has the athleticsm to do this job. But don't we forget that he also has the desire, or he wouldn't have come here knowing he could've got more money elsewhere. So I'm not worried a bit. Give him a few more games, he will live up to the billing.
He seemed to do OK during the preseason when he didn't start. Starting has nothing to do with it. He's got to learn his assignments within our team concept. One of our major problems at the beginning of last season was starting games slowly. We can't fall into that same habit. This is why DA pushed Wesley out as a starter. This is why Stro won't push JH aside until he plays smarter. Blown defensive assignments, going for every pump fake, picking up 2 quick fouls is not what we need early in the first quarter. Brad Miller went around the athletic Stro like he wasn't even on the court. Stro will come around, but he ain't there yet. And starting him won't speed the process at all. JVG runs a meritocracy and starting Swift now would send the wrong message.
Haven: All you need to do to understand my point is to look back to the beginning of last year when rather than accommodating the strengths of Yao to McGrady, JVG was demanding that T-Mac play to the strengths of Yao. Is there any member on this Forum that would not recognize what a poor strategy that was?!? Furthermore, what changed the chemistry of the team for its good was when JVG changed that strategy, unleashed McGrady (actually McGrady unleashed himself and JVG had no choice but to follow), and even added the right mix of players to enhance not only T-Mac's game, but T-Mac's leadership, as well. As a result, the Rockets jelled into a true team, Yao's game flourished, and they made it into the Playoffs. In fact, when the success of the Rockets running game had became so patently visible, wasn`t it JVG himself that was spoofing in the interviews when he facetiously took credit for it's success? As I said, previously, go ahead, JVG, teach Stro positioning and spacing and where to better hold his defensive assignment. That is JVG's strength, but what will hurt this team the most is if JVG, again, in having a potemtial All Star PF in Stromile Swift fails to effectively utilize his strengths and blindly forces Stro to fit into a defunct and inept system that stymies his game, does not unleash his abilities, and does not unleash the potential of this team. That is what must not be "permissible"! To not recognize the asset of Stro`s abilities and for you to deem them as merely average is to miss the potential geatness of his game and of the key missing element he brings to this team - an element that even a casual Rocket fan has longed for...Remember, it is T-Mac and CD that wanted him. I suspect they love what they see. My gosh, the Rockets need someone who delivers the nasty smash-down-in-your-face-dunks. Not just because it is fun to watch, though it is, but because it incites the other players to play with fearless abandonment! This team has been too tame, too JVG flacid for too long! Let`s hope for the best and that if JVG is the master coach some say he is, that he, too, will improve his game that to me has more deficits than Stro`s game. I stand by what I said: Gooo Stro! Keep Slammin'!!
I've said this before we got Stro, and I'll say it again: Swift needs to learn how to rebound better. He's got good size and great athleticism, but he's always been a poor rebounder. We need our PF to be a good rebounder since Yao is too slow to get rebounds outside his area. I think that Stro has the potential to be a good rebounder if he learns the correct techniques. He's got one of the quickest jump in the league. Overall I think that rebounding and defense are the main areas where Stro needs to improve. He'll get his open dunks and 15 foot jumpers by just playing alongside TMac and Yao.
He'll be a lot better when season goes on. He was just nervous out there as a new Rocket in his first game.
JVG's comments after Friday's practice http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Post_Practice_110505-156336-822.html
