Sura will be just fine backing up either position, provided he has fewer minutes. At that age, you heal slower, trust me, and 10-15 minutes at the 1 or 2 would be great for all involved. Now how do we keep Barry and get bigger at SG?
Teams with Stephen J (before he further blew up), Parker (he is some better now, but he sucked and was pulled down the stretch on TD's scend championship team), Avery J, Mario, Fisher, Steve Kerr, BJ Armstrong, John Paxton, Kenny Smith and (broken down) Ron Harper have all won championships over the last 10 years filling out guard spots. Sura definetly fits in OK with these other role players if he is healthy. I think Stoudamire and Sura as the 1&2 probably give us a better chance at a ring than Sura and Wesley, and are definetly less exploitable than Stoudamire and Wesley. James, Barry, Head and Dion could makes a fine bench brigade too. It is MUCH better than the group we had last year, and we were playing great last year when JH and our guards were healthy. I would be plenty happy going into the season DS, BS, MJ, JB, Head and Glover as our active guards. If the guys are not cutting the mustard due to health or poor performance, we can always pull a trade with expiring contracts before the deadline.
A backcourt of Sura/Stoudamire would leave us very weak defensively. Sura is too slow to defend most starting guards around the league. Last year it wasn’t that big a deal since we could always stick Wesley on the other teams best perimeter player, but Sura playing next to Stoudamire doesn’t really give us that option. Between Sura’s lack of speed and Stoudamire’s lack of height, the Rockets would be exploited on the defensive end, especially in the playoffs.
Sura's natural position is shooting guard. There is no question that at full health, Bobby would help this team tremendously in the starting lineup, with the capabilities of shutting down the other team's 2, not to mention he was pretty clutch for us last season, especially during game 1 or 2 of the dallas series with a couple big 3's. Even though he won't be 100% healthy, I think he should be kept on the team because he is one guy that you know won't back down if an opponent starts playing dirty or getting too physical with him or another Rocket (remember him tackling Josh Howard last year?). However, I think JVG has set his mind to finding more of a defensive-minded starting SG for the team, with Sura coming off the bench for some PG/SG or even SF minutes. He's too versatile to let go.
Then maybe the arrival of DS depends on whether Rockets can get a defensive-minded not-undersized 2 guard?
Sura's career MO is as a defensive-minded not-undersized 2 guard. He also has some qualities as a combo guard (can play the 1, or fill in at the 3 as well). Sura defensively can play most of your SGs a lot better than he can play your Terrys, Bibbys, Boykins, Parkers, Pauls, and Fords--those are his biggest trouble players. Those guys Stoudamire or James can do a lot better job on than Sura, or Wesley for that matter, could. I would say BS's questions next year as they have been for him for a while, are his health and somewhat erratic shooting. But his shooting (actually not that far off Wesley form 3 range and a much better penetrator than Wesley) and overall offensive game is probably better than most of the defensive-minded no-undersized 2 guards available for the LLE--unless some vet like Spree could fall to us. I think playing him at the 1 exposes more of his weakness and moves him away from his strengths more so than playing him at the 2 does. I see little reason to play him at the 1 with Stoudamire, James and maybe Head occasionally diveying up those 48 MPG, and with Barry, Head and Glover we should be able to keep Sura's minutes down to below 30MPG in the 2 and 3.
So you're trying to tell me that Sura will shut down Ginobli. You have to be trying some new wacky weed we don't know about. Please fill us in.
After reading SOoooooooo many negative comments on a sunny summer day.................................................. Sura Faints....
Sura could play Manu better than Wesley can. Besides, we have one of the best players in the league to play the Manus of the NBA, he goes by the name, Tracy MacGrady . I am pretty confident Sura can flat shut down Bruce Bowen.
We don't want Tmac defending the other team's best perimeter player. That's wasted energy. It's not like Manu has to guard Tmac. That's what Wesley brought for us in the regular season, being able to stick him on the other team's best player and shut him down. It takes a lot of energy. I think Wesley could keep Manu in front of him, but Sura can't. Regardless, I'd love to have Sura come off the bench for either the 1 or 2.
We don't want to do it all the time, but down the stretch Tmac is going to be on the opponent's best perimeter player. If we had the Pippen/Bowen guy to do this we would, but this isn't going to be easy to pick up before the start of the season. Wesley might be able to keep Manu, Kobe, Allen, Carter, Finley, Stack, Johnson, etc in front of him better than Sura can, but they can shoot right over Wesley. Sura at least has the size to make guys try to get to the hole, with Swift, Yao, and Deke waiting it isn't going to be easy.
Big Blast of 'RIGHT' thinking logic there my friend. If we plan to win we have to upgrade our back court. Sentimentality is great, but it doesn't win games. Our aim is, minimally, home court advantage for the first round. Adding DS is definitely a start although other PG's could help just as much. Adding a starting caliber '2' is required along with a good back-up '3'. JB does not count as a good B/U '3'. Sura will be a 3rd back up for both PG and SG if he is still here.
Ya'll know a team with a starting back court of journeyman role player extrodinare Elie and Avery no-J Johnson cruised to a ring (how ironic, wasn't it Damon S who said a team starting Avery could NEVER win a ring). Ya'll know teams that included John Paxton, Kerr, Armstrong, Fisher, Parker (when he sucked and was benched), Washed Up Ron, Brian Shaw, Speedy Claxton, Brent Barry, Beno Udrah, Jaren Jackson, Mike James, Lindsey Hunter, SheRa Lue, and not to forget our own Kenny "ole D" Smith playing major minutes if not outright starting have won most (90%+) of the rings the last 10, 12, years. Hey, if Avery and Mario can cruise to a title with an awesume front line behind them, Stoudamire and Sura can darn well do it, especially with more help than Jarren Jackson and Anthony Daniels--who had not figured out the NBA game at that point and was one of the leagues most erratic and biggest disappointments--could provide. (Mike James and Barry are better 1st line subs than those guys were) Ya'll forget how good we were when we had 4 NBA level (versus CBA or AARP level) guards available plus an NBA level PF to play with Tmac and Yao (and Deke). Next year if we upgrade our backcourt a little we will be right there competing for a title barring major injury (now with two legit complimentary PFs). Give give me Stoudamire with last years group of Sura, Wesley, James and Barry, with a few spot minutes for the athletic Head and Glover depending on how they play and match-ups, I'll take my chances versus anybody.
What's this I keep seeing that "Sura is too slow to play the 2"... Last I remember, PGs were pretty small and normally faster than 2 guards. Anywho...Of course, to win a championship we COULD use much better guards...but there are many teams who could. We're not going to be able to upgrade every position overnight. Sura at the 2 wouldn't be horrible, and if it was Stoudemire/Sura/TMac/Swift/Yao, that'd be a pretty damn good starting lineup. Then we have James/Barry/(McGrady plays 48 minutes )/Howard/Dikembe as the 2nd team.
Yes, thank you. He was so injured come playoff time last season. Surgically repaired soar knee, bad back, played with the flu during the playoffs, etc. etc.. It was added bonus that he was even out there. He was the X-factor for the Rockets last season. He gave the Rockets a tough, gritty edge no other player did. He's not as fast as he once was, but he is a great role player, and I'll be dissapointed if he's not a Rocket this upcoming season.
sura.....actually ,compared with all the overpaid guys,sura was really effctive,but i would say,he was not a quaify pg......we need someone who could pass the ball to our stars comfortablely..... trade mj and one expiring for a pure pg....
A large majority of those guards you mentioned were bench players on championship teams, which I think is the perfect role for the guards we currently have. They would all make excellent bench players on a championship team. Especially in today's NBA where guard play is so much more crucial to playoff success than in the past. It's really not even a matter of lack of talent. I just don't see Sura and Stoudamire complimenting each other's games well at all. They are both very similar players. They are at their best when the ball is in their hands and they're penetrating to the basket. Take the ball out of their hands and they are much less effective. I consider both to be weak defenders. Sura made Jason Terry look like Isaiah Thomas. I shudder to think what great scoring guards like Ginobili, Kobe, Allen, or Joe Johnson what do against him. I would almost rather start Wesley or Luther Head next to Stoudamire than Sura. I'd even prefer getting a journeyman shooting guard like Trenton Hassel or Greg Buckner to play the 2 next to Stoudamire, even though I think Sura is a better player then them, because I think their games would mesh better with Stoudamire's. Having a defensive stopper in your starting lineup is a must, especially when your point guard is such a liability on defense. Another thing is our biggest problem in the playoffs was the Dallas guards were so much bigger than ours and they were so much more athletic. A starting backcourt of Sura and Damon really does not address that problem.
Actually about half those guys I listed started for championship teams, and all those guys had fairly important roles. See to me Sura and Stoudamire compliment each other very well. Defensively Sura is better to guard the bigger 2s than he is the quick 1s--who are the quickest players in the league bar none (e.g., Terrys, Parkers, Bibbys, Pauls, Ford). I'd rather put Sura on Manu or Ray Allen or Carter or Joe Johnson or Rip or Finley or Stack or S. Jackson, than put Sura on the quickest of the quick or alternatively put Wesley on them where they shoot right over him. As far as the Kobes, Wades, Tmacs, and Iversons nobody can guard them anyway, and only one is in our conference who doesn't play on our team. Now Stoudamire is very quick himself, quicker than any Rocket guard with the possible exception of Mike James--who would be his back-up. Stoudamire is going to be in trouble againest some bigger 1s, but James or Head gives us other options. Overall Sura/DS is quicker than Wesley/Sura is. Offensively, Stoudamire should be great about getting the ball up the court quick and knocking down open jumpers. He has a superquick release (quicker than Wesley or Sura) and I think would thrive on the open jumpers from Yao/Tmac. He is quite simply a more dynamic offensive player than either Sura or Wesley, and would make you pay if you leave him with a smaller crack than those other two need. I think Sura compliments him well. Sura doesn't take near as many shots and looks to pass or drive more often. He isn't a nonproductive scorer/shooter, but it isn't his strength like it is with Stoudamire. Also, Sura is a fine rebounder, and getting him in the SG position will allow him to help on the boards while DS can look for quick outlets for the break in the middle of the floor. We will be in much better position to punish teams crashing the boards by having Stoud push the ball with the gazelle forwards we now have--translating to a lot of easy baskets for us or a much more conservative OReb strategy by our opponents, either way a good thing. Wesley or Head with DS not only makes us much smaller than Sura with DS, it makes us rebound much worse, and with Head it probably makes our shooting worse. Also, Sura is also a much better penetraitor than Wesley. Sura and DS will punish the overaggresive defensive rotations in a way Wesley just can't. As for Buckner, the guy is a 20MPG type player and last year was the 1st in a long time where he shot well decent from 3 line (and he has never scored more than 6PPG). I'd be concerned last year's shooting was an anamole, he is certainly less of proven starter/borderline starting caliber guard than Sura, James or Wesley (and certainly DS). Glover might well do this role anyway (his career stats are very close to Bucker's), will be cheaper, and has more size to play the SF, I'll be interested to see if JVG can turn him into a defensive force, he would seem to have a lot of the physical tools. We also have Head, a better athlete than either Glover or Bucker (or Wesley), who could be our defensive stopper. Don't get me wrong, I'd be happy to sign Buckner for the LLE if he will take it and give him a try in the rotation, but in no way to I see him as valuable or proven or do as much for our back-court potency as DS would, and I think we have some reasonable alternatives in Head and Glover. Like I said, I be plenty happy going into the season with DS, BS, DW, MJ, JB, LH and DG as our active guards. Even if we have to trade James or DW (preferrably) to get DS, so be it. With all our other changes I'd feel good about our title chances with that team. And if that group of guards are not cutting the mustard by the trade deadline, Glover gets the axe and we pull a S&T with expiring contracts plus Sura or James or Wesley. I think they could get it done though. New Jack, on some topic on some day I am sure we will see eye-to-eye
