I really liked the starting line up last night... Yao, Steve, Boki, Jackson, Cato The chemistry was there from the get go. I like the supporting cast because they all play hard on the defensive end and they don't demand touches on the offensive end. Because Boki, Cato and Jackson all play a team game and accept the roll player job it helped get Yao and Steve going. None of those guys is out trying to get 20 pts. and all of them were busting it on the defensive end. Would MoT, Cuttino, Griffin, Piatowski etc. be alright off the bench?
It was good and it was bad. We want role players like Cato, JJ, Boki but we want them to be able to put the ball in the hole when needed. If we start a player who mostly dunks and 2 guys who shoot 30%, we will have problem playing for keeps! Cato is doing what he can. He won't turn into an offensive machine. JJ's shots will come around 'cause he's done it before. Boki's, I am not sure about. He is getting the chance to show what he can do. If he doesn't raise his percentage, he will be stuck to the bench comes regular season.
I thought the same thing. Last nights lineup played unselfish and they shared the ball I think Boki will come around faster than Eddie Griffin but I really think Steve would be a better player if he wasnt in a starting lineup with his CAT!
Probably they were effective because it was unexpected. Let us just be happy to have Boki be in the rotation, justifiably, and let Cato do spot duty.
Let me see, who was missing from last night's starting lineup who can always throw a wrench in our offense. A guy who needs the ball to be effective. Could it be CUTTINO
Pgabriel, LOL, I don't know if you're being sarcastic, but I had the feeling that Cat would have screwed things up. Steve was running the offense very nicely with that lineup. I don't think Boki is ready at all. His shot is horrible, his handles aren't that good, and neither is his defense. I'm not sure what he brings to the table. I'd much rather see Adrian Griffin in there.
Now wait a minute. I hope you're not saying that the Rox played halfway decent offense because Cat wasn't playing, cause that's just ludicrous. He didn't play in 3 other preseason games (actually he did a little in the first, but that barely counts), which, by the way, turned into losses where the offense was HORRIBLE. I'm not saying that we would have won or that the offense would magically become great.. I'm saying that right now the Rox offense stinks with or without Cat. The one game he did play in for any significant amount of time he did great and stayed in his role. We need Cat, if not just for the reason that this team needs another player who can make a friggin' basket and be an offensive threat on the court, AND for the fact that he may be the only perimeter player who can play defense. The offense was still pretty ugly for much of the game yesterday, frankly I'm surprised we pulled off a win (the Kings just played even more horribly). So don't go blaming the bad offense on Cat, at least not yet. The team needs to get more comfortable with each other, and JJ, Boki and Griffin need to find some kind of offensive game.
One thing I have really liked now that I've watched Boki get some time is his effort. He battles for rebounds, plays hard every possession and he is starting to make some plays offensively. He has shown that he can run the break and finish. But I really like his smarts. He does some smart things. He doesn't try to make it happen, he flows with the flow of the game. True, I want him to hit a higher percentage of the open looks he's getting. But at least he's not trying to force it and get his shot. I am beginning to believe if he keeps the defensive intensity he can be a rotation player with Adrian G. and Eric P. at SF As far as Jackson, he will be there in the reg. season and Cato- he is light years beyond what he was 2 yrs ago. He has given a good effort everytime he's on the court. I think chemistry is vital, because we have lacked it! So if this is the line up that proves out to have the best chemistry and success, Do it JVG.
Nova, Do you not think the Rockets offense would be better with a pure shooter starting instead of Cuttino? Not saying Jackson is a pure shooter, but at least he doesn't require the ball to be effective on the offensive end. Besides drive to the basket, what does Cuttino do well on the offensive end, pass?
Cat can and has shot lights out in many games, but I agree that the Rockets offense would be more efficient with a pure shooter starting. But don't be blaming the bad offense on Cat just yet. Like I said before, in the ONE game that he's actually played in this preseason he played very very well, which so far gives you no basis for your criticism. If he can stay in his role, hell, I'd rather have Cat starting than Pike or Jackson. Cat can shoot, he can drive, and he plays good defense. However if he can't, I'd want him in the sixth man role too. He would be the main offensive option on the second team. Generally speaking, Jackson isn't as much as an offensive threat as Cat, but he does play good defense. Pike can shoot (better than Cuttino), but his defense and driving isn't as good as Cat. If Cat can play within his role on the team he gives us the best option at his position.
I'm looking forward to seeing ALL our players in there. We haven't seen practically any minutes from Cat, A. Griffin or Mo so far, all of which I'm interested to see in action in the new system. I'm eager to get Pike back into the rotation, too. I want us to find a way to utilize all our weapons without relying too heavily on our deficiencies... like Moochie...
Anyone think that JVG is playing Boki now, but will replace him with Adrian Griffin as soon as he's healthy? Maybe Boki is just acting as a AG substitute.
I would like to see JVG start this line up: Yao,Cato,JJ,Pike,Stevie I think it would be very balanced, plus the bench would have enough fire power to slap any other second unit: cat,AG,Nachbar,eggie,moT...of course,they wouldnt be on the court all at the same time. Best thing would be that moochie would get garbage minutes!!
I liked the lineup last night also, but I think it was more of JVG style rubbing off on the players finally. It seemed like everyone was playing more seriously and with more effort. I especially liked Jim Jackson's attitude out there and how well he was working with Yao.
