now that hakeem has left the rockets, these are some predictions of what the rockets will be like in three years 1. Steve Francis will become a dream teamer and the rockets team leader while averaging 20+ and 6+ assists. 2. Cuttino Mobley continues to put in 15 pts a game while becoming the most quotable rocket since sir charles. 3. Eddie Griffin is a perrenial all-star, averaging 20+, 11 reb.s, and 2.5 blocks per game. Shaq fouls griffin hard so he punches the big man out and is suspended for two games. 4. Kelvin Cato is still lazy, but he finishes second in the NBA in blocks with 3.1 blocks per game. He also averages 4 dunks per game thanks to a great point guard. 5. Terrence emerges as a perfect complement to eddie, who is starting at the four spot, providing a good outside jumper good defense. 6. Dan Langhi wins 6th man of the year award for the second year in a row. he averages 15 pts. per game backing up at sf and sg. 7. The Rockets defeat the lakers in 7 on a game winning shot by Steve Francis as Kobe watches his and shaq's chance to win 4 in a row evaporate. 8. The Rockets sweep the Toronto Raptors led by Vince Carter. Hakeem is DOMINATED by the younger Kelvin Cato, but as the rockets celebrate on their brand new home floor, Francis finds hakeem and gives him a bear hug and tells him, "dont u wish u stayed?" just some positive thoughts in a dark period in rockets history
Drew, I liked #8, but my addendum to that would be this... 00:06 left in Game 7, Raptors down to the Rockets by 1pt. A. Davis looks to inbound the ball to V. Carter, but he is being cloaked by C. Mobley, who won the "Most Improved Player" award for his defense. A. Davis catches a glimpse of Dream trying to get loose from K. Cato's suffocating defenese. A. Davis blasts the ball into Dream, as K. Cato goes for the steal on the pass, leaves Dream wide open. Dream spots up for a 12-ft jumper to win the game.... when all of a sudden...flashbacks of Phi Slamma Jamma days, the two Houston championships, his family and friends in Houston, Clyde Drexler, Steve Francis, Rudy Tomjanovich, Sam Cassell, the many tears his fans cried when he left...it all hits him all at once. 00:02 left, he snaps out of it, attempts to shoot the ball, but it's blocked from behind b E. Griffin!!!! Rockets win their third championship.
Hopefully in 3 years Cato won't be the guy starting and playing enough minutes to get those 3.1 blocks.
Drew_Le: You think that Langhi will be averaging 15 something points a game off the bench? I don't even think the Microwave, Vinnie Johnson, averaged that many. Langhi is not bad, but he may not even be a Rocket in 3 years. And where was Mo Taylor? You don't think he will be with the Rockets in 3 years, but you do think that Cato will and that he will even play well???!!! I did like your scenario in the Finals with the Raptors except it should be in the Game 7 with the Rockets down by one, Francis posturizes the 41 year old Olajuwon at the buzzer to win the game and the championship!!! After the game, a reporter asks Olajuwon, "How did it feel to have Steve Francis dunk on you?" Olajuwon will say, "He didn't dunk on me because I didn't try to block it. I couldn't have blocked it anyway, because I'm too old to jump that high!!!"
I went to Vandy and watched Dan Langhi for a couple of years. He did lead the SEC in scoring his senior year. Now that may not sound like much since it is NCAA, and it's not like Vandy had any other go to guys. We should give Langhi a chance. I think he can play 20 mins a game avg 10-12 points a game and get some nice assists if he gets a lot of PT. However, Rudy did say that Langhi has to earn his time. IMO, Rudy is still going to let SA get most of the minutes off the bench in the early going until SA proves him wrong in which Langhi wll be given a shot.
I like Mo taylor as a rocket now, but eddie griffin will move to pf in three years while terrence morris moves into the sf position. i think mo taylor will be traded for either draft picks or a center to back up cato, who uses his incredible athleticism and a fire that is lit by griffin,mobley, and francis to become an above-average player.
It would be great if Terrence Morris comes along to the point that he can start at SF, but he could turn out to be a Rodrick Rhodes or a Jason Collier (he might prove me wrong, but I doubt it). I think that if Taylor has a good year this year then maybe we should consider that he is either another potent option in the Rockets offense or that if we trade him, he would be worth more than draft picks or a back-up center to Cato. No disrespect intended, but you must really think that the uninspired one is going to do something. Which leads me to this question: how good can a center be if he can't beat out Cato??
