The real priority in the New Wild, Wild West : a defensive 4

Anybody know of a reason why a mentally healthy EG couldn't be molded into a physically healthier version of Marcus Camby? Their defensive style and body shape are remarkably similar. EG would just have to change his shot selection to look less like Robert Horry and more like a pure bigman.

 

1. Tony Battie is not a full-time starter in the Western Conference.

2. We had Cato last year, a defensive PF, and Duncan, Garnett, Nowitzki, Stoudemire, Boozer, and Randolph STILL killed us. They kill everyone. That's why they're all-stars or borderline all-stars.

3. It would be nice to have a player that can defend the interior like a PJ Brown. But there just aren't a lot of players like that available.

4. Howard is the best PF we've had since Barkley retired. We'll be okay with him suiting up for us.

5. Just because we got McGrady doesn't mean points will now come easy. We couldn't score enough points with Yao, Mobley, and Steve, we won't score enough with just Yao and T-Mac. We need a consistent third scorer like Howard.

 

...Believe it!!! Do not fear Rockets fans. We already have our answer at the 4! As long as the stars align right we are set...

A PSYCHIC MESSAGE FROM PSYCHIC JOHN EDWARD
Hello friends.

One plus/minus aspect of being a world class conduit of telekenetic information is that the whole "psychic energy" thing works both ways. Yes, I can communicate with the dead. That's a powerful, lucrative gift.

But being strongly attuned to the supernatural airwaves also makes me ripe for being monitored myself, often against my will or knowledge. For instance, I am currently half-asleep in a Barcalounger at my home, drinking a glass of bloody mary mix (Mr. and Mrs. T), snacking on pretzels and mixed nuts, contemplating why breakfast cereal is -- pound for pound -- more expensive than a quality beef filet.
My subconscious mind, however, is being hacked by one of the flunkies at the Chucky Brown Fan Club, and put online. Again.

It's useless to fight them. Plus, they're good kids. As usual, they want predictions. Answers. Justice. Fine. I'll give you people what you want.

What does 2004 hold for Chucky Brown, his fans, and the larger basketball world? Currently, Clarence "Chucky" Brown is not on a team. So you need me to explain this again? Fine.

There are always a handful of teams -- this year, it is the Suns, the Rockets, the Magic, the Timberwolves, the Pistons -- who are not doing as well as they should. These are teams who lack what, in my business, we would call "karma." Good teams, underachieving teams, all looking for something. A spark.

And you know what happens next. A general manager for one of these teams will sign Chucky Brown to a ten day contract. Just to beef up the front line. Just to give a little depth. Just to add a little experience.

He will play surprisingly well. And then they will sign Chucky Brown to a second ten-day contract, and then for the rest of the season. And then the players on that team will start to talk about how Chucky is a great influence on the team. Hard work, defense, scoring, fitting in, adding those intangibles.

Then Chucky will work his way into the rotation. Then Chucky will start a few games, just because someone is injured or something.Then the team will, coincedentally of course, play their best basketball of the season. Then the team "will come together at just the right time." Make the playoffs. How they do in the playoffs will depend on how much they play Chucky, The local fans will go nuts. Make Brownies, that sort of thing.

Yawn. Same as usual.

But the NBA season is pretty much an snooze-festival until that happens, so what do we talk about until all that happens? Lots of things. Key fan club contributors have been sharing their thoughts with the world for a while, about all sorts of basketball topics. As usual, our Houston chapter is super-serious, weighing in with heavy opinions on the many things up with that city, its basketball and its fans. In this issue, we have an article on one man's quest to meet Cuttino Mobley. Another debate begun by one man's rage at the hasty exit of the legendary Rudy Tomjanovich, one of Chucky Brown's two favorite coaches.

And one fan has written in Spanish about ... something. It looks like a sloppy internet translation of an English letter (babelfish?). But honest, I can't translate it back. I may be psychic in French, German and Cantoneese, but oddly enough, I can not make heads or tails of Spanish. Totally missed that Selena thing, for instance.
Anyway, first one to make sense of this letter gets a Chucky Brown Rookie Card.

I should also tell you about the CBFC goals for 2004. The battery on this laptop, er, the psychic connection only has a few more minutes, so I gotta be fast. Here we go:

To Do List, 2004
1. Get Chucky Brown's High School gym named after him.
2. Push the "Rock the Vote: Get Chucky Brown On The All Star Team" over the top and make Chucky an All Star in 2004.
3. Make sure Chucky's next team is a good team (no Warrriors, Knicks or Hawks, please).

Easy enough. If you'd like to help the Fan Club out, just send an email with your thoughts to:
cbfc@chuckybrownfanclub,com
Enjoy the site!

much love,

John Edward

as translated by Linus Tsai, CBFC Information Director. (Ph.D pending...)

ps. Seriously, do the math. Lucky Charms is like $40 a pound. Preposterous.

http://www.chuckybrownfanclub.com/

 

Because Eddie Griffin will never play for the Rockets again.

 

dharocks == Les Alexander

 

we do need a defensive minded C/F. but i wouldn't worry about losing everytime someone has an advatage over us. everyteam has an advantage over us somewhere. we can't have an answer to every position on every team.

yes our team has holes and some flaws. the summer just began a couple of weeks ago....if nothing happens in a month from now then we can start to worry.

 

Donyell Marshall would be the perfect 4 for this team.
He rebounds, blocks shots and gets steals.
And unlike Mo, Juwan or Spoon he can hit a 3 pointer (40%)
which would help space the floor for Yao to post up.

With Toronto looking to move Bosh to the 4 and Rose to the 3 and DM being a free agent after the season perhaps he is available?

Piatkowski + TE = Marshall?

 

lol..I don't know about Eddie..:/ But he could have been good...I would like Tony Battie or Keon Clark..or Rasheed or something. Is Juwan Howard a good defender? KELVIN CATO! Jerome James..

 

If you're looking for a defensive forward, I don't know why anybody would mention Eddie Griffin.

Decent weakside shotblocker, awful man defender.

 

Rockets 4's aren't the cream of the crop in the West, but on any given night I can certainly see the combo of J.Howard and M.Taylor outplaying even the better 4's in the West - not every night, but there is a chance.

Rockets should be looking for: (1) starting PG, (2) backup center, (3) backup SF, (4) better PF.

That said, if nobody wants to offer Stromile Swift the MLE, I'd take a stab at it because I still think there is a lot of game in that guy - if Memphis matches...well, they continue to sink their money into a team with no real superstar or even all-star player. May have worked somewhat for Detroit, but then Ben Wallace may be in the top 5 in terms of impact on the game and they have two other all-star type players (Billups, Hamilton) - Memphis doesn't have near that talent, though they have more talent at a level below that.

 

Bingo. The PF spot is fine, the Rockets just need to get an extra big body off the bench.

 

We agree, ron413. After the sky stops falling, I think CD should get EG signed for the minimun for 2 years, with the 2nd year a team option. There's nothing to lose.

If we can trade Taylor or Howard in a deal (Taylor, most likely), then we need another 4. If he can play backup 5, so much the better. But the priority has to be the 1 and a backup 5.

Griffin is really a separate issue that's a no-brainer, imo.

 

I agree,we need to package Taylor in a deal.My preference would be an athletic 4 with size.. a banger/enforcer/rebounder,even.Someone we can pair with Howard....Some names that come to mind.....
Eric Williams,Jumaine Jones,Keon Clark(already mentioned),Stromile Swift(mentioned),and Bo Outlaw.
I'd even welcome somebody bigger,a role player,that can play the 4/5.

 

If there's nothing to lose, then why not sign Dennis Rodman? He can actually play defense, something Griffin hasn't been able to do in the NBA.

 

Well, how about a straight up Mo Taylor for PJ Brown swap?

They want to run more and need some more scoring. PJ and Magloire just don't compleemnt each other - they both rely on toughness to play inside, no scoring touch from any of them.

The upside: PJ is defensive, grabs a good number of rebounds, has experience, and isn't horrible with the J. His man-to-man defense is betetr than Cato's, but his shotblocking is not close. His offense is better. I think he would look great alongside Yao with his experience.

The downside: He's not young, getting up there, and is tied up for a while. Makes a substantial amount of money. Isn't really athletic nor does he block shots, two important things for this team.

Overall though, I'd make this trade. Whatever premium we pay on PJ's contract vs. Mo's, we make up on the fact that PJ's style will compliment us better and make us a betetr team.

If this doesn't work out, I'd take a look at their other PF, David West I believe? Whoever he is, I've been looking at the rebounding charts, and this guy is a MONSTER on the boards. He will be a revelation. I checked his game log, summer league, and per minute stats - the guy can rebound the ball. Anyone have any good info on this guy? I've seen him once andw as impressed by his effort, but didn't really follow him much.

 

I don't know much about West,but PJ would be great.That's a really good example of a guy that would work at the 4.
Exactly what is PJ's contract like?7-8 mil/yr?I do think we would have to give up more than Taylor.He would start.
PJ's game reminds me of Brian Grant.

 

You'd think we'd have to give up more than MoT, but consider this:

- MoT is around 8 years younger. EIGHT YEARS.
- They make the same amount of money.
- Mo is way more offensively gifted, which would work well with Magloire.
- They're looking for more athleticism and scoring.

Last year, I would've agreed with you. This year, I think this trade would be great for them. They just signed Mo Pete to an offer sheet, Chris Anderson to a contract, and drafted a high schooler with athleticism. The direction is clear. I think MoT for PJ would work - at most, we throw in a future second rounder or the rights to one of our second rounders,, something very minor.

 

Sane,what you say makes sense for both teams.I'd do it in a heartbeat.Man,I'd even throw in a late first rounder.

 

Argh. I'm not going to get into a Griffin argument here. It's already been done, anyway. We just disagree.