i agree rockets need a quality guard, but i dont think you have to specify it as a PG. even with a good pg, the rockets are limited at sg. i lean towards a sg who can play spot minutes at PG, b/c i think tmac needs to play sf. its where he plays best, imo
I don't believe the team should be blown up or messed with to a great extreme as many people think. I honestly believe that there is more talent here with a new system than many do. I think JVG was a big problem with the current team and Adelman would have gotten more out of them, especially the bench. I do think the team needs an upgrade at basically 2 positions...PG and PF..... And I believe that the biggest problem is at the PG position and if the team can solve that issue through the draft, a trade, or playing someone on the bench than the team would be much better off. I am saying the team is flawed, but can be fixed by only tweaking and not blowing up the roster, IMO. DD
The question remains... What kind of pg do you expect to get in exchange for Shane Battier? And who is going to fill the significant hole that losing Battier creates both defensively and offensively considering he was our 3rd best player last year (sadly). The difference in the Rockets and Spurs is that Bowen and Battier are roughly equal, but Bowen is behind 4 other players offensively on the Spurs while Battier is the 3rd option for the Rockets.
I don't think you have to trade Battier to get a PG, maybe they can acquire one through trading of Howard or Sura or other etc.... By taking on a longer contract for a shorter one..... I would love to keep Battier, as an off the bench player if possible. DD
Don't forget the heart the Rockets seem to missing. It seems so long ago that TMAC went off on the Spurs for those 13 points to rally the rockets in less than a minute.
I'm looking for examples. Sure it would be nice to trade Howard or Sura or some other scrub for a good PG, but it doesn't seem very realistic.
Bibby for Howard/Sura and a 1st might work if they want to move him and get a little bit of salary relief. Have to use the MLE to pick up a 4.
I don't know but it sure seems like Cuban is able to acquire loads of talent without giving up too much. Of course he is willing to go into the luxury tax area...which seems to be another issue with the Rockets. Andre Miller, is he available? He might be a nice pickup with V-Span as a backup. DD
Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Devin Harris, Maurice Ager, Jose Barea, Greg Buckner, Ilunga-Mbenga, and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, were all Maverick draft picks or unsigned rookies. Ours are Yao Ming, Chuck Hayes, Luther Head, VSPan and Novak. Dallas drafting 8 of their 15 roster spots including the league MVP, an all star in Howard and a solid PG in Harris has alot to do with their over all talent.
I thought I made a specific point not to discount Alston's horror show shooting. What I'm asking: is the issue Alston's play at PG or is it Alston as a third option? Does our PG need to be our third option? Had Bonzi not shat on the franchise this year but instead worked to be our third option (aside - let's also remove JVG from this equation), could we have been better with him taking shots away from Alston? Replace Rafer's teardrops made of brick with Bonzi drives and posts....would that solve the issue? Rafer didn't take all of his shots by breaking plays - he took them because JVG gave him a greenlight (and said so on 610 more than once). I'm not saying Rafer is an all-star, or strong starter, but there's only one aspect of his game that stinks. If he were asked to keep his shooting to a minimum and someone else was brought in to take care of the 3rd option role, I think Rafer would be fine. The list of PGs in this league that can effectively give you more than 15 ppg over the course of the year isn't long. Having a Chris Paul, Deron Williams, or Steve Nash would be fantastic, but they aren't the norm. Further, scoring is not inherently the PG's role. Some guys can do it, but it's not necc. Ask Jason Kidd (no, I'm not claiming Alston to be anywhere near his league). Again, what is our issue? PG play? Or Alston's poor play as a third option? Why isn't getting a scorer and reducing Rafer's role as a scorer an option here? To the other point, Deron had the similar numbers (16 and 8) in the series versus GS. Pop switching to put Bowen on Williams should be much more of an indictment than an excuse for Parker. As far as guarding quick 1s, yes, I think today Alston is a better choice than Bowen, who's lost a half dozen steps over the past season or two. Evan
Who plays the role of our Finley? I do think we have good bench depth, it is just they are in our starting line-up. Skip, Hayes, V-span/Lucas, Howard, Head, Mutambo/Jake T, Snyder It is just like everyone says.....We need a starting PG, who can drive the lane, and a rebounding BIG PF, who won't be a defensive liability or get in Yao's way.
I must say this. . . and I know alot of folx will call me a hater but . . .. Would TONY PARKER *BE* TONY PARKER under JVG? Would Tony be allowed to play the *same* game he plays in San An or would he be Yanked and his confidence undermines after a Bad Shot or Two? Rocket River
Because JVG had a tendency to yank Rafer after his first 5-6 bricks of every game, right? No, he still played 40 minutes a night. Not sure what your point is.
It is easy to say we are just 2 moves away... but the reality is we have needed a good power forward for about a decade, and we haven't exactly had a steady stream of good point guards come thru the organization since Sam Cassel left. Francis was talented, but more so as an undersized shooting guard. We need extreme luck to fill either of those positions with any significant upgrades and our front office hasn't exactly had a great track record in finding undiscovered talent.
The answer is that with JVG here last offseason, we weren't just a PG away, we were already a title contender, per DaDakota: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=115834&page=1&pp=20&highlight=Can The good news is that also (per DaDakota) we have the greatest untapped PG resource in the NBA sitting on the bench, stewing in his tzatziki. So, just like last year, we are already home free as far as players go! NOte: in reading that thread, I finally figured out why crash5179 had a hissyfit about me a while back: I said he was an idiot for saying Juwan Howard was better than Al Jefferson.....lol. Boy do I look dumb now, I should have been far more condescending...
Rarely did Jeff bench or yell at people for missing shots or poor offense. Turn overs and poor defense is what got you benched.
Since Vspan decided to play for Rockets, I'd say we got everything that we need: a Spartan PG, with good flopping skills.
Not likely IMO. The 1st pick is too low,SAR and Kenny are somewhat better than Juwan. Sura's contract is not large enough to help them much. They could get better offers for a trade. We would be lucky to get Mike James for Juwan.
I think the Timberwolves would still make that deal, and now that the guy who killed the deal is no longer the coach....make it so !!! DD
