Starters are: Yao--32 to 35 minutes a game Howard -- 27 to 32 minutes a game Jackson -- 28 to 33 minutes a game McGrady -- 32 to 36 minutes a game Ward -- 26 to 30 minutes a game Key backups playing 20+ minutes Taylor -- 22 to 28 minutes a game Surra -- 22 to 30 minutes a game Backups playing anywhere between 10 to less than 20 minutes: Mutumbo (if he signs) -- 10 to 14 minutes a game Nachbar -- 10 to 16 minutes a game Lue -- 12 to 18 minutes a game End of the bench guys, who'll come in during blowouts: Weatherspoon -- Whenever toughness is needed Gaines -- in brief spurts By the way the team is shaping up, the bench should be a major asset for the Rockets. Surra and Taylor can bring offense off the bench; Mutumbo can bring defense; Nachbar can bring energy; and Lue can bring good ball handling and 3 point shooting off the bench. Can't wait till November.
Just because the Rockets have a bunch of mediocre veterans doesn't make them a deep team. Sura did almost nothing for Detroit last year before getting traded. Nachbar haven't done jack in his 2 years with us. Taylor is a solid backup, except he can't get major minutes unless a superior player(Howard) plays less than normal. Lue and Ward probably rank in the middle among backups, while neither is really good enough to start. In another words, quantity does not equal quality. Besides, the chance of JVG using a 10-man rotation is zero.
so Ward goes from not playing behind Parker and Jason Hart to 26 to 30 minutes think there is more chance of world peace
I'm not trying to be a dick, but isn't this pretty much the same thread you started a week or so ago? http://bbs2.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=82290
Especially considering the last time he averaged over 26 minutes (27.6, to be exact) was five years ago.
McGrady 32 to 36mpg? He will probably play 40+ each night. Heck it seemed like an aging JJ played like 35mpg last year. McGrady with those young legs...he will probably see close to 42mpg this season. JVG will never want to take him out!
I don't know about that... I don't want to overwork him. He played something like 38 minutes last year, that sounds good. Play him less in blowouts, more in important games. Even a few minutes make a difference. I don't want T-Mac leading the league in minutes.
Exactly. If T-Mac averages 38 minutes per game over an 82 game span, as opposed to 42 minutes over an 82 game span, it will come out to 328 less minutes played; almost 7 total games. If, by resting him 4 minutes a game more in the regular season, we can keep him totally fresh for a 7 game playoff series, we should def. do it. (Obviously it doesn't work like that exactly, but you get the idea)
neither did Mike James - who was also touted on this board by many as a possible fit in Houston. Larry Brown (like JVG) has his own special way of evaluating talent. - To him, Hunter was a better backup option for that Detroit team - since he knew the system and had been with the team for a while (Sura and James both came in to the org via trades). IN ATL, Sura handled himself well when he got good minutes. as for Ward - I have no idea how he will get so many minutes - but again, I point to the system he walked in to. The Spurs signed him as insurance, they already had their rotation set - I would not hold those experiences against either player
yeah, Ward will get 22-24ish mins per game and Lue will get some more. I'm guessing Ward will start but Lue will get 1/2 or more of the mins
Of course we ALL want that. But is it being realistic? On this team T-Mac will play heavy minutes, at least initially. JVG called JJ his security blanket and played him a ton last year. I am sure T-Mac will be played even more.
Do we really want to risk it? Remember his back problems? It seemed to me we played Francis heavy minutes last year, but I believe he actually played around 38 or 39 minutes? That sounds good to me. Seriously, I wouldn't be worried about it. The depth is decent. MoT, Howard, Yao, JJ and Sura can all carry the scoring load once he steps out. The defense won't drop tremendoudly since Sura is a pretty good defender himself, and Ward would be playing the 1. Realistically, I think 39 minutes or MAYBE 40 minutes... 42 minutes is WAY too much - I don't think anyone averaged that last year.
The original post said "McGrady -- 32 to 36 minutes a game" and I felt that McGrady would get 40+. Perhaps not much more over 40 but closer to 40 than to 32 was what I was trying to get at. And McGrady has already said that his back problem was a result of him over compensating for a knee problem. Hey, I am with everyone that wants to keep his minutes down. But I am realistic in feeling that JVG is very picky about who he gives minutes to. I bet he feels our team isnt as deep as some feel it is here. He is going to want to keep Yao, JJ and Tmac on the floor as much as possible!
Geez I guess I did do that previous thread. Good eye. But, Heck I'd forgotten. I'm just excited with the team the Rockets have put up. And even though Surra, Ward, Nachbar, and Lue are all pretty much below average; paired with McGrady and Yao, they likely will improve the Rockets. Howard, Jackson, and Taylor are going to be the key 3 guys besides McGrady and Yao. In our point guard all the Rockets need is a guy who can dish the ball to McGrady and Yao. Lue is a good 3 point shooter (a big plus). Surra is an athletic guy (a guy who can give defenders fits). Ward is a guy who can come in and be a leader on the Rockets. Ward wasn't really needed in San Antonio because they had Duncan who learned how to be a leader from Robinson.
