What shroopy2 is saying is all white and black people are wrong. Dont listen to them :grin: Kwame, how old are you? No specific reason for the question, i just have an idea of the ages of guys like DD, Lee, Larsv, etc, but i've never known if you're younger or older than most.
It seems that Morey and the Rox in general still value what Battier brings to the table. Let's figure out his true value to this team. -Defense: His calling card is defense so we should start there. With Martin as the 2, can we rely on Battier to slow down the premier wings of the game? Two years ago, that was a definite "YES". Last year, whether it was because of nagging injuries or because he didn't have Yao holding the fort, his defensive value to the Rox had diminished. This year, we don't have those issues anymore. Therefore, I think that we should reserve our judgement until December to see whether his defense has become overrated. If it has, then he should be traded. -Offense: His primary role is to spread the court with his corner 3 ball and make good entry passes to Yao. He is not the slasher or cutter that Ariza was and he is a TERRIBLE fit with the run/gun 2nd unit. As far as putting up numbers, we really only want him to take open shots (thus his low ppg) and he does a good job boxing out his counter part (low rpg) and does not gamble (low spg) so it's really difficult to gauge his contribution. If his 3p% is not good enough to keep defenses honest, we should trade him. -Intangibles: As a leader and locker-room presence, his value remains the same or maybe even increasing. There should be no argument as to what Battier brings to the Rockets off the court. -Financial value: He is slightly overpaid for his services but this is the last year of his contract. He is a valuable trade asset as a veteran expiring. I wouldn't mind him returning with us next year for a smaller contract, but if we make any trades to upgrade SF or he is relegated to the bench by Chase by the end of this year, then I would not offer him another contract unless it was for the vet's minimum. In summary, as long as Battier plays solid defense and hits the 3ball, he is still a very valuable part of our organization at least for this year. Beyond that, his value becomes a bit murkier.
I'm 39 and will be 40 in january. I actually thought shroopy's post was kinda funny. It had the whole "sellout" theory behind it. As I've said before, it has nothing to do with battier being a great talker and more to do with his lack of production in the playoffs. The whole misguided concept of guy cant be athletic and smart or a good basketball player has been beat in the ground. There have been alot of guys who had both. There are alot of stereotypes of smart/unathletic vs athletic dummy regardless of the color. Athelticism isnt just jumping through the roof to me. I've seen and played against them all. In college, i played against christie,mashburn,wesley,luc longley just to name a few. Christie was probably one of the most atheltic guys I've ever played against, but he was very,very skilled also. Mashburn with his size and strength along with his ball handling was a load to handle. Mashburn also had a very high basketball iq to boot. There isnt anything wrong with having quick twitch muscles to make a basic basketball move. Whats crazy is recently, we have gotten more athletic as a team and posters act like its a new revelation or something. When landry or wafer could finish with ease, posters act like it was something new vs something players are suppose to do.
Pretty much. You cant win with a team of nice guys. Even a team like the spurs had bowen who was boderline dirty. The rox have go along/get along types. You think a player will get in yao's mix when he's playing like a girl? Will someone tell martin to get tougher? Probably aint gonna happen and thats part of the reason theyre leader-less. No one will step on toes.Patterson is a good player, but he's cut from the same cloth.
The Rox have some dawgs out there..... Lowry is a killer, Scola is as well, Brooks is a quiet assassin, Yao (well he needs to get meaner), Shane will battle you tooth and nail. They don't need a Thug to win...... That is silly talk. DD
Toughness doesnt mean they have to be thugs, dumb, bad guys, or lack niceness. All you need is guys that arent worried about pissing others off. Miller is one of those and he's not a bad guy, a thug, dumb, and actually a pretty nice guy. I also think scola is close to this as well. He's always the first guy to get in between scuffles and he's not going in there worried about being pushed or becoming the target. And i'm not trying to argue with anyone's post, just pointing this out.
I really like Battier. He is a highly intelligent player, great leader and can teach Chase/Lee/Taylor ALOT. He may not be the most athletic player but he is so good at reading the opposition that his defense should be good for several years to come. That being said, I don't think he will end the season with the Rockets. There is a reason they traded the young Ariza and not Shane and that being Shane's expiring contract can be very valuable and freeing up space in future years by getting rid of Ariza can give us space to take on a bigger multi-year deal (crazy theory of mine, I don't think Morey is done).. Battier+Jeffries+(Hill or Patterson)+Knicks pick(s) can be packaged to get an upgrade at the 3 (ie Iguodala or Granger).
Who said anything about a thug? How can lowry be a killer from the bench in the 4th qt? Scola plays hard, but he isnt barking at someone for blowing a defensive assignment. Brooks is also a guy who will not get on a player for lack of something. The rockets dont have a single guy who will hold everyone accountable for doing their job or not doing it. #1, that guy should be one of your better players. Avery johnson was probably the only non star guy who pulled it off,but they didnt call him the little general for nuthing. As constructed, all the rockets are go along,get along types
dear god, who taught him how to add pictures to his highly detailed graphs???!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO Wait, wasn't this chap supposed to leave the board last season as a result of some bet are something?
Isn't that Adelman's job to correct guys in the game and in film sessions? Also, doesn't the ultimate "barking" take the form of "you keep doing **** that hurt the team, somebody else gets your playing time"? Do the Rockets have more of a problem with repeatedly blown defensive assignment than other teams that supposedly hav "barkers"?
How do you know they don't have anyone holding them accountable? I see Brooks as the developing star player, whom everyone will look up to as the alpha dog..... Are you looking for a nasty personality that gets in their faces when needed? Yeah, we don't have that for sure..... DD
Because spacing the floor is BAAAAD Sure he's one limited offensively, but he's filling a role that the coaches ask him to. You always knock him,. and I'll always be here to defend him.
Carl, the best teams police themselves. Watch duncan,kobe, dream, and guys like that on the court. Their demands and personality trickles down to all players. Remember a couple of years ago when pau was playing like a girl one game in the playoffs and kobe got in his mix? Have u ever watched duncan walking off the court with parker after he's had one of his focus-less possessions? Bottomline is and this been been a issue with the yao-tracy era rockets is the lack of leadership. Both guys want to be liked byeveryone all the time. Every player wont like you all the time, but they have to know if theyre not performing, they will face the ferocity of you. All the rockets have the same personality because people think it creates better chemistry. Its also one of the reasons alot of posters didnt like artest coming in. Many were against it because he is a pretty good player with a superstrong personality and the rockets leadersip wasnt strong enough. Well, la doesnt have that problem with kobe and phil.Sa wouldnt have that problem with duncan and pop. When you have the lack of that strong personality as the leader on the court and as a coach, it limits the kind of players you can have on ur team for fear of a takeover. They will continue to be like this because those are the kind of players they're collecting. DD, i like brooks alot. In fact, after he took over at the end of his rookie year, i thought they shouldve given the team to him and moved forward. I think it will really be out of his dna to be that guy. Now, he's a good enough player and plays the position to demand certain things from players. Chauncey isnt the most demonstrative guy, but his leadership qualities oozes out when he's on the court. Maybe brooks can be like that because i dont see anyone else good enough or play enough to be like that.
