TJ FORD declares for draft - Should Houston be interested?

1) Cat is a better defender than Steve.
2) Cat is bigger than Steve. The book says Cat 6-4, 210, Steve 6-3, 195. It makes a difference.
3) We are talking about going from Steve (6-3), Cat (6-4) to Steve (6-3), and TJ (5-10). That is a big drop-off.
4) At least Cat will make some stops when he is up to it. Now both of your guards will be lit up.

If you want to move Steve to the 2, you need a PG that is 6-4 and up. Essentially you have someone like Cat but play point and pass the ball. Wait. That is not like Cat. That is the opposite of Cat. .... but you get the picture?!

 

Well Gary Payton and Sam Cassell are not exactly Giants. With Yao and Cato in the middle their is enough of a shot blocking presence to not really have to worry about size.

 

Call me crazy but I think the benefits of Tj's offense outweigh the negatives of his defense. Remember, we still have Yao who's gona be getting better and better as a shot-blocker, and in time he should be able to close all gaps like Olajuwon used to do. Offense was the main problem with the team this year - it was actually quite pathetic. We are playing at only a fraction of our potential - and with Nachbar making an impact next year and Yao getting better and so on, our offensive capabilities will only improve. If Tj can help us play at peak performance on offense, it will totally outweigh any size problems on defense IMO.

 

Everyone who agrees with me is very smart...the rest of you who think TJ will be a bust are all idiots.



DD

 

ragingfire:

i see what you're saying. i guess i look at it as a tradeoff though:


cat & steve:


- good defender at 2
- horrible defender at 1
- very good offense and poor distributor at 2
- very good offense and average distributor at 1


steve & tj ford

- horrible defender at 2
- good defender at 1
- very good offense and good distributor at 2 (steve's a good distributing 2)
- average offense and excellent distributor at 1

+ faster set up offensively
+ more fast breaks
+ more open looks for everyone because of the 1
+ better on the court leader because of the 1
+ more efficient scorer at the 2

 

Time for a POLL...go to:

TJ FORD POLL and let the dillies hit the floor.

DD

 

Yeah, and Andre Miller will make any team he plays for better. I've heard it all before.

 

DCkid,

The Clippers are better, just not THAT much better. Did Cleveland play better with Andre or without?

Hmmm?



DD

 

You have a valid point.
My question is whether we should settle for just a little better than even: they score on you and you score a little more on them!

IMO we need a big, defensive, disciplined PG to pair with Steve more than we need a highly creative PG (of course if we find one that can do both, it's great). If we have Steve at the 2 and Yao, we already have 2 players that can create and/ or force the double team.
If we want Steve to become like AI, we need another Eric Snow with him.

 

The following comes from ESPN:

T.J. Ford
College: Texas
Class: Sophomore | Position: Guard | Ht: 5-10 | Wt: 165
2002-03 Stats: 15.1 ppg | 7.7 apg
Andy Katz's take: The winner of the Wooden and Naismith awards, and ESPN.com's National Player of the Year, Ford is the best point guard in the draft. He could be an instant hit in the pros despite his size and reservations about his shot. He gets into the lane as quickly as any NBA guard. He's a winner, a leader, and one of the best passers entering the NBA in the last couple of seasons. He'll be an instant hit for whichever city he plays.

http://espn.go.com/nba/s/2003/0414/1538762.html

 

Yeah, but for some reason I think I remember your quotes about Andre Miller being a little closer to "he'll instantly making us top 4 in the west" rather than "he'll give the team he plays for a slightly lower lottery pick."



I think TJ Ford is a great talent, but there's a little too much hyperbole in this thread for me to take. I don't know if it's just Texas homerism or what.

 

I beg to differ. The kid's listed at 5' 10'' but he's closer to 5' 8". No amount of hard work will change that fact. Yes he is quick but his poor shooting ability limits him severely when matched up against the point guards in the Western Conference (heck the Eastern Conference for that matter). Remember, TJ will have to play BOTH offense and defense and he's a defensive liability just begging to be exploited.

If you are an NBA general manager, why would you select a kid with known limitations and pay him first round money? Because he's a terrific college player? The road to NBA hell is paved with the bodies of players who were great college players whose game could not and did not make the transition to the NBA. The odds and history are heavily against him.

Besides this is all much ado about nothing as he's projected to go between 5 & 10 in Round 1 and if memory serves, the Rockets will be watching Memphis use their pick in the first round.

 

TJ Ford will lead the Rockets to the Championship in 3 years

First let me start by saying anyone who thought TJ would be a second rounder is dead wrong. He is a top 10 pick for sure. Moving on, the Rockets should ship off Mobley and Griffin and anything else (for example a 2nd round pick) that would allow them to gain a top 5 pick and select TJ. TJ allows Francis to move to the 2 slot, which is going to happen anyways. Ford could care less about shooting, and he passes better than anyone in the game with exceptions to Jason Kidd, maybe. Imagine how much better Francis could be if he didn't have to concentrate on carrying the team every single game. TJ is from Houston, this would be the feel good story of the year. We passed up our opportunity for Rashard Lewis which proved to be a huge mistake. Mobley's tenure in Houston is done, it's time for TJ to run this team. He took a team of washups to the final four. He can take the Rockets to the playoffs next season. It's about time for the Rockets to make an exciting move, shake things up, and bring in a solid rookie, not to mention the best pure point in the game. I'm sick of bringing in past-their-prime-washed-up-vets and wondering why they never work out for us. We are a young team and TJ is what we need!!

 

When you're playing defense, I wouldn't see size as a matter because we do have zone defense.

 

About his size, I go to UT, and have had classes with TJ as well as seen him around town numerous times. He is a legit 5'10" if not an inch taller. It is small, but his quickness makes up for that. I dont know where that 5'8" crap came from. Drafting TJ will instantly improve our team.

 

And just how are we going to the draft TJ Ford?

 

By trading big for small or proven for unproven, of course.

 

You TJ Ford Lovers...

Do you guys think with your heads or with your hearts?

Lets think about what will make the Rockets a better team...

...now lets think about TJ Ford...

...enuff said...

 

Great exercise! I did just as you suggested and realized that TJ's strenths are exactly what the Rockets need and lack.

We must draft TJ.

You are right...enuff said.

 

Crash5179...I did the exercise, as well, and came up with Andre Miller...can I see your answer sheet?