I disagree, I think Von got his shot, did what he was told, and played exceedingly well. You know I love the read and react offense, but I think Von fit fine in that, and when asked to pass, he did so.... But most of the year he was the scoring option off the bench, his job was to score the ball. And he did that very well.....and 1.1 assists per game while playing 19 minutes averages out to 2 assists as a starter playing 30+ minutes which is about what you expect from a shooting guard. Anyway, I understand your point, and you made it elequantly, I just disagree. To me, Von fits, and to count on 2nd round rookies is a very risky move. I applaud spending 4 million to get them, but I would rather they resign a guy who has had success in the league. And honestly, there are NOT that many SGs that can score so efficiently in his price range......under $2 million......he is a very good offensive player....and would do well here...IMO. DD
kinda disappointed if von leaves, I mean this is the team that really gave him a chance and he always played hard and with a lot of energy. It seemed like he would always be the one to make that big momentum changing play or big 3 pointer. He also showed a lot of consistency when he was a starter as well. Now I'm all of seeing how taylor or maybe white develops, but at least with von you knew what you were getting and that he's been there before...
Why all these tears over a bench player? If we acquired any atheltic swingman like Azubuike, or Fernandez, or Nick Young we wouldn't even remember Wafer's name. I'm sorry, but some of you guys are badly overrating him and his impact. Some of you even think he has all-star potential and that's just freakin ridiculous. And DD, with your track record of endorsing players I'm more inclined to think Wafer will have a bust season next year rather than a successful one. Not that it would matter, you'd just make up a bunch of excuses for him instead of facing reality. Here are some in advance: Gentry can't coach, Nash is ignoring him, Amare's a ballhog that takes all of Wafer's shots, he rotting on the bench when he's obviously better than Jrich and Barbosa.
My track record is fine.....and there are no excuses, if he goes to Phoenix and doesn't play it is on him. He should choose the most advantageous team for him and his development....preferably somewhere that he would have a chance to start... DD
Fair enough about Von not being resigned because of the playoff incident. However absolutely you (and many other people) are bringing up old issues when it comes to Artest, otherwise you wouldn't have said: Artest hasn't caused problems for years, which is why we brought him in. I'm worked up because I am sick of hearing about how bad a guy Artest was pour his heart and soul into this team. As for Artest's ejection, it was none other than Joey Crawford that kicked him out for making a choking motion toward Kobe. Everyone including Kobe Bryant said Artest shouldn't have been ejected. The NBA......where Joey Crawford happens. Ask Tim Duncan.
I do not understand the fixation with Wafer.. There's is no doubting his energy and ability to dunk but.... Wafer is more fit for the GSW or the PHX's out there. Dribble, dribble, miss an open teammate, take a contested jumper on offense. With our stars out indefinitely next year this is Adelman's chance to truly run his offense. Which relies heavily on ball movement(props to YoYo..see below) and hard cuts to the hole. The market dictates everything. If he was that much of a commodity he would have been scooped up by someone by now for the money he thinks he's worth. I'm not saying he won't be signed but some of you are obviously overrating his worth. There will be a team that picks him up but he's not the type of player that wins championship.... I see him as a Flip Murray type of player.
There is a reason the Rockets didn't bring him back, he was not all wine and roses this year either. DD
I'm not implying it was all smooth sailing with Ron, but placing any blame on his attitude or maturity is off base for his one season with the Rockets. I believe they main reason the Rockets did not make a more concerted effort to bring him back is because T-Mac and Yao are like going to be out for 50 games or more. And if they do come back, history proves at least for T-Mac's microfracture surgery, that he will not be NBA ready until at least this time next year. That said, I don't believe it was a smart move to sign Ariza to 5 years to fill the gap left by Artest going to the Lakers. Would Von have been the answer? Maybe a stop-gap, but definitely not an answer and absolutely not at $3 million per season.
I am sick of hearing about how bad a guy Artest was pour his heart and soul into this team. QUOTE] I completely agree with Ron putting his everything into trying to win, buts that's argubably the same thing Von was doing. If Ron had been asked to come off the bench this year for a prolonged period then most likely at some point his competitive spirit would have gotten the best of him.
and don't you think that could have been the case with wafer as well? why else would the rockets only offer him a league min deal?
Again, without knowing what went on behind the scenes, it's impossible to fairly assess the Rocket's decision to let him go. With some deals, it's strictly performance and money, but other deals come down to personality and temperament and those deals are very hard for outsiders to accurately judge. For all we know, the bench incident might be the tip of the iceberg.
He must be super credible that they had to shut him down! Based on offensive numbers, wont count on another pick just "stepping in" at least this coming season, unless the offense is geared to let the next 2 guard hoist away. Which Jermaine Taylor doesnt have any problem doing... There's always a little of the Kelenna Azubuike thing with guys like Wafer, meaning when he's scoring in the 20's and 30's it doesnt necessarily mean the team is winning, being kinda a faux go-to man... though also when the team's behind and needs a spark, containment players like Battier and Ariza and Hayes make it hard to comeback. But if Wafer's all secretly a coach killing Isiah Rider behind the scenes, later then.
<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/von%20wafer" target="_blank"><img src="http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv200/prmyeo/Wafer.png" border="0" alt="von wafer Pic<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/chris%20farley" target="_blank"><img src="http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm160/strangeoldmusic/funny-9.jpg" border="0" alt="Chris Farley Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a>
Games as a Starter: Memphis (12/08/08) 0 assists 31 min Atlanta (01-03-09) 2 assists 40 min philly (01-06-09) 2 assists 26 min boston (01-07-09) 1 assist 27 min thunder (01-09-09) 1 assists 35 min knicks (01-10-09) 3 assists 32min lakers (01-13-09) 1 assist 39 min heat (01-17-09) 3 assists 40 min nuggets (01-19-09) 1 assist 30 min utah (01-21-09) 2 assists 33 min pacers (01-23-09) 2 assists 33 (rounded minutes up if it was 30 seconds or more, down if it was 29 secs or less) in the 11 games he started Von averaged 33.27 minutes per game with an assist average of 1.63 per game that is still below your extrapolation even with more minutes played on average link I do agree at the price tag of under 2 million Wafer is a great value I just dont think he is a good fit on this team. Next season is going to be a wash, the team will be fighting for the 7-8th spot as a best case scenario, having Wafer there would stunt the development of our two rookies since they play similar position. I think the Rockets brass see more potential going forward for the two rookies, especially chase (imo) working within adelman's offense
I disagree. He didn't do what he was told. He was told to play D and share the ball and he clearly didn't. And he was told to SIT and he pulled a tantrum in the middle of a playoffs game. That's why the his previous teams, the Rockets, and other teams looking for FAs. If management or coach tells you to do something, you do it right away without any ifs or buts. He should have known that after playing 5 years in a professionally basketball league.
Actually Robbie, I don't think the Rockets have offered him anything, I think they are letting the market dictate what to offer. I think that Morey is being smart, and Von's agent probably filled his head with full MLE deals....and when the dust settles he will have to sign for between 2 and 3 million a year...just my guess.... I think Morey probably told his agent go out, see what you can get and get back to us....the EXACT kind of hardline he took with Landry last year. Morey probably has a number that he thinks Von is worth and will try to sign him up to that point, much like Gortat..... What he doesn't want to do is be the one that sets the market price and goes out there and offers first, he wants to be the one reacting to the market, not setting it. Just my .02. DD
I agree about it being a wash, think Von could grow into a starter as well, do also agree about Chase, but think Taylor is way way way behind Von, but the team spent $2 million on the pick and Morey would look stupid if he decided to let him go and keep Von. You don't spend $2 million of your bosses money and not keep the guy around for at least a year..... DD
