Your track record is, unfortunately, poor. Which is too bad, I like your enthusiasm, but it's misplaced. I think because the type of player you like tends to not be a Rockets-type player. This team is built on defense, toughness, and smart play on both ends of the court. V-Span, Langhi, Von, etc. have all been kind of one-dimensional, poor defensive players. My advise is to pick your next guy more carefully, find someone who the Rockets want to keep around awhile, who'll play some D and keep their mouth shut when it comes to PT. Might save you some heartbreak in the long run.
With Wafer there were immaturity issues. It wasn't just the LA game, it happened before on a few occassions. Call it passion when other people call it immature. He was told to run plays on offense and he ran something else. He was told to pass and he shot. Bottom line... He became successful with the Rockets and thought he was bigger than he actually was. He was a challenge to the team and people around. Ron had a big impact on him and he started to act like Ron. So, if you told Von to settle down and grow up and he didn't... You wouldn't be inclined to pay him more to watch the ego/monster get bigger. He isn't replaceable to a t but he is replaceable for the system. Need a cutter/dunker and a shooter. The Rockets feel we got Ariza to do the first and Budinger/Taylor to be the shooters. High hopes on the rookies to give us a great effort every night and maybe 10 points? Possible. But did any of you have any expectations of Von for the Rockets team on July 15, 2008?
This is just not true.....the only guy that I liked that didn't pan out was Langhi. People just don't recall the Yao Ming and Shane Battiers.....they only remember the Dan Langhis etc..... And please don't lump in VSpan, I still believe he could have been a heck of an NBA player if he stayed. DD
No, but now, they are there, he performed in the NBA on a very good bball club..... So, naturally you want to think he is on the cusp of playing even better.... DD
Have you ever watched any of those other play? You have no idea what they will do in the NBA. And Wafer was the best shooter on the team, no questions about it. Look it up. Best 3 point shooter. I don't care if they are dumb shots, open, contested, he knocked them down more than anyone else. And even if he did finish on the fast break for a lot of points (something that you have not proven to be true), he finished around the rim. Who else on this team does that as well as him? No one. what has jermaine taylor proven as of now?
Haha... you're using the same argument people are using against Von with Ron. People are saying the Rockets let Von walk because he was a "head case". You disagree. Yet you are saying the Rockets let Ron walk because of attitude problems. Neither player was allowed to walk because of these issues; we didn't resign either of them because there were better long-term options. That's my opinion, at least. JT and Chase look better for the long-term over Von, and Ariza looks better long-term over Ron.
From Jonathan Feigen (ironically, in response to DD): "He has strong one-on-one skills, a solid shot, and was a much better passer than I expected, especially right away. He was not just willing to pass, he was creative. The Rockets big men did nothing with those passes, but I saw a good feel for the game around him." Von Wafer has a solid shot. However, was he a willing passer? Was he creative? Does he have strong one-on-one skills? I have trouble answering "yes" to any of those. I wonder if Feigen would, too...
The difference is one is a 30 year old head case who is inefficient and can no longer keep up with younger players versus a guy who is efficient and is a better athlete than almost everyone else in the league at his position, not an apples to apples comparison at all. If Von was 30 and still doing this boneheadedness, then of course you don't sign him. DD
I love how DaDakota has been repeatedly trashing the Rockets draft picks this year and instantly writing them off becuase they clash with a DaDakota Favorite <sup>TM</sup> The funny thing is that while he is probably correct to write them off, percentage-wise, he drops this argument whenever anybody else says that a rookie or young player, who is also a DaDakota Favorite <sup>TM</sup> probably isn't going to have an impact, or isn't very good. Instead, that sets off the following chain of events: 1. a claim that it's idiotic to write off young players that you haven't seen 2. a claim that all they need is playing time, and that any poor performance will be cured by playing time, which will both make the team better in the short and the long term 3. if claim that, if they fail, it's because they didn't have enough playing time so therefore "we'll never really know" if they were any good.
Feigen says what the Rockets tell him to say...and Morey just spent $2 million of his bosses money. Maybe they are right, but so far, Taylor has not shown that in the summer league games. DD
He is an athletic wing. His arms are super long and he has a god vertical. That's what i was responding to. Plus i have faith in Morey and if he isn't sweating on Von's situation, I'm not either.
There's always the Euro-stash option. Budinger in his interviews said he wasn't a lock to make the roster and that he maybe sent to Europe to develop for a year. They also spent money to get Lull's rights, so spending $2mil has nothing to do with putting Taylor on the roster this season. I actually agree that it's unlikely that Taylor will be ahead of Von this season, but considering this season is a wash anyway, the better question to ask is "who will be the better player next season?" If management thinks it's Taylor, then dropping Von for Taylor makes a lot of sense.
I like Budinger and Llull is intersting as an asset, but Taylor has been very unimpressive to me.... I am just not willing to say they will be better than Von, because they are rookie 2nd round picks. DD
Gosh, a beat reporter for the team that does not work for the Rockets is now suddenly a tool for the organization? That's all you can come up with to denounce his opinion of JT's play? Why did you even ask him what he's seen from JT if you're not going to believe his response because he "says what the Rockets tell him to say"?
I didn't overlook it, it was a small sample size......I said he would average about 2 assists per game...1.63 is...well....about 2..... And if you extrapolate out his 1.1 per 19 minutes....it gets even closer to 2. Not sure what you are saying....here... DD
Your track record is atrocious as a talent evaluator. Vspan? The guy who was a turnover machine and couldn't hit a jump shot? He would pan out? He was a vetern when he got here and thought he was the t-mac of greece - and you say Artest had attitude problems? Whoa. Von Wafer's clashes with the coaching staff aside, the guy has great talent, but no discipline. That's why he's been a journey man. He looks good on other teams, but his low BB IQ and inability to understand team defenses are weaknesses that will never have him find a home. Once his explosiveness begins to fade he will be out of the NBA.
I wanted to hear his opinion because what I have seen is not all that impressive...wanted his viewpoint.....but he is a mouthpiece for the organization, that is indisputable. DD
