Thread still going strong I see. Old Man Rock brought up a good point about people not knowing what's going on and that's true. I just find it amazing how people can discredit a guy who is young and improving as if its means 0. I read that he has no mid game which is a lie. I read were he doesn't run the offense which is false also. I do agree getting kicked out of a playoffs game was poor judgement, but its not the end of the world. With the rockets headed to lotto land this year anyway, I was looking forward to seeing the young guys getting better. BTW, which is worse, Shane as a offensive player or von as a defender? That's what I don't get and i'm not saying defense doesn't count, but shane is as bad a offensive player as von is as a defender. All of the guys on our team have clear holes in their game, but its not like his holes are any bigger than shane,luis,aaron,and lowry.
^^^You know as well as I know that there's more to Shane then just bad offense and more negatives to Von then just bad defense. Inbetween the ears is what separates those 2.
What do you mean by proven player? Your idea of a proven player is a guy that's been on 5 teams in 4 years and has a "breakout" season of 10 points 2 rebounds and 1 assist a night without making any impact defensively? I honestly think taylor can outperform this "breakout year" in his rookie season.
Shane is athletic and fast enough to dunk. He can also shoot the 3 well. Could Wafer summon his agility to put a hand in front of a jumpshooter's face like Shane? Nope. Ok, bad example but your statement was more ridicuous. Also nice to see that you're optimistic about this next season. Come on now; don't put a damper on everything. Chances are we will make the playoffs next season. I believe the front office is acting effectively to ensure this.
No, none of those players have nearly as big a hole in their game as Von. Not even close. And while they may have holes in their game, Von has a hole in his BRAIN. That my friend is the problem.
He only got like 20 minutes a game. If he was a starter, he would average close to 20 points and probably 4 or 5 assists. Wafer was proven and he would be that scorer that the Rockets need especially without Yao and Tracy.
If Shane is such a horrible offensive player, why does the team score more points per 100 possesions when he's on the floor as opposed to the "offensive dynamo" Von Wafer?
Not true at all. That would mean he'd be taking shots away from Yao, Brooks, Scola, Artest. If that were the case he could average 30 points a game but we'd still lose every night.
Battier is in the starting unit with Yao, Scola, and Brooks. Von Wafer comes in, when Chuck Hayes is on the floor. As group, they are weaker offensively. Von can't make up for Chuck's offensive liabilities.
Regarding Battier specifically I agree. But I have a slightly different slant: I believe we can still be a very good defensive team without Shane, but we're going to need additional offense until I see either TMac or Yao on the court. It doesn't have to be Wafer, but even if Ariza, Brooks, Landry and Lowry all improve I'm not sure Shane will allow us to keep our heads above water with him in the lineup. I do think a deal is coming, but I think it will be when teams get worse news (financial or injury-wise) sometime next season. The legend of Daryl Morey was made for these times.
I guess its ok for chuck hayes to outscore you in a elimination game, right. What about 6ppg on 35% fg in the semi finals. Go and look up what shane did on the road when you need the vets leadership the most. Like I said, von has holes in his game, but so do others who are paid a lot more and were expected to do more. Brooks will show improvement next season, but he will make mistakes. I would rather have a guy trying to make plays than a guy scared to even try.
That's simply not true. Wafer played a majority of his minutes last season with Yao and Scola. Battier played more minutes with Mutumbo that Wafer played with Hayes so what's your point? Theres a reason Battier plays with Yao, and Scola because he actually passes them the ball.
7 37.0 16-47 .340 10-36 .278 12-12 1.000 1.9 2.1 4.0 1.00 .57 .86 2.86 2.4 7.7 Take a guess who stat line that is against the lakers series.
You have to give Shane a break there - he was having to play Kobe on defense while Von was having to fight Adelman.
I know of a person that is close friends with Wafer. They said Wafer had talks with the HAWKS but I am guessing that was prior to them signing ZaZa and Bibby? Wafer is mainly looking to go somewhere to start, I asked about the Suns and he/she said they havent heard anything about Phoenix. Take it for whats its worth.......
The offense as a whole struggled in the elimination game, and why does making plays have to mean shooting the ball? Battier made more plays than anyone on the defensive end guarding the best player in the game and he also crashed the offensive boards very well for a SF, had a 7 assist game, and scored 23 points on 12 shots in game 4. You don't have to throw up a bunch of shots to make basketball plays. I don't even feel like i should have to explain this.
Never said that, but I did watch the lakers struggle and ariza drop 13pts in the 3rd qt on the road of a decisive game. Role players fill in the blanks. Yao out, tracy out, and a team full of youngsters and the leader is less of a offensive force than chuck hayes. Go figure. Wafer may still be in the plans, who knows, but to dismiss his offensive production on a avg offensive team is crazy. If wafer hadn't stepped up or even been on the team and the rockets initial choice of player , barry, had to play more, i'm not even sure the rockets win as many games as they did.
I credit Wafer for taking advantage of the opportunity. I'm not dismissing his production at all. I'm just saying that when you're playing for rick adelman and you're coming off the bench as a 2 guard, you're going to get opportunities to score. I don't care who you are. I think what you saw from Wafer last year was a guy playing with alot of confidence because his coach put him in the best positions to be succesfull. I don't see Wafer developing into anything more than a wildcard off the bench. He doesn't contribute enough when surrounded by team mates who are more capable offensively than he is. He doesn't move well without the ball, he doesn't run pick and rolls very well, and its almost as if he doesn't know that he can pass the ball once he touches it. He's always a step slow defensivly and he doesn't help out on the boards. I feel like im describing Mike James.
The same mike james that won a title in detroit? Go and check the rockets offensive output in the playoffs. While you're at it, tell me about all the great offensive options the rockets have or have had in the last 4 yrs. They're still a team that has only a couple of guys who can get their own shot off in a set or off the dribble. Wafer was one of them. No matter what kind of team you assemble, you need a guy that can come in and bring energy and change the staleness of the game. Some guys do it defensively like michael cooper use to and some guys light it up like vinnie johnson. That same mike james u talk about came into the game against La and pressured the pg and broke the defense down. You can dismiss that because minny decided to give him mle money, but he was a vital cog on a ring team. Stephen Jackson was once like wafer also.He was immature, but talented. The spurs don't win the 2nd title without him and his explsiveness. Truth be told, if they had kept him, they wouldn't have had to trade for jefferson this year. We can go on and on and I won't change your opinion and and u won't change mine, but just because a guy has been on a few teams early in his career doesn't mean he can't play or is a dime a dozen. How many teams was billups on before settling in detroit? If the price is right and the rockets are thinking of playing more young guys, why wouldn't wafer be part of that. I truly hope chase works out because then maybe the rockets can package a declining guy like shane and turn him into another player or cap room.
