nice thread, macbeth... but you have to have more exclamation points and things that we can argue about or disagree with. make your posts less perfect... something along the lines of ending your post with "moochie is the best pg in the nba". anyway, i agree whole-heartedly with everything... especially with cuttino. either he needs to go elsewhere or be a spark plug. on the 94-95 team everybody knew their role. cuttino is maxwell. although he didn't like it, mad max came off the bench in order to accomodate drexler into the starting sg spot. cat needs to do the same like he did his rookie year. otherwise we'll get killed when francis and yao are both out of the game. maybe pj brown and antonio davis could be our thorpe and herrera. for all of you making the tina turner references to the thread title, don't forget that the same song was played in "footloose" when kevin bacon and the other dude were playing chicken with the tractors.
Actually, and i am chagrined to be the one to point this out, that was " Holding Out For A Hero." or some such thing...
holy crap! you're right. tina's song is tad bit slow whereas the footloose song is kinda fast-paced. sigh... oh well. both songs would make a good reference to your thread. "We Don't Need Another Hero".... "We Don't Need To Hold Out For A Hero".
Sane, I am not big on either Crawford or Rose. I think Jamal Crawford is an excellent talent, but his game really would not fit what this team needs. Crawford much like our guards has a game predicated on penetrating and scoring off the dribble. The guy is more of a 2 than a 1 imo. Crawford does handle the ball well but does not have near the playmaking ability of someone like an Eric Snow, Jamaal Tinsley, Gary Payton, Andre Miller, etc. Also, Jalen Rose is considered by some as a point forward, but I just dont see it to the extent that I see this characteristic in Lamar Odom or a wing player like Brent Barry. Jalen Rose does handle the ball well for someone his size and has the ability to create a little, but his game is very dependent on putting the ball in the basket. The guy has averaged 16-19 shots per game in the last few yrs ever since he emerged under Larry Bird. Plus, there has been a lot of talk that Rose could not provide the veteran leadership the Bulls had hoped for when they dealt Artest and Miller for him. Lamar Odom, on the other hand, has incredible court sense and playmaking ability; he can still be a very effective player even if he is only taking 12 or so shots a game. Elton Brand we agree on as he brings much more to the table than scoring. Leeb, My opinion on the Iverson issue is very similar to what Sane pointed out. Iverson, Stackhouse, Hughes, Thomas etc would have been a chemistry nightmare much worse than anything that occurred in even Portland. Also, one thing I'd like to add. Steve Francis will have probably the best big man passer of all time on his team in Yao. In addition, Yao will be a consistent 20 plus PPG scorer. This means that Steve will get much better looks than Iverson could dream of. Combine that with the fact that Steve is 3 inches taller and has a much more consistent jumper and you can see where the thought process comes from that his shooting pct will not dip into the low 40s.
I huess I agree on Crawford, and to some extent on Rose. Wasn't Rose the one demanding more time at the PG position back in Indiana? I hate that he has a hefty contract though, and you're right, he's not a great leader. As for Crawford, he does focus on penetrating, but I'd say he's been very adequate at getting the ball to Eddy Curry. However, I think Curry's style differs from Ming's style. At this point, I think the Rockets need one CONSISTENT guy who's first job is NOT offense, but can easily score in the mid 20-s if needed. Either Payton or Brand would be AMAZING on this team. I have to say one thing about Odom. If anyone remembers, I was the FIRST to bring up the idea of getting Odom and I advocated him to death. But unfortunately, the negatives were piling up. I thought it was just a run of bad luck, but he is in fact injury prone. I thought he'd improve, but really, he hasn't improved at all since joining the league. Same shot, same TO's, and same attitude. Frankly, the problem with this team was having to many inconsistent shooters. Posey, Rice, Mobley, Griffin, MoT, and Francis were NEVER a consistent and stable offensive threat. Ming was the only guy sure to give you his share every night ona good percentage. Odom fits into the mold of being inconsistent. Is it really a good idea to have the most turnover-prone Small Forward in the league join the most turnover-prone PG in the league? We need some more consistent players. We need to be able to rely on our role players bringing it every night, and not hoping for it. What we should hope for is Francis or Ming being spectacular rather than decent. Payton, Miller, Brand......These guys always bring it, and always score consistently and on a good percentage. Aside from that, they don't need to score to be effective, just like Odom. Will Odom's shot ever improve? Will he ever cut down on the TO's? Will he ever mature? Here's what I love abotu Odom: Natural leader, despite drug problems. On the floor, he is the voice of the team. He's got heart. He's young. He's buds with Steve. He's a Point-Forward, but can also play the 3/4 regularly. Rebounds well, defends decently, and has the will to win. I'm not sure giving him a huge contract is worth the risk right now though.
Wasn't Maxwell practically kicked off the team by the time the playoffs rolled around? I know that he was technically still on the team but was he even present at any of the playoff games?
Sane, Lamar Odom shot 44% from the field this season and 33% from the arc. In addition, his TO per game dropped significantly from 3.34 to 2.86 with basically the same MPG. All this on an extremely disorganized Clippers team. Add in the fact that Lamar Odom is only TWENTY THREE and that should give reason for optimism. You do realize that the kid is nowhere near his ceiling yet he is already so good which is probably why you keep hearing the Rockets are drooling over him. I agree with the idea that a shooter is needed in the backcourt as well which is why in this type of scenario I want to sign Jon Barry or someone along those lines with a part of the exception. Also, I dont think the contract Odom will command will be anywhere near the max; my guess is that Odom will get Rashard Lewis type money which is more than fair imo.
I understand what you're saying, but they were giving all of 1 yr to play with each other. At the time, Iverson was taking 17 shots per game and throwing 6 asst as a coverted sg. What if they had played with each other minimum 3yrs instead of loading up the team with older vets?You know you made a mistake whenyou trade your lotto pick,#7, away for ty hill and gerald honeycutt. The argument will always be made about Mobley only being 1 inch taller than Francis or that Francis is 3 inches taller than Iverson, but the fact remains that a player that has to constantly shoot jumpers over players 3-4 inches taller than him will make his fg% go down. To me, the easier solution is always modify the offense to where he doesn't have to make all the decision, but I really think Francis doesn't have the mental capacity to make quick decisions. I was watching some of the playoff games recently and noticed how when Bibby,Nash,NVE,and Jackson gets the pick and roll switch, they either shoot the pull up, dish it off, or take it to the hoop. When i took a look at the way francis would do it, it would be totally different because in between that set pick, it would be 3 or 4 dribbles between the legs behind the back and everything else.Even when Francis plays off the ball and is given an open shot, he hesitates, thinks, dribbles, and then moves to the basket or whatever instead of just taking the open shot. I really think he has to learn to play off the ball and initiate the offense maybe 60% of the time from somewhere else. Adding Odom would be good, but Brand would be great, but realistically both are pipe dreams. Isn't francis already shooting in the low 40's? I really don't care if Odom and Francis are buddy's, thats not essential. In fact its neccessary for the leader of the team not get along with everyone. Bird and McHale didn't get along, but they respected each other. Everyone on the Pistons didn't like Isiah because he would get on your ass about messing up, but they respected each other. Magic and Jordan were 2 of the hardest players to be teammates with because of their demanding of avg players. I don't care about the buddy system, that won't get us any more wins. I'm sure not everyone like the Hakeem outburst when he went possessions without the ball. Give me wins and they can do the buddy stuff in the summer.
I am extremely pro-change but even I have to wonder...How much can be changed before it is counterproductive? Maybe I misunderstood MacBeth's point, but I interpret it to be move Cuttino, decide on Griffin and define roles for the SF's. OK, so that's at least 1 sure change - Mobley. However, there is an interrelated decision from there...Is Francis a 1 or a 2? If you say a SG, that's 2 changes. Now, regarding Griffin...if he goes, that's 3 major changes. If Posey is not re-signed or Rice is traded, that's a potential for 4 major changes. Adding a vet via MLE, is the 5th possible major change. Using a degree of objectivity...no Brand, no Kidd, no KG, but possibles like Odom or J. Barry or Piatkowski or Kenny Anderson or Kurt Thomas or PJ (stretching a little on the last one)...How many new players can you add to the mix before it is counterproductive? Is it a question of the player? (PJ Brown is probably seemless because he gets his in the flow). I am glad the insiders here say the Rox are talking vets. I'm just hoping it doesn't shake out as Glen Robinson.
I see what you're saying MManal, you don't need to sell ME on it really. I was the one preaching everything you're preaching, but the main thing is that he's injury prone and has shown no improvement since he entered the league. However, it could be the effects of playing for the Clippers. Who knows. If he can keep his FG% at least at 45%, and cuts down on stupid turnovers, I'm all for it. However, he hasn't done it in 3 seasons, what makes us believe he'll do it now? BTW, his TO's dropped by 1 but so did his assists. I was actually looking at his stats earlier, and was thinking about one thing: Can he take advantage of having a tremendous post persence (Yao) and a tremendous perimeter presence (Francis) to improve his game? I say it's an option. A risky one, therefore, it's not our best option. I guess if we, at some point, can scratch out Brand, Payton, Eric Snow from out list, h'd be a good option. Then again, maybe it's betetr if we do something simpler, like bring in Jeff McInnis to play the point. Costs much less and is safe. I think McInnis and Steve in the backcourt would make a nice combo.
Do you like Men at Work? Which men? Men at Work. Where do they work? No, they're a music group. Oh, what are they called? Oh no! What about the Police? Have you heard them? No, but I've seen 'em. Where, at a concert? No, behind you.
Hmmmmm .....Footloose ....staring John Lithgow and Sarah Jessica Parker. So Tony PARKER and George Karl (who looks exactly like Lithgow) will be part of the Rockets next year?
Men at Work of course i know them Traveling in a fried-out combie On a hippie trail, head full of zombie I met a strange lady, she made me nervous She took me in and gave me breakfast And she said, "Do you come from a land down under? Where women glow and men plunder? Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover." Buying bread from a man in Brussels He was six foot four and full of muscles I said, "Do you speak-a my language?" He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich And he said, "I come from a land down under Where beer does flow and men chunder Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover." Lying in a den in Bombay With a slack jaw, and not much to say I said to the man, "Are you trying to tempt me Because I come from the land of plenty?" And he said, "Oh! Do you come from a land down under? (oh yeah yeah) Where women glow and men plunder? Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover. what about Roxanne??? Roxanne You don't have to put on the red light Those days are over You don't have to sell your body to the night Roxanne You don't have to wear that dress tonight Walk the streets for money You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right Roxanne You don't have to put on the red light I loved you since I knew you I wouldn't talk down to you I have to tell you just how I feel I won't share you with another boy I know my mind is made up So put away your make up Told you once I won't tell you again It's a bad way Roxanne You don't have to put on the red light Roxanne You don't have to put on the red light
Odom is only 23?!? Oh God. Too much drugs. He looks like he's 26 at least.... Elton Brand. I still think it's a dream. I want him....but dreamin... We already have Yao Ming. What we need is a shooter!!! "I'm still hoping on getting SAR and Glover for Cat,Griffin,and Taylor." No way in heck! Cat, Griffin, and Taylor for Jason Terry and SAR. Nothing less.
i think crawford would fit in well, especially since the kid has got long range ala reggie miller. i remember reading about him knocking down all 10 3-pointers in a rookie workout with the bulls. all he has to do is 1- dump the ball to yao, have yao kick it back out, drain a 3; or 2-be able to dish the rock to sf; or 3- penetrate to the hole when attention is put on yao and sf. the only thing he lacks can be found in a weightroom this offseason. he would be a great pickup both short term and long term.
God fed 5,000+ with a loaf of bread and a few fish...it was a miracle, no doubt, but I'd like to point out that God did not choose to make $$$ out of a camel turd, to prove his Omniscience. Point being: even God likely won't take on the task of moving Mooch...
Now I'm not Sherlock Holmes (closer to John than Sherlock) but could it be that the Rockets front office are the "men at work" and they are trying to move Eddie Griffin, but they are having a hard time, or more difficult time due to his off the court problems (POLICE)? "Oh no! What about the police?" Just thought I'd sling it against the wall... it's probably the most obvious conclusion anyone would get from looking at Doc's post, but again I'm no Sherlock.
I'd say it has nothing to do with futur Rocket Players,but more of a comprehension message. In a simple sentence from Doc,ppl try to see a coded msg on who will be in Rox unis next year. In other words,we're not on the same page as Doc.U see a KG ,where he's having a laugh. Then again this is my interpretation... ALA
