I think all of us are tired of watching the Rockets play 3 on 5 or 4 on 5 baskeball. I think it's Rick's goal to make the defense play all 5 players honest and open up opportunities for Yao and Tmac. We can do that if the following players are on the floor. As a result, I don't see the Rockets resigning Chuck or Deke. I also see them trying to trade Luther for 2nd or late 1st round pick. On offense: * Chuck isn't consistent, does a good job of getting an extra rebouding for Rafer to brick since he is wide open * Rafer - Can't shoot straight to save his life * Deke - 20 mil pump fakes for 30 seconds in the lane On Defense: * Rafer, points guards blow by him like a porsche around a yugo * Luther, afraid to commit a foul as if he's going to play 40 minutes, Utah posted him up like stamp * Chuck - 3 fouls in 3 minutes in the 1st quarter, as a result, he actually helps on offense * Novak, has done nothing to warrant additional playing team. Check his summer league stats, averaging around 3 or 4 boards per game at 6'10" and isn't shooting the 3 that well either. Bonzi is definitely a candidate for the Defense team and Kirk a candidate for the offensive team. However, Kirk can drive strong to the bucket and finish and Bonzi can at least get a steal or rebound.
Just granting that your assumption about the defense is correct, why does that preclude us from even signing Hayes and Mutombo? Both are serviceable defenders who play hard and bring a great attitude to the team both on and off the floor. They were both rotation players who contributed greatly to the team at various times last year. But you think we shouldn't even re-sign them, despite the fact that they will come at a relatively low cost?
This Harris guy seems like a more versatile Hayes. As much as we love Deke, with Jake/Butler we don't really need him. Where does the other guy we got in the J Howard deal fit in? Nobody talks about him....
It's pretty certain Chuck is getting a roster spot. Deke is still a question mark. If they aren't productive, Adelman will give them less playing time.
With their acquisition of Scola, Landry and Harris (3/4) Hayes may have become expendable or at least a candidate for trade talks. No doubt Scola will replace him as starter eventually and Hayes may be looking for a payday we don't want to afford. We could sign him to a comfortable contract for someone to acquire along with some of our other players.
Bonzi Wells? At least get a steal or a rebound? Look, he's chasing after the ball here. Not a dropping doughnut, a BALL. Kirk Snyder? A gorilla would have a higher basketball IQ than he does. You want to trade Luther for a 2nd round/late 1st pick? Honestly, I'd do that if you could net somebody like Corey Brewer there. Who? Where? It comes down to: are you kidding me? Look, Luther Head is a proven scorer. He's got two seasons under his belt, now playoff experience to boot. We invested, used up so many resources to develop him, and you want the FO to trade him for a 2nd round pick when he's seasoned and ready and averaging 10 ppg and shooting 44.3% on 3s? Are you kidding me? Chuck Hayes is known to be a great fit around Yao, and Morey's pretty much looking at his contract paper this moment. You want us to give him up? Excuse me, but i don't understand your logic here. Hiring Adelman doesn't mean we're gonna throw defense away. The old man said that himself. Hiring Adelman doesn't cure everybody's personal problems either. Some donut hungry guy doesn't seem easy to quit. We got extra talent, and we're gonna pick the best guys into training camp, and then let them compete for a roster spot. Sounds fair, eh? So let's just cool off and stop this "Trade Luther for crap and not resign Chuck Hayes" crap crap. We're gonna use our brains, right?
Talk about misinformed.... First: Defense wins championsihops. Second: Why the hell do you want offense only? You need a good balance of the two. Third: Chuck isn't consistent? He's more consistent than most of our guys. Fourth: Rafer isn't getting blown by. He's getting killed off the pick and roll. Fifth: You act as if Deke's offensive problem is pump faking...His problem is catching the damn ball.
Atleast foo82 is making sense and also why in the heck would we give up luther for a 2nd round pick...whoever said that need to never post agian.
I honestly think we need Harris in at SF off the bench for Bonzi to be effective. Bonzi thrives off of posting up smaller SGs. Harris is the only player on our team that, when played at SF, can force the opposition to guard Bonzi with their SG or punish them if they don't. For 15-20 mins of the game, we could work the two of them in the post, punishing the hell out of little guards. It's pretty much the same thing Adleman did in Sacramento with Bonzi and Artest.
Then you don't read very well. Morey has already made it clear that he intends to resign both. In fact, reports are that Morey and Chuck's agent are pretty close to completing a deal.
no matter what, we should sign Deke. It will be ugly if Deke plays for any other team. imagine Deke plays for Spurs or Mavs and gets a ring.....
Keeping Chuck Hayes it's okay. You can have defense and offense rotations anyway. Chuck's contract should be smaller than Scola. My guess is 2-2.5 millions per. Chuck can pass and also an active cutter to the basket. But hey, can Chuck learn how to dunk instead of layup? I am tired of seeing Chuck misses wide open layups under the basket.
Don't get me wrong I think Chuck and Luther are NBA players. Be honest, by the 6th and 7th game Utah was no longer holding Chuck and doubling Yao immediately. That's another reason why the Hornets murder us during the year, West doesn't play D on Chuck, which leaves all his energy for offense. Chuck is a 10 to 15 min player, however, the only thing Chuck has over Landry is experience and given Landry the opportunity he will develop. I won't mention what Scola brings over Chuck. Lets discuss Luther, all anyone sees are the threes he makes. Someone mentioned that Defense wins championships, well Luther doesn't play any. Check the Utah series, he couldn't stay on the floor because everyone posts him up at will. That's why Jeff tried to get him minutes at pg because he can't defend the 2 or 3. His handles are awful and turns the ball over at the 1. My thread says play 5 on 5 basketball.
If Defense wins championship why didn't we win the title, because we play 5 on 3/4 offense/defense. We were #1 in couple of defensive categories and we were sitting at home after game 7 because nobody could score down the stretch after Yao and Tracy gave the rock up. Where was your boy Luther, on the bench because he couldn't handle the pg or play D on 2. Also, you're not going to get a lottery selection for Luther who only shoots 3 pointers wide open. The leagues isn't that dumb, maybe Isiah. Luther has been apart of trade bait since the draft and no one has bit on him.
Because we lack offense. You suggested we give up completely on defense. I said you need a fine balance. If defense doesnt win championships, why the hell are Spurs and Cavs the only ones left? Why is it that the eastern conference matchup is Cavs vs Pistons? Adelman is going to address our offensive issues. Despite our poor offensive showing we still managed to push it to game 7. That just shows how important defense really is. Were you even watching the game? They didn't double on Yao that much. A lot of the time it was only Okur guarding Yao. You are just spewing the same stupid rehtoric that most Chuck haters spew.
Sure, Chuck Hayes is not really talented on offense, but he brings toughness, energy, hustle; he dives for the loose balls, tries to get every rebound, takes a few charges... He does the dirty work, and every team needs players like that. Plus he plays really good with Tracy and Yao. He has no jump shot, but he is somehow very smart on offense, always cutting to the basket at the right spot at the right time. Luis Scola will probably need some time to adjust to the NBA, and Landry is just an early 2nd-round rookie. The Rockets definitely need Chuck Hayes back.
good post and i agree. the point is we had too many guys on the court last year who were one dimensional - or they can only contribute in ONE particular way. deke and hayes on defense and rebounding. rafer, head, the rest of the perimeter like battier were just 3-point hoisters.... we need players who can contribute more than just as a specialist. one or two is fine, but the rockets seemed to have yao and tmac along with a bunch of specialists. we need all around players to complement these guys. this is why i think our draft picks help. and mike james. and scola. wanna make it easier for yao and tmac? surround them with guys who can do more than rebound. how bout a mid-range jump shot or a drive to the basket occasioanlly? amazing, don't you think?
