It's not going to be the point guard. OR the back-up center. Who are we going to get to make teams pay for double teaming Yao or Tmac? JVG has said it before - this team needs shooters, and we don't have them. I've proposed trades for Kittles and Wally, previously. I'd love to get Troy Murphy or Vladimir Radmanovic to fill that role from the front court, in rotation with Howard, but that would just be a plus. The best fit is going to be from the wing - either a 2 or 3, playing opposite Tmac, spotting up or coming off a curl. Who do you want to target? What's a possible get?
This is not a priority. Right now, here's the order: - PG to share duties with LUE. - Backup C who can block shots. - Athleticism in the frontcourt. - Shooting. Lue, JJ, Pike and Boki are all very good shooters. T-Mac has also been above average over his career, and the PG's we're currently looking at are all good or great 3pt threats: Damon Jones, Mike James, Antonio Daniels. Aside from that, now that we have a more dominant force in the backcourt, and Juwan Howard rather than Cato helping MoT at PF, teams will have to focus more on defending the post and keeping T-Mac covered - meaning hitting a 3pter will be eaier for us than it was last year. This is the least of our worries. As always, there's no such thing as too many shooters when you have a solid big man and a star Guard, but it's the last thing on my mind. However, having a permanent 3-pt shooter in the line-up would help. My solution: Trade for SAR now, send him to Seattle for Rashard later. The problem is, it's incredibly difficult to get SAR with the assets we have to offer.
Defense will win out over shooting ability. If someone can shoot but can't defend worth a lick, they won't get enough time on the court to develop a rhythm. We just need someone that can defend, spot up and consistently drain threes, not someone who needs the ball in their hands to be effective and not a pure scorer. Jarvis Hayes comes to mind, but Washington probably doesn't want to part with him. He can defend and his the perimeter shot, and the Wizards seem higher on him then Juan Dixon or Larry Hughes. The Heat badly need a PF. Are the Rockets willing to take on Eddie Jones' albatross of a contract? Methinks yes! Jones contract is shorter than Taylor's and the same length as Weatherspoon's if he doesn't exercise his '05 option. Remember, it's the length of the contract that's key, not so much the size. Jones can play good defense, is unselfish, and has become a very reliable 3pt shooter. Rockets should consider him. Not as the top priority, however.
Don't know if I completely agree with this. Just ask the Spurs. They had THE best defense last season but couldn't get past the Lakers in the playoffs cause everyone collapsed on Duncan and no one punished them from the outside. That's why they did everything they could to get Barry.
Pike and Boki are Potentially bery good shooters. That means we think Boki is, Pike used to be, but neither one of them could get minutes to fill that Matt Bullard role last season so they have to still prove it. JJ is an OK shooter, but it is the corner 3 or bust Lue is OK but I wouldn't call him getting a dead eye outside threat. Barry would have fit the bill. Actually if teams can shut down both Yao and TMac, the help will have to come some from JJ, some from J Howard and some from MoTay and Lue. If Boki, Pike or say a Paggett contribute significantly... the better off we will be. Eventually though we will need a good shooter to make teams pay the price. We need a dagger guy like Cassell or Elie were.
You dont need the 3 to make people pay for double teams, even though it would be the way to get the most points. LA tortured the Rockets for double teaming Shaq and Kobe in the playoffs last year thanks to Malone's mid-range jumpers. I know 3's would be the best way to create a lead or cut a deficit more quickly, and it would be nice, but it's not a skill I would rank so critically high on the must-have list.
Pike and JJ and Lue are not the answer. I don't even know if Pike will be here. He won't sniff the court. Boki has some kind of choking disorder when he sees an open shot. Padgett is padgett, and not even signed. I opened this noting JVG has said before we don't have shooters. We had JJ and Pike last year, and we had Cuttino, who was pretty decent. I think this is a high priority. You guys are not thinking creatively about how you want the offense to run. Let's say we get Damon Jones or Mike James. We have Lue. We still need the dependable mid-range jumper. It doesn't have to be a 3. The other team just has to pay if they commit 3 guys vs our 2. The shooter has to be consistent and is better if he has some size and can play defense. Matt Harpring would be great. Kittles works pretty well. JJ has too many 2-11 nights to go with every 6-13. He's limited to the corner. We are very close to being a winner, but not there with just JJ. A real shooter would make the difference, where we could compete with San Antonio. I don't want to just get by...I want to win. Sometimes I think some of you just want to get by with whatever we got, and hey, maybe win sometimes, that's enough. Are you happy with a first-round exit?
the thread was asking about shooters and pike is a shooter. even with a season last year, he's more of a shooter than anyone else listed in this thread. the guy is in the league because he's a shooter. unfortunately he's not nearly as good on any other aspect of the game but he's what you would call a shooter. guys like voshon lenard wesley person pike are shooters. they basically rely on their ability to hit the open J.
two words: glen rice..... ....i think pike can get the job done, sure last year he had some injury-problems and never really got into the rotation, but now he´s back at full strength.... no need to worry....
Amen! Why do all players that are 'great shooters' come to the Rockets and mysteriously lose their touch? I'm happy with STREAK SHOOTERs. Vernon Maxwell, Kenny, Horry.. The only consistent shooters we have..... Matt Bullard Calvin Murphy Sam Cassell
I would love to see Wesley Person here...he'd be a great fit and likely wont demand much money...that man is as pure a shooter as they get...
I'm sorry. The argument is very weak - we dont' lack shooting. More shooting would improve us, but a backup C or a PG would improve us more and are more pressing needs. Lue is 38.5% for his career Pike is 39.9% for his career Boki was 36.5% last year T-Mac is 35.4% for his career, and has hit 38% before JJ is 36.3% for his career, but has hit 47%, 45% and 40% for the last 3 years MoT and Juwan Howard have excellent midrange jumpers. Yao Ming has range of his own and doesn't have to be locked into the lowpost. MoT can take over the low post at times, freeing Yao for a midrange jumper. We were 3rd in the league at 3pt% last year. Since then, we've removed Francis, Mobley and Cato while adding T-Mac, Lue, and Howard. T-Mac and Lue are EASILY better than Francis/Mobley - Francis hit 29% last year, Lue is almost 10% better than that for his career. Howard is a much better scorer than Cato and has much more range, which spaces the floor better for post players and shooters. The original argument is very poor. Maybe you WANT a deadeye shooter, but the Rockets don't NEED a deadeye shooter.
