Here's what I think about them. Trade for T-mac: T-mac is a very, very talented and special player. Even though we're left with major holes on the roster and we also appreciate Steve's contribution very much, the deal is hard to pass by. Deal to acquire Bob Sura: Sura is a great rebounder and can occasionally shoot for great numbers. The guy's tough. Valuable pickup. Deal to acquire Charlie Ward: As I mentioned before, there's a reason the Spurs waived him. Can he play up to expectation even when he's healthy? I highly doubt it. Bad deal. Deal to acquire Deke Mutumbo: Everybody sees that he's a great addition. lue for Jon Barry deal: I always liked The Barry brothers shooting touches. So far, he's provided more than just that. Good deal. JJ,boki for David Weslie deal: Not sure about this one. JJ is a steady contributor on the offensive end, even though his overblown self-confidence isn't a good thing for the team. JJ is also a threat from 3-point land. Weslie hasn't contributed much offensively so far and he's only occasionally a threat from beyond the arch. Neither am I impressed with his defensive ability, for which Van Gundy gives him props. We also threw in Boki who's a very good slasher and has some potential. Did we get anyone back for Boki? I hope Weslie can play more relaxed. That way the deal might look like a fair one. Deal to acquire Rod Strickland: So far he's only played in three games. Some fans already complains about adding another relic to the team. I see it in a different light. I think the man still got some in the tank. Good one.
Deke to me aside from Getting T-mac was a good move.... Deke has taken up some of the slack and has even been a factor on us winning some of these games.... If only we had Deke when he was a pup...Despite his age he is a damn good rebounder!
i like them. wesley is a much better fit than jj but he is no where near as consistant. lue for barry was great. of course the big deal has been discussed to death, and i was and still am all for it. great moves so far by CD. now if we can only work on FA signing...sura would be a nice spark off the bench, but ward for 3 years? if cd finds a way to move our 4's and bring in a PG, PF, and backup 3 for tmac he should never be fired. of course doing all of that should take another year or so.
Wesley trade may look bad on paper since he's shooting like 33% and avg 9 pts. BUT we are WINNING and our offence flows mcuh better now than with JJ.. so looks like it worked out or is working out ok so far
Exactly. State wide, they might be equal, but Wesley brings certain intangibles. HIs show will come around, based on his history. Always been a good shooter (not great). I absolutely love Wesley on the break and on D. And that, IMO, is what sets the two apart, as far as value to the Rockets. Wesley is very good at chasing guys around picks and staying with them. Something we need since T-Mac and JJ just can't do that.
I hated this trade when it first went down but I've since changed my mind for this exact reason. As far as his 'stats', the only 'stat' that matters to me is the one that says we were 13-15 with Jim Jackson and we are now 11-4 with David Wesley.
One thing people don't realize about JJ is that his FG% is inflated. Why? Because he's one of the worst players in the NBA in getting to the FT line. The guy NEVER penetrates. All his shots comes from the perimeter or post ups. In recent games, the Rockets are doing a much better job of taking it to the basket. That's why our offense has come alive and no longer so reliant on hitting the 3s. It also shows that JVG is adjusting to the change in league rules.
The move that really surprises me...or maybe i should say the player who really surprises me...is John Barry. I had no idea this guy had that much game. He seems to be a perfect fit here.
*nods in agreement* I totally agree with you. He provides the "attitude" we needed very badly. He is also not afraid to take the big shot. Even if he misses it he'll be like, "Well I was open." heh
I don't think that Welsey's addition is good for ROX. Welsey's shooting and defense are worse than JJ. You may argue that Welsey helps ROX to run fastbreak,etc. But please check the difference of JVG's offense strategies after and before trade. Before the trade, JVG enforce players to play his favirite inside-and-outside games But now, ROX is essentially copying last year's Magic. At the offensive end, ROX is in "me-MAC" style. This may explain why ROX looked like a day-in and day-out team. I noticed that before the trade, JVG often took "strategy card" from his pockets and read his notes. But now, he did not. That may be the big difference. I am not sure if JVG has no any ideas about how to run offense right now.
I'm sorry, but comparing this team to last year's Magic is just dumb. They don't play that style...and they definitely don't look like a day-in and day-out team. Explain the latest streak? Won 11 of 15?
