I believe we are very similar to the Celtics. It's a matter of staying healthy, I'm telling you, our team can be great if we are healthy.
Yeah they are, but are either as tough as Posey or Scola. Scola is gritty, but he finesses the ball inside like most international big guys. Battier is gritty but Posey brings a lot more in ur face tough minded approach.
The Finals have told me that the Rockets overpaid like crazy for Battier and overestimated his abilities as a basketball player. Posey is just as good if not better than Shane and the Celtics got him as a free agent. The Rockets either need to get rid of Battier or have him come off the bench where he can be more effective like Posey.
I'm not going to start that, but I've been saying that for a minute. I think the 3rd star guy is what have been said for a while. I really think the Artest is the only way to go. Also u have to have guys on the bench that aren't scared of the "moment." That's why I don't mind seeing a Ricky Davis type on the bench. U can't have guys that are scared to shoot when given the chance.
At this point, I'm convinced that every year we need to prepare for injuries. Find a strong bench that could pick up the slack when our superstar center and guard breaks. With the state and history of our 2 superstars, we always need to prepare for when they go down. It's something I've accepted. I think now Morey needs to find some good back up players so our stars can play less minutes and not worry about giving up the game.
U need superstar players that get to the FT line and make em, ala Kobe and Pierce. Something Tmac can;t do, even if attempt like 15+ he'll only make like 8 !!
You wanna know why Posey went cheap to the Celtics? He doesn't always bring it like he does this year. The guy working hard now because he apparently got a bad rap for worth ethics with Pat Riley last season, and lost out on a lot of cash as a FA for that... and probablky for pulling stunts like these below: Think Shane will show up in such photos? You can count on Shane much more than Posey. In fact, Shane and Posey were teammates once... this is how their +/- stacked up in their last year together: http://82games.com/0405MEM.HTM
seriously? I know parker and gino is good. but max caliber players? hmm... that's the huge bump of their worth IMO.
The Finals have taught me that we need length on our bench. Here are the rotation bench players on each team for this series: Boston: PJ Brown - 6"11 Leon Powe - 6"8 James Posey - 6"8 (Tony Allen - 6"4) Sam Cassell - 6"3 Eddie House - 6"1 LA: Ronnie Turiaf - 6"10 Luke Walton - 6"8 (Trevor Ariza - 6"8) Sasha Vujacic - 6"7 Derek Fisher - 6"2 Jordan Farmar - 6"1 How about us? Houston: Dikembe Mutombo - 7"2 (Steve Novak - 6"10) Carl Landry - 6"8 Chuck Hayes - 6"6 Luther Head - 6"3 Bobby Jackson - 6"1 Aaron Brooks - 5"11 Remove Dikembe because of the Yao injury and realize that Steve Novak plays more like a 6"5 SF on offense and even worse on defense, and you can see how we had problems for the second year in a row with leaving our starters in too long. Switch one of our short guards out for a lanky rangy athletic-type player like Posey or Ariza and we will be much better. That, and make sure Yao doesn't get injured so we aren't left with Loren Woods as our only back-up big man over 6"8.
I can't see your photos and it sounds like you're a little touchy when it comes to Battier. What about Udoka and Bowen? Neither of them cost an arm and a leg, but both are just as good if not better than Battier. I've critcized Posey for his off the court problem(s) in a recent thread on the finals: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=3733952&postcount=194 But the thing about Posey is that he brings it when it counts (Finals with Miami and Celtics) while Battier has only had one good playoff game his entire career. I could care less about guys who aren't upstanding citizens or guys that don't bring it hard all the time in the regular season as long as they come to play when it counts. I'm tired of all the first round exits. I wish the Rockets would've kept Posey. I think if the right deal comes along, Battier will no longer be part of this organization. Oh and please stop with the +/- stats. I think they're overrated and I watch the actual games so no need for +/- numbers here.
it tells you that longterm strategy doesn't matter. creatively working the salary cap doesn't matter. quality management of your franchise for years and developing talent on your team over time doesn't matter. the lottery doesn't matter. what matters is pulling blockbuster trades out of your ass that are borderline rip offs for the other team... helps if the GM of the other team is a former teammate, a moron, or otherwise corrupt THE CELTICS ARE YOUR IDEAL FRANCHISE? a team that probably tanked last season. mismanaged the draft by putting the entire franchise's future in ping pong balls which DID NOT drop. and got their asses saved via miracle trade the celts weren't even a decently managed team that was still mired in mediocrity like the wizards or portland. their management have been running around like chickens since Len Bias. pierce himself probably wouldn't even be in boston this year and the celts would be one baby step from the knicks if yahweh hadn't blessed the celtics last summer with mana from heaven. but yeah having 3 max players in their prime including the best defensive anchor in the east in garnett is a good way to be a badass team... now that we know all that you got a plan to get a 3rd all star dropped onto our team for nothing this upcoming summer cuz les alexander aint paying no luxury tax
Its not Battiers fault they thought he would be able to be that 3rd guy for the Rox. I will say this, he's a bench player on a good team. That's not such a bad thing, just a thing. Posey at this stage of his career is also a bench player. The advantage Posey does have is he's actually been the #1 option on a team before and not only is he a really good defender and plays hard, he brings that certain toughness shane don't. Anyone remember the clothesline on Hinrich? Just last night look how he was battling the much bigger Odom and hustled down too make sure blk Fisher shot even after the foul was called to prevent the 3pt play. There are some things that players will do that coaches don't have to explain to them. I also agree tha the size and 3rd scorer are huge keys. Many people want to play it off like its just health which is a part of it, but even that 3rd guy needs to be a little different. There is a reason why Sasha and Radmanovich have struggled. Its the same reason why Mike Miller has struggled in the playoffs also. In the playoffs against really good defensive teams, they run u off the spot and invite u to the hole. It take a hard nosed player to go to the hole and take the contact and finish even when the refs might not call a foul. Right now, it seems like Boston has the guys that will do that. Versitility is another thing. The Rox have little to none. They don't have guys that can play multiple positions and defend those positions effectively. We talk about the bench and its smallish stature at every position. They have guys that are pg size playing 2 and guys that are small forward size playing the 4.
How do you figure that this Rockets team doesn't have enough guys who will win at all costs? This Rocket team played as hard in the regular season as Boston is in the Finals. It's talent that is missing like shooters and slashers.
Sam cassel hasn't been very good this series. What we need is a guy like a pierce to step up when garnett and allen can't.
