I really do not think it matters. I voted off the bench because now we have to sparks off the bench in Brooks and Wafer. I see limited minutes for Tmac until playoff time. Wafer will get his minutes regardless of if he is on the bench of not. I see Tmac playing anywhere from 30-35 min per game with Wafer getting anywhere from 16-22 min per game.
Lets see a healthy lineup would be: Skip T-Mac Shane Scola Yao Bench: Artest Brooks Landry Wafer Barry Deke It's going to be hard to find him minutes once everyone is healthy. There will be a odd man out and I have a feeling it would be Barry. If not an odd man out, someone will get very limited/specialty minutes.
I really would like to see Tmac as the starting PG, if he could handle it.... I mean there is no way you take Von out of the starting lineup, you just can't...he puts so much pressure on the other team with his aggression, and it helps everyone else on the court. DD
Tracy isn't Magic, it's not easy for a 6'8 or 6'9 guy to play PG. He has the skills as far as playmaking goes but he's no longer athletic enough to exploit that matchup offensively or defensively. I do, however, agree with this. I think the best thing for Adleman to do is bring Tracy and Ron off the bench. It creates competition. The stars have to play well to get their starting jobs back and Wafer/Shane will feel the pressure to perform to remain starters. Wafer adds like another 100k to his next contract with every good game he has so he has the motivation. In the end i would expect to see Wafer as the 6th man with Brent Barry only seeing spot minutes and Shane with a reduced role (but getting more minutes when Wafer's cold).
If Tracy doesn't start, he'd pout his way off the team. What must be driving the Rockets crazy is not knowing whether Wafer will even be back next year. Just how much is this guy going to fetch on the open market, because I could easily see some desperate GM offering him a huge payday.
He's liable to be off in his timing, he's not going to have a lot of playing time with his teammates (passes into the stands), there's no substitute for actually playing. Also, Wafer's hot right now. Bring T-Mac off the bench and let him earn his time--by playing Adelman's offense, by playing with desire and intensity. If he can't beat Wafer in either of those categories he doesn't deserve to start.
I am really starting to wonder what they are going to do with Tmac....and Artest? Wafer is playing so darned well, it would be a shame to see him go to the bench, he is sooooo good at getting out and getting transition baskets which help keep Yao fresh, because he doesn't have to bang or run the court on that posession. I really hope Rick Adelman keeps starting him, he has earned it. DD
What u should worry about is the guy we traded the 8th pick away for. Tracy comes back, he will start and rick should send battier to the bench for situational ball.
The Rockets are now an efficient offensive team. If TSlack comes back in, our *offensive* efficiency will go way down. That's the effect the he has on our team. Add in Artest's career low FG% and we're a magrinal playoff team at best.
I think I read somewhere on the Chronicle that Artest will continue to come off the bench. If so, Wafer will continue to start. The big question is what happens when TMac comes back. Unfortunately for Wafer, TMac will most likely start and Wafer will come off the bench, unless Adelman does a 180 degree turnaround.
I gotta say, sit Battier, he is not playing basketball at 100% right now and i dont think he'll ever this season
Sould restart the poll. I've changed my mind to "Starter - he has earned it ", the more I watch him, the more I like him.
There is no way TMac will come off the bench, IMO. Adelman knows that TMac is mentally fragile, and TMac will either lose his confidence entirely, or he will demand a trade of some sort if he doesn't start. I just can't see TMac's ego accepting a bench role.
Battier is struggling mightily.....maybe he goes to the bench? But with Tmac and Von in the lineup our team defense would suffer and it could lead to foul trouble for our bigs. Dang....such a quandry. DD
this is my biggest worry. T-Mac comes back and all of a sudden we look like the ineffecient Rockets that go through long offensive droughts. I also don't think Adelman or any other coach for that matter has the guts to bench their star player. Our biggest hope is that T-Mac comes back and plays at Wafer's level at least.
<br> Yep! <br> As of right now, our two weakest links in the starting five are Rafer and Battier. Since you can't really sit Rafer, Battier should be benched in favor of Wafer. <br> Do I think this will happen? Probably not.. Do I think it should/hope it will? Yes
<br> Well, thats why the coach gets payed the big bucks so he can get his rotation straight and sub in Artest and Battier when he sees the defense needs to be a notch up. <br> But, I agree.. I don't think Wafer is anywhere near the same planet as Battier on defense
