Who is a better fit: Bo Outlaw or Jerome Williams?

Jerome Williams. Bo Outlaw is a very fine player but I would rather have Jerome. Jerome is taller and can score better. Jerome also rebounds 9.6 rebounds per game and he plays only 25 minutes. Imagine him playing 35-40 minutes. He would be the best rebounder in the nba. He never gives up and always performs all he can. Those are the type of players we need. The only thing Bo Outlaw is better than Jerome is his defense.

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"I talked about what degenerates they [Mets fans] were, and they proved me right. Just by saying something, I could make them mad enough to go home and slap their moms."

John Rocker

 

I dont think Bo Outlaw is a realistic possibility any longer. Before the draft, I thought it was a possibility, but once the Magic unloaded the salaries of Derek Strong, Corey Maggete, Keyon Dooling and Courtney Alexander, that gave them the cap room to go out and sign two key FAs to the max (Hill, McGrady) which they have achieved atleast by verbal agreements and then enough cap room to be able to hold their FAs they wanted to keep, Bo Outlaw, Chucky Atkins, John Amaechi, Ben Wallace and possibly Monty Williams. Thus, they have it set up to where they can sign Hill and McGrady first then exceed the cap to re-sign the other players.

Jerome Williams is a player I really hope the Rockets pursue. Considering the Pistons are not quite 9 mil under the cap, its possible they could try to move him for a future pick. The Rockets could eat his 2.93 mil salary into their trade exception and give the Pistons a future first round pick. That way, Detroit would have enough under the cap to pay Jalen Rose the max salary plus they would have a couple mil left over. They could then save that left over part for the 2001 summer and combine that with Christian Laettner's expiring contract to make a push for Chris Webber. That would allow them to have a quartet of players consisting of Webber, Rose, Stackhouse and Cleaves.

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[This message has been edited by MManal (edited July 15, 2000).]

 

Whomever we sign is the better fit!!!



Honestly, I think Williams and Outlaw are similar in their intangibles....rebounding, defense, and hustle. But as stated, Jerome is a better scorer. I would prefer Williams, but I would welcome either.

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HOOP-T
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[This message has been edited by HOOP-T (edited July 15, 2000).]

 

I don't know, but I always thought of Bo Outlaw as a SF who could play the 4. I was suprised to find out he only weighed 210lbs, he looks a lot bigger. With that said, he is a defensive stalwart, who can play mutliple positions (which Rudy loves), is explosive around the basket, unselfish, and a terrific leaper. He doesn't score buckets that often, but selects his shots and finds the open lane. Bo shot over 60% last year (unfortunately only 50% from the stripe though) and as a 6"8" forward, was 14th in the league in swats (Cato was 12th). MManal, I thought Outlaw's chance of coming back to Houston would increase after the draft. With Grant Hill, Mike Miller, Tracy McGrady, Matt Harpring, John Amaechi, Mike Doleac and Ben Wallace all playing the same positions as he, I would think numbers would be minimal compared to last year for him. Of course, Harpring, and Wallace may not be resigned, but it still looks iffy for Outlaw to return to O-lando, IHMO. Too bad Houston isn't the only team who has him on his wish list. Regardless, I would love to see him in H-town, either starting as a 3 in front of the Wizard, or the 4. But the PF's are simply way bigger in the west, which might place Outlaw as a SF.

As for Jerome Williams, who wouldn't like him to come here? Like Outlaw, he is a team player who has an endless amount of energy, and of course, one of the best rebounders in the game. I can't see Detroit letting him go though. Some say he isn't the same player if he's starting, but I don't buy that. After all, with Pig and Bull question marks for next season, and the Cat a FA, we need another animal - Big-Dawg would be fine.

With all that said, I would probably choose Outlaw, simply because I've liked him for years and I am biased. Bo knows basketball.

Azim da Dream

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We don't live for the destination. We live for the journey.

[This message has been edited by Azim da Dream (edited July 15, 2000).]

 

I think both these guys are overrated as the "PF answers" IMO. Outlaw's actually a 3 and has zero offense. Williams has very good rebounding stats, but he really gets pushed around on D. Neither one could ever dream of shooting a 3, and I think it should be abundantly clear that the ability to shoot a 3 and space the floor is practically a requirement for any new additions to Rudy's team (just look at Rudy's draft, comments, and FA targets). Neither one of these guys are going to be Rockets.

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[This message has been edited by oakdogg (edited July 15, 2000).]

 

They're both unattainable so it doesn't matter. You don't trade players like that, you try to get more.

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I Hate Every Bone in Your Body But Mine

 

I would take both of these players over Kenny Thomas any day of the week!

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"I talked about what degenerates they [Mets fans] were, and they proved me right. Just by saying something, I could make them mad enough to go home and slap their moms."

John Rocker

 

I had no idea that Franny and Willaims were close, but even so I'd rather have Outlaw. Reasons?

1. Cool last name
2. UH guy = fan favorite
3. we nned defense
4. He is a HELLUVA worker
5. And, yes, Azim da Dream, Bo does know basketball

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I dont think anyone read when I said that Jerome Williams avgs 9.6 rebounds in only 25 minutes! He is a rebounding freak that we need.

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"I talked about what degenerates they [Mets fans] were, and they proved me right. Just by saying something, I could make them mad enough to go home and slap their moms."

John Rocker

 

But unless we can get more O from our SF or center positions, we can't afford to have a PF with no offensive game at all. I keep hearing rumors that Cato has been working on his game all off season, and if he can put in 12-15 a night, I'm all for Outlaw, but if not, where are we gonna get inside scoring from?

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"And On The 8th day god Created Basketball, And on the 9th He Created The Dream To Play It"

 

Pig could possibly put up similar numbers with the same minutes as Jerome, yet all I hear is how we need him to play less not more. Jerome is a better player than Pig for sure, but he's not an All Star. Hell, he couldn't get more than 25 minutes on a Pistons team that is more desperate for big men than we are. We need a well-rounded PF more than a "rebounding freak" IMO.

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Neither of these guys are worth pursuing.

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I am so exasperated that I could expectorate.

 

Couple of things.... First off, I dont think Jerome Williams is the answer at the 4 position. However, you NEED players like that in your rotation that provide all the intangibles if you want to win it all. To expect studs at every position is far fetched and does not happen. You have to get studs as 1 and 2 options then surround them with a lot of role players.

Just Jerome Williams by himself is not going to put the Rockets over the top, but how about a sequence of moves like this...

1. Trade a future pick and 2.93 mil worth of trade exception for Jerome Williams (this is assuming it is true that Detroit wants to clear his salary)
2. Sign and trade Kenny Thomas, Bryce Drew and the Milwaukee pick plus the remainder of the exception for Austin Croshere
3. Unload Walt Willams for free agents to be in 2001
4. Try to reel in a big catch like Rashard Lewis (if he signs a 1 yr deal) or Chris Webber in the summer of 2001

That would give the Rockets a potential lineup of Cato, Croshere, Lewis, Anderson, Francis with a bench of Collier, Je Williams, Langhi, Mobley, Norris

That team right there would have all the pieces to be a championship contendor and would just need time to develop.

Also, Azim, we'll have to wait and see on Outlaw. All the players that Orlando acquired this offseason are SG/SF types. If they lost Outlaw, they would have zip in the interior defense/enforcer department. There is just no way I can see them letting Outlaw get away. They are overflowing at the 1-2-3 positions but need to keep whatever they have on their interior. They have the cash slotted away for Bo, and Doc Rivers is going to make sure he's in an Orlando jersey next season.


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"Try to reel in a big catch like Rashard Lewis (if he signs a 1 yr deal) or Chris Webber in the summer of 2001"

I think it's funny that people are now mentioning Rashard Lewis in the same breath as Chris Webber. One's the 2nd best PF in the league behind Duncan, the other rarely starts on an average team.

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I Hate Every Bone in Your Body But Mine

 

TheFreak,

My intention was not to compare Rashard Lewis to Chris Webber. What I was saying is that those would be two free agents the Rockets would be very interested in. There are only three potential free agents next summer that would really fit the Rockets in many ways, Chris Webber, Rashard Lewis and Michael Finley. If they can get one of them, it would be a major coup.

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