Hey Clutchfans, We all watch the games as bad as they havve been early on..and most of the people I talk to have similar problems. 1.) After Tracy and Y.Ming get their shots, everyone else besides J. Howard seems to not know when to shhot and pass. 2.) Who's goona do the dirty work consistantly and rebound the ball. Bowen is getting wraped up in guarding the opponents best defender now and Juwan is letting anyone out rebound him this year. 3.) JVG has to get someone other than the big TWO to get consistant touches and better (non-obvious) plays to be ran. We look so bland at times that I'm sure that we are all looking at LOST or sleeping.
If I have to pick I of course say Luther Head, but Stro is really coming on of late. These last two games have been the kinds of games that turn seasons around. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if McGrady isn't playing. Picking a third player however, it has to be Luther Head in my opinion.
Because Luther is a rookie, I'm not so sure he's ready to be 3rd in the pecking order this early. If you notice, teams aren't leaving him wide open as much. If he can adjust to defenses keying on him a little more and still score 10+ PPG with a decent FG% shooter, he could wind up being the 3rd option eventually. I think it's a stretch for this year.
I think everyone after Mac and Yao will have their nights and the sum of the parts will amount to a third threat, but to pick who that guy will be on a nightly basis will be tough. The third option should be a team effort.
i think Jho is pretty much known as the 3rd guy. the problem is that stro is rightfully taking some minutes. a teams 3rd scorer can't be splitting time with his backup. and a 6th man can't be ur 3rd scorer. head and wesley are just shooters, bowen is a defender.... so i guess we are stuck, unless jho or stro ends up earning about 30-40 minutes a game.
Where is the "None of the Above"? I don't think any of those guys will be a strong third option this season, and trading for a legit third option is unlikely.
WEll this a tough one. I could be Head or WEsley or Howard. Anderson might even be that guy when he's 100%. I believe the third man must be Howard if the Rockets are to get back to the point they were at winding down the season last year. Before he got injured last season vs the Warriors Howard was averging 12 points and 9 rebounds a game. Vs the Sonics Howard had 16 points and 6 rebounds. This is the line he was getting consistantly last season and I hope he builds on that great game vs the Sonics today against the Clippers. Go Rockets!!!
Why has Head refrained from shooting the ball. He hasnt litten it up at all this road trip other than some real clutch shots. Kid plays like he doesnt exist. Stro and DA seem like the only guys interested in being third options. The other guys like to take a few shots a game and keep a low profile or play inconsistently where they have one great night and then one terrible night. Problem with the "who's hot" or the no need for a third option is we do need it. Wesley and Howard are horribly inconsistent and you cant count on someone randomly stepping up cause that leads to a lot of losses, like today.
I think its painfully obvious that this team needs that 3rd scorer. Someone that can put the ball on the floor and collapse a defense. Someone that can at least help keep the team in the game working with either Tmac or Yao scoringwise while the other is on the bench. Last year you could say that role belonged to Sura at times but really Mike James was the best option. James might not have been the best answer paired WITH Tmac & Yao in the lineup, but with one of the studs out, he was a decent scorer. This team desperately needs that 3rd scorer. But right now, this team doesnt have it. And really like DaDakota said, that 3rd scorer really is "whoever is hot that night" kind of thing. Maybe it will be Howard, or Head or Wesley or Anderson. Probably one of those guys on any given night. Hopefully down the road Swift can be that guy on certain nights too. But just like Ginobili & Duncan have a 3rd guy in Parker, Tmac & Yao need someone as well. Ideally it would be a nice sidekick compliment to Tmac at the swingman position. Maybe when Alston comes back he can get into the lane and make plays and be that guy for us. I really think this team needs a reliable 3rd scorer that can average around 14-16ppg on this team to go with Tmac's 25ppg and Yao's 19ppg.
Bingo! When you say third guy, I think it should be qualified as third guy against Dallas and San Antonio. Who can spark the team to a win against those two teams. Out of all the question marks we have so far this year, I think Alston is the most important one that must increase his contributions. Wesley - can't remember how he did against Dallas last year very well... Barry - he did it last year against Dallas James - he did it last year, and we need someone to fill that void Anderson - his shot has been sub-par all year and now he is injured, we have to wait to find out, but he could play a large role for us Stromile - progressing, but we have to wait for him also Howard - was a stabilizer and a critical piece of the offense last year... when he played well, a lot of things seemed to fall into place, and when we didn't have him in the playoffs, it showed... he needs to play well and be around at the end of the year Alston - I'm hoping that Alston comes back from his injury and breaks out of his shell.... I feel like he needs to play very well for us to win a playoff series, and I stay hopeful because his stats are so low thus far compared to what we know he has done in the past
Lets see, a 3rd guy that can get 15-17pts on limited shots and can create his own shot? Sounds like SAR to me, but most people on this board didn't want him.
Couldn't have said it better. We just don't have a third guy right now. We have a a lot of fourth and fifth guys, but no third guy. I don't even think it really matters what our third guy does, he just has to be good enough to be a solid starter and do at atleast one thing well and a few things pretty well. The Rockets could take it to the next level if we just added: -A banger and enforcer inside to start at power forward who can rebound, defend and make a few moves in the paint (in that order) -A lockdown defender at small forward or guard who can at least hit open jump shots or threes -A pure shooter who drains all those open looks T-Mac and Yao would get him and can atleast play passeable defense. Maybe even another slasher who can get to the basket and draw fouls. -A passing point guard with some D skills. Anyone one of these types of players could take us to the next level. He just has to be good enough to be a real solid starter on most teams and the type that die hard rocket fans think should be an all-star, or doesn't get enough credit for what he does. Two allstars, one star/solid starter and a team of veterans/up and coming guys is all you need to go all the way. The Rockets just need that one other part.
