Because powerforwards should rebound, and the one's who don't shouldn't be opening their mouths talking about Ben Wallace is overrated. Let me see, overpaid underachiever, calls hardworking overachiever overrated. That will get you hated on. All that being said, Mo did play hard down the stretch.
Because he is MEDIOCRE. Let's see, he can't play defense or rebound, so he is supposed to be an offensive spark. Yet he is a power forward who shoots 40%! I can't stand his offensive repertoire. He is like a broke man's Olajuwon, except worse. He needs to draw fouls and shoot a higher % to be truly effective. Another in a long line of below average players that Rudy liked and signed to a fat contract, along with Moochie, Cato, Maloney, PRice, etc. KT is 10 times the payer this guy is, IMO.
I disagree. He played the two man game pretty well with Yao last year. He doesn't pass much because when he is given the ball he is expected to score. And as far as defense, Mo was the only rocket with the footwork (and willingness) to take charges in the paint last year. E.G. is a better weak side shot blocker, but I have no doubt that at this point Mo is a better man to man defender than Eddie.
someboy should start a Mo Taylor fan club. Mo Taylor was the only guy on this team with the guts to stick up for the rook Yao Ming last year. he deserves his own fan club.
Batman, Quit apologizing for Mo. He doesn't rebound well, he doesn't play defense well, and he doesn't seem to be getting better. As for being in the best shape of his career before the injury....who knows? All we know is that he got to be FAT and out of shape while SUPPOSEDLY rehabbing. Not to mention getting caught by the NBA for substance abuse. Sometimes tough love is what they need, and Mo needs it as much as the rest of the underacheivers. 6'9" tall, and 270lbs, and less then 5 boards a game....PAFRICKENTHETIC !! DD
Now that's not right..... [/QUOTE] Did you miss what KT did on Philadelphia? He had like 10 straight double doubles or something. He was on fire. And he did win the starting PF spot, right before we traded him. Rudy thought he was our best PF too.
I think that Mo will have a great season this year. I look forward to proving most of you wrong. In a nice way of course.
Did you miss what KT did on Philadelphia? He had like 10 straight double doubles or something. He was on fire. And he did win the starting PF spot, right before we traded him. Rudy thought he was our best PF too. [/B][/QUOTE] I agree with you, but Mo was working his way back from a BAD injury. It doesn't seem fair to judge performances based on that alone. Of course Kenny was the best PF on the squad last year....hell, MO wasn't a 100% and Eddie was still in "Pull Up" pampers. lol
I think MoTaylor plays damn hard and I think will improve within a JVG system. Do any of you guys remember the Washington Wizards Game??? Mo was on FIRE! The guy has a money shot and takes it to the hole well. He doesn't have the incredible lateral movement which limits his defensive capabilities, but I think he's a wide body that can plug the lane and that can go outside to hit the jumper. I think he is a damn good compliment to Yao Ming. Though he lacks the Oakley post precense, he is an enforcer of sort and I remember him defending Yao and many other players on the team. With Yao's place now the Low Block, Mo Taylor can make the other teams pay for their double teams with his sweet midrange jumper. He is also a very capable passer in the post to Yao Ming. Glen Rice was actually the best at this, but Mo plays extremely well with Yao and whoever said he "never" passes was not watching him and Ming on the floor together. If he comes off the bench he also gives us a second unit scoring threat. Though I feel his contract was high, the guy has worked his butt off since he's been here and unfortunately tore his Achilles working out during the Summer. I am pissed about the pot thing though. We pay him too much to put up with that crap, and to be suspended for it means it wasn't the first time. I think that he has the potential, and has shown flashes of, to be the perfect compliment to Yao Ming, our superstar in the making.
You have some valid points but Mo T's detractors are also right. MoT is better than avg on offense and avg or below avg on defense and rebounding. His big contract means a lot. If you are paid "star money", you better perform like a star. I would sign a big contract too if it's offered to me, but then I either play up to it or face the critism. It's life!
MO's game will almost be ALL Star level this year. His Achilles injury was severe and he played hard last year on a bad wheel with fear of reinjury. I think a healthy Mo will thrive under the whip and manic detail of JVG.
I thought it was pretty funny when Mo called out Kenyon Martin and said that he was a "fake tough guy". I couldn't help but laugh. Not because of Mo's comment, but because it seems as if Mo T himself is more of a "fake tough guy".
On a board where everybody complains about player's egos and their reluctance to take a back seat for the good of the team, i offer this: Prior to his injury, Mo Taylor had been a starter his whole career and a go to guy for a great part of it. He came to Houston for a minimum contract and turned down more money elsewhere (Seattle & L.A.C.)to play for the Rockets, in a reduced role at that. During that year Mo was everything the Rox expected and was rewarded with his current contract. Then came the injury. After rehab, Mo work hard to come back and be a better player than before in an effort to justify his contract. He even said that he felt he had let the Rockets down by not being able to play immediately after signing a big contract. He took some of the criticism from the fans and media personally, but he did not whine about it. He came back th next year to discover that his starting position has been taken and that he would have to compete with another young talent for minutes at the back up spot. He did not complain. In an interview he said that he understood that he would have to fight for PT and only wanted the opportunity to get on the floor and contribute. When he did play early in the season he was still showing some after effects of the injury but quickly shook that off and his play improved greatly and playing time increased accordingly. This is why down the srtetch we often saw Mo on the floor more than E.G. Added to that, he developed a rapport Yao that was evident when they were on the floor together and enhanced the way their games complement each other. I say this to demonstrate that many of you, with your blind disdain for Mo, overlook the fact that through all of the adversity and challenges he has faced during his brief career with the Rockets, Maurice Taylor has not whined, b****ed or complained about PT, shots, touches, or starts. He has simply gone out and done what was asked of him (save for rebounding of course ). That is rare for an athlete today who has been a starter, and featured player, most of their career and making the kind of money Mo is making.
Blaq, most of my criticisms of Mo have to do with his on the court play, not off the court character. Does he seem like a nice guy? Sure. Did he work hard to get back from injury? Probably. Did he get along with Yao? Yep. He may be a good guy, but the bottom line is he just isn't that good. He got a contract he did not deserve, and could not overtake KT, who made much less money than him. Yeah, he overtook Eddie, but Eddie was horrible. As far as having good rapport with Yao, I want someone who will help Yao bang down low and grab rebounds, not another guy who wants to ISO and shoot from the outside.
The only reason Mo came here for a low contract is because he got the *wink* *wink* that he'd get a fat one after the season. And yes he did slack off because he got a big contract. He ballooned like a blue whale and got busted for pot after he got that contract. I guess he forgot how to be a hard worker after he got his deal and was sitting around the house all season. BTW, he had achilles problems before he ever came to Houston because he's always been overweight so his injury was not at all surprising. Saying he was in the best shape of his career isn't saying a whole lot when looking at this career. What player can't get in the best shape of his career to land a huge deal anyway? Money can motivate even underachieving lazy players like Mo. As for your stuff on rebounding and playing defense, we all know he's not very good at either. You talking about MoT working hard is a little funny though. If you want to talk about working hard you'll talk about Kenny Thomas and how his body changed dramatically in the short time he was here. THAT is working hard. MoT's body is about the same now as it was when he came into the league which indicates he's not quite the hard worker you'd try to make us believe. You also talk about him being a better defender than EG then why couldn't he beat EG out for a starting spot? He's got this great shot, he's this tirelessly hard working rebounder and defender and he can't beat out the invisible man for a starting spot? Maybe you're just wrong.
With the quotes and comments from JVG so far I think that it will be obvious based on PT whether or not JVG thinks MoT is lazy. I can't wait for the season to start. If MoT works hard and does what JVG says he will play and I believe he will play well. It sounds like Eddie already has pissed JVG off so Mo may have a leg up. I think its really going to be enteresting watching the Rockets knowing that PT and work are directly related.
I would take MoT's hook shot over KT's spin move craziness. I always felt KT didn't fit well on this team for some reason, he never showed any intensity or desire. KT would get the ball 10 feet out, do some step fakes, and then the patented crazy spin move. I don't know if I ever saw KT pass the ball after he decides what he wants to do. MoT rebounded after a serious injury, he sat out an entire season!! Look at all the guys who are never the same after a serious injury (Camby, Hill, McDyess), we are lucky that MoT came back with such mobility. According to sources, MoT lost a bunch of weight, which should increase his mobility and take off a bunch of pressure off his heel. I think MoT is gonna have a huge impact on the success of our season. P.S. I also think we are a PF (a big name, big time banger) away from being serious, serious contenders.
