this is not a playoff thread. whatever happens tonight doesn't change the point of this thread. obviously, right now, no T-Mac makes the Rockets pretty thin at the 2. neither Artest nor Battier is really quick enough to stay in front of the fastest 2s, yet they're still considered to be among the best wing defenders in the game. Artest in particular seems to have lost a step. yet we haven't really seen much of Artest's post defense except against occasional matchups against Odom and Aldridge, both of whom aren't known for their interior play. i remember JVG once coveted a good shooting 4 (along with the other qualities of a 4 like defense and rebounding) to make defenses more honest. sounds like Scola, but without the defense. can't Artest also be that player at least some of the time? he's way too fast for most PFs to keep up with and has to guarded beyond the three point line. he's also has similar strength as Hayes. only his rebounding is not too good, but it's better than Battier's. it also takes away his post up advantage, but he hardly posts up now, even without Yao. if T-Mac does come back healthy, and the Rockets give Artest a big contract, which i think he has earned, it would seem a waste to have him come off the bench, where he's almost certain to be a ball stopper. no way he defers to the likes of Wafer, Landry, Lowry or Hayes. i guess Shane could come off the bench, but i really think that he needs to play with the starters; who else is going to get the ball to Yao, or knock down the open threes? do the Rockets really lose that much defensively with Ron at the 4? if Battier is guarding the best wing, and T-Mac the lesser one, i think the Rockets can still do alright. the biggest question mark would be Scola. will he be as effective off the bench, and can he be the answer as the backup 5? Morey will have quite the challenge this offseason.
I personally would start: Hayes Artest Battier Lowry Brooks Lowry and Brooks have enough youth to play the majority of the game. I would use Artest to draw Gasol or Bynum to the outside. If he misses shots, that leaves opportunity for offensive rebounds that weren't there with Gasol and Bynum both in the game. And mostly just set a bunch of picks and let Lowry or Brooks slash to the paint and then dish or kick out to Battier and Artest. When Jackson counters with Odom at PF, bring in Scola to post him up on offense.
the main reason that Ron doesn't play the four is an offensive thing rather than a defensive thing. If he plays the four he can guard the four, but then he doesn't have the advantage on the block to go down low. At least not as much as if he was playing a sf.
I think rebounding has a lot to do with it. When you're undersized, you need to be good at boxing out. I don't think Ron Artest thinks "box out" instinctively when the opposing team shoots the ball. Not like Chuck Hayes, at least.
