Achebe inadvertently raised a good point in another thread... with Mobley and Francis being so close and playing well (they certainly have been the bright spots of the season), will Shandon Anderson be the odd man out? Anderson has played well, and is a solid defender (in my opinion he certainly puts forth more effort than Cat on defense), but with the friendship/chemistry there between Francis and Mobley and the fact Cat is up for a contract this offseason, makes you wonder how this is going to end up with two young, athletically-gifted shooting guards. I also think Anderson was assured that starting role when he signed... or perhaps Rudy just sees Cat as that Cassell-type player and refuses to start him because he prefers that "spark" off the bench. But it grew tiresome on Sam... and makes you wonder at what point a starting role is going to give in favor of Mobley.
Clutch- I partially agree with you. I do agree Francis & Mobley may become our cornerstones (along w/ our lottery pick), however I think there is plenty of room for Anderson. Especially the last month there has been plenty of minutes for all 3 of these guys at the point-2-3 positions. If Anderson/Mobley only each played 1 position then i think we would have a problem but Anderson can play the 2 or the 3 and Mobley can play the point or the 2. As discussed a month or so ago, I compare our nucleous of guards to the championship Pistons team (Isiah, Dumars, Vinnie). Biggest thing for the Rockets is to keep all the egos in check. That is the challenge in keeping all 3 of these guys happy.
Doubt Anderson will feel odd when he gets that big fat paycheck. odd man should = Walt if we get a good sf through trade or Draft. If Cat ever gets great enuff to start, I'm sure SA would be willing to slide to ssf or become a spark. If not, go back and suck in Utah ------------------ "Whooaa." - Ted
Another good reason to trade Mobley, Shandon is a better TEAM player then Mobley, and is more suited for playing with Francis. I would trade Mobley this summer to get a post player of equal talent. Wouldn't McGrady look sweet in a Rockets uniform? DaDakota
i wouldn't mind seeing McGrady in a Rockets uni, but i just don't see the Rockets trading Mobley... as stated before, i don't think Anderson would mind playing SF when he gets that big contract
Shandon will not be the odd man out. I think that Rudy will want Cuttino to keep coming off the bench, but the question is whether Cuttino will want that. Personally, I don't see anything bad in coming off the bench as long as you get a lot of minutes. Plus, everyone around the league knows Cuttino is definately capable of starting, so he doesn't really have anything to prove. Plus here's something from the NBA 3rd quarter reports that further makes me believe that Shandon will be here next year. Veterans Shandon Anderson and Walt Williams have not had their best seasons, but each has been challenged to learn Houston's system while playing with a different cast of teammates every night. Anderson in particular has picked up his game in the past month, cementing his place in next year's plans.
Odd man out of what? I just don't understand the question. First, the question assumes no injuries to our guards, assumes someone is upset about not starting, and assumes Shandon, Mobley, Francis can't play 3,2,1 (as others have alluded). They already do, plenty, so why couldn't they start. Remember, our 6 game win streak was without Barkley, Hakeem, Rogers and Cato. These guards can win. Those three (plus Rogers) are our best team players. They listen to Rudy, and do what the coaches say. They don't bicker. They are playing for the team. Our guards are the most important part of the future. Sure we need a solid front court scorer and solid defense to really compete, but a lot is lost if we trade either Shandon or Mobley. So, ask yourself, do you get a certain sum gain when you break up a good Team mix. Team effort and shaping a offense around guards is lost. I say you need 3 outstanding guards to run our offense. Don't get me wrong; I'll trade anyone for a superstar forward/center to match with Francis...but that completely changes the offense. I just happen to have a higher asking price for breaking up Francis, Shandon and Mobley. And where did this Mobley for McGrady stuff come from anyhow. Does that have any amount of truth to it. Here, I'll start one, Mobley and KT for Webber...I here he's threatening to go free agent in 2001 and wants to be matched with Francis. There...isn't that better than McGrady. Odd man out. I don't understand the question. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited March 14, 2000).]
The guard situation is definitely becoming interesting, but I don't think Rudy would ever give up a guy like Shandon. He's just too much of a team player, the kind of guy you know organizations would kill to have. What's so strange is that Rudy appears to have no interest in ever starting Shandon at the 3 spot, which would seem to make it much easier to get all 3 of the guards the playing time. The last couple of games, he's been going with Devin Gray at the 3, when Shandon would appear to be a better option. What's becoming clear to me is that he has no interest in ever starting Cuttino, which would appear to make him the odd man out, if there is one. Something I've been thinking about, and I almost never bring up trade proposals: Joe Smith, PF for Minnesota, is coming up on his "Bird Rights" contract. The TWolves appear to be set with Garnett at PF and Wally at SF, with Nesterovic looking like a nice find in the middle. Joe is only 25 years old, maybe younger than Mobley, I'm not sure. Minnesota, however does not have a solid 2 guard, in fact that's one of the only spots they're lacking. Would anybody think about doing a Mobley + cap filler for Joe Smith swap? We then draft a nice 3 in the draft, and have a pretty nice lineup. It just seems so realistic to me. I see a couple of problems, though -- I think Mobley has more potential than Joe Smith, as does Kenny Thomas. Smith is very solid, but these other guys could be better, although it's just as likely they could be not as good. If we brought on Smith, we'd have a situation with KT. Another problem I see is Smith's FG percentage -- it's not that good. I don't know if I'd do a trade like this, but I'd definitely think about it.
Smith was a great college player. The guy is a bust in the NBA. We would never talk about him had we not seen so much promise in college.
I don't think he's coming up on Bird Rights anyway. This is only his 2nd year with Minnesota. I believe you need 3 with the same team first. I don't know how any trade could be worked out where everyone's Bird rights are preserved. He doesn't put up #1 pick numbers, but he still puts up good ones.
you don't need 3 with the same team, just 3 since you last changed teams via free agency. Bird rights trade with you. About Smith, I was surprised how short he looked in the Minn game. He looked 6'9 at best. He also seemed to be a garbage collector, not really making his own opportunities. I think Rogers is just as good if not better, since he is taller and more hungry.
I agree with HeyPartner about Smith. Although I am concerned about Rogers propensity to get injured. I think we really need a low post player that has an attitude....perhaps Fizer. We just need another Star to compliment Steve. I personally think either Drew or Mobley will opt to leave because they can get a starters role on another team. I do not think Anderson can be a Big time SF in the league, he may be more of a Mario Elie type player for us in the future, but if you want consistant scoring from the SF then Shandon is not it. DaDakota
All I have to say about Shandon Anderson is this: If the man is hungry, feed him! Now think back, remember those games he went off for 20+ on the likes of Iverson? Why dont we do that more. He is obviously offensively capable, so give him the damn ball. Come on, what is it 9 shot attempts a nite compared to 12 for Mobley who plays a little less time? What the hell is that all about. If you expect him to play monster defense on the leagues best, give him the ball on offense. Remember him in Utah? The Rockets need to figure out that Shandon has game, and he can perform when called upon.
I think eyou are making too big a deal about starting. They're all getting 30 minutes a game. The only think Mobley missing out on is having his name announced at the beginning of the game. If he wants to be a baby about it, I'm sure he can be accomodated. Start him at the 2 with Anderson at the 3 and play that way until the first substitution, where you can go back to the old rotation.
I think that the Rocks cannot win a title without Anderson. Anderson is that player that is willing to do anything, anytime, anywhere. Teams kill for players like that. He is like a Terminator. You can program him to just play defense. You can program him just to play offense. You can program him to do both. Neither. And he doesn't say a peep. Best of all, he is only 25. In my opinion, he is a definitely a better all around player than Cat is. And they can get all the minutes they want if Shandon goes to the 3 spot and Mobley over to the 2 spot. I think teams will have fits dealing with all that athleticism. ------------------ Live Rocketball. Breathe Rocketball. Die with Rocketball.
Why if the rockets draft a small forward or pickup a small forward from free agency that will start, Will that be a problem? I think it will and thats what I see happening. ------------------ President of the Moochie Norris FAN CLUB
Right now, IMO, we have a championship caliber backcourt. Obviously not this year, but in the next 5-10 years, a backcourt rotation of Anderson, Francis and Mobley, with Anderson and even Mobley playing the three at times will cause defensive fits for the opposition. I would do anything short of trading those three to get a very strong 3, 4, or 5, preferrably a 3 (Van Horn?). Getting a Terrence Morris (God I hope he comes out) or (hopefully, disregarding his injury for a moment) a Kenyon Martin, or a Marcus Fizer through the draft, or getting a good player via our trade exception will make the other 2 frontcourt players fine for a contending team. With a starting lineup of this: PG-Francis SG-Anderson SF-Morris PF-Thomas C-Cato Bench: Mobley Dream Norris Williams Rogers Miller If we got Fizer or Martin, or another 4 via free agency, I would be more than fine with Walt as our starting 3 (I think Shanna and me are the only two on this BBS who actually like Walt). Bottom line, I love our backcourt. I don't think we need any changes, unless of course Mobley starts whining about starting (he's going to get his money with us). We need help in our frontcourt. I think a high draft pick and/or strong free agent plus another role player will make us contenders once again. ------------------ Is it any coincidence that we are the only team mentioned in the national anthem? I didn't think so! [This message has been edited by Rocketman95 (edited March 14, 2000).]
Francis3...and anyone else who wants a small forward, we are overloaded at that position, too. We need power players, power defenders/rebounders. If there are none available at our 6-9 spot (or whatever), I say make a draft-day trade. If we learned any lesson this year, WE NEED MORE BIG DAWGS.
Look at RF34's line-up now, That team cannot withstand an injury to Cato. Or Thomas. You are overloading no only the 2, but now the 3 position. We need 4/5s (or 4s that can spell Cato at center as well).
heypartner, stop calling me RF34, I'm RM95! I agree with you. If we could get a Morris, I would be all over it. He's my favorite college player right now. But I do agree that a big 4 or 5 is our most pressing need. However, I'm still not convinced that Thomas can't do it.
