mariofour schrieb:Sura ist eine Verstärkung von der Bank für jedes Team. Er kann beide Guardpositionen spielen, macht nichts herausragend, aber dafür alles ganz gut (okay, Defense mal außen vor). Aber als Starter ist er wohl nicht die optimale Lösung für ein Playoff-Team.
Murphy schrieb:Sura ist aber der beste PG, den ihr habt.
Murphy schrieb:Was Head leisten kann, weiß ich nicht. T-Mac kann schlecht 3 Positionen gleichzeitig spielen, dazu müsste er sich klonen oder rasch vermehren, also bleibt wohl nur Sura.
Frage nur, was dann mit Wesley wird.
Dr of Dunk (Clutchfans) schrieb:Houston Rockets - 72
Indiana Pacers - 64
(I actually forgot to write down the final score, but I believe that was it... )
Top Scorers : Lonnie Baxter 20 pts, Dion Glover 18 pts
Bright Spots : Dion Glover and Lonnie Baxter
Missing in Action : Malilck Badiane
This game was pretty uneventful. No one absolutely stood out as "the guy" but I was really pleased with the play of Dion Glover. The game was more notable for the people that didn't stand out.
It's just his first game...
There's nothing more I would have loved to have seen than Luther Head going off in this game - well it didn't really happen, although he provided what was possibly the best play of the game when he came flying in on a rebound (I think - I was fiddling with my camera) and used all the vertical he had to ram a dunk home over the Pacers. It reminded me so much of stuff I had seen Steve Francis do. He also reminded me of a lot of stuff we won't see from him. He controlled the ball and never made himself the focus of the play even though he probably had more talent than anybody on the court for the Rockets. Either he had jitters or he just didn't want to hog the ball because in the end his shooting percentage wasn't that great and he ended up with something like 6-10 points or so. Each quarter is 10 minutes, but Luther didn't play the entire game. There were points in the game where he became a tenacious defender, but he picked up 3 fouls partly due to that hard d. Of course he wasn't really defending NBA 1st string players, either. If I came away with anything from this game about Luther, it's that I'd need to see more. He really didn't disappoint or over impress other than the fact that he kept his poise out there most of the time.
The Bad Man giveth... the Bad Man taketh away...
He was still hustling and running and made a few decent plays, but really did nothing to stand out. I don't even think he scored more than 1 or 2 buckets. He just didn't seem like the Badiane of 2 years ago. The most disappointing aspect of his game was his play down low where he was manhandled by Somebody and Whatshisname on the Pacers. One of them I think was David Harrison. Malick just seemed out of position on a lot of plays and relied on his athleticism to get back into position. On many rebounding opportunities he was shoved into a position where he landed behind the backboard and really couldn't do anything.
Dion Glover's 15 minutes?
Dion got major minutes in this game and played pretty well. He was matched up at times with Ron Artest who was the game's leading scorer I believe with 23 pts. I loved the guy's play. He didn't really stick out or anything but he got the job done. He plays like he'd be a good fit with the Rockets, but then I could be fantasizing as I've never watched him play much (yeah right, like you'd want to watch the Hawks play and look for positives).
The game was tied with 35 seconds left in the game when Dion Glover hit a couple of FT's to give the Rockets the lead and the eventual win.
Leftovers in the a la carte line...
Pat Carroll hit a 3 pointer or two, but bricked a couple of others. He didn't really stand out.
Lonnie Baxter scored 18 points. He looked very mobile for a guy his size out there, and looked willing to bang the boards. I'll try to watch him closer in the next few games.
Joe Crispin was pretty quiet for most of the game then somebody told him to wake up, I guess. He hit a couple of long-range bombs and broke his defender down on drives a couple of times as well.
Crispin and Hollis Price did most of the PG duties. Head took on PG duties briefly but played the 2 most of the game.
Chuck Hayes came in at the end of the game and played for about 20 seconds I think. WTH was that? lol.
Quote of the game...
I'm sitting about 2 rows behind Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, Rick Carlisle, etc. and I hear McHale say something like "I'd hate to be the next team that pays him". "Him" was Jerome James. Now it sounded like McHale said someone else said that, so I'm not saying those were McHale's words - it sounded like he was relaying something someone else - possibly in the Sonics organization said.
Dr of Dunk (Clutchfans) schrieb:Rockets - 81
Bucks - 69
High scorers - Badiane -18, Glover - 18, Baxter - 15
Bright spots - Malick Badiane, Baxter, Head
The Bad Man's return...
Just when you think he's buried, he rises up again. Badiane's point total could have been even higher had it not been for 4 straight misses at the FT line. He played decently but his deficiencies were still displayed. He has a lot of trouble bodying people up down low without drawing a foul. He's a great weakside defender/blocker, but I don't know how long he'd last 1 on 1 in the paint against a good PF/C. They say he's gained about 20 pounds, but he's still hops and shaped like a pogo stick. The hustle is still there. He was pretty much MIA in the first game, but put his mark on this game while guarding Bogut a lot as well. He did frustrate Bogut, but at the same time Bogut got inside position on him a lot - hell, so did anyone else they put on him for that matter. Badiane still seemed lost in terms of positioning on defense and I think that is what is killing him. But you see that, and then you see him pop a turnaround 12 footer. You also see him fly in out of nowhere to swat a shot on the baseline by the opponent. On another play early in the first quarter, you see him fly in again for another blocked shot, but it was called goaltending. It still got a lot of murmurs and ooh's and aah's from the crowd. Then when you think you've seen it all, he pops a 16-18 footer. I know, I know... he sucks.
Head's on straight...
Luther's shot wasn't falling early on. I don't know what his FG% ended up being, but he could've been the spokesperson for ACME early on. That being said, he continues to play hard and you can tell this kid is an athletic freak. He woke the crowd up on a play where he was breaking downcourt and did a "soft" reverse jam. He displayed some of his rookie bad decision-making when he drove the ball on Bogut and tried to hook it over him. He was swatted. Head just smiled. A few seconds later he pops a long range two while falling out of bounds and the clock expiring. JVG wants people to take the clutch shot? This kid doesn't hesitate. That buzzerbeater followed a 3 point buzzerbeater he took and nailed in the first quarter as time ran out. I saw him get beat on defense a couple of times, but I'm sure he can get over it. He was still trying to hawk the ball though. The two things I took away about Luther Head from this game are 1) The kid can fly on the fast break - whether he's leading it or running it. He'll remind you a bit of Cuttino Mobley. 2) He does a great job passing the ball when in the paint. He had a couple of reverse/wraparound passes he made in the game. Malick fumbled one of them, but the pass was beautiful in traffic. As I noticed in the first game, I also like the fact the kid doesn't force the issue - he takes opportunities as they're given. I wasn't keeping track, but I believe Luther probably only played about 2.5 quarters. I think he left in the 3rd quarter and I don't believe he ever came back.
Lonnie, Lonnie, Lonnie, getcher rebound heeeere
I really liked this guy's game the few times I've seen him play in college and in the pros. He's a banger inside, has good mobility, and pretty decent range on a jumper. He had foul problems in this game, but the refs were a bit foul-happy, as well. Baxter bangs around on the inside, scraps for rebounds, and has good footwork around the basket. He can take it in or pull it back for a jumper. He's nothing great, but I see a lot of good that could help this team maybe in the role of a backup.
... and the rest
Dion Glover went off for 18 pts in this game. His game is solid and he was given a chance to show his stuff again. If he has an opening he'll drive or if he sees daylight, he'll shoot it. It'll be interesting to see if we give the guy an invite. I don't see why it would be bad to bring him in especially if we're getting rid of some of our other players in trades... *hint* *hint* *mr. van gundy*.
That was pretty much the rest. No one else really stood out. Chuck Hayes came in and didn't really do much. Hollis Price saw a lot of time at the PG again and distributed the ball well.
You'll see Andrew Bogut's line and it'll show he scored 20+ points. Half of those were on dunks where he was wide open due to our bad defense where we left him alone. The other half of his points were from the FT line. I watched him play and I could see he wasn't a stiff, but after seeing what I saw, I wasn't sure I was watching a #1 pick. But then this is only his 2nd game, so I guess I can wait...
Dr of Dunk (Clutchfans) schrieb:Rockets - 85
Timberwolves - 79
Will add boxscore link as soon as one is found...
High Scorers - Lonny Baxter - 31, Dion Glover - 17, Luther Head - 17
Missing in Action - Malick Badiane
Just a tease...
There are times when you think Malick is going to be a heck of a backup (hee hee) and then there are times you ask yourself why is he out there? Today was one of those days where nothing offensively went Malick's way. There were times where he was out in front of the pack on a break, but nobody passed him the ball and he seemed frustrated by that. Based on personal opinion the 2 times that happened, it would've been a difficult pass to make and for the Bad Man to convert. He, as he seemingly does every game, gave the crowd something to oooh about. A Timberwolves player drove on the Rockets and tried to get a layup. A Rocket fouled the player, but he kept going up with the ball. Malick swatted the shot into the scorer's table. There really isn't much to say about Malick other than he did squat offensively - I honestly don't believe he even scored. He got limited minutes in the 2nd half. He still seemed lost at times out there during offensive sets and on defense.
The most hard-nosed person named Lonny you'll ever meet...
Lonny Baxter looked like the second coming of Mo Malone or Barkley out there. He was taking people down the baseline for reverse jams and layups all night. Somewhere in the 3rd quarter he had about 17 points. He cranked it up in the 4th quarter where it just became the Baxter show. They kept going to him and he kept delivering the bucket or drawing the foul. There was nothing spectacular about his game. He was the go to guy in the 4th quarter and it showed by the end of the game as he was pretty winded and breathing hard. I said in the last game thread that I thought Baxter would make a decent backup and nothing about his play has changed my mind. He does seem to get boxed out sometimes on rebounds and at times seems out of position, but I loved the fact that he continued to prove he could stick a wide open 12-16 foot jumper and if needed, drive down the baseline or into the paint for a layup.
Mr. Cool
Luther Head is Mr. Cool. That's the only thing I can think of when I see him out there. He's so calm, composed, and focused. When you see him, you think of a Cuttino Mobley at times. I always liked Mobes' play except when he did something stupid. I saw Head take maybe one ill-advised shot, but heck, he was open, it was a 3, and I guess that's his job - to take that shot. His shot still wasn't falling early on and it seemed like he decided not to shoot much because of it. Somewhere in the 4th somebody told him he had to shoot and he began gunning again. As I said, his shooting still wasn't the greatest, but he showed NBA range on his shot by nailing at least 2 3's. He also has great form on his jumpshot and his free throws. The other thing I still love about his play is that he can absolutely fly on fastbreaks. TMac is going to love this kid if he plays much this season. Head finished with 17 points, but it started out rocky. His aggressive defense caused him to pick up 2 quick fouls in the 1st quarter. As a result, he left the game at the 7:08 mark of the 1st and didn't come back until the 8:20 mark of the 2nd quarter. I hope his shot comes back... I'm not trying to make comparisons, but the whole "his shot wasn't there" over and over seems to remind me of Bostjan Nachbar (ok, so I pray I'm reaching with that comparison).
Miscellaneous stuff...
John Lucas, jr. had a pretty decent game. At times he was wild, but then you also saw him make some pretty incredible shots for a guy his size. Keith Jones was shaking hands with him after the game so you know the whole John Lucas connection was there.
Chuck Hayes got a lot more playing time today but didn't stand out. Also Billy Keys played a few minutes today, but again, didn't stand out. Most of the PG duties the first 3 games have been handled by Joe Crispin and Hollis Price. They both have done admirably although Crispin got into foul trouble today.
No one else on the Rockets stood out in terms of play.
It was nice to see the Rockets crank up their defense in the 2nd half after trailing early. It was clear someone (Thibodeaux?) either got after them or changed up his strategy at halftime - it showed in their play.
Dr of Dunk (Clutchfans) schrieb:Rockets - 93
Knicks - 76
High scorers - Lonny Baxter - 27, Dion Glover - 21
Disappointing - Luther Head (sort of), Malick Badiane
Should I be worried or should I wait?
Head got into a bit of foul trouble, but it was strange that he didn't see any action that I recall in the 4th quarter. He was still hustling on defense but didn't leave much of an impact on the game offensively.
So what should I expect from Luther Head? Should I expect more than what I've seen? Should I see a shooter? A gunner? A scorer? A PG? A SG? A hybrid? Since I don't follow college basketball, I don't know what to expect from him. He is a #24 pick, so I shouldn't expect Tim Duncan talent. One thing is certain so far in this summer league - his shot hasn't been all that great. He is gutsy on defense and this game was no different. He goes after steals - sometimes he wins, other times he loses and it allows the opponent to get into the paint easily or causes the Rockets defense to crumble on the perimeter. He was still running like a gazelle. I saw him lose his man on defense a couple of times during the game, but I also saw him run the court beautifully. I envisioned TMac and Head flying down the court with ____insert_PG's_name_here____ throwing the ball to either wing on a fast break. Head is fluid, smooth, and can run.
So what am I worried about? What is it I'm not seeing? Honestly what I'd like to see that I'm not seeing is a first round draft pick saying I'm going to take it to these guys. Not every time, but I guess more than I'm seeing. It's almost as if he's content being wherever he needs to be and shoot if he needs to. Yes we have a team with Yao and TMac, so he's at best a 3rd or 4th option even if he gets any minutes - but you can't be the threat that pulls double teams away from Yao and TMac if you don't take a shot.
Maybe I'm expecting too much or all the wrong things. Maybe he's doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing - playing within the flow of the game. Maybe he's still learning. What I've seen of him has been solid so far. But when I think of Luther Head, I wanted to perhaps see a Cuttino Mobley on offense minus the ill-advised shots. A Cuttino like the one that played for us in his final year here. What I think I see is a Rodney McCray (old school) who just does everything good, but nothing great. Pass, rebound, dribble, score just enough, etc.
But as I said, this is probably way too early to make judgments. I hope he evolves because his composure and athleticism combined with little showboating is rare.
Malick Badiane...
I'm officially off the Malick Badiane bandwagon for now. I don't know what to say except the guy I'm seeing out there playing is pretty much the same guy I saw 2 years ago. If anything, he seems to have regressed. He used to be wherever the ball was. Now he's got Mutombo Disease in that he can't hold onto balls (which I guess was an issue 2 years ago, too). His offensive movements aren't fluid - he almost has to think to move his leg in order for it to move... right... left... shoot. What also didn't help Malick was the fact that he had 3 fouls by 6:12 of the first quarter. Now watch him go for 40 tomorrow.
Lonny the Garbage Man
I honestly do not know why this guy cannot get a gig anywhere in the league. You've got to be kidding me if you tell me this guy isn't better than many of the stiffs on the teams in the NBA. I'm not saying he's going to score like he has in the summer leagues, but anybody that can hit a 15-18 foot jumper like he has been all day and can bang inside with that body of his has got to be valuable for at least 10 minutes a game. Lonny was scoring in a million different ways. He's got this baseline up and under move that goes either for a layup or a monster reverse jam. The latter has been getting a rise out of summer league fans thusfar. Then he pops out about 20 feet on the baseline one time today and tags a jumper from out there. Then he moves over to the elbow about 15-17 feet out and pops jumpers from there. He's not a one trick pony - he's got moves. One of my favorite moves of his is a pumpfake that everyone has been biting throughout this summer league. NBA players may not bite, but it's nice to see the guy has all kinds of tricks. The only negative I've seen about Lonny is that he's been winded with extended play in these games. You'd think that a guy that wants to play in the NBA would be in some kind of shape before playing in these games. It seemed as if the coaches rested him before the 4th in this game so he wouldn't be winded at the end, and it paid off. Dion Glover threw a pass the length of the court that Lonny had hauled butt to meet and threw down a reverse jam. I hope he gets a shot at making this team. He's got the kind of skills that could help us for 10-15 mins a game.
Dion Glover
No catchy title. I'm tired. Dion is an interesting player. I've never watched him play much, but he seems to be able to handle the ball, penetrate, hit a jumper, etc. The only negative I see sometimes is that he seems to take it upon himself to score even when people such as Baxter or Head are out there and can also do the scoring. Dion sometimes has a tendency to jack up a shot off the dribble when he could have made another pass or pulled the ball back out. He can score, but at what cost? He's had a good summer league so far, and today was no exception with his 21 point outing. It'll be interesting to see if he gets an invite to camp. From what I've seen, he's no worse than the worst Bob Sura or David Wesley have shown us, plus he's 6'5", young, and isn't injured.
Miscellaneous...
David Bluthenthal showed off the long range strike ability that pissed me off when we played the Kings during the regular season. He stroked about 2 or 3 long range 3's and another long range 2. He's got a beautiful shot for someone his size.
Thibodeaux was yelling at the players to run and push the ball today. I hope we see some of that during the regular season. The Knicks held a 26-17 lead at the end of the 1st quarter that was cut to 46-43 at halftime. The Rockets turned up the defense at around the halfway mark of the 4th quarter and the Knicks just fell apart. What was a close game ended up being a blowout as a result.
Once again, Luther Head played very little PG duty.
Nate Robinson was a spark plug out there. He was everywhere doing everything. He's fast as hell, can dunk at 5'9" (I think) and nearly blocked 2 of Dion Glover's shots - one was on a fast break! He got a tech during the game, so his composure may be an issue. But from what I saw, he's going to be fun to watch.
Cuttino schrieb:we got swift.
ca. 30 mio für 5 jahre, also 6 mio pro saison, das ist für diese offseason-verhältnisse wohl das größte schnäppchen, das man machen konnte. respekt an stro, dass er auf geld verzichtet, um bei den rockets zu spielen. naja, aber im prinzip ist die entscheidung auch nicht soo verwunderlich. die gründe dafür hab ich vielfältig genannt, auch wenn einige das nicht so gerne hören und wahrhaben wollten. mehr brauch ich dazu gar nicht zu sagen.
ricard schrieb:Wie ich schon in einem anderm Thread geschrieben habe, hat Swift wohl nciht auf das grosse Geld verzichtet. Alle Teams die an ihm Interesse zeigten, nicht per S&T Deal (Memphis wollte nix zurück), haben nciht mehr als die MLE geboten. Und da hat er sich für die , in seinen Augen, sportlich beste Perspektive entschieden.
Is ja auch wurscht, er ist in Houston und gut.
Ich dachte van Axel wollte aufhören. :confused: Und Mighty Mouse...wie alt wollen die Rockets noch werden? Aber für 30 Minuten wäre er noch 2 Jahre lang gut und würde den Rockets weiterhelfen.