I'm really happy with the Willis deal. It was a smart move that cost us very little - a second round pick. He'll be a free agent when Taylor is scheduled to come back and he fills a big hole we have at center/pf. Now, that having been said, let's not get too giddy. The guy is 39 years old. No matter how in-shape he keeps himself, 39 is 39. He can rebound. He can shoot. He's a big body to bang with guys like Shaq. He'll provide some veteran leadership on a very young team. Great. But, he isn't an answer, just a stop gap measure to fill a need for this season. He isn't even the guy we remember. For the most part, he is just a negative image of Cato - a rebounder/shooter with little defense. I'm glad we brought him in and I think he will help, but he's not going to get 30 minutes a game and he's not going to be asked to get 15/10 every night. I'm happy he's back, but let's be realistic.
I am also very pleased with the deal. The man is a workhorse. I'm glad that we have added another rebounding presence because I knew Griffin and Cato would need some help. KT and Morris are pretty good rebounders, but now we have more help. Second round pick? This was a steal for us.
When did Cato become a rebounder? Did he start putting glue on his hands, instead of the butter he has been playing with since he arrived in Houston. I agree with Jefff, Willis is not the man he once was, but neither is Hakeem. This should casts no doubt, that we will have as good of a season as last year. But, I am confident with the bench play of Griffin, Morris & Oscar we will even be better, MUCH!!!!!
Jeff and Crispee, And let's not forget about that stud we acquired in Aleksandar Radojevic Just messing with you guys. P1st, s2nd
Willis isn't going to do anything? The guy dumped 17 points and 20 rebounds on us last April, with Hakeem. The guy is going to be awesome, he is tearing it up in preseason. This is his contract year, he isn't ready to quit. He'll be out to prove himself. Besides, he is going to kick Kelly's ass every day in practice. This was an awesome move!
How old is Roger Clemens? Heck, how old is Michael Jordan? I'd rather judge a player by what he produces on the court than the number of candles he blows out on his cake. And year after year, Big Kev produces.
I'm not saying he won't produce, I'm just saying we should take what he will do in context. If he can provide a big body who can score some and rebound some, that's fine. That's all we really wanted from Marc Jackson anyway.
Great point, Jeff. As much as I hate to admit it, Cato should still be the starting C. Some of us are wondering if Willis will start over Cato, but I think it's a pretty moot point, Cato is a better fit with the starting 5. IMO, the Rocks will be tickled if Willis can give them 20-25 min. per. I do feel better about this deal than I did about the Jackson deal, however. I'll admit that I'm not real big on Jackson, but I was warming to the thought of him being in Houston. But you're right, Willis should give the Rocks everything they were looking for from Jackson, but with a much friendlier contract situation and little to no disruption to the developing team chemistry.
Kevin Willis is still, arguably, the most well endowed man in the NBA. That's got to say something. He may be 39, and his talents may have shrunk in some areas, but there are some things that never get smaller. NEVER!!!! No, I have never seen IT first hand, but I mean...come on! Look at the guy!! I'd bet on Kevin's Willis over Shaquile's O'neal any day of the week. Welcome back Kevin!
I read about a month ago in the Denver Post, that Willis stated he'd like to play for twenty years. This'll be his 17th season coming up, so he'll be looking for a 3 year deal at the end of this year. His numbers have fallen off a little the last 3 years, but that seems to be due to a decrease in minutes played. He played in 78 games last year between Denver & Toronto & has played in an average of 76 games per year throughout his career. The guy is durable & still productive. Monster comeback from CD on this deal. Here's his career stats from NBA.COM. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kevin_willis/career_statistics.html?nav=TextNavBar
Exactly. He's a nice stop gap and addition for a year, maybe two for cheap. He can still rebound, he is still averaging his career average of 10 rpg. He is still capable of having monster games, and adds toughness and experience. This definitely beefs up our board work, and Cato seems to be producing well, so he and Willis should help our frontcourt considerably along with KT and Griffin.
Maybe he IS old, but I personally like what he brings to the team off the court just as much as on the court. If he can be a positive influence on this Rockets team and teach the young guys anything of value, I'd say $3 million is well spent on him. The fact that he scored 16 and grabbed 18 the other day speaks volumes about his playing performance (even though it was just a measly preseason game). Like it was said in another thread, if Van Exel is grumbling about the trade (and whining about losing a quality double-double guy), I consider this a good thing for this team. Plus, he'll kick Cato around and be a decent inside presence off the bench. To me, this is a good trade regardless of how many minutes Willis actually plays.
Jeff, I totally disagree with the tone of your post. It suggests that we were this desperate bunch with a host of needs and we got this piece which is clearly good but not good enough. That is wrong. Based on what we needed we got IT! I would say then he is the answer. That is why we are excited (giddy) because it basically fits like a glove for the various appropriate reasons that many have highlighted. We were not looking for a frontline forward like Wallace or Garnett. We were looking for a short-term measure and we got it. I have serious difficulty finding another player that we could have gotten that would have been better. Also, despite his age, if Cato goes down, you can bet that he will give us 15/10. Age or no age, because of him, I am so much more comfortable with the team going up against Shaq and the Twin Towers. That age, experience, low-post skills, and leadership is going to be a major factor in the development of Griffin, Cato, Thomas, Morris, and even Taylor. They all require additional seasoning and direction which is only coming from Larry Smith and CD, at the moment.
