I'd have to go with 3. While a healthy Hakeem would be important, we have to remember that even healthy, he's not the dream of old. A 14 and 8 center (or whatever) is nice, but not as important as having a PG like Isaiah Thomas. If Francis became the best PG in the game... can you say instant playoffs? Mobley's passing and jump shot improving would come in second. If he could do that, he'd be a bonified superstar. ------------------ A few years back on the Senate floor... Phil Gramm: "If Democrats could, they'd tax the air we breathe." Ted Kennedy (jumping up): "By God, why didn't I think of that sooner!" Boston College - NCAA Hockey National Champions 2001
If you don't like the thread then don't participate. There is no reason, to slam someone else's post. I think with the new zone defense rule, I will go with #5. Walt hitting his 3's when the defense collapses would be huge. ------------------
I'll take #5, unless we bring in a sweet shooting SF in the offseason. Steve, Cuttino, and Mo improving their game would all be very beneficial, but over the past 1 and a half years, this team's offense is at it's best when Walt is stroking that outside shot. His defensive shortcomings are nothing compared to his offensive benefits when he is playing well on that end. The spacing in the offense is so much better when he is hitting his shots-- it gives Steve and Cuttino more room on the isolations, and gives Mo, KT, and Dream (or whoever we have starting at center) more room to work down low without being doubled. In addition, if he's making his shots consistently, teams trying to play zone on the Rockets will give up 15-20 a night to Walt. Any of those 5 improvements would help the Rockets a lot, but none to me would have as significant an impact as Walt consistently hitting his shots. There's a reason Rudy wanted him for all those years-- when he's on top of his game, he was and still is an excellent fit at SF in our system. If he could consistenty make his shots at a high percentage, this offense would truly be lethal. ------------------ President of the Mo Taylor and Jason Collier fan club! Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more!
It would be great if we got #'s 1-4, but if I had to pick one I would probably say Dream being healthy for 82 games. We played our best basketball this past season with him in there. I see Steve, Cat, and Mo getting better next year regardless so I think we'll get those to happen. ------------------ I have seen much of the rest of the web. It is brutal and cruel and dark. CC.net is the light.
I think they're all necessary to be championship quality & would have to happen in this order of importance: #2) Dream staying healthy for a whole season will be the greatest single improvement that this team could have. He brings an inside defensive & offensive presence that we sorely needed all of last year. His reputation alone, will cause some players to change their shots. #3) Steve has to improve his decision making, but I believe more importantly, that his leadership skills need to become even stronger. He needs to run the team & not let anyone(including his best friend) waive him off when he gives directions or calls for the ball. The only way you become a leader is by taking the position. #1) Taylor needs to become more aggresive on the boards & improve his offensive playmaking as Oeilpere indicates. On the rebounding, he needs to develop a "won't be denied attitude" like Moses Malone had. Taylor improved last year from the beginning to the end of the season, so I don't see any reason why he won't continue to improve. If you're in a situation that makes you happy, you tend to be more willing to learn & do new things. #4) I agree with you on the improvements that Mobley needs to make. Unfortunately, #4 by itself won't get us to the championship level imho. #5) Walt's entire career has been inconsistent & I don't expect that to change this year. However, if he were to develop consistency, this could become the second most important improvement that the Rockets could make. If he could camp out on the three point line & hit them almost at will, it would open the floor up for all kinds of combinations. His defense will still be weak, but sometimes, a strong offense is a good defense. Sorry Heypartner, but like Lay's potato chips I couldn't stop with just one. I believe that each one could happen(Except for Walt's improvement), but the players have to want it bad enough. However, in sticking with the spirit of the thread, I'd choose #2 as the single most important improvement. ------------------
oh yea, in order of importance 1) Motay improving to g-rob/c-webb status 2) Walt or the "Draft-walt" player hitting consistently 3) Steve improving his interior game 4) Hakeem being healthy 5) Cat impriving his midrange j part of the reason i have been so anti-shandn andersn throughout his stay is because of what The Cat said: "The Rockets are at their best when ... (insert outside shooter besides the big 2) is hitting the jumper". that's why motay & walt are priorities #1 & 2 for me. and i'd take motay as priority #1 because he has the God-given physical gifts to go inside and outside. walt does not - at least not anymore. if motay would improve to 22, 8, and 4, we'd be a top team even without hakeem.
OK, my order of importance is as posted in the opening post...of course it was. Mango was correct. I though verse would be the first to say #1. Still don't know why he has Glenn equal to CWebb, but oh well, sometimes verse and I do actually disagree. 1. I actually think Mo' has it in him to do this. Mo', just stay out of freaking foul trouble, thank you. 2. Yep, Dream staying healthy makes us the best. 1 and 2 are very close. I have a gut instinct that even healthy though, oeilpere is right, Dream simply might not like the guard offense enough to even stay fockass'd all year. Dream healthy does not imply he plays happy like he did on that playoff run. 3. The reason I have Francis 3rd is because while I want his interior improvement, I don't actually believe it is necessary. Continued status quo improvement on everything with a touch of stop 'n pop versus taking his bones 'n teeth into the trees still makes him a star. 4. Mobley...notice I said status quo improvement. Since Mobley shows the most improvement year to year, I'll take status quo improvement anyday from him in order to achieve breakout improvement from Mo' and Stevie. I just ask that Cuttino not stagnate and fall off. That is what I'm most worried about with Mobley. 5. Walt commanding 32+ mpg based on shooting lights out is stellar. There is no doubt the effect that has on the team, imo. I agree with most everyone who said it prior that great shooting from the SF position produces many wins for us, and is largely the reason for our April '00 performance. So why #5, the answer to that is Moochie Norris, Thomas, Langhi and my belief in Rudy's ability to use mismatches to fill a hole in the line-up, especially the 3 spot. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited June 05, 2001).]
Franchisedream: Bela is a troll . He's just doing his job and acting annoying. ------------------ A few years back on the Senate floor... Phil Gramm: "If Democrats could, they'd tax the air we breathe." Ted Kennedy (jumping up): "By God, why didn't I think of that sooner!" Boston College - NCAA Hockey National Champions 2001
With the decline in Rice's game, is that foreshadowing a continued decline in Walt's game? Are players of that type destined to have that type of slippage in play as they age? Mango ------------------ Get it right or just don't do it! Resistance is futile....you will be assimilated. Start more Webber threads!
Which type of player Mango? Sweet-shooting SFs? Eddie Johnson played effectively until he was nearly 40. Jump-shooting isn't normally the type of skill that declines with age. It is the pure athletes that "wash up" early, or adapt as shooters after the age of 30. ------------------ Bingbong was set up, led to an untimely death in the prime of his life for no other reason than pure malice. Things like that do not go unavenged. Sometimes it spills out onto the field of play.
SamCassell, What player in recent memory would you say Walt and his game remind you of? Mango ------------------ Get it right or just don't do it! Resistance is futile....you will be assimilated. Start more Webber threads!
A poor man's Steve Smith? Both players didn't live up to the hype surrounding them. ------------------
I wonder what that says about Grant Hill's future. It always seems like these 6'6-8 guys that can handle the ball always run into knee problems and never regain what they once had. Ron Harper and Larry Johnson fit that mold too. (I'm not too sure about LJ since I can't remember if he handled the ball much with the Hornets but I thought I'd throw him in anyway) ------------------
Well, not Rice. Rice is his earlier days was a great scorer as well as shooter. He could stroke it from anywhere, was great from long distance and midrange, and had a surprisingly solid post-up game. Coming out of college, Walt was quite the hybrid - he was a great shooter from three-point land but also could really handle the rock as a part-time point forward. Poor-man's Steve Smith is a decent analogy, but Smith has always been a much more consistant scorer (and not as good a 3 point shooter). The handles of a Spreewell or a Jalen Rose, but without any of the athleticism. Now WW is really fairly slow and truly unathletic for a SF - in fact he's best both offensively and defensively at the 4. If you want a current player that he most reminds me of, I'd say Bryon Russell (whose defense has definitely slipped in recent years) or even a slightly shorter and more athletic Danny Ferry. He's something like a Dennis Scott, when Scott was in his "prime". ------------------ Bingbong was set up, led to an untimely death in the prime of his life for no other reason than pure malice. Things like that do not go unavenged. Sometimes it spills out onto the field of play.
Larry Johnson's decline was due to his back surgery. It turned him from being a beats under the boards to a jump shooter. ------------------ "Light travels faster than sound, so some people appear to be bright until you hear them speak." -- Brian Williams (now Bison Dele) commenting on Isiah Thomas.
Has anyone noticed Walt's slumps coincide with the trade deadline? I think he likes it here so much he intentionally sucks so the Rockets can't trade him! j ------------------ Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!
I think it depends on which direction you think the NBA is going. The Kings, Mavericks, and Bucks are three young, all though not so much with the Bucks, teams who really are complete teams where everyone is a major player. However, they are all relatively inexperienced and have not made much noise in the playoffs yet. Meanwhile, three other teams in the conference finals were the Lakers, Sixers, and Spurs, who are all led by dominant players surrounded by role players. So the question becomes, presuming all of these teams keep their cores intact, which ones will be winning the most 3 years from now? If you answered the first group, then it's probably more important that Williams or Taylor elevate their game and give the Rox a more well rounded team. If you answered the second group, than having Francis reach Thomas level and be an elite guard who can carry the team is probably more important. However, the problem with this question is that it focuses on offensive improvement, while all the teams in the second group played great team defense during the playoffs and all had "enforcers" in the post. ------------------ Feel free to visit http://pub52.ezboard.com/fthebleachermobfrm1 for informative, intellegent Kings talk.
I say #4, just cause it may be the most plausible. As much i would love Mo to have a break out I'm not sure he will, best i would hope for i s a slight improvement on pts and rebounding Steve, he will get his status quo improvement as a minimum, but really for me is offensive improvement is automatic and nothing to worry about, Steve one of these years needs to play D, and that is more important. As for Dream, with each year the higher the chance of getting some bizarre injury or illness, 55 games would be a bonus. Walt, who cares, he will be streaky and things would be dandy if he only he a couple of slumps. But imagine if Cat adds the mid range and improves court vision and consequently passing, he will be unstopable and would be possible for him to increases his scoring by 3-4 ppg and his assists by the same amount more a game. All-star. Imagine if our starting back-court is All-stars. Smeg ------------------ "The things I enjoy most, I suck at: 1) Sex: everything's fine until she makes noises." - Achebe Smegs Mock Draft
