Many Rocket fans worry about a shooting guard to back-up Cuttino Mobley. I think that the shooting guard position is nothing to worry about. Why? Oscar Torres is not only a solid basketball player, but he played well whenever he got the opportunity. When Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis went down to injuries, many people worried. Without their proven stars, the Rockets still managed to keep up with their opponents. For instance, when the Rockets played the Sacramento Kings the Rockets almost won. One of the reasons that they almost won was Oscar Torres. Torres scored 20 points, leading the Rockets in scoring that game. Torres also played well in a lot more games. Torres was considered by nba.com to be a star just born. Guys, we can't forget when Torres did "the dunk" against the New York Knicks.
Yeah, he did okay at first, but then he just disappeared. He starting missing everything he threw up and even some layups. His good defense seemed to disappear too. I had high hopes for OT at the beginning of the season, but he seemed to run out of desire or something...hope he shows that fire again during the summer leagues.
Torres has a good game. He has the phyical tools to guard SF and 2 guards. I just wish he would have showed us more during the garbage time. I would like to up grade at this poisition or just have TMo fill in. I hope Mattex has some game!
Oscar Torres play might have gone done due to the fact that his playing time was limited because Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis came off injuries. Give Torres his space/time and he will display his skills and make contributions. The part of Torres game that may need improvement is his play in crunch time. In that game against the Kings when the game was on the line Torres airballed a three-pointer. With time Torres will learn to deal with pressure situations and make the right decisions. Go Torres!
OT will come around, not to mention 1st year in NBA. Not bad for the guys debut in continental US. I think he will be a finesse in 2 guard position and can be a big 2 guard or even SF stopper!He's gonna mold just fine!! At 6'6, he's got a body of a good defender and penetrator.
I would be shocked if Torres does not make the team, he proved last year that he has game, and for Rudy to let him go when there is an obvious need at the backup 2 guard spot would be unbelievable. I think Torres is a great change of pace at the 2 or 3, and the Rocks should sign him up for a long time. DaDakota
I agree w/ all you guys. I don't see why every one is so eager to get rid of the guy. Mobley plays 40+ min. a game so why should we try and go and get an "established" SG. Yes I noticed his dissaperaing act in the second half of the season but it is just his 1st year in the NBA. While Mobley is being a workhorse, it gives us time to develop Oscar and I hope the Rocks give him that chance.
I think Oscar should at the very least be a favorite to make this team. He showed last year that he can be very reliable if Mobley gets injured. However, it was pretty intriguing that the Rockets were able to pick up Pete Mickeal for the summer league roster. Mickael was a total stud of a defensive player back with Cincinnati. Add Dane Fife to the mix, and you have some serious competition for the roster spot. I still say that Oscar is the better fit of the 3, but anything can happen in the preseason.
The only reason his play fell off I think was because he hit the rookie wall. Just like the other rookies, he wasn't used to playing that many games in such a short period of time.
If he did indeed hit the rookie wall, then we can be in for a treat in what Oscar can do this year. OT simply looked amazing at times last year.
A factor that many are overlooking is that Torres had been playin in another league immediately prior to the NBA season. Part of the problem was that his legs just ran out. There's a reason the season doesn't span the entire year .
i don't know if ot w=is that good, he did just fizzle out. But i hope we keep him. Cause if the refs wouldn't have been ares we could have won the game in Seattle. When he ripped barry and got called for a fould, then the next play he was tripped, then after that he got pushed from behind after mason hit a free throw line jumper. I say keep torres and Titto, fu** moochie. He's sooooooooo slow.
OT can be a great backup to MObley - I hope they keep him around because he can be a great contributor. I agree with haven that Oscar simply ran out of gas last year, but he should be recharged and ready to go this year.
If it were up to us to vote, I would say keep Oscar. Oscar has decent offense with good range and he also seems to keep up well on the defensive end.
Given by the flashes he showed last year I say keep Oscar but make sure to give hikm about 10-15 minutes per game so that he maintains conditioning and game experience. He certainly showed us more potential than Langhi or Collier.
I'm very happy keeping Oscar unless we have a shot at acquiring someone clearly better. The only reason why I've even entertained the notion of getting someone else is because Doc posted that the Rocks at the moment weren't very high on him. If they're not that interested in keeping Oscar and are shopping around for a different backup SG, I might as well join in the fun.
My theory for Oscar's whole fall-off is that the Rockets limited his time for a combination of 3 reasons: 1. The rookie wall. 2. Steve and Cat started healing up. 3. A rookie playing that well with a 1 year contract would draw too many offers for the Rockets to be able to match, so they sort of hid him from potential suitors until he could be resigned. He's a perfect fit and they know this very well. I see him as a Clyde Drexler and Mario Elie blend, with the hard-nosed offense of Glide and Junkyard Dog's hard nosed defense. Watch out second-string squads of the NBA!
I really like Oscar. He showed a lot at times last year and I hope he worked hard on his game in the offseason. The Rockets coaches like him and I'm with them. Give him 10-15 mins a night at the 2 or 3 (depending on the matchup) and I think he will contribute the whole season. Last year he was tossed to the wolves with all the injuries we had and he was up to the challenge. Not an allstar but a good solid role player is what I think he will end up being for this team.
What if we start OT on 2 and CAT coming off the bench, Besides cat should be awesome coming 6th man, remember couple of seasons ago. Or perhaps we can have OT start on SF with Nachbar being a rookie and trying to get his feet wet in the NBA will get his 15 to 30 min per game time. What do yall, think?
