Ya know, it's funny, we got our collective wish and saw Rudy pull more minutes last night, but he really didn't have all that much impact of the offensive side. More on the defensive side. Right? I wonder, though, if his presence allows the Blazers to stretch Houston's defense, allowing for better shots from the other guys? Anywho, it sure appeared to me that Nate is already inclined to use Rudy more in game 6...although he was trying to be coy about it. That said, as much as I love Batum, he's just not suited well for this particular playoff opponent. And, as we all know, playoffs boil down to specific matchups. Go Blazers!
Sorry about that. I can't believe I overlooked that Rudy thread before posting this. Mods, please delete this thread if you'd like. Note to self: Learn the forum before posting.
It's not Rudy producing, it's the THREAT of Rudy producing. And that threat makes the Rockets defend us more honestly.
co-signed. Battier is such a smart defender that if he doesn't have to completely focus on his man (like when guarding Batum), he can help on everybody else. And that makes a big difference. LMA got doubled less, and a lot more open looks due to Rudy being out there more.
Agree. Rudy being out there means Houston has to stay on him.. the same hasnt been needed on Batum. I like Batum and he is part of the future here.. but when you play such a defensive minded team like Houston, you need more offense on the floor.. Batum's role would play completely different if we somehow got into the 2nd round and played the Lakers.. then we would need to be throwing at defenders at Kobe like the Rockets are to Roy.
I have to also say Rudy is making plays on the defensive end. That dude is just flat out making stuff happen when he is in. Kudos to Nate for making the adjustment. Now for him to take it one step further, and start Rudy next game. Batum is so out of it, as it is a bad matchup this series for him. The facts are, against Houston we cannot afford to have more than one player who is a liability on offense at a time. Chuck Daily-"During the season you trust about 8 guys, maybe a little more. When the playoffs come, you trust 6. "
ABM, not feelin' ya this week. With Rudy, we score 29 points in the first quarter. Rudy's numbers may not have been that good, but his impact on the game was undeniable (on the OFFENSIVE end of the floor.)
No doubt, Rudy was getting in the passing lanes, swiping at the ball, making steals and just disrupting the flow of Houston's offense on several occasions. That surprised me a lot during the game, but he does have that go-all-out attitude and I love it.
Rudy is a big game player. We saw that in the Olympics. When he's on a big stage he brings a lot of energy and confidence. As others have mentioned, even when he's not scoring he commands attention from the opposing defense. He's not the guy you want to leave open to double team the ball. He's also in constant motion and that wears down the defense. He's also very disruptive on defense. He had 3 steals, 2 blocks and 4 rebounds last night. His high energy just makes it hard for the other team to get comfortable and run their plays. If only Travis was hitting his shots, I love the line-up of Roy, Rudy, Travis, LaMarcus and Oden. That line-up has good length, and every player commands defensive attention. Between Roy, Rudy and Outlaw, Battier and Artest can only guard 2 of the 3. That means one of them has a much smaller, inferior defender on them. If Travis isn't hitting his shots, put Blake in his place. I know Blake got burned royally by Brooks early in the series, but his defense on Brooks has been much better lately. Blake has actually outscored Brooks 42 - 29 over the last three games. BNM
somethign that is underrated with rudy is how much he runs without the ball, i think this gets him open for starters, but it also tires out battier/wafer so they are less effective on the offensive end.
Rudy's defense is something that constantly goes unnoticed, and it drives me batty. Physically, he's not yet able to compete against NBA players, but he does so much with his hustle, quick feet and quicker hands, he's just a pest. He also has tremendous anticipation. Just wait until he gets to 195-200 lbs. He's going to be amazing for us.
Definitely. It doesn't hurt to make Battier and especially Wafer work a bit defensively, so they don't have the legs in the fourth quarter to make those daggers that they've had in Games 3 and 4.
i still stand by my statement that if rudy was in down the stretch in game 4, all those houston offensive boards don't happen. if you notice he is almost always in the right place at the right time and gets those tap outs.
That's a great point. You wouldn't think it, intuitively, but Rudy is a valuable rebounder. He's not a presence on the offensive boards, but he's a great defensive rebounder for his position, despite being slight of build. Quickness and smarts.
Do you think we might be seeing the beginning of Rudy in the starting lineup going into next year, too? His more complete offensive game will take away the defensive collapse strategy when Roy drives, and Roy's proven strong enough to handle Battier and Artest, both very strong SF's in SF/SG bodies. Plus, the only way to keep Rudy around after his rookie contract is up is to start him. Hell, maybe Rudy at PG?
I agree with putting Rudy in the starting lineup-this may be what puts us over the top in game 6. Its all about adjustments in the playoffs.
He's got to improve at guarding quick PG's. I just don't think he's used to covering guys faster than him (he usually has a speed advantage at SG). Brooks just blew by him several times. If he can do that even moderately well, it's possible. It puts more pressure on Roy to organize the offense, which is bad. But on the other hand, Aldridge and Oden will be coming along, and Rudy would be starting, so maybe we wouldn't need him to be the scorer as much.
I like Rudy starting or getting huge minutes against the Rockets. But turning Rudy into a regular starter means you put Roy at teh SF position . . . and I wonder if it is smart to make the best player on the team play out of position.
