<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rock4life:</div><div class="quote_post">Bobby Simmons and Dan Gadzuric (who?)...........Bobby Simmons is a role player, and Dan Gadzuric is somebody who I've never heard of. The Rockets added role players, but both players can score and are athletic. Something that we didn't have last year. Miami added alot of people, but I think they may have hurt themselves adding Walker. Besides Miami, we definitley have had the best offseason. </div> You've never heard of the STARTING CENTER for the Milwaukee Bucks? The guy played 81 games and started 81 games, averaging 7.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg on 54% shooting in just 22 mpg. He's 2nd in the NBA in rebounds per 48 minutes (18.1 rpg). He came from a big college (UCLA) and has been in the league for three years now. How can you have not heard of him? I also think Simmons has transcended that "role player" label. Didn't you see him play last year? He was just as valuable (if not more) to the Clippers than Corey Maggette. If 16.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, and 2.7 apg are "role player" numbers, then maybe I just don't know what a "role player" is. Milwaukee isn't the only team that had a better offseason than the Rockets. Most people would argue that the Kings had a better offseason, as well as the Hawks, the Celtics, the Pistons, the Cavaliers, etc. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">This is the "Tracy Mcgrady Effect" I'm getting used to. You do realize everything you claim Swift is, is what we heard from Orlando before Tracy got here. Tracy was called "Lazy", had a "bad work ethic", played "No D", "Wasn't a good leader". Then we he came to Houston, a great organization, great coach, and great city, and all of sudden he turned into a great leader, with a great work ethic, with great defense, and was anything BUT lazy. Hubie was a GREAT coach, but Swift and other players on the team were unhappy. I gurantee he'll have a good season.</div> There's a difference between being called "lazy" while putting up 32.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, and 5.5 apg like McGrady was and being called "lazy" while putting up 10.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 0.7 apg like Swift was. No matter how lazy you think McGrady was, he was still productive. When I say that Swift is "lazy", I don't mean that he's just a little lax on the defensive end of the floor. I mean that the kid has problems putting up two points some nights because he doesn't play with any aggressiveness. Swift was also very happy under Hubie Brown, so I don't know why you'd say that he wasn't. The team won 50 games that year, Swift looked like he was having fun, and everything within the organization was mostly stable. That didn't stop him from being a lazy bastard though.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm sorry, you must not follow basketball very often, do you. Cause if you did then you would know that Stro Swift was backing up Gasol and not Wright. And this was a huge acquisition for the Rockets. McGrady and JVGundy wont allow Stro to be an underachiever. Don't be surprised to see Rockets take the Southwest (over Dallas and San Antontio) 2005 BOLD PREDICTION </div> Yes, the Senior Moderator at JBB doesn't follow very much basketball . Lets face it, DA isn't getting any younger, so don't expect him to be a big miracle-worker for Houston next year. As far as Swift goes, I doubt he'll adjust well to a starting role (there's a reason that Memphis didn't want him and quite a few other teams passed on him), I wouldn't be surprised if Howard started midway through the season. Your offseason was a good one, but subpar compared to Miami's, Sac's, Milwaukee's and Atlanta's. Houston might finish better than Dallas, but hell will freeze over before they finish ahead of SA. That prediction was almost as pathetic's as Bryce40ww predicting Cleveland will come in 3rd or better .
Can you picture a team that will have Jason Williams and Antoine Walker on the starting 5 holding up the larry obrien? It's REALLY hard to imagine. I think Pat Riley lost his mind this summer. I think Cleveland did a good job keeping Z who is underrated - he is just as good as Brad Miller - and they got Larry Hughes who steals balls and can put up big numbers. Cleveland might be next year's Phoenix. Phil will inspire Kwame and Lamar. I think Miami will implode. Lakers dark horse for western conference finals....
