Not sure if there has been a thread about this (I have a feeling there has been), but who do yall think will be our starters for this season? Under the assumption that everyone is healthy, of course... as for me, I think it'll look like this: PG- Sura SG- Wesley SF- TMac PF- Swift C- yao what are yall's thoughts?
your right it will be those 5 starting b/c wesley has better peremeter defense and jvg likes him alot anderson, barry, and howard off the bench will be huge
I doubt Barry will be any more than a three-point specialist. The shooting guard spot is already filled by Wesley/Anderson, and Anderson also has the ability to shift to small forward. If anything, I think Barry will see some time at point guard if Sura gets injured again. He is a very underrated passer and makes better decisions on the break IMO.
yea I dont see barry handling much time at the point...he cant handle against pressure and tends to get scared once defenses converge on him...
If I'm Van Gundy, theres no way Wesley's starting. Anderson will takes loads of pressure off Tmac with his ball handling. With Yao in, the lanes will be open like I-10 for DA to drive through. Wesley can't utilize those opportunities like that. As far Howard, he's definatley starting. At this stage in his career, he's not a energy guy. I can't imagine what his role would be coming off the bench. Besides his shot is very consistent, and he'll feed off Yao and Tmac well just like last year.
david wesley can handle the ball... he used to play point in charlotte when he shared a backcourt with bobby phills (RIP)...
I dont understand all the dislike of wesley...David averaged 10.9 points and 2.6 assists for us while shooting 38% from 3-point range...he also only averaged 1.09 turnovers/game, and he handled the ball a lot as well...pound for pound, he's one of the best perimeter defenders in the league...with Sura as the starting PG (if healthy) Wesley will HAVE to start because he doesnt thrive in the running game that Mike James likes to play in...plus Wes' shooting is more valuable in a lineup with Yao, TMac and Swift than it is on the bench...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rock4life:</div><div class="quote_post">If I'm Van Gundy, theres no way Wesley's starting. Anderson will takes loads of pressure off Tmac with his ball handling. With Yao in, the lanes will be open like I-10 for DA to drive through. Wesley can't utilize those opportunities like that. As far Howard, he's definatley starting. At this stage in his career, he's not a energy guy. I can't imagine what his role would be coming off the bench. Besides his shot is very consistent, and he'll feed off Yao and Tmac well just like last year.</div> We've had our arguments on this topic before, but Wesley certainly isn't as bad as you make him out to be. You're saying that the lane would be wide open for Anderson to drive through, but no it won't be. With defenses centering on Yao, the key will have at least two big men and a guard always waiting for the pass to Yao to double-team him. McGrady didn't drive as much as he'd have liked to because of that same reason. With the double-teams on Yao, it's most important that we have guards who can hit the outside shot, because they're bound to be open. Don't get me wrong, Anderson is a great addition and will upgrade the position, but Wesley knows the system better and he would fit with Sura's style of play better in that both are not ball-pushers. Anderson would be a great fit to be running alongside James because both do run the break and their games should be best taken advantage of that way.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rock4life:</div><div class="quote_post">If I'm Van Gundy, theres no way Wesley's starting. Anderson will takes loads of pressure off Tmac with his ball handling. With Yao in, the lanes will be open like I-10 for DA to drive through. Wesley can't utilize those opportunities like that. As far Howard, he's definatley starting. At this stage in his career, he's not a energy guy. I can't imagine what his role would be coming off the bench. Besides his shot is very consistent, and he'll feed off Yao and Tmac well just like last year.</div> Your missing out on what wesley provides to the rockets. He isn't just an offensive threat. Hes a defensive guy that is why jvg likes him. Hes undersized and can gaurd players. By what your saying head should be ahead of wesley in the rotation because hes more athletic than wesley and has a better shot. as for howard. I personally think its a slap to the face of swift if he ends up backing up again but dont get me wrong jvg wont hesitate to put him on the bench if hes doing bad
I dunno. They have a similar game and the only real difference is their height. Anyways I don't think it will matter who starts coz I think they might split the minutes almost equal. DA might even get more since he can get a few extra mins on court when TMac rests.
I admit that Wesley is my least favorite Rocket but I think you guys are ignoring some things. First off, Wesley isn't a good ball handler. That's why we all screamed and yelled for a PG this offseason. His lack of dribbles hurt the team, especially with full court pressure (see the Mavs series). What he's best at is catch and shoot. Though he plays good D, his size at shooting guard makes it easy for teams to pressure us because he can't see over the defense. One of the most important things as a shooting guard is too finish. DA is a very strong finisher. He'll get to the foul line alot this year. Wesley, however, is a terrible finisher. So many fast breaks blown last year because the other team either blocked his shot, or caught up with him at half court. I think he should be used coming off the bench. He doesn't really rely on Yao and Tmac that much to score. He uses picks and screens to get his shot off, and is best suited as 7th or 8th man role. DA is the better player by far, and expect the fast break pts and FT attempts to go up with him starting. Howard is a starter too. Swift and Mutumbo will be energy guys, and will bring in some rebound and block shots. P.S. DA is a good defender too. Lets not forget that.
When did DA suddenly become a good defender? He is average at best! When focused, yeah, Anderson can play some good defense, but he's more often than not concentrated solely on offense. It might change under Van Gundy, but until I see him do any better, he's not a standout by any means. Rock4life, Wesley was strictly a catch-and-shooter last year, we won't forget that, but he's a catch and shoot guy who still got you 11 points a night. And Wesley definitely need TMac and Yao to score. Yao and TMac draw a lot of attention, so Wesley always waits on the weak side for a kickout. Without any offensive powerhouse on the floor, Wesley won't get as many open looks. Anderson, meanwhile, can create for himself, so he would be better off playing without Yao, which would give him, TMac and James lots of space in the lane to drive and attack the basket. Anderson has also averaged just 4 free throw attempts per game throughout his career, less than one more than Wesley.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rock4life:</div><div class="quote_post">I admit that Wesley is my least favorite Rocket but I think you guys are ignoring some things. First off, Wesley isn't a good ball handler. That's why we all screamed and yelled for a PG this offseason. His lack of dribbles hurt the team, especially with full court pressure (see the Mavs series). What he's best at is catch and shoot. Though he plays good D, his size at shooting guard makes it easy for teams to pressure us because he can't see over the defense. One of the most important things as a shooting guard is too finish. DA is a very strong finisher. He'll get to the foul line alot this year. Wesley, however, is a terrible finisher. So many fast breaks blown last year because the other team either blocked his shot, or caught up with him at half court. I think he should be used coming off the bench. He doesn't really rely on Yao and Tmac that much to score. He uses picks and screens to get his shot off, and is best suited as 7th or 8th man role. DA is the better player by far, and expect the fast break pts and FT attempts to go up with him starting. Howard is a starter too. Swift and Mutumbo will be energy guys, and will bring in some rebound and block shots. P.S. DA is a good defender too. Lets not forget that.</div> I dont see where you're getting the impression that Wesley is a bad ballhandler...one of the reasons he was even brought aboard was because he can handle some minutes at the point...he's even stated in interviews before that he was asked to handle a large load of the ballhandling duties... as far as defense, wesley is a better defender than DA...flat-out...he's aggressive and knows how to use his size and strength to body up opponents...DA has the tools to be a great defender but he has not shown the initiative to become a great one... Wesley is solid...period...he doesnt make mistakes...hits his shots...and is smart on both ends of the floor...so its easy to see why JVG would be comfortable with him starting...I'm not saying Wes is flawless and I respect your opinion but I would be just fine with Wesley starting, and I think he should...
...[/QUOTE]I dont see where you're getting the impression that Wesley is a bad ballhandler...one of the reasons he was even brought aboard was because he can handle some minutes at the point...he's even stated in interviews before that he was asked to handle a large load of the ballhandling duties......[/QUOTE] NEWSFLASH: I ain't the only Rocket fan who thinks Wesley isn't a good ball handler. He's average at best. But when teams like Dallas pressed us last year, Wesley did a terrible job. That's why we got Barry (to take the ball handling pressure of the guards). It doesn't take a genius to know that Wesley is catch and shoot player, if you make him dribble, he's toast. Need proof, watch the reruns of the Rockets/Mavs games. That'll prove my case. [/QUOTE]as far as defense, wesley is a better defender than DA...flat-out...he's aggressive and knows how to use his size and strength to body up opponents...DA has the tools to be a great defender but he has not shown the initiative to become a great one......[/QUOTE] Who was bodying up Finley and Stackhouse in the playoffs? Stackhouse KILLED us. All he did was post Wesley up, and shoot over him (same for Finley) every time down court. It look like he was playin his lil brother in the driveway. Wesley's a scrappy defender, but to say his is better than DA's is really REACHING. Just ask San Antonio. When they had DA they RAVED about his defensive energy. He's taller, quicker, and faster than Wesley EVER WAS. ...[/QUOTE]Wesley is solid...period...he doesnt make mistakes...hits his shots...and is smart on both ends of the floor......[/QUOTE] Yeah but his lack of size and athletism is a problem. A shooting guard is a player that generally can get out on the wing and finish. Wesley simply isn't good enough to start. The reason we got DA was because we didn't have any speed, size or athletism at SG. Why would JVG counter that with rewarding Wesley with another starting position. Knowing we're going to get either outquicked or simply beat in that area all 82 games of the season. Obviously we're not seeing eye to eye here................
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Houston:</div><div class="quote_post">I dont see where you're getting the impression that Wesley is a bad ballhandler...one of the reasons he was even brought aboard was because he can handle some minutes at the point...he's even stated in interviews before that he was asked to handle a large load of the ballhandling duties......</div> NEWSFLASH: I ain't the only Rocket fan who thinks Wesley isn't a good ball handler. He's average at best. But when teams like Dallas pressed us last year, Wesley did a terrible job. That's why we got Barry (to take the ball handling pressure of the guards). It doesn't take a genius to know that Wesley is catch and shoot player, if you make him dribble, he's toast. Need proof, watch the reruns of the Rockets/Mavs games. That'll prove my case. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Houston:</div><div class="quote_post">as far as defense, wesley is a better defender than DA...flat-out...he's aggressive and knows how to use his size and strength to body up opponents...DA has the tools to be a great defender but he has not shown the initiative to become a great one......</div> Who was bodying up Finley and Stackhouse in the playoffs? Stackhouse KILLED us. All he did was post Wesley up, and shoot over him (same for Finley) every time down court. It look like he was playin his lil brother in the driveway. Wesley's a scrappy defender, but to say his is better than DA's is really REACHING. Just ask San Antonio. When they had DA they RAVED about his defensive energy. He's taller, quicker, and faster than Wesley EVER WAS. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Houston:</div><div class="quote_post">Wesley is solid...period...he doesnt make mistakes...hits his shots...and is smart on both ends of the floor......</div> Yeah but his lack of size and athletism is a problem. A shooting guard is a player that generally can get out on the wing and finish. Wesley simply isn't good enough to start. The reason we got DA was because we didn't have any speed, size or athletism at SG. Why would JVG counter that with rewarding Wesley with another starting position. Knowing we're going to get either outquicked or simply beat in that area all 82 games of the season. Obviously we're not seeing eye to eye here...............
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rock4life:</div><div class="quote_post"> Who was bodying up Finley and Stackhouse in the playoffs? Stackhouse KILLED us. All he did was post Wesley up, and shoot over him (same for Finley) every time down court. It look like he was playin his lil brother in the driveway. Yeah but his lack of size and athletism is a problem. A shooting guard is a player that generally can get out on the wing and finish. Wesley simply isn't good enough to start. The reason we got DA was because we didn't have any speed, size or athletism at SG. Why would JVG counter that with rewarding Wesley with another starting position. Knowing we're going to get either outquicked or simply beat in that area all 82 games of the season. Obviously we're not seeing eye to eye here...............</div> anderson is 6 5 and stackhouse would have done the same thing to anderson. Stackhouse is a "6th starter" for dallas last year. he would start on most teams. as for DA we got him in my opinion to back up tmac at the 3
