<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Houston Rockets Losses: Mike James (Raptors), Charlie Ward (retirement), Clarence Weatherspoon (waived). Gains: Rafer Alston (Raptors), Derek Anderson (free agent), Lonny Baxter (free agent), Dion Glover (free agent), Luther Head (draft), Stromile Swift (free agent). Offseason goals: Fill the glaring holes at small forward, off guard and point guard. Rest Yao Ming while trying to disabuse him of the absurd notion that he somehow "disappointed" during last year's playoffs. What really happened: Quietly, the Rockets may have had the best offseason of anyone in the West. Factoring in age (25) and a relatively modest contract, the addition of Swift may be the finest free-agent acquisition of the year. If coach Jeff Van Gundy lets the mercurial forward play 33 minutes a night, he'll shine. Anderson won't make as much of an impact, but he'll add to a veteran backcourt that manages to succeed by sliding oft-injured combo guards into play for 50 games at a time. Watch Baxter, a sturdy back-to-the-basket type who has played on the fringes since being drafted out of Maryland in '02. Learning under Juwan Howard (who is on the books for four more seasons), he could finally refine his all-around game and turn into a Mark Bryant-type.</div> http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=cnns...cnnsi&type=lgns
Doesn't it just feel good to be included in the formidable "Texas Triangle"? Wooo its almost time to bash the 76ers baabbby!
LoL. The texas triangle is at the strongest it's ever been. I dontremember ALL THREE texas teams being so good at the same time. IT's always 2 of the teams who make the playoffs and one who misses out.
The writer seemed to be calculating Swift's production by the minute. I'm not trying to go on another Swift rant but I certainly don't share his optimism in that Swift will shine as long as he's given the PT. It's up to no one else but Swift himself to elevate his role in our rotation and become one of the biggest free agent bargains of the summer. Other than that, the writer is pretty much on point with the analysis of our acquisitions.
The writer is not appreciating Luther Head for his abilities. Head will come off the bench as our 2nd string PG until Sura gets back.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting TmacGarnett:</div><div class="quote_post">The writer is not appreciating Luther Head for his abilities. Head will come off the bench as our 2nd string PG until Sura gets back.</div> theres no way that Head plays any significant minutes anytime soon...Alston will run the majority of minutes at point (about 34-38 per) and then the rest of the ballhandling will be shared amongst McGrady, Wesley, and DA...theres way too many veterans ahead of Head in the rotation at this point, and I believe JVG will stick with his vets through thick and thin before even thinking of throwing Head into the fire...
I gotta agree with Houston on that one. Van Gundy is notorious for not playing rookies, as it is with a lot of veteran coaches like Riley, Brown and Jackson. Head will likely spend his season playing garbage minutes and being a practice player. Although we don't have a real good backup for Alston if Sura is out, I think that Wesley, McGrady, Barry and Anderson will handle the ball for the rest of the time. If Head can average any more than 10 mpg and play in 65 games, I think he could count his rookie season as a good one.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I gotta agree with Houston on that one. Van Gundy is notorious for not playing rookies, as it is with a lot of veteran coaches like Riley, Brown and Jackson. Head will likely spend his season playing garbage minutes and being a practice player.</div> ...How quickly we all forget Andre Barrett. The dude impressed us all and Van Gundy actually gave him a couple of chances with nice minutes. He certainly didn't get consistent minutes- going from twenty three from one night to four the next, but I think Van Gundy showed he's willing to play rookies if need be. And because of the lack of point guards on this team, I actually see Head getting more minutes than expected. You didn't exactly see Wesley handling point guard duties last year did you, even when Sura wasn't here.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AznxBaller:</div><div class="quote_post">...How quickly we all forget Andre Barrett. The dude impressed us all and Van Gundy actually gave him a couple of chances with nice minutes. He certainly didn't get consistent minutes- going from twenty three from one night to four the next, but I think Van Gundy showed he's willing to play rookies if need be. And because of the lack of point guards on this team, I actually see Head getting more minutes than expected. You didn't exactly see Wesley handling point guard duties last year did you, even when Sura wasn't here.</div> In the first month of the season, Barrett played a grand total of 37 minutes in four games. I think that alone shows that Van Gundy won't turn to rookies unless drastic cases arise, and last year Barrett only got a chance when it was clear that a new influx of energy was needed and Ward/Lue just weren't cutting it. And although Barrett proved himself very well, he was still kicked out of the rotation after Sura returned and Wesley/Barry arrived. We might not have seen Wesley or Barry directly spending lots of time at the point but their arrival seems to coincide with Barrett's decline in playing time, so I think that they definitely factored into JVG's decision to remove Barrett from the rotation.
