I know our search this offseason will include a PG, but does anyone know the status of Charlie Ward's health? He might make a capable backup...hes a nice defender, capable passer and can hit the 3-pointer...plus he has a hefty contract so we might as well give him one more try...him and James off the bench would be a nice defensive unit...
You are probably able to see him on court if he'd not be traded away by then. Yeah, Charlie's good but doesnt worth that much.
I think I'm the only one in that I felt Ward did a good job when starting. He played nice defense; although not as good as Sura and James, but definitely the type of stuff that impresses you for someone who is 35. Hit some big threes and also got the ball to Yao. Right now, Ward is forgotten among Rockets point guards because of his long absence, but I think that if he's able to get back to 100%, he'd still make a very good third string PG, someone who'll give you 12 solid minutes.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Shooter:</div><div class="quote_post">I know our search this offseason will include a PG, but does anyone know the status of Charlie Ward's health? He might make a capable backup...hes a nice defender, capable passer and can hit the 3-pointer...plus he has a hefty contract so we might as well give him one more try...him and James off the bench would be a nice defensive unit...</div> It's funny you would mention keepin Ward after watchin Jason Terry kill the Rockets over and over in the playoffs. After the Rockets got destroyed by quicker and more athletic guards, you would have the ordassity to mention keeping the oldest and slowest guard on a already old and slow team. Keeping Ward would be equivalent to THROWING AWAY THE SEASON. Let's look at the guards in the West, Mike Bibby, JWill, Jason Terry, Tony Parker, Steve Nash, Andre Miller, Baron Davis, etc................... Any of those guys are capable of going for 50 against The Rockets. <font color="red">Personal attacks will not be tolerated. Either add intelligent comments to the thread or don't post at all. This is your first warning. ~ Trip</font>
I'd argue the fact and say that Ward is better defensively then Sura...Ward pressures the ball and also closes out on shooters, something Sura does not do aggressively...I can guarantee you that Terry would not have had the big nights that he had if Ward would've been on him...Sura gets lazy sometimes, and tends to look for the "big play", meaning a steal or block, instead of just making sure his man doesnt catch the ball...Either way, Rockfan, I'm merely suggesting that Ward be the backup PG, or maybe even spot starter, because he brings intelligence, shooting and defense to the position, which is why we got him in the first place...But to say that Terry would have lit up Ward is somewhat premature, because we're talking about a PG who has a history of being a respected backcourt defender (Ward) opposed to someone who is athletic and quick, but does not necessarily use those tools to better himself defensively (Sura)...
I think ward is a true point gaurd so that could help our problem. I dont want to see him play though and dont think the rockets plan too either. Remember how much we struggled at the beginning of the year with ward. Everyone was directing the problem towards him. After sura got the starting role, our team turned around. Ward may be a good defender, but last year he was horrible for us. You guys cant forget that. He will have a second chance in training camp, but i wouldnt count on gundy wanting him in the rotation. Some refreshment: 3pointers: .314 field goals: .312 points: 5 assists: 3
I don't blame the 6-11 start on Ward. It was more of the team not meshing well and Van Gundy's strategy for that bad stretch. Van Gundy refused to switch to an uptempo style at first, and only did when Sura and Barrett returned. You'd also have to keep in mind that Sura/James/Barrett were better than Ward/Lue.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Shooter:</div><div class="quote_post">I'd argue the fact and say that Ward is better defensively then Sura...Ward pressures the ball and also closes out on shooters, something Sura does not do aggressively...I can guarantee you that Terry would not have had the big nights that he had if Ward would've been on him...Sura gets lazy sometimes, and tends to look for the "big play", meaning a steal or block, instead of just making sure his man doesnt catch the ball...Either way, Rockfan, I'm merely suggesting that Ward be the backup PG, or maybe even spot starter, because he brings intelligence, shooting and defense to the position, which is why we got him in the first place...But to say that Terry would have lit up Ward is somewhat premature, because we're talking about a PG who has a history of being a respected backcourt defender (Ward) opposed to someone who is athletic and quick, but does not necessarily use those tools to better himself defensively (Sura)...</div> This is just my opinion, so I hope it doesn't get taken out of context like MOST of the things I say, but Ward should probably be bought out, or traded. I'd much rather have a younger, more athletic PG that can play above the rim. Somebody similar to Devin Harris.
Rockfan, I agree with you...I'm just saying that, if worse comes to worse, we have a capable PG in Ward who might be able to give you 15-20 minutes of solid defense, shooting and ballhandling, and then you give the other 25 minutes to Sura, and let James play 2-guard to provide instant offense...
Hey, if we have Ward for the next two seasons and he's getting paid, why not give him another chance to play and actually contribute? With the 14-man active roster that the new CBA brings, Ward could get a spot. Talking about the new CBA, with the new agreement that players who have less than two years experience can be dispatched the minors, does anyone else think we should sign Badiane and Spanoulis and let them marinate there first, then call them up when there's an injury or they look like they're ready? Sure would beat sending scouts overseas to check out their progress.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Shooter:</div><div class="quote_post">Rockfan, I agree with you...I'm just saying that, if worse comes to worse, we have a capable PG in Ward who might be able to give you 15-20 minutes of solid defense, shooting and ballhandling, and then you give the other 25 minutes to Sura, and let James play 2-guard to provide instant offense...</div> I disagree. I would rather cut Ward and bring in a younger PG with more ahtletism. In my opinion, Ward is a waist of roster space. The Rockets are better goin in a different direction. If we keep him, we're going to be toast. I'm telling you. Why not buy out Ward, and trade Weatherspoon and bring in some much needed energy. I'm a firm believer in young talent. Our team is already slow. By keeping Ward, your only getting slower.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rockfan06:</div><div class="quote_post">I disagree. I would rather cut Ward and bring in a younger PG with more ahtletism. In my opinion, Ward is a waist of roster space. The Rockets are better goin in a different direction. If we keep him, we're going to be toast. I'm telling you. Why not buy out Ward, and trade Weatherspoon and bring in some much needed energy. I'm a firm believer in young talent. Our team is already slow. By keeping Ward, your only getting slower.</div> Could we afford to buy out Ward? I don't get your philosophy here. What would the difference between buying out Ward or just keeping him on the roster be? The new CBA brings in a 14-man active roster; why not just have Ward on it? If there's an injury midway during the game, Ward would contribute. I don't know why you're so negative to him. Athleticism and youth are needed no doubt but they aren't that easy to get. Weatherspoon's contract will be gone by the trade deadline, you can count on that, but buying out Ward would mean that the team, which isn't rich, would have to pay a huge amount in one shot. As for the toast comment, I don't get that either. We kept Ward all of last season and we won 51 games. If we keep him it doesn't mean he has to play. Who would you think could be the athletic, young point guard? They don't just fall out of the sky you know.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">Could we afford to buy out Ward? I don't get your philosophy here. What would the difference between buying out Ward or just keeping him on the roster be? The new CBA brings in a 14-man active roster; why not just have Ward on it? If there's an injury midway during the game, Ward would contribute. I don't know why you're so negative to him. Athleticism and youth are needed no doubt but they aren't that easy to get. Weatherspoon's contract will be gone by the trade deadline, you can count on that, but buying out Ward would mean that the team, which isn't rich, would have to pay a huge amount in one shot. As for the toast comment, I don't get that either. We kept Ward all of last season and we won 51 games. If we keep him it doesn't mean he has to play. Who would you think could be the athletic, young point guard? They don't just fall out of the sky you know.</div> Well, for one, who is Ward a goin to match up with. Night in and night out, we got out quicked by other teams. It's no suprise that when Ward was PG we were 6-11. Yes he WAS a quality back up at one point, but that was about a decade ago. Unfortunatley, the NBA has gotten alot faster. I also strongly disagree with his defense being good. I watched the Rockets the whole season, and the most frustating part was the fact that none of our guards could keep up with anybody on any given night. Backcourt speed was probably our biggest weakness. If you happen to noticed, when Ward was put on the injured list the Rockets became MUCH better. In my opinion, Van Gundy should have never picked up Ward. I liked the young fella (forgot his name) that we had coming off the bench alot better. C'mon guys, who is a 40 year old Charlie Ward going to guard in the fast paced Western Conference. Just about EVERY team in the West can DESTROY us at PG. The way I see it, could Charlie Ward have made a difference in the playoffs against Dallas? NO!!! So that would mean that we should think about either trading him or convincing him to retire. If we can't trade him, then I guess we're screw'd Oh, just in case you forgot, we do have a draft pick. I expect us to get a athletic PF with enough size to back up Yao. But if we don't, we can definetley pick up a nice young PG. <font color="red">Using the 'edit' button would help in the future. Thanks. ~Trip</font>
Oh, just in case you forgot, we do have a draft pick. I expect us to get a athletic PF with enough size to back up Yao. But if we don't, we can definetley pick up a nice young PG.
^You can just press the edit button, you dont have to double post. I agree with what you said though. Ward wasnt impressive and it seems pretty obvious that this team is moving on without him. The front office seems to have aknoledged that too. I think we can get a good pg like daniels in FA and should never have to use ward. I might even choose moochie over him.
Ward can get the job done. I was defending him earlier in the season and I will continue to. Ward didn't really stand out on the box scores, but he was a big time player and a steady player with the ball who didn't commit too many turnovers. He knew to get the ball to Yao (something Sura and James haven't done quite as well), and I would think that his defense was good. I've watched the Rockets 20-30 times this season and everytime I've seen Ward, I've never actually seen him as the slow defender that you describe him as. I would believe that it's his age that leads you to thinking so. The fact in the NBA is that there are only a select few who can keep up with opponents off the dribble. Everyone is lightning quick and explosive with the ball that only guys like Francis, Davis and Kidd could keep up. We're never going to get one of them so I guess we should make do. Either we buy Ward out or release him or he retires, the team still has to pay him the same amount of money. Why not actually pay him and give him a chance to contribute?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">Ward can get the job done. I was defending him earlier in the season and I will continue to. Ward didn't really stand out on the box scores, but he was a big time player and a steady player with the ball who didn't commit too many turnovers. He knew to get the ball to Yao (something Sura and James haven't done quite as well), and I would think that his defense was good. I've watched the Rockets 20-30 times this season and everytime I've seen Ward, I've never actually seen him as the slow defender that you describe him as. I would believe that it's his age that leads you to thinking so. The fact in the NBA is that there are only a select few who can keep up with opponents off the dribble. Everyone is lightning quick and explosive with the ball that only guys like Francis, Davis and Kidd could keep up. We're never going to get one of them so I guess we should make do. Either we buy Ward out or release him or he retires, the team still has to pay him the same amount of money. Why not actually pay him and give him a chance to contribute?</div> Terribly sorry for the double post. Well being a Rocket fan, I've watched ALL the games, and I noticed the huge weakness we had with Charlie Ward. Just look at the record, 6-11. I think it was obvious when Sura came back we became successful. But even with Sura, we're still not quick enough. I'm smart enough to understand that nobody is quick enough to guard anybody off the dribble, but it would be reasonable to ask Ward to atleast stay in front of the guy. As far as giving him another chance, I think giving him the starting spot was the best "chance" a 40 year old PG could have. The results were horrible, so it should be obvious that he should retire. If we bring back Ward, we mine as well bring back Rod Strickland, and sign Mark Jackson back to multi-year deal Realistically, I know we're not going to get AI, Kidd, or Nash. But it would be nice to know that we have somebody off the bench that can push the ball, and stay in front of his defender, is that too much to ask? Newayz, this might be off the subject, but can somebody please BRING CALVIN MURPHY back. It was painful hearing Van Chancellor all season, Calvin was funny and made great points. I couldn't understand Van Chancellor half the time. Bullard was good, but no Calvin. Does anybody know if he's coming back?
The 6-11 record cannot be blamed totally on Ward. Yao didn't play well, McGrady didn't play well, nobody stepped up at power forward. More than half the team hadn't played together before, of course we would start the season badly, due to the lack of chemistry. It's just too bad that Ward was along for the ride. I doubt that Murphy would be back; that sexual assault charge really hurt his rep.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">The 6-11 record cannot be blamed totally on Ward. Yao didn't play well, McGrady didn't play well, nobody stepped up at power forward. More than half the team hadn't played together before, of course we would start the season badly, due to the lack of chemistry. It's just too bad that Ward was along for the ride. I doubt that Murphy would be back; that sexual assault charge really hurt his rep.</div> If true, that would be terrible . How can it not be blamed on Ward. As soon as he went on the Injured list, things went GREAT. So I don't see what you're talking about.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rockfan06:</div><div class="quote_post">If true, that would be terrible . How can it not be blamed on Ward. As soon as he went on the Injured list, things went GREAT. So I don't see what you're talking about.</div> Things did go great because, we made all the trades and found some of the missing pieces, Boki and Jackson for Wesley, helped us improve our defensive game, and Tyrron Lue for Jon Barry helped our 3 point shooting. Then as soon as we turned great, Reece Gaines and 2nd rounders for Mike James, found us a contributing scorer off the bench. We were doing good the whole season, so we left ward on the Injured List. Ward's assisting may of hurt us a little, because when point guards don't assist you dont win games.
