There's Nowhere to Go but Up, Right?
Wow, what a stinker from the Rockets last night. My thoughts:
- Dikembe Mutombo appeared to be done as a player, even in a bit part. If you're 7' 2" and cannot dunk, it seems to follow that you should not be playing in the NBA. He is simply too slow and too unathletic at this point in his career to contribute on either end of the floor. Keep him on the roster as a 14th man, if you wish, but please do not plan on him playing ten minutes a night behind Yao. Luke Schenscher was a late cut in Chicago, or maybe try high-school flame out James Lang for a 10-day contract.
- Rafer Alston had a terrible game. I have envisioned him blossoming in his role as a pace-setting distributor of the ball, but somehow he ends up taking 13 shots (and missing eight). Defensively, to put it kindly, he was a sieve. Deron Williams and Derek Fisher abused Rafer to the combined tune of 31 points and 16 assists. Would Luther Head be a better option in the starting lineup? Defensively and from a shooting standpoint, the answer is clearly "yes".
- T-Mac seemed way off. I wish that JVG's offense had more of a triangle-based format, setting Yao up in the post with T-Mac slashing to the hoop. The pick-and-roll game is not Tracy's forte, in my opinion. I want to see more of Tracy in the paint and less of Tracy launching off-balance 20-foot jumpshots.
- I loved Ronnie Brewer before the draft, and he looked as good as expected last night. He does nothing exceptionally well, but he is simply a versatile, dynamic basketball player on both sides of the court. Jerry Sloan will make very good use of his multiple talents in Utah. The Jazz are a very interesting team. If Boozer stays healthy and CJ Miles holds his own at the two-spot (two sizable if's), they could be a very tough out in the postseason. Deron Williams is going to be a special player, without question.
- Heading into the Dallas game, the questions are many. Primarily, does Rafer have any prayer of slowing down Jason Terry, and if Carlos Boozer can go for 24/19, could Dirk go for 45/25? Fortunately, it is a long season, but the silver lining is that even after 42 minutes of miserable basketball on the road against a tough team, the Rockets had a chance to win late, drawing within five points.
- Dikembe Mutombo appeared to be done as a player, even in a bit part. If you're 7' 2" and cannot dunk, it seems to follow that you should not be playing in the NBA. He is simply too slow and too unathletic at this point in his career to contribute on either end of the floor. Keep him on the roster as a 14th man, if you wish, but please do not plan on him playing ten minutes a night behind Yao. Luke Schenscher was a late cut in Chicago, or maybe try high-school flame out James Lang for a 10-day contract.
- Rafer Alston had a terrible game. I have envisioned him blossoming in his role as a pace-setting distributor of the ball, but somehow he ends up taking 13 shots (and missing eight). Defensively, to put it kindly, he was a sieve. Deron Williams and Derek Fisher abused Rafer to the combined tune of 31 points and 16 assists. Would Luther Head be a better option in the starting lineup? Defensively and from a shooting standpoint, the answer is clearly "yes".
- T-Mac seemed way off. I wish that JVG's offense had more of a triangle-based format, setting Yao up in the post with T-Mac slashing to the hoop. The pick-and-roll game is not Tracy's forte, in my opinion. I want to see more of Tracy in the paint and less of Tracy launching off-balance 20-foot jumpshots.
- I loved Ronnie Brewer before the draft, and he looked as good as expected last night. He does nothing exceptionally well, but he is simply a versatile, dynamic basketball player on both sides of the court. Jerry Sloan will make very good use of his multiple talents in Utah. The Jazz are a very interesting team. If Boozer stays healthy and CJ Miles holds his own at the two-spot (two sizable if's), they could be a very tough out in the postseason. Deron Williams is going to be a special player, without question.
- Heading into the Dallas game, the questions are many. Primarily, does Rafer have any prayer of slowing down Jason Terry, and if Carlos Boozer can go for 24/19, could Dirk go for 45/25? Fortunately, it is a long season, but the silver lining is that even after 42 minutes of miserable basketball on the road against a tough team, the Rockets had a chance to win late, drawing within five points.
posted by Scott | 9:59 AM
2 Comments:
If Boozer stays healthy and CJ Miles holds his own, the Jazz could be a tough out in the postseason? If they're lucky, the Jazz will get a faint whiff of the postseason, and that's about it.
Boozer has one nice game and Scott's ready to call the Jazz the favorites in the division. As he is the same sicko who proclaimed the Texans would finish 10-6 last year, I can't say I'm surprised.
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