72 replies to this topic

[Red94]

New post: Beverley confident he'll play again this season
By: mitchell felker

Beverley said he "for sure" will return to play this season. "I don't feel a lot of pain, no swelling, which is a good thing."

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) March 29, 2014

Pat Beverley: "I feel great. I feel if I put on the brace I’ll be all right to play today. If I feel healthy, I’m going to play.”

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) March 29, 2014

Beverley will still see Dr. James Andrews on Monday for an evaluation on his right knee, but he's very confident that Andrews will feel the same way about his chances of playing again this season.

Quote:

“No one was going to remove anything,” Beverley said. “We haven’t even discussed surgery yet. It looks to the point I think I might not have to get surgery. We don’t know. We have to see Dr. Andrews on Monday for him to make his educated decision about that.”

“I feel pretty good,” Beverley said. “I feel like I knocked knees with somebody. It hurt a lot the first day. I don’t really feel a lot of pain today, which is a good sign. No swelling. So I’m going to go see the best knee doctor in the country. I spoke to him on the phone. He has seen it. It really looks good. We’ll see how long it lasts. It may be 10 to 14 days, maybe four weeks. He just has to get his hand on it and see how it is.

This could potentially be huge news for the Rockets.  Even if Beverley needs to scale-back his minutes, his presence would save Houston from heading into the playoffs counting on former Ohio-Valley Conference rookie Isaiah Canaan.  Canaan may have a future in the NBA, but he's not ready for the likes of Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker and all the other elite point guards at the top of the Western Conference.

If anyone can just put a brace on this type of injury and power through it, its Spartak.  Don't count him out yet.

[timetodienow1234567]

But this is Bev. If he's not 100% physically he's not worth playing. His brand of pesky defense leads him to overcommit at times and without his athleticism to allow him to get back into position, he will struggle defensively which is the only reason he would be playing.

I hope he gets healthy but he might just hurt the team if he comes back before he's 100%.

[Texan Ensemble]

This is just one reason why I would say pass on Melo this offseason and instead sign Avery Bradley, who will be a free agent. One, he will obviously be cheaper, leaving room for a assumptive Parsons second contract. Secondly, while Melo would boost our offense, specifically the mid-range jumpers to stretch the floor a bit more....a combo of Avery Bradley and Pat Beverly as the second guard, is almost the PERFECT compliment to Harden, as both are defensive minded.

[Steven]

Mitchell, Canaan is more ready then Jeremy Lin.

Edited by Steven, 30 March 2014 - 04:59 AM.

[Drew in Abilene]

But this is Bev. If he's not 100% physically he's not worth playing. His brand of pesky defense leads him to overcommit at times and without his athleticism to allow him to get back into position, he will struggle defensively which is the only reason he would be playing.

I hope he gets healthy but he might just hurt the team if he comes back before he's 100%.

 

I respectfully disagree. If he's not 100%, I agree that his defense will be diminished somewhat, which is a major factor in his playing time. But one of the biggest positives he brings to the table, in my opinion, is a steady hand at point guard. He has been hitting threes at a decent clip while not being a high-usage player, which is exactly what Houston needs from him on offense. The more possessions that are focused on Howard and Harden, and to a lesser extend Parsons, the better. Beverley's ability to be a difference-maker on defense and not be a negative presence on offense is just what the starters need from him.

 

The other factor is Lin. I truly believe that the Rockets need him in his role as a spark plug off the bench. Without Harden/Howard to soak up possessions, it's not quite so bad if he makes a few mistakes that lead to turnovers, since our bench unit hasn't been exactly lights out. Lin can have the room and the touches to be aggressive, which often leads to buckets, assists, or fouls for the opposition. The turnovers will be frustrating, as they always are with the Rockets, but it won't be turnovers instead of a shot by Harden or a pick-and-roll with Howard. I fully expect for Lin to go off and swing a few games here and there, just like I expect a few bad turnovers to severely undermine Houston's chances a few times.

 

I feel strongly that the success of the past few months has been driven, in part, by the stylistic fit of Beverley in the starting lineup and Lin with the bench unit. Those good fits are tossed out the window if Lin is forced to start and Canaan serves as backup. I'd much prefer 85-95% Beverley and 100% Lin in roles that they're good at and used to as opposed to Lin and Canaan both at 100% but in roles that they aren't suited for on this team.

 

Then again, that's just my opinion. I could certainly be very wrong. I just hope Beverley recovers quickly, so that we have a chance to find out.

[thejohnnygold]

After seeing Canaan in last night's game I'd like to see him start over Lin.  The reason is I want Lin to continue developing himself and the reserves into a solid unit with good chemistry.  With him, D-Mo, Asik, and whichever SG/SF combo McHale decides to play with them they have a chance to be solid on defense and do some legitimate scoring.

 

Meanwhile, Canaan can provide a presence similar to Beverley like Drew just described above.  Canaan gets quality minutes.  Lin hones his role.  This seems like the best route to take in my opinion.  Plus, if this happens Steven's prediction of Canaan starting in the playoffs could actually come true--which is kind of awesome even if it is due to injury.

[rockets best fan]

@JG

do you realize what you are saying? you would rather see a ROOKIE start over the supposedly established veteran? personally I totally agree  however I was thinking about what that statement really says about Lin. Lin has been in the Rockets developmental system for 2 years yet I would rather see a rookie I have only seen flashes of start over him. what little confidence Lin does still have remaining would be shattered if he is unable to beat a rookie out for the starting job, that's my only problem with the which right now. let Lin start, but gradually allow Cannan to cut into his minutes would probably be a better bandage right now

[thenit]

I somewhat agree with the fiddle rent fits, however I rather give Lin the run as a starter if it turns out bev won't be back. If he falters and struggles the first two games in round one, then you gamble on the rookie. This would finally resolve the Lin question whether he has any shot at being part of a championship team next year. If not we can phase Canaan in next year with Lin being benched or traded. We should at least see what Lin can do in a playoff healthy. He had 1 full game before being injured last year. I don't like plugging in Canaan as a starter because he will get torched by the elite guards and it's not fair nor good for his development to be thrust into that role with barely any meaningful minutes throughout the season

[Steven]

I somewhat agree with the fiddle rent fits, however I rather give Lin the run as a starter if it turns out bev won't be back. If he falters and struggles the first two games in round one, then you gamble on the rookie. This would finally resolve the Lin question whether he has any shot at being part of a championship team next year. If not we can phase Canaan in next year with Lin being benched or traded. We should at least see what Lin can do in a playoff healthy. He had 1 full game before being injured last year. I don't like plugging in Canaan as a starter because he will get torched by the elite guards and it's not fair nor good for his development to be thrust into that role with barely any meaningful minutes throughout the season

McHale put Parsons on Paul last night to try to condone for the lack of defense that Lin provides. Canaan won't get torched anymore then Lin will.

[rockets best fan]

@Steven

while I agree with you. however we must also think about Lin's fragile confidence. to remove him at this point may accelerate his decline into the abyss. for all his faults we need him to step up. it's not likely it will happen, but we don't have many options right now. even if Canaan excels we still need Lin to deliver meaningful minutes.   

[Steven]

@Steven
while I agree with you. however we must also think about Lin's fragile confidence. to remove him at this point may accelerate his decline into the abyss. for all his faults we need him to step up. it's not likely it will happen, but we don't have many options right now. even if Canaan excels we still need Lin to deliver meaningful minutes.

Get him some tissues and a plane ticket.

[thenit]

I am not saying Lin wouldn't get torched the same way most Pgs get torched by all the elite Pgs in the west. But it might hurt more for the development of Canaan to put him in that spotlight. I'm not sure why rockets kept parsons on him when he hasn't played good d all year long and couldn't do anything last night against Paul. That's a coaching topic tho.

My point was that it's more related to next year. I think it's better to let Lin play and let him soar or fall straight to the ground and kill this question whether he can perform at nba level. If he falls on his head it will be easy to just play Canaan as a backup while keeping canaan confidence intact. We won't win with either But we can afford to shatter lins confidence and career but not Canaan. If Lin by against all odds soars then we will go for the ride and see how far we can go. We are not there yet IMO to win it all.

[rockets best fan]

@thenit

I disagree that trying rookies by fire guarantees failure. even if Canaan is not ready he can learn from the experience. for all experienced purposes Lin was a rookie when we tossed him out there last year. I am more concerned about how playing Canaan will affect Lin's fragile confidence. I don't think he can handle the truth  even though Lin has no future here beyond this summer, we do need him bring something to the table this year. relegating him back to the bench might be something he can not recover from. I don't like having to holding his hand, and signing kum-ba-ya songs stroking his fragile confidence, but if that will at least get him to show up it would be worth it. that brooks trade hurt us, but not because of Canaan......it's because of Lin. ask yourself this.......if it were Lin hurt instead of Beverley would we be as concerned?............probably not

[NorEastern]

As usual unknown potential trumps proven veterans every time. And my honest opinion is that it is wrong. Especially with a sample size of exactly one game playing against NBA starters. My god, the leap of faith based only on a sample size to small to be considered a sample size. Lin had a poor game. Canaan had a great game ... for a rookie. Jumping to conclusions as a fan is guaranteed to lead to disappointment. And invariably just being flat out wrong. 

 

An example I have been thinking about: Would you trade Harden for the top two picks in the loaded 2014 draft? The top three? If you answered yes to the first of those two questions you are seriously betting against a stacked house. The second question may perhaps approach break even over the last 20 draft years.

[timetodienow1234567]

If this was the '03 draft? Yes I would. Having both James and Melo?

[Steven]

Howard Jones Parsons Wiggins Smart, sounds like a hell of a team to me.

[timetodienow1234567]

Smart would be much better than Canaan. I agree with Steven.

[Sir Thursday]

Howard Jones Parsons Wiggins Smart, sounds like a hell of a team to me.

 

I would take Harden over those guys. Everyone is slathering at the potential of the incoming draftees, but [a] they are not guaranteed to reach the heights everyone is projecting and [b] even if they do, it's going to take a few years to fulfil that potential. That might be a nice team by say, 2017, but you want to be constructing a team to challenge before that because Howard's prime isn't going to last for more than another 2-3 seasons. I think we can get to a team that's has a high enough ceiling to give us a non-negligible chance of winning the title earlier by sticking with what we've got at the moment (plus or minus a few judicious roster moves).

 

ST

[timetodienow1234567]

There are only two players I would trade harden for. KD and Lebron. No one else would be worth it.

[rockets best fan]

trading stars for potential is a bad idea even if the draft is loaded. I agree with Sir Thursday and TTDN. as for starting Canaan over Lin...........can't get to much worse than Lin played last night so basically we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. if Lin can't handle the job it might be best to let someone else try