86 replies to this topic

[bboley24]

Joey Dorsey, Robert Covington and Clint Capella all getting the worst in NBA honors.  

If Robert Covington plays half as well as he does on 2k14, he is going to wreck shop.

 

[bboley24]

Awwwwww. Am I "that guy" that posts whatever comes to mind? 

I'm sorry....  this time of NBA purgatory is KILLING ME!!!  

I think i've watched Bird's 50 greatest moments at least 4 times.  

Someone throw me a frickin' bone here.... what do you think  of these rankings of near meaningless players on our beloved team!!!!????

[thejohnnygold]

Well, when I saw Andrew Bynum and Greg Oden ahead of other players I knew this list was being made by idiots so I stopped caring.  Apparently, rehabbing knees is an NBA skill these days.  (Sadly, that is true)

 

This type of thing is more akin to the ELO ratings (but only for active players).  It is a popularity contest and very few people are knowledgeable enough about all 500 players to be worth listening to.

[rocketrick]

whenever rating the top 500 NBA players, invariably there are going to be certain players that fall between 450-500. Personally, I don't care either way. Another useless topic of discussion in my opinion.

Now when we get to the top 200, I will be paying much more attention and that is something truly worthwhile to discuss. Just my opinion. I have no doubt some will disagree but that is perfectly OK. Except can they please explain why the ranked 450-500 players in the NBA are worthy of discussion? Quite curious to know the reasoning. Thanks.

[thejohnnygold]

whenever rating the top 500 NBA players, invariably there are going to be certain players that fall between 450-500. Personally, I don't care either way. Another useless topic of discussion in my opinion.

Now when we get to the top 200, I will be paying much more attention and that is something truly worthwhile to discuss. Just my opinion. I have no doubt some will disagree but that is perfectly OK. Except can they please explain why the ranked 450-500 players in the NBA are worthy of discussion? Quite curious to know the reasoning. Thanks.

 

Just out of curiosity...what do you think is worthy of discussion?  Perhaps you would like to start some conversations that will enlighten and engage us all.  I know that I would enjoy that a great deal.  Pick a topic and we'll discuss it.

[Buckko]

I still have hope that Covington can be a solid player, he has all the attributes and skills, just needs to put the puzzle together now.

[Dayak]

I do care, because they are Rockets. Just like Buckko, i still believe Covington could be a useful role player for the Rockets.

[Losthief]

whenever rating the top 500 NBA players, invariably there are going to be certain players that fall between 450-500. Personally, I don't care either way. Another useless topic of discussion in my opinion.

Now when we get to the top 200, I will be paying much more attention and that is something truly worthwhile to discuss. Just my opinion. I have no doubt some will disagree but that is perfectly OK. Except can they please explain why the ranked 450-500 players in the NBA are worthy of discussion? Quite curious to know the reasoning. Thanks.

 

from the inaugural year (2010-2011):

To decide which players to rank, we started with every player who played in the league last season, and then eliminated players who had signed overseas contracts that made them ineligible for the 2011-12 NBA season. Then we added the 60 members of the 2011 draft class, eliminating those not likely to play in the NBA by 2012. That left 500 players, according to our best information as of Aug. 15.

(from espn google search espn player rank 2010: http://espn.go.com/n...nkings-401-500)

 

Since then they just stuck with 500 as a nice round number.

 

Also half (8 out of 15 possible spots) of the 76ers got ranked in the bottom 100....tankapoolooza!

Edited by Losthief, 16 September 2014 - 09:59 PM.

[Dan G]

whenever rating the top 500 NBA players, invariably there are going to be certain players that fall between 450-500. Personally, I don't care either way. Another useless topic of discussion in my opinion.

Now when we get to the top 200, I will be paying much more attention and that is something truly worthwhile to discuss. Just my opinion. I have no doubt some will disagree but that is perfectly OK. Except can they please explain why the ranked 450-500 players in the NBA are worthy of discussion? Quite curious to know the reasoning. Thanks.

I'm with you that I don't care either way about who falls between 450-500 and probably won't pay real attention until it gets to the 200 range, but I disagree that 201-500 isn't worthwhile to discuss especially at this time of the year. We don't have to mention or discuss every player, but I was a little surprised like bboley24 that we had three players ranked so low.

 

I'm also with jg; what else are we gonna discuss? Please enlighten me kind sir.

[Red94]

I'd say that far back in the rankings is pretty irrelevant.  Not even a crowdsourcing experiment can acquire sufficient data to make those minute distinctions regarding menial players.  It gets pretty interesting, personally, towards the top.  For instance, after claiming the #4 spot last year, I'm curious to see how far James Harden has fallen now that the tide of public opinion seems to have turned against him.

[bboley24]

That's true. I wonder if Woj has a Coaching Ranking system?

See what I did there?

[Steven]

McHale would be higher the Spolestra, or the list is worthless.

[rockets best fan]

@Steven

not in my book. McHale would be in the high twenties. can't think of too many people I would take McHale over as sad as that sounds. to me it will be the same situation as when we got rid of Lin...........addition by substraction

[Steven]

Erik Spolestra had LeBron James, D-Wade, and Chris Bosh, and lost a 7 game series because of JJ Berea.

Who?

Exactly. JJ Berea is the reason LBJ, Mr. Union, and Benedict Arnold don't have a third ring. All because their coach wouldn't change the defense. If weren't for the photos Spolestra has of Riley in an uncomfortable position, he would have been fired years ago.

[rockets best fan]

@Steven

while I agree Spolestra isn't the best coach, but when compared to McHale he looks like Pop

Edited by rockets best fan, 24 September 2014 - 03:11 AM.

[Steven]

Id say McHale looks like Pop compared to Spolestra. Reggie Theis looks like Pop compared to Spolestra.

[rocketrick]

I'm with you that I don't care either way about who falls between 450-500 and probably won't pay real attention until it gets to the 200 range, but I disagree that 201-500 isn't worthwhile to discuss especially at this time of the year. We don't have to mention or discuss every player, but I was a little surprised like bboley24 that we had three players ranked so low.
 
I'm also with jg; what else are we gonna discuss? Please enlighten me kind sir.

OK, I guess next up for discussion on these boards is who makes the Rockets Final 15 team roster.

This subject, as expected, seems quite DOA (other than the back and forth on Spoelstra and McHale as Coaches, not Players).

Anyway I digress and hope for better discussions going forward now that the Rockets are a week away from opening Training Camp. Yaaaa!!!

[thejohnnygold]

OK, I guess next up for discussion on these boards is who makes the Rockets Final 15 team roster.

This subject, as expected, seems quite DOA (other than the back and forth on Spoelstra and McHale as Coaches, not Players).

Anyway I digress and hope for better discussions going forward now that the Rockets are a week away from opening Training Camp. Yaaaa!!!

 

That does seem like a logical transition.  Let's see if we can get to the class, and quality, of conversation you seek.

 

Hoopshype.com just put out a Rockets Preview.  Judge the article for yourselves, but once again it seems outsiders view our off season as a case of great things going out and nothing of consequence coming in.  Personally, anyone who doesn't know what Ariza brings to the table loses my respect of their opinion.  He is not some end of the bench scrub.  Whatever, I know we are prone to homer-ism, but I feel like we are as objective as a "fanatic" can be.  If I were in a gym playing pick up ball and, knowing both of their games, got to pick between Parsons and Ariza (even money) I would take Ariza every time.

 

Let's move on to the roster.  Guys we KNOW are making the cut:

 

Howard

Harden

Beverley

Jones

Ariza

Daniels

Terry

Garcia

Motiejunas

----------------------

 

These guys will be on the roster (at least pre-trade deadline).

 

Next up, the sort of question marks.  Some of these guys I think are close to 100%, but you never know with Morey.

 

Jeff Adrien

Kostas Papanikoloau

Isaiah Canaan

Joey Dorsey

 

This puts us at 13 players (15 max)

----------------------

 

Next group:

 

Ish Smith

Robert Covington

Tarik Black

Nick Johnson

Clint Capela

 

2 of these guys will play their way onto the roster during pre-season.  My guess is need will play a factor in that which means Ish Smith and Tarik Black.  Black?!?!?!  Yes, Black.  Johnson and Capela will join Covington in the D-League to, once again, give us the best squad in that league.  I am looking forward to checking them out when they come play the Toros.  Why Black?  Because the guy hustles hard and rebounds like a man possessed.  Given our roster, that is a quality we lack if an injury or two hits.  Plus, we can plant him on the end of the bench while he works on the rest of his game (which needs work) and he won't be too bothered not playing.

 

I would entertain the argument that Johnson takes Black's spot, but I think they are going to groom him in the D-League for a bit.  He's got the goods, and working on leading a unit (his likely future role for us) is better than swinging towels and high-fiving guys on the bench.  His player card says SG, but he played tons of point in college and in one of his pre-draft interviews made sure to mention that was something he wanted to continue in the NBA.

 

Let's get back to Jeff Adrien.  Much like Ariza, he is viewed like some scrub Houston scraped off of Milwaukee's shoe.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  MIlwaukee had a PF problem last year.  They had Ilyasova (a proven vet), Jon Henson (their version of Terrence Jones), Ekpe Udoh (a young, defensive guy), and then Jeff Adrien who only got playing time due to their injury issues--he was a throw in piece on the Sessions/Neal trade and was 4th on the depth chart.

 

Yet, I think he is another free agency steal.  He is a stud on the offensive glass.  That is a very good thing.  He has great timing on defense, hustles hard, moves his feet well, and does all the little things you want a player to do when they are flanking your stars.  First, check out his splits from last season.  Since his playing time was so erratic it will help give a feel for what he can contribute.  Next, check out this video someone put together:

 

 

Most of you won't watch all 12 minutes of this so here's what you missed--Good post defense, quick hands, decent outlet passing, strong interior finishes, quickness in catching the ball and going right back up to the hole (the same thing that helps him block shots--he elevates quickly and can catch up to shooters), he has a high-post game/mid-range game (it's not elite, but it's there) and can make some nifty passes inside as well, and he has a nose for finding the back door for easy dunks.  He seems to play bigger than he is (6' 7").  To use a dirty word, he is an ideal role player.

 

So, let's get back to the final roster:

 

Beverley, Canaan, Smith

Harden, Daniels, Garcia/Terry

Ariza, Papanikoloau, Garcia

Jones/Adrien/Motie/Black

Howard/Motie/Dorsey

 

That's my guess.  Given that Harden and Terry can both run the offense in a pinch I think our PG depth is fine--especially if Daniels proves to be more than a 3 pt. specialist.

 

I like our SF situation.  I think Papanikoloau is going to quickly become a fan favorite.

 

Inside, what we lack in height we make up for in speed and athleticism.  Learning to use our strengths and hide those weaknesses is the issue going forward.  There is a lot of size to deal with: Aldridge, Griffin, Davis, Nowitzki, and Duncan headline the PF's while Jordan, Chandler, Asik, Lopez, Bogut, Gasol, Cousins, and Adams/Perkins all present size issues for us at center.

 

Still, I like what we've got and there remains Morey's ominous (and ambiguous) prediction about us being even better by season's end.  Is he just talking about gelling as a team or is he forecasting a trade?  (I know, 99% of people think a big trade is coming...I'm not so sure)  Either way, he is most likely correct in his prediction.

 

This team will struggle to usurp the Spurs, Clips, or Thunder (barring an injury for them) and still has to contend with the Blazers, Warriors, Suns, Mavs, Nuggets, and possibly the Pellies.  It is likely we enter the post season in roughly the same spot as last year.  It doesn't matter.  This will be a totally different team than the one we watched against Portland--from top to bottom I think we will be better come playoff time.  I think we make some noise this year.

 

All right, Rick, there you go.  Does any of that interest you? 

[rocketrick]

I think I would agree with most of that with one revision.

I predict Nick Johnson will make the Rockets final 15-man roster although I too expect to see him with the RGV D-League team for part of the season, if not most.

Just sending Nick Johnson to RGV D-League without making him part of the Rockets final 15-man roster means that any NBA team can pick him up during the season. I just don't see Morey and the Rockets doing that.

[bboley24]

Is Black another Greg Smith?