With Mobley working on D, will Anderson tolerate being the backup SG??

"No reason not to bench Shandon"...

SA is a damn Hercules when it comes to stamina. He gives 40 minutes and hardly breaks a sweat. Cat is our assassin - when we need a clutch play, or when we need a scoring boost, we call Cat. Otherwise, we let Anderson play tricks with the enemy.

He can single-handedly simulate a 2-guard attackwith any set the Rox have, stop a ball in motion and create a turnover, and score when necessary (he stepped up almost every game that Steve missed). He is that consistent thread - some might call it a spine - that we always need, and can always depend upon, to be on the floor.

When you need a man who can play 48 minutes, score 25+ (if need be), get 6 assists, and throw in 4-6 rebounds to boot, Shandon's your man.

------------------
"I am an idiot. Admit that you are too, and we'll talk..." (response given to me by my cognitive psych prof when I asked him about mental maps)

 

I'd love it if Cuttino could acquire the two skills that Shandon appears to have: playing long minutes with no break (which often goes unnoticed), and all around solid defense. If Cat had those, then we'd be talking about building the team around Cat instead of Stevie...

Of course, if Shandon could make that 30+ppg scoring blitz he had on a few memorable occasions into a regular thing, then who'd be talking about Cuttino?...

They complement each other nicely. Good sides to the same coin. I really like both of their growth prospects...

------------------
"I am an idiot. Admit that you are too, and we'll talk..." (response given to me by my cognitive psych prof when I asked him about mental maps)

 

We have a fine 3 guard system.

If you don't have that Dreamcaster upgrade to your game station, you might want to call them before the Christmas rush.

 

Our guards is our strengh at this time, why mess with it if it's not broken ? On any given night this guys will be able to put 50+ points between them.

------------------
Life moves pretty fast, If you don't stop and look once in a while you might miss it!! ... Ferris Bueler

 

Shandon is a much more physical defender than Cat could ever become so saying Mobley is working on his D and can do anything Shandon does is a bit of an exaggeration. Not to mention Shandon is an excellent post up player which Cat is not and Shandon is a very good rebounding guard which Cat is not.

Cat's biggest asset to the Rockets is his ability and willingness to create offensive opportunities for himself and teammates. He should stay on the bench where he's most valuable.

------------------
"Somebody DO something out there." -Bill Walton

 

Ferris.... Bueller... Bueller... Bueller...

------------------
"Somebody DO something out there." -Bill Walton

 

Timing:

I'd tend to agree with you on those points, but I'd hesitate to state what either Shandon or Cat will be able to do in the future. I think that both will improve:

1)Cat's young, and he can't make too many more stupid rookie mistakes than he made last year. He made alot. Minus that and he makes 6th Man easy...

Shandon is also young, and will probably be working on straight shooting this offseason... He will be a more potent offensive threat from here on out.

Both of them are going to improve over the offseason. When training camp starts they'll both (hopefully)learn about what the other has learned and try to integrate that into Rudy's system - whatever it might be at the time (I think he's looking at run'n gun as the main offense again).

I'm practically drooling at the prospect of seeing a Steve-Cat-Anderson backcourt again, especially with the Mo dimension (4th attack), since they've had a year to gel.

Uuugghghghg.................

(a nurse says "wipe his chin - always wipe the chin".....)

------------------
"I am an idiot. Admit that you are too, and we'll talk..." (response given to me by my cognitive psych prof when I asked him about mental maps)

 

I'm also working hard on my shot blocking, why don't we just cut Cato and pay me 2 mill/year

Just because someone is working hard does necessarily make them any better.

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

 

No way will cut-tino start over Shandon. Too many turnovers and basic dumb play is the reason. He is weak on more than his defensive play. Shandon's only weaknesses are ballhandling and his "Let everyone else do the scoring" approach on offense.

Mobley's game needs a lot of work if he wants to start ahead of Shandon.

------------------
In order to be a success in life, you need 2 things:
1. Don't tell everything you know.

 

Mobley will never be able to match-up on defense like Anderson. He simply does not have the body to do so. This is not to say he can't ever be a good or even excellent defensive player. If he wants to be good on D and is willing to devote the necessary effort, then he will be good. He just will never be able to do all the things Shandon can.

 

Let's solve 3 problems at once, move Shandon to the starting 3, make Cat the starting 2, and make Bryce the back-up 2. We have a good small forward with a DEEP bench behind him, Cat gets to start, and Drew doesn't sit on the bench rotting away while being the third PG behind our franchise player.

------------------
I'm sticking with Charlotte. I can't flip because I don't want to be confused with Peter Vecsey.
-- Charles Barkley

 

You mean create 3 problems. Drew is a shooter, but he'd be worse defending the 2s than he is vs the PGs. Imagine Drew on Vince C! Mobes has proven that he's (1) good at defending the PGs, (2) not so good defending the SGs, (3) has a shooter's mentality. He's Allen Iverson lite. Shandon is a good defender vs the SGs but he's not big or strong enough to play the majority of his minutes as a forward. His defensive strengths would be nullified to an extent.

Basically, Cat is best off the bench. He brings real scoring to the second unit (unlike Shandon or even Walt, who doesn't create for himself). I like the idea of bringing Bryce in as a Steve Kerr off the bench, a shooting point, but I just don't see him getting minutes with our depth.

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

 

1. That's a big assumption. So, if Cat picks up 2 quick fouls and we have to put Drew in, will the other team yank Carter out to give him some rest or will they take advandtage of the mismatch? Teams don't always bring their back-up players at the same time, so inevitably Drew will have to defend someone's starting SG for a few minutes per game.

2. Mobes doesn't defend anybody now; that's why he needed all the work The assertion that Mobes defends PGs well is most likely based on his rookie season where he was the starting PG.

3. Shandon probably puts in less than 10 minutes per game at the 3. A few of Cuttino's extra minutes are coming from playing PG.

With that said, I really think it might actually be a good experiment to see Shandon play the 3 more often. At 6'6", he's not really to small to play the position. Sure, you'll have occasional guys like Garnett that are pushing 7', but that is really the exception rather than the rule. Also, the argument that he isn't strong enough doesn't hold much water as few SFs play a power game anyway (especially, not the tall ones (they's be PFs if they did )).


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

 

You took the words right out of my mouth Cat

 

Sane: you're dead wrong.

You don't give a threshold for improvement, Sane. That kills your argument right there. But to go on...

Anderson is better than Moble in many ways. he's more of a team player, he passes better, he rebounds better, and he jacks up fewer stupid shots.

ALSO, this is called "comparative advantage." Mobley's game is better off the bench. This way he can exploit the tired starter, or sub, who faces him. he's instant offense.

Next, you're assuming Anderson isn't improving on Offense. He averaged 17pts last April

Next, Mobley is too small to be as effective on D as Anderson. Mobley will never have the body of a good defensive 2.

next: Anderson is EXCEPTIONAL on defense, Mobley is severely deficient. I don't see any reason to believe that if Mobley improves, he'll become as good as Anderson.

Next: Anderson is better for chemistry. We have enough scorers in the starting lineup. Anderson is effective w/o demanding the ball. Mobley isn't.

You claimed your case was open and shut. It isn't. Anderson is the better all around player. He'll still be the better player at the beginning of the year, and EVEN IF he wasn't, Mobley's role is still best off the bench.

Shandon Anderson rocks. Face it

------------------
Shandon Anderson rocks.
The lottery sucks. Playoffs 2001.

 

Hydra, Launchpad,

LP, I agree with most of what you said. Let me take a crack at those points anyway.

(1) Right. Backups don't always play backups. Substitution patterns differ, and some 2 guards (E Jones, Finley) will play alot of minutes. Being a bench guy isn't a free pass to be a poor defender. Now maybe Drew could get by at the backup 2 against some matchups - but offhand no good matchups for him come to mind.

(2) Yeah I was talking about Mobes' rookie season, defending the point, where his defensive skills were lauded. He's got the athleticism and footspeed to stay with the PGs when they penetrate the lane. But we all know he has a size disadvantage at the 2, and he hasn't learned enough fundamental defense to counteract that yet (nor is he good at following the SGs around screens). Not saying he won't get there; he's just not there yet.

And I know Mobes doesn't play the 1 that often. I'm just saying thats his best defensive position so far.

(3) Rudy's a big matchup guy. Shandon matches up against the 2 well. On a game-to-game basis, he did play some 3 last season (in a three-guard offense). But its not his best defensive position, and it makes us VERY small (6'3", 6'3", 6'6") along the perimeter. Mobes does play some 1, Shandon does play some 3, but they are both going to primarily play SG. Incidentally, Shandon was promised the starting SG spot and is a free agent after this season - you want to break that promise without finding out whether he wants to play forward?

Why mess with what works? Let Shandon be Joe Dumars. Let Francis be Isiah. Let Cat be Vinny Johnson. And may God have mercy on the rest of the league.

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

 

There's no doubt in my mind that the Rockets are a BETTER team if Shandon starts as compared to Cuttino. Cuttino's game is perfect for a 6th man. Shandon can play 6th man, but he's much more effective starting. Why is this even a debate? They had nearly the same amount of minutes last year, so why would who's starting make any difference in that picture, except who gets to get the premiere SG (Allen, Carter, etc. etc.) first, and who gets to demolish the other team's reserves. The answer is Shandon, then Cat, in that order.

------------------
The Serious Police are watching.
Follow the rules or be assimilated.
Shandon is underrated.

 

I have to weigh in for Anderson as well. I don't think Mobley will ever be able to make Anderson redundant. I see in Anderson an Elie-like drive to win. Mobley's got a good winning attitude as well, but it's more of a Cassell-like swagger. I think Anderson's attitude (moreso than his defense -- which stems from it -- or anything else) is what makes him a very special and irreplaceable player.

Though I feel like Anderson is more important to the team than Mobley, I do see that Mobley has some things that Anderson does not. Even though Anderson can become a good, consistent scorer, I doubt he will be one like Mobley. I don't think Anderson will be returning to the bench, though Mobley may force him to the SF. I'll be happy with that.

------------------
Rockets Draft Obligations Summary

http://www.gaffordstudios.cjb.net/