We need an efficient banger down low. We don't need an undersized power forward. What does he do better than Howard? Nothing! Use the money on someone else!!!
If we had Walker last season we would NOT have beaten Dallas because we wouldn't have won 51 games and been paired against them in the playoffs. Walker already is in the region he belongs - Atlanta or back to Boston. We need him about as much as a World B Free or Joe Barry Carroll kinda' character and talent - not at all. It's not always about stats; chemistry is not a foreign word, but the concept has been since the absence of Rick Pitino's company as confidant and coach. The risk here far out weigh the possible gain. I can't wait for this idea to run it's course, die a natural death, and something more positive and encouraging take it's place. The thought of Walker being a Rocket sends shivers up my spine.
Why would ANYONE waste the full MLE on a 2 gaurd? They are a dime a dozen. With Yao/T-mac, you don't need a 2 who dribbles and tries to blow by his man. You need a catch and shoot player, ala Elie in his heyday. Cat just makes no sense to bring here. You can't win the West without a strong PF. IF we got one, that would make Cat a 4th option, prolly off of the bench. Why pay the full MLE to someone who is going ot be a role player? As for Walker, you can argue all you want, but he is a 3 time allstar (though prolly so is Baker). He has actually matured to the point that he can defer to other players. That's what we need. Someone who will play a role and wants to WIN, not put up numbers. As for Swift, it worries me that he may believe that he can carry a team, and was not allowed to in Memphis. That puts a chip on his shoulder, and would not fit with the chemistry that the Rocks have right now.
I would say that dribble penetration is becoming more important in light of the rule changes last year. The quicker players who can dribble drive have a definite advantage right now, witness Ginobilli. I want our 2 to be able to put the ball on the floor. That's also why Walker is so intriguing.
There are plenty of 2 guards available that can penetrate and do it better than Walker. Come playoff time when we're facing a team like San Antonio, we are not going to want our mistake-prone 6'9 power forward handling the ball much. It's a disaster waiting to happen.
Back to Antoine, ahhh. No, he's not a guard. The reason why he is intriguing is because he can spot up at the arc and force the opposing 4 to have to play out on the floor. And if they get up on him, he has the dribble drive. What would help us a whole lot is if we can spread out the defense even further and force them to have to face guard instead of sagging off our perimeter guys and doubling off on TMac and Yao. Walker is one of the best ball handlers at the 4 in the league. The idea of having 4 players in the floor that can put the ball on the floor as well as shoot it sounds pretty potent to me. Combine that with some Van Gundy defense.
Believe me, if Antoine Walker is spotted behind the arc, the opposing 4 is not going to go out and guard him. They are going to invite him to take as many 3 pointers as he wants. Some nights they may pay. But on most nights, they would gladly see Walker behind the 3 point line. He will shoot a team right out of a game. Most other power forwards are smart enough to know the more a big man tries to dribble the more turnovers he's going to cause. A lot of Walker's turnovers are due to him trying to handle the ball too much (Dribbling off his feet, getting the ball stripped from a guard, or just misshandling the ball). He's a good ballhandler for a power forward. But he still makes a ton of mistakes. Don't you see. If Antoine Walker comes here and takes 3-pointers and tries to play point guard, we'll be playing right into the opponents hands. That's what they want. They want someone who's going to take shots away from Yao and Mcgrady. They want someone that's going to take the ball out of their hands.
excellent post. while swift is my first option, i would be happy with walker for this reason. how can they double tmac and yao when we have a PF who can shoot from long range? our offense will be incredible with a 3rd scorer capable of putting up 30 points. to those who think walker would not have helped beat the mavs - think of how open they left bowen to guard tmac. now think of them unable to double tmac because if they did walker would score everytime. we took them to game 7! we had leads going into the 4th in games 3,4,5. with walker we would have won one of those close games.
Just once a season to pass the ball to yao after a pick in a pick and roll. i was against the trade tat brought Tmac last year, but of the three that left i will only take Cato back, he did well as a defensive power forward alongside Yao.
What people forget is that Cat improved tremedously his last year under JVG RE: playing defense and many of the intangibles. He was willing to adapt his game. It was Steve, the PG, that didn't get the ball into Yao. Cat is a shooting guard. He shoots. I'm not saying Cat is our #1 choice...but we could do A LOT worse than Cat. I like Cat better than Wesley, for example. If we can do better than Cat, great! If not, I won't be unhappy with him.
You guys are all Idiots. CAT HATES THE ROCKETS. He is still steaming no one told him anything about the Trade to Orlando. He will NEVER EVER come back. Even if we shovel out extra cash he does not care. Stop Worrying about him. And Walker is a Stud. He takes stupid shots because he is forced to. Anyone who has any kind of talent in Atlanta or Boston takes a bunch of shots (Atlanta doesnt have anyone, and Boston's management is r****ded). Also remember Walker 1 year with Dallas, a team that didnt require him to shoot alot, He averaged 14 pts, 8 Boards, 6 Assists and a couple steals in much lower minutes than he would expect, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT ROCKETS NEED...
Thanks atxtypes...we love you too. Maybe you'll want to rack up more than 5 posts before calling out..."You guys are all idiots." Not a good way to build credibility here. For your benefit, since you are obviously don't spend much time around here, there have been multiple reports by folks on this BBS who have talked to Cat recently that said he isn't pissed off anymore and he'd even consider coming back. I don't know how credible it is but the reports sounded plausible. I agree I doubt it'll happen. But anything is possible and bringing him back is better than most of the other "affordable" options I've heard.
34.3%, 31.7% and a freaking 26.9% in Dallas. These are the 3pts percentages Walker has for the last three years. Eddie Griffin shoots better than that. I will say opponents will be pretty happy to double tmac and Yao, and let Walker pull the trigger. Some of you guys should spend a little bit more time checking stats before jumping on the wagon and working on the fantasy.
Ivanyy, Walker isn't my 1st choice (SAR is), but this is an ignorant statement. Once you get beyind the knee jerk reaction to Walker’s overall FG% (weight his 3 point shooting, look at non-3 point shot Fg%, jumper %)--his offensive efficiency is right in line with Howard's. Also his rebounding is better than all the guys were are talking about (Howard, SAR, SS) except Marshall. For more complete explanation: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=98456 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=98477
I want both Walker and Finley if possible. I have watched them play in enough games to know what kind of talent we will get even if one is old and the other has issues. We need talent to win big. Adding Walker and Finley to surround Yao & TMac just might push us over the hill in the battle against Suns and Spurs.
Antonie Walker does not fit the Rockets needs. At least swift, while somewhat an underachiever IMO, is taller and doesn't shoot the three a ridiculous amount of times. I've been listening to 790 this afternoon, and I'm impressed that many fans are calling in and not supporting the addition of Walker to the Rockets. With Swift, I just hope the Rockets do not overpay him, bascially giving him a Mo T contract.
