# rockets starting lineup



## smithys1510 (Jul 11, 2005)

now with the rafer move and bob being injured, what will be the rockets starting lineup this year?


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## smithys1510 (Jul 11, 2005)

i think the first option because that frontcourt is very good and if we start d-wes our backcourt will be very small


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## hitokiri315 (Apr 30, 2004)

The fist one is the one with best chance to jump out to an early 10 point advantage on most opponents the rockets will face this season.

so my vote is for the first one.


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## CrackerJack (Jul 2, 2005)

i can see the first one as most intimidating to the opposition, with the mixture of strenght, experience, size and talent


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

How good a defender is Anderson? Wesley is still damn good, even if he is undersized.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Hakeem said:


> How good a defender is Anderson? Wesley is still damn good, even if he is undersized.


DA is not that bad a defender if I remember correctly, but not as good as Wesley. I think the way Anderson plays with us will be a lil' diff then when he was with Portland, where he "considered himself" one of the top scoring options on the team. As I've mentioned before, how DA performs will depend on how he accepts his role here in Houston. He's had a pretty good attitude since being signed, so I'm hoping he'll show that on the court too.


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## TManiAC (Dec 19, 2004)

Ild keep David Wesley as the starter because he knows the system in Houston. I rarely saw him make mistakes last season... just missed some shots, but that happens to everybody.

And I wouldn't keep DA and Alston on the floor at the same time until later in the season. Having 3 new players out of 5 starters could be disasterous. We don't want them playing out to their own styles: Skip pretty much played with no rules last season and DA is used to the Portland offense, and once one dude starts breaking away from the plays, its alot easier for the other to do the same.

If JVG is as meticulous and hard to please as everyone says he is, I'm sure there's plenty of specifics to learn about his system. Skip and DA on the court at the same time could disrupt our offense, entirely.

The result is JVG yanks the newbies out of the game and tension starts brewing.

I would definitely keep David Wesley as a starter. If DA wanted minutes, he would have gone to Los Angeles. DA doesn't have a problem deferring the starting job as thats what he did in Portland, too.

Alston is a different case. I want him to feel as welcomed as possible, like we have confidence in him. Yet I would stress to him that the system is the mantra of the Rockets ball club. Start Skip but limit his minutes by playing Jon Barry and DA at the point.

Skip feels important enough to not cry about problems, Jon Barry gets the minutes he is promised, David Wesley provides his defense and sets the pace early in the game, DA gets heavy rotation minutes behind 2 positions, and the system is still in tact, so even JVG can be happy.

I think if we're very careful of how we utilize our new and talented players, we can be a huge offensive and defensive power in this league. I'm very excited for our new acquisitions but the fact that each of our new players have had some kind of attitudinal history before coming to the Rockets, we should practice as much caution as possible.


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## smithys1510 (Jul 11, 2005)

TManiAC said:


> I wouldn't keep DA and Alston on the floor at the same time until later in the season. Having 3 new players out of 5 starters could be disasterous. We don't want them playing out to their own styles: Skip pretty much played with no rules last season and DA is used to the Portland offense, and once one dude starts breaking away from the plays, its alot easier for the other to do the same.


thats a good point tmaniac
having too many new players starting could turn ugly


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

Yao-Juwan-Tmac-Dwes-Rafer

Right now I see Stromile as an energy, off the bench spark type player. Judging from the comments I've read, Stromile's best assets so far have been his ability to get up and down the court and block shots. He still doesn't have a refined half court game, offensively or defensively. I think he'll definitely be a starter by the All Star break, but as of now he's going to get big minutes off the bench playing PF and some C. 

We need Wesley's defense on the perimeter... he also appears to be in great shape. Anything to keep DA off the floor.


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## TManiAC (Dec 19, 2004)

Our Half court game was acceptable without ANY kind of PF. I think our problem was our transition game. For that reason, I think we should keep Stro in the starting lineup and Howard off the bench.

Swift should grab a good amount of offensive boards for the put back and has a steady offensive game. The only knock was his toughness and defensive recognition. I don't forsee that as a problem under JVG.

His quickness and ability to stay in front of players is reason enough to keep him next to Yao. Yao cant afford to pick up quick fouls as he did last season.


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## tone wone (Jan 30, 2003)

I dont understand what MRC has against Derek Anderson and what Tmaniac has against Juwan Howard


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## TManiAC (Dec 19, 2004)

I dont have anything against Howard. I have alot to like about Swift.


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## Pasha The Great (Apr 9, 2005)

> I dont understand what MRC has against Derek Anderson



Could you really imagine DA starting? Did you not watch the Hurricane Releif game? Derek Anderson was absolutely horrible in that game, he seemed to scared to do anything, he would just stand there holding the ball until he turned it over.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

DA was a decent starter for Portland, when he was healthy. Which was rare the last couple seasons. He has size, good passing and ball-handling, decent defense and a good mid-range shot in his favour. Against him is that he no longer has the lateral quickness to stay with smaller guards defensively and his athleticism to slash is not so great anymore.

I think, overall, he brings more to the table than Wesley, so I'd select the first poll option. But that's when he's healthy. If recent history is to be a guide, Wesley will start plenty of games even if Anderson opens the season as the starter.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

*Read some good news on DA today*

Jon Barry: "Derek’s a solid pro and really understands the game. He’s grasped our system already. *He’s a lot better defender than I thought*. He’s quick and he’s long, so he’ll be great."

I haven't liked DA since he left San Antonio. His game has been steady declining in Portland, and IMO, his defense in particular. The lack of effort just pisses me off. He doesn't seem to be bothered to swing the ball around or try to penetrate to the basket anymore, he's happy to camp on the perimeter or put up jump shots against the flow of the offense. Obviously a change of scenery can do wonders for some people, and you have to expect his defense to be better under JVG.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.


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## darkballa (Sep 19, 2003)

I was actually questioning that myself, since Stro is a high energy player why not put him on the bench? We all know what a bad job Juwan howard did as a benchie last year. The DA-Dwes thing, i think DA is gonna start because Dwes had surgery and im not sure if hes gonna get back in shape especially concerning his age. Another one which you probably wont mention is the Sura-Skip choice. Both are very similar players not in talent wise but in playing time. Sura didnt start much except for one season in golden state, half a season in atlanta and one season in houston. Skip only had one season as a starter and is clearly a better scorer and passer than sura. Sura WILL give the ball to Mac, i think Skip will too but once in a while those streetball instinctds are gonna come and hes gonna crossover his way to the hoop, but i dont see a problem in either of that so this categories a tie. Skip did a good job as a bench player in 03 toronto and 04 miami bob also had a few good seasons with GSW as a bench player especially coming off an injury. So all in all i think DA and Sura and maybe even wesley if he has enough gas left will have to fight for that SG-spot because i can really see alston locking that up the PG. Swift will have to show all the potential hes got because i can really see juwan starting right now no matter how much i want swift to start.


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