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It's Official: Pops is a Rocket

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The Rockets have officially signed Pops Mensah-Bonsu.  That gives us Pops, Scola, Landry, Hayes, Cook, Dorsey, who are all interchangeable at their position.  Who's expendable/tradeable?  Who would we trade for?  I can see Cook as expendable, but not tradeable, and as much as i love Chuck Hayes' game, we really need more size with the absence of Yao.  Dorsey has come a long way, but still has a long way to go.  So with all this depth at  the position, who stays who goes and who gets minutes?  Comments?

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Yay?

…. I don’t think I have confidence in Pops.

by jamisonrocket on Sep 3, 2009 12:25 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

I haven’t seen enough of his game to really evaluate, but he seems to be a high energy player that can block shots, and rebound. He sorta seems like a Chuck Hayes with height.

by edrick on Sep 3, 2009 12:30 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Chuckwagon isn't going anywhere

I can assure you that one player who will still be on the team and will still get minutes (though they might vary mightily) will be the Chuckwagon. Pops is not Chuck Hayes with height. Chuck could quite possibly be the best low-post defender in the league. If Pops were that good defensively he would already be on a roster. It amazes me how much people on this site over-rate Battier and under-rate Chuck. They are remarkably similar players. One just makes corner threes and defends guards instead of bigs. Chuck’s D is every bit as good as Battier’s. Chuck is here to stay Pops or no Pops.

Bitches call me Brney Rubble cuz I make the bed rock.

by clutchcity on Sep 3, 2009 1:21 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Just to clarify, I wouldn’t want Chuck to leave. He has a great basketball I.Q., and is a great and underrated passer. I also agree with you about his low post defense. My question is why would the rockets sign Pops to a one year contract, unless they were going to give him minutes? You don’t sign someone to a one year deal to keep them on the bench.

by edrick on Sep 3, 2009 1:51 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Yeah you do.

Short term contracts are how you fill out your roster.

Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on Sep 3, 2009 2:37 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Okay, but aren’t we already over the limit in terms of a roster?

by edrick on Sep 3, 2009 2:40 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

yes

Cook and Barry will probably be gone by the end of camp. Same probably goes for White. There, we’re back down to 15.

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by Only_A_Lad on Sep 3, 2009 2:41 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

wait

as much as we’d all like to see Cook leave, do you think the Rockets would let his contract expire without maybe throwing him into some trades they pursue? It’s $3 million that other teams looking at 2010 might want.

How many Biletnikoffs does he have? NOT TWO!

by ak2themax on Sep 5, 2009 2:48 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

and as much as i love Chuck Hayes’ game, we really need more size with the absence of Yao.

You know, I think this is why I really like what Morey has done. Height is one of those things in basketball that really helps an individual be a good player, but height is not something that really helps a team win games. At no point in the game are baskets awarded because of how many tall players you have. Wins happen because your players score, rebound, and defend well. Chuck defends, rebounds, and passes well. That’s what matters, not that he’s 6’6".

Of course there are situations where you need a taller guy to match up against another team. But those are small matters, really (pun intended).

Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on Sep 3, 2009 2:48 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

I see your point, but i think pops has prototypical pf size and could really help on the boards along with dorsey. Yes/No?

by edrick on Sep 3, 2009 2:48 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

I agree

I just don’t see how that relates to the likelihood of Hayes being traded. The Rockets needed another guy to fill out their frontcourt bench, and now they have that guy.

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by Only_A_Lad on Sep 3, 2009 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Didn’t mean to imply he’d be traded, I just really feel we really need more size in the post, also a scoring threat. Chuck is the best defender we have at the position, but he’s a liabilty on the offensive end, especially without Yao in the middle, that being said I don’t know if Pops has an offensive game either.

by edrick on Sep 3, 2009 2:57 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

He doesn't, really,

UofTOrange made the point about a week ago that he thought Landry and Pops were similar in college. I don’t really see the comparison, other than that they’re both good on the boards and are undersized-but-athletic PFs. Pops is a lot more visibly athletic than Chuck (eg – he jumps higher), and he’s better able to finish around the rim.

One could imagine that there is a spectrum of undersized forwards ranging from “Hayes-like” to “Landry-like,” and Pops lies somewhere in between. He’s not as offensively skilled as Landry, but he’s a better rebounder and defender. He’s not as defensively skilled as Hayes, but he’s a much better finisher than Chuck.

Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on Sep 3, 2009 3:11 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

So with that in mind, will Pops get any time at all or will he be used as a roster filler as you mentioned earlier, or be a backup if Anderson gets overwhelmed defensively?

by edrick on Sep 3, 2009 3:29 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

We'll see what he can do in camp.

I have no idea. Adelman probably has no idea what his rotations are going to look like right now, and he won’t know until he gets a closer look at Andersen, Pops, and Dorsey (now healthy and hopefully better).

Your friendly neighborhood Dream Shake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on Sep 3, 2009 3:37 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

pops will get playing time hes not there to fill out a roster the roster was full already. barrys gone, hopefully cook is gone & they may be setting up for a trade since landry is a player that is somewhat wanted because of his youth & athleticism. they definitely like the size of pops & his ability to run the floor.

..aint no place & no teams like HOUSTON's!!
-Q-

by mangelq75 on Sep 4, 2009 3:28 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

good luck with pops guys.

he was in the spurs uni for a few games. i wish pop wouldve kept pops, but nope.

hopefully he turns into the high-reward, low-risk player that i envisioned him to be. it is consistent with the rest of your roster, that’s for sure.

13 points in 39 seconds. Enough said.

by Duhoh on Sep 18, 2009 3:59 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

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