OT: Rockets waive Gerald Green

[swede]

He could be a great, great energy player. Comes in knocks down a three ball and hopefully gets a dunk to get the crowd in the game. The dude has breathtaking athleticism.

[ph1sh55]

he seemed to be playing really good D in the summer league against martell...was expecting him to get a lot of burn.

[Charlie78]

funniest thing about this. Remember boston fan calling him the steal of the draft and essentially guarenteeing him being better than webster. There is no reason to take a chance on him after dropping in the draft and essentially being given away by three teams why take the chance. Let him go to europe and sign him in a couple of years if he gets better.

[listerine]

Count me in the "more to this than meets the eye" crowd.

A team doesn't just cut loose a talented 22 year old scorer because "they need another big man." And a player doesn't get dumped by 3 teams in 3 years just because "he doesn't fit in the rotation."

Seems like quite a few people have decided that Green isn't quite the prospect that he once was.

But, as always, I'll default to KP's skills at player evaluation. If the Blazers pick him up, I'll root for the guy. If they pass, I'll assume it's for the best.

[ebott]

It's Ri-God-Damn-Diculous that the Blazers haven't made any sort of overtures toward Green.

Von Wafer is a waste of a roster spot.

There's no guarantee that Rudy will come over next season.

Unless we move up a lot I suspect we will end up moving our 1st rounder this season

And if any of those deals work out we can just wave Green.

But it all comes down to KP. He's developing a culture. If he decdes Green fits into that culture I'll be happy as a clam. If he doesn't, it won't be a big deal.

[Tim Lehrbach]

I'm not sure why you think Gerald Green is any better than Von Wafer.

[eloper]

Gerald is pretty arrogant about his game, though I'm hopeful the trade to Houston/getting cut woke him up a lot in that regard. He's not a bad kid though, I'd be shocked if he ever got in an ounce of serious trouble, and he's a hard worker. He's behind the curb in terms of his mental grasp of the game, and he's been trying too long to be the all around player that he just won't ever become. He's had poor direction from his coaches thus far, and needs to go somewhere that focuses on utilizing him as a shooter and out in transition, whether thats in the NBA or the DLeague.

For people concerned about him being a locker room cancer, despite the trade request he was well liked in Minnesota by his teammates. Some saw the request as arrogant, but when you're in the last year of your rookie contract, fighting to keep your NBA career alive on a team that has no plans for you in the future and won't give you the playing time to earn yourself a future, it's awfully hard not to ask out.

Note that by no means did Boston cast him aside...he went in the KG deal, and was more than just a throw in at the time. Most Boston fans were still pretty high on Gerald when he was dealt, it was a poor preseason resulting in being relegated to the bench that killed any sense of value he once had. Note however that last year Gerald was every bit as productive as Martell Webster has been this year, and I'm doubting that Gerald's lost any of his talent at the age of 22.


Spykes: That article about Gerald and his work ethic was purely speculation. It's logical to assume that someone with so much talent that's yet to be developed isn't a hard worker, and the reporter made that connection. Unfortunately for the reporter, Gerald's issues haven't been his work ethic, which as been documented to be pretty damned good. He works out with John Lucas in the offseason, and those who know about John Lucas' camp know that its widely regarded as one of the most intense and demanding offseason programs out there. Guys who don't want to work don't go there. Likewise Minnesota papers reported that he was consistently staying late in practice. The development of his body has been pretty clear, as well as the development of his jumpshot from year one to two (which was the focus of his offseason....this last offseason he tried to diversify his game too much which has resulted in him forcing things that he's not truly comfortable with during games). I have no concerns about Gerald's work ethic, the problem has been he's gotten away from his strengths.

[d-train]

I have no concerns about Gerald's work ethic, the problem has been he's gotten away from his strengths.

This sounds like the line from every young player that can't play. Not everyone on the team gets to play to his individual strengths. Most guys have to understand what the team needs and do those things better than anyone else can do them. Usually, the things the team needs are getting the ball, defending, and playing an effective complimentary role on offense. I know nothing about Gerald Green but I'll guess that if he even considered busting his ass to do the work the team needs done, he would be twice the player he is.

[eloper]

And the entire point of my post was to point out that it isn't simply a matter of "busting his ass." He has busted his ass, and he's busted his ass doing the wrong things. He's been told he's supposed to be a superstar since he started getting national recogniition, and because of it he became arrogant about his abilities and started trying to become this all around player that he just isn't capable of being.

[d-train]

Who would tell the 18th pick he is supposed to be a superstar? Most guys are told you are going to sit on the bench and learn the ropes. Then if the player doesn

[swede]

Who would tell the 18th pick he is supposed to be a superstar? Most guys are told you are going to sit on the bench and learn the ropes. Then if the player doesn

[swede]

I like what I've seen of Wafer so far. Waive McRoberts. I really don't give that much of a sh*t about Gerald Green other then wishing I could still rub the Tell vs. Green debate in their faces.

[d-train]

I like Von Wafer's name and would be upset if it is taken off the roster. McBob is my second favorite name but if we need roster room, I could survive losing him.

[Spykes]

I like Von Wafer's name and would be upset if it is taken off the roster. McBob is my second favorite name but if we need roster room, I could survive losing him.

After losing Ha, getting rid of Wafer isn't a problem.

[d-train]

-= original quote snipped =-



After losing Ha, getting rid of Wafer isn't a problem.

Ha was great for you Photoshop junkies. I have no idea how to do that stuff. Von Wafer rules.