HoopsHype Insight - 10/24

Today begins a new era here at DCSS, not just because Paul Shirley was cut by a world record eighteenth team, but because a weekdaily (hey, if Mark Cuban can make up words, so can we) feature is about to begin.

Every day, one of your respective Sager Hosts will be taking a few articles from the awesome HoopsHype NBA Rumors page and providing commentary. Here is the Tuesday, October 24th edition.

Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy is a former protégé, with many of the same characteristics, of the Heat's Pat Riley. "Both teams are very similar," said Yao Ming. "They both have an inside player and an outside player, a great shooter on the perimeter. What they have on us right now is experience and decision-making.

Yao Ming's toe infection may have spread to his brain, because comparing his Rockets to the Heat is like Stephen Baldwin comparing himself to Alec Baldwin. Yao is right in that the Rockets and Heat have great centers and backcourt scoring machines, but the comparisons end there. The Rockets were a sexy pick to make a deep playoff run around this time last year, but they flopped harder than Vlade Divac with Spud Webb coming down the lane. Their offense tanked once Yao and T-Mac missed a bunch of games with injuries, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see one or both of them do it again this year. The Heat? Yeah, they kind of won the NBA Championship. Same thing though, right?

[Mark] Price said [Shane] Heal wanted [Todd] Fuller axed from the day the Australian Olympian arrived at the club, telling Price he was not suited to the league. Fuller was cut yesterday as part of the Dragons purge which also claimed Price after a 0-5 start to the club's life in the NBL.

It sucks to be Mark Price, but an 0-5 start combined with fighting with your team's best player (and a four-time Olympian for Australia) is bound to get you fired. It sucks just a little bit harder to be Todd Fuller, one of the biggest duds in NBA Draft history. The 31 year old Fuller, who suckered the Warriors into taking him with the 11th overall pick in the 1996 Draft, was actually putting up good numbers for the Dragons before getting released. You know the team is now in trouble when they practically beg for a big man on their website:

"Todd Fuller, one of the two Dragon’s American imports, has been released, and the club is currently searching for a replacement player."

It has been indicated either Michael Olowokandi, Luke Jackson or Allan Ray will have to go. But coach Doc Rivers reiterated yesterday it would be tough to let go of a veteran big man with Theo Ratliff still out (back strain). Ray, an impressive shooter who also might fit into the point guard rotation, is one they’d like to keep. Jackson is a good shooter in a crowded field.

We've heard from the Celtics how much they love Ray and his shooting, but he's kinda shooting 25.8% from the field in seven pre-season games... When Kobe averages more points per game in the regular season than you shoot from the field, your chances aren't that hot. The Kandi man is always going to have a job because he's seven feet tall, but he's as awful as big men come. And Luke Jackson -- ugh. How does a shooter have a career average of 34.8%?

Keeping Kandi might make some sense, as Kendrick Perkins would otherwise be the only healthy center on Boston's opening day roster. However, there's no room for Ray and Jackson on the roster, and there's the tiny fact that they're both unfit for the NBA game. If we were Danny Ainge, we'd have a gladiator-style fight between Ray and Jackson, and then promptly waive the one player who remained alive. That would be good drama right there.