(1) "For me sitting out, it was good and bad because I had a chance to develop and watch the NBA game," he said. "I had a chance to watch the defensive schemes and everything and watch Chuck Hayes, as great of a defender as he is on our team -- I had a chance to watch him all year and look at tape this summer to work on my defense." -Joey Dorsey
(2) “It hurt so bad once we lost Game 7,” recalls Dorsey. “We went into the locker room and everybody came together and I was the only one in the locker room that cried. I told coach, ‘I want to come back next year and be a defensive stopper. I want to work on defense in the perimeter and the low-post with Chuck Hayes; he’s one of the great low-post defenders on the team. It just hurt so bad that we didn’t have that size to dominate the glass against the Lakers...
...I look at [Luis] Scola,” Dorsey says, “Because he’s one of the best low-post players I’ve ever seen; his footwork and everything. I’m waiting for him to get back from Argentina so I can start working out with him. And getting with Chuck Hayes. Chuck is one of the best low-post defenders and when (opponents) go on the pick-and-roll, Chuck is like a guard when he’s out there defending, so I just need to learn from Chuck and learn from Yao and Scola – who better to learn from than from those three?”
(3) ...#44 Chuck Hayes in '07-'08:
Defensive Rating
1. Kevin Garnett-BOS 93.8
2. Tim Duncan-SAS 96.6
3. Chuck Hayes-HOU 96.7
and Chuck in '06-'07:
Offensive Rebounds
14. Amare Stoudemire-PHO 222
15. Erick(a) Dampier-DAL 217
16. Tim Duncan-SAS 213
17. Chuck Hayes-HOU 204
Defensive Rating
1. Tim Duncan-SAS 94.5
2. Ben Wallace-CHI 94.8
3. Marcus Camby-DEN 97.2
4. Yao Ming-HOU 97.7
5. Manu Ginobili-SAS 97.9
6. Chuck Hayes-HOU 98.0
(4) from chron.com & clutchfans:
By the time Chuck Hayes was given one of the NBA’s toughest assignments, matched up with Boston’s Kevin Garnett on Wednesday, the job had become even tougher. Garnett was already on a roll before Hayes got in the game. Hayes, however, slowed Garnett long enough for the Rockets to turn things around in a performance they later called a key to the win.
“He came in in the second quarter, and he just battled Garnett when he really had it going,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “I can’t give Chuck enough credit. He hasn’t been playing, and he took on the challenge. He kind of set the tone in that first half for us.”
Though Hayes has often been used as a defensive specialist against the top-scoring power forwards, Garnett is a particularly tough matchup because the shots Hayes usually forces opposing big men to take — jumpers often a step or two deeper than usual — are the shots Garnett covets.
“He does such a good job of not bringing (the ball) low so I can’t swipe it down,” Hayes said. “He has a high release and a fade to his shot. My best position is if he is going to fade and shoot that shot, try to get him as far away from the basket as I can and try to do what Shane ( Battier) does so well and get a good contest of his shot.
“I did my best. He started off the game tremendously hot. He had them on fire. He was in rhythm. When I got in there and got on him in the second quarter, they tried to get him going again. I did everything in my power to try not to let that happen again.”
(5) "You can’t say enough about the second group. Aaron gave us a huge lift and Brent (Barry) and Chuck Hayes was terrific defensively in the second half. Just showed we can be pretty good if we just stay with it. We’ve got a lot of guys that can help.”
"Ron was terrific the whole game," said Adelman. "Took some big shots, defended well. It was a great team win... And all along I was hoping to play Chuck. I didn’t even worry about Chuck getting three fouls in the first half. I had to put him in. He’s got to do the best job, he’s got to stay solid. He does so many things for us when he’s on the court.”
(6) "Everyone wants Kevin Garnett—he's got the perfect height, body, mentality—but most times, you're going to have to do with less," Morey says. "Behind Yao and Tracy, we've been willing to give up an inch of height, let's say, for more skill, a person who plays harder and creates for others, who defends and rebounds well." Morey's "basketball players" don't pop off a stat sheet, but they give coach Rick Adelman interchangeable and versatile parts that are capable of creating offensive and defensive advantages. "Chuck can guard anyone from 1 to 5; Shane can play 2, 3 or 4; Luis Scola can play 3, 4 or 5; and Brent Barry can go 1, 2 or 3," Morey says. "We're limited only by our strategic insight."
Discussion with the "experts" at The Dream Shake:
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Name me one "skill" Chuck possesses that would be NBA-quality? He can't dribble. He can't shoot. He can't pass. He can't jump. He's not tall. He's not quick. ... basically he's smart and he hustles, but that's not exactly a basketball skill.
... of course, that's why I love the guy (but I like winning more, so I won't shed a tear when Chuck is traded soon, like Novak).
You -will- cry when Scola is our big trying to protect the low post.
I guess Dorsey is supposed to fill that role, but he's only a rookie.
Even if he has comparable defense, it will be hard to see him getting key minutes.
Smarts probably would be the basis for most skills, and I didn't really want to discredit that.
Still, I think Chuck does have a high skill level. People, maybe even me, would have to describe them as 'intangible' skills, just because I'm not knowledgeable enough to pinpoint the defensive body positioning that he uses.
He shuts down (or at least can handle guarding) opponents ranging from Ron Artest to Lebron to Boozer.
He strips balls better than any non-All-star PF in the league.
He knows where to be all the time (smarts, yes) but he's not just a coach with all the answers.
You have to actually combine your intelligence with athleticism (not limited to how high you jump) to play in the league.
I just hate when people sell Chuck short. He does so much to help the team.
I guess we're talking semantics here when you say 'skill,' but I don't limit skills to dribbling and shooting.
He is quick and he can pass. And as I said before, jumping is not the only important athletic part of basketball.-
Chuck doesn't any NBA level skills, he has a TON of almost NBA defensive skills and those together add up to him being a viable NBA backup PF. I really like the guy, but intangibles aren't skills, they are intangibles. Either way, I love Chuck, I also don't think he has a place on the Rockets anymore.
Chuck highlight from Lakers series:
Travel then an airball
