greenie
29 Aug 2002, 10:15 AM
Wondering what people think of the quality of personnel moves made by the Rapids this year.
Following the draft and the Amokachi blunder, the Rapids have brought in just three players -- Palacios, Kingsley, and Shannon.
Certainly Kingsley has been a brilliant surprise, and his consistent effort, solid play and occasional excellence have definitely been a contribution to this team.
Palacios has been inconsistent. At his best, the most favorable compliment you can give him is that he doesn't make many mistakes. Unfortunately he rarely provides the team with that level of play, and most often turns out little more than thuggish performances.
And the Moose? He's hardly been worthwhile as a practice dummy, let alone someone who can produce on the field. I've heard rumors now that he's been so horrible in training that he won't even get listed as an eligible sub come gameday.
Is one out of three bad? Not if the Rapids had been building on an already strong -- and healthy -- lineup.
However, for all the quality that Kingsley has brought in, he's made nowhere near the impact that was expected from Amokachi -- or Simutenkov, if you believe the stories that the Rapids were screwed by MLS (again).
At least the Rapids appear to have done fairly well in bringing in solid, young players; Stewart and Kingsley have far exceeded expecations. Yet however good they may have played this season, I don't see them making the kind of impact we've seen out of other teams' young guns. To top it off, Hankinson appears to have no interest in getting Beckerman time in the field; it's like the kid killed the gaffer's dog or something.
The worst part of all this is that looking towards 2003, the Rapids won't have too many options for improving this lineup. Prior trades have depleted our draft picks; no player with a high salary appears to be on their way out (thanks, Pibe); and the team does not seem to have an allocation in their back pocket. All we're left with is faith in the discovery pick, something which has brought the Rapids little good during Hankinson's tenure.
Following the draft and the Amokachi blunder, the Rapids have brought in just three players -- Palacios, Kingsley, and Shannon.
Certainly Kingsley has been a brilliant surprise, and his consistent effort, solid play and occasional excellence have definitely been a contribution to this team.
Palacios has been inconsistent. At his best, the most favorable compliment you can give him is that he doesn't make many mistakes. Unfortunately he rarely provides the team with that level of play, and most often turns out little more than thuggish performances.
And the Moose? He's hardly been worthwhile as a practice dummy, let alone someone who can produce on the field. I've heard rumors now that he's been so horrible in training that he won't even get listed as an eligible sub come gameday.
Is one out of three bad? Not if the Rapids had been building on an already strong -- and healthy -- lineup.
However, for all the quality that Kingsley has brought in, he's made nowhere near the impact that was expected from Amokachi -- or Simutenkov, if you believe the stories that the Rapids were screwed by MLS (again).
At least the Rapids appear to have done fairly well in bringing in solid, young players; Stewart and Kingsley have far exceeded expecations. Yet however good they may have played this season, I don't see them making the kind of impact we've seen out of other teams' young guns. To top it off, Hankinson appears to have no interest in getting Beckerman time in the field; it's like the kid killed the gaffer's dog or something.
The worst part of all this is that looking towards 2003, the Rapids won't have too many options for improving this lineup. Prior trades have depleted our draft picks; no player with a high salary appears to be on their way out (thanks, Pibe); and the team does not seem to have an allocation in their back pocket. All we're left with is faith in the discovery pick, something which has brought the Rapids little good during Hankinson's tenure.