I just would like to know how many people on this board is not worried about this team. Not yet at least. Considering the circumstances, I feel we are right where we should be. Other than the NY and ATL losses, which btw we lost by like a combined 4? points, we lost to better teams than us at this point. I know for sure I am not the only one with very low expectations for this team for the first 30 games. .500 record is acceptable for me, and looks likely to happen. People expected way too much too soon. I agree with most on this board that an athletic 4 would do wonders to this team, but I'm not giving up on this team this soon. I find it especially insane to call for grumpy's head right now. Give the team some time. This is not to say that the team should not be criticized/booed. This team is playing like an mediocre team, far from the good team we want them to be, and deserves to be booed. It's good for them. I would like to see everyone boo the team everytime they play like they did in the detroit game, ala NY fans. My expectations for this team is a 49 win season. I believe we could do it even without trades. If we do get a Kelvin Cato type, I would dream 52 wins and 2nd round+.
I'm expecting a 35 win season... and yet not worried about this team at all. 35 wins is a vast improvement from 21 so I'd be so happy if Houston can manage 30+ wins.
this is not gonna be a 49 win 31 lost season... we already lost 11 of those 31... we're bound to lose 20 more games
the only thing I am worried about is why are all these posters with 7 and 8 posts in 3 years of membership coming out to bring in this anti-Rocket's sentiment ?!
I think you meant 49-33. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. When a team finally learns to play together, the difference is striking. If we go 15-15, that means we would need 34-18 to finish the season off. That's about 1 loss for every two wins. Again, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I hope we have already seen the worst.
I am very worried about this season because JVG is not adapting to the talent he has and instead is demanding his players to adjust to his system.
You might be right, but I feel you can't come to that conclusion yet. Things looks real bad when you are losing.
I am not worried about the Rockets long term. I am worried short term whether they will be entertaining enough and competitive enough for me to want to continue to get my fix watching them. I think over the next 2 years, we will get the right parts and will be in the finals. I expect this coming offseason for us to add a major part with the MLE and another good piece with the TE. That should make us a top 4 team in the West. Then the offseason of 2006, we should add another piece or two and be set to contend for the title. I am disappointed though in this team. I really felt with the demise of the Lakers and what I perceived as a downgrade of the Mavs and Kings for us to be able to step up and contend for a top 4 seeding this year. After watching this first set of games, I am now convinced we are no better than a 6-7 seed at the very best. I do think that the rule changes this year are going to help lead to a more open, uptempo game and if some coaches in this league aren't willing to adjust, then they may be out of jobs. I just hope we don't waste another whole season trying to figure out if Van Gundy is the right fit for this team.
Willie2k5:"the only thing I am worried about is why are all these posters with 7 and 8 posts in 3 years of membership coming out to bring in this anti-Rocket's sentiment ?!" I'm not anti-Rockets I feel like I'm one of the most Pro-Rockets fans around. I'd cheer for them even if they're 0-82. I love the Rockets that much. With the Rockets/Magic swap, my love for the Rockets has quadrupled. Some people like fancy passes. Some people cheer for high flying dunks. Some people enjoy watching total team ball. Other people may enjoy watching isolation basketball. Some people care only about wins. Some care only about stats. Some care only about championships. Some are fine with just barely making the playoffs. Some are fine always being in the lottery. Some would cheer for their team no matter what happens. Personally, I don't care if the Rockets trade Yao and McGrady for George Bush and John Kerry. All I care about is that the Rockets are in Houston and they get to play Basketball. You might cheer for the Rockets to win every night. I really don't care if they win or not. They can lose everygame and I'd still be happy if I get to watch them and cheer. I feel many people have lost the spirit of the game. It's to have fun. Score and stats don't matter. As long as both teams have fun playing, the fans cheer, everyone wins. There are no losers if you embrace the spirit of the game. There's too much "winning is everything" and "embarrassing the opponent" in today's sports. So, embrace the game. Cheer for both teams to have a good, clean, fun game. Cheer for the home team. Cheer for the visiting team. It's all good, play ball. Different strokes, for different folks. Doesn't mean I'm anti-Rocket.
... yes.... you are are the ULTIMATE fan you disgrace the team by mentioning Orlando's record instead of Houston's record from last season ....oh, but your the "greatest fan" you say that you expect only "35 wins" which is "improvement" - ....oh, but you are the "greatest fan" considering that you joined in Dec 2003 and only have 8 posts, I think it is more likely that you are not a fan at all - but just a troll coming in to start something http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll
Count me among those who aren't worried. I am seeing these guys starting to learn how to play with each other, Sura is coming along well, and I have been pleased with the way the "shock troops" have played, particularly in the game in Dallas. I maintain that if we develop anything remotely approaching chemistry, we will be very dangerous.
I agree ! we had a tough schedule AND we need about 20-30 games to get everything to gel. If we make it to 15-15 and start showing progress, we can do some damage post-all star break remember, more than HALF the teams in the league make the playoffs
I ain't worried. I'm positive about this team. I'm positive that if they don't get rid of Yao, this team will be in the lottery and never get a sniff of the playoffs. I feel for Tmac who truly is a superstar player and deserves the chance to play with some good talent and have a chance of winning.
I have mixed feelings about this team. I wouldn't say I'm worried, but I'm not as optimistic as I used to be. The biggest strength of this team is that we have Yao and T-Mac have likely another 7+ years together. That's as solid a foundation as you can get in the NBA. But we have serious problems too. For one, our role players as a group sucks. Salary cap is a big issue, as we have crapload of deadweight which messes up FA/trade options. JVG is looking more and more like the wrong coach for this team. And Carroll Dawson's GM skills are looking pretty suspect. I mean, if the Rockets could've found 2 or 3 solid role players, or another semi-star, in the past several drafts, this team would already be a solid contender. But We have had even a remotely decent draft since we got Dickerson(turned into Francis) and Mobley years back.
