ESPN: The biggest playoff X factor out there stands 7-foot-6.

I noticed that too... also Anthony and Legler also chose Houston as the darkhorse.. (even though greg changed his pick because Legler already picked Houston)

 

This was also in that same article.

 

Would somebody please remind me - we had Bargnani's rights for a while didn't we? And we traded them for... ?

 

We never had bargnani's rights. He was the first overall pick in the draft this year.

 

Can't imagine who you're thinking of. The only other Euro whose rights we 'owned', but never had him here, was good ol' Mirsad Turkcan (*sob* Rashard!! WE wanted you, even if the Rockets' brass all had brain farts at the same time.. WE FANS wanted you!!)

 

But my favorite era in Rockets history was by far the Maciej Lampe era.

Free the Magic Lampe!!

 

Steve Novak was ranked pretty high during the preseason games. Third, I think. I really thought he was gonna be a huge factor for us this season. I didn't expect Deke and Juwan to have rebirths.

 

He can't play defence though, It wasn't obvious in the preseason.


Yao is going to be our X factor, I reckon whilst many people say the Lakers are the team they don't want to play, The Rockets will be dangerous if Yao comes back in any sembalance of Form

 

Yet there can be little argument that the comeback of greatest significance as NBA teams reunite this week is Yao Ming's expected return to the Rockets' lineup in March.

I get so tired of the sports media hyping the Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Jazz, etc. when the best team in the League has played for over 2 months without the NBA's premier big man, taking 25 and 10 out of the lineup. Now, the hammer is about to drop. Other teams are going to have to decide who to double team - TMac or Yao, can't have it both ways. I suspect there are some NBA coaches in a bit of a panic right now. I just wish we had another game or two with the Mavs.

 

Yao will help - but the problem with our teams still remain. And that's the weaknesses at power forward and point guard. These are major weaknesses - and as good as T-mac and Yao may play (and T-mac hasn't been dominant for a long strech since his first season with us), other teams are going to dice us apart at the 4 and the 1.

Teams like Dallas, SA, the Suns - all have point guards which will make mince meat of whoever we throw at them, and you can't throw t-mac at them (who isn't quick enough to guard a pg anymore anyway). Besides, T-mac can't plug two weakness - and it taxes him to do one. We saw it against Dallas. Who is going to guard Dirk and Terry / Josh Howard. Who is going to stop Parker and Genobolli - but not leave Duncun one-on-one aginst yao? Who is going to take on Steve Nash - but shut down Marion and all those three point shooters? Too many weaknesses. Opposing teams just need to focus on T-mac and Yao, and forget about the rest of the Rockets who are a subpar team around two lonely stars. Battier is help. So is Mutombo. Maybe Head on some days. The rest of the team really is very mediocre.

Looking back, it was a mistake for JVG not to develop VSPAN. It may have cost us a few games - but we'd be better in the long run.

 

We do have more games with the Mavs, it is called THE PLAYOFFS, we have to get through them to get to the finals so we'll be playing them.

 

I think that defensively, we really are not overmatched by anyone (maybe the Suns). If we get Snyder and Battier on the floor, they match up very well with Howard and Nowitzki. Also, this will be the first season in which the dominant Yao and healthy Tmac will be on the floor together. If we can dump the ball in the post 25 times a game to Yao, that takes a lot of the pressure off Tmac and he can do more at the defensive end. We saw Rafer shut down Terry the last time we played, and Howard and Nowitzki were only factors in streches (Dirk didnt score when Tmac was guarding him). The key is tempo. With Yao back, we can slow the game down even more and stop those runs that always kill us against the Mavs. I dont know if we are good enough to win the title this season, but I know that with our defense's ability to keep the game close and the best streak shooter in the NBA on our team, I'll take my chances aginst anyone (and the most dominant center in the game helps too).

 

Yao isn't an X factor, he is pretty consistant nowdays, the whole Rox team is an X factor, cuz nobody knows how good this team can be, since rox dont have a long stretch of games with both stars to indicate it.
and no previous playoff indicators (2005 one doesnt count since the squat was completely different.)

 

wow, i didn't know shawn bradley had that big of an impact in the playoffs.

 

Maybe I'm not remembering this correctly, but wasn't Jason Terry a non-factor in two of the games we played? Likewise, wasn't Tony Parker shut down in a couple of the games we played? Our team is "mediocre", yet we are winning games without Yao. I'm only guessing we will continue to do that.

A second round draft pick is not the answer to our playoff run this year.

 

Correct me if I am wrong.

X-factor normally means someone not usually in the starting 5. Someone that provides sparks, passion and energy that would be a surprise, causing match-up problems for the opposing team.

In that context, Yao Ming is not the X factor. He is our starting centre. He is the core and anchor in O&D.

 

An X-factor is something that can change the current status quo. Since Yao has been sidelined for 2 months, that description certanly applies.

 

perhaps this article meant healthwise

yao's health and shape would be a factor
other than that, I can't really see the essence behind this either