Let's say Dream really doesn't want to come back and goes to Toronto or whatever. What do you think our record will be next year. I think without good defensive player (Cato is not good) at the five, we will 49-33 and make the playoffs at the 7 spot. What do you guys think. ------------------
52-30, sixth seed, sweept by the Kings thanks to a lack of a low post presence. ------------------ Protrolls.com! Keep the ???? alive! The ZRBucks!
If Dream leaves and we manage to keep our own free agents, we go 48 - 34 (7th seed by a hair) If we snag a sabonis or someone to replace Dream and retain our free agents: 51 - 31 (6th seed) ------------------ "George W. is like a hybrid of his father and Dan Quayle" - P. Mesku [This message has been edited by Valio! (edited July 22, 2001).]
A) 49-33 B) best team ever to be in the lottery. C) best record ever for a #1 pick hey, i can dream can't I? Just imagine what this team could do with that 7'6" Chinese dude in the paint, or we could trade that pick to any number of teams for just about anything we wanted. Hell, we might be able to get rid of cato, sort of like a "here, we give you this #1 pick for taking Cato, sound like a deal?" ------------------ Anyone need a C/C++/Win32/HTML/PHP/SQL/Java/Perl/x86 coder?
W/O Dream & W/O Marc Jackson > 45 - 37 - #9 seed W/O Dream & W/ Marc Jackson > 48 - 34 - #9 seed I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I just don't see much difference. I just feel the WC is tough and it's going to take a little longer for this young team to "gell". ------------------ Raef to Rocks in '01-'02!
If the Rockets go back to the lottery, then Rudy should be fired, and the team, blown up. ------------------ Protrolls.com! Keep the ???? alive! The ZRBucks!
Great ZRB is turning back into Turn before our eyes! Darn this Dream situation! I'm going to say 50-32 and a 7th seed. This team won 45 games last year, and everybody in the West got worse other then, potentially, the Lakers and Kings, MAYBE Minnesota if Loren Woods works out. ------------------ "Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another." - Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air
No, that is not "turning" back into Turn. If they don't make the playoffs, then something is wrong. There is no way that there are 8 teams in the west better than the Rockets. Minnesota? No, they have done nothing to improve. Phoenix? No, all they did was trade away their franchise player. Seattle? Hardly. Utah? Not at their age. Portland? Perhaps they will be equal with the Rockets. The only teams that could be better are the Spurs, Lakers, Mavs, and Kings. Keep in mind that I said "could", because we don't know what these new rules will do. I have my doubts about the Spurs... Hakeem could help the Rockets get an even higher seed, and even do well in the playoffs, but getting there should definitely not be a problem (injuries aside). Not making the playoffs, with the current team in tact (with or without Dream), would be a massive, massive failure. There are no excuses. ------------------ Protrolls.com! Keep the ???? alive! The ZRBucks!
It's a long season and anything can happen. It's to early to say that a team with a backcourt in their early 20s, a PF in his early 20s, a 19 year old small forward, an underachieving center, and a couple of other early 20 players off the bench are a "lock" to make the playoffs. Keep in mind that the only player on the Rockets with serious playoff experience is Matt Bullard, Walt Williams and Cuttino Mobley. ------------------ "Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another." - Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited July 22, 2001).]
"W/O Dream & W/ Marc Jackson > 48 - 34 - #9 seed"- GATER If the Rockets win 48 games and miss the playoffs then I quit. ------------------ "banging Shaq is a whole different expirience"-Pete Babcock Behold the power of quotation
How much experience do they need? All they had to do was beat the fricking Clippers to make the playoffs last year. They missed out my two games. Missing them this year would be a complete and utter failure. ------------------ Protrolls.com! Keep the ???? alive! The ZRBucks!
Keep in mind that the last "young gun" team to crash into the playoffs in the Western Conference were the Sacramento Kings in 1999. I think the Rockets will make the playoffs, but inexperience and youth could hurt. ------------------ "Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another." - Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited July 23, 2001).]
No way to say until the Dream situation is resolved. W/ a Marc Jackson-type replacement, 52-30, W/O - 50-32. I think we'll see abt a 5-game improvement on last season just by virtue of maturation, improved chemistry, and the fact that half of the West f*ed their rosters (some a little, some a lot) this offseason. Add a half-decent center, and get another couple of W's. Losing Hakeem will NOT keep us out of the playoffs. 5th-7th seed either way. And a scary team to play once we get there. ------------------
40-42 without Hakeem we left with Cato & Collier...sorry but that's no good...40-42 is if Steve Francis improves... and Griffen is what everyone thinks he is... ------------------ <<..........>>
Yea, it's a little pessimistic but think about this. Here's our record against last seasons playoff teams: Spurs 1-3 Lakers 1-3 Mavs 2-2 Kings 0-4 Blazers 1-3 Wolves 2-2 Jazz 1-3 Suns 1-3 7 of those 8 teams won 50+ games. The Wolves won 47. It looks like Woods will help the Wolves and Smith may sign there. I just see the West (Rockets included) plundering the East, but the Rocks being tied or 1 game behind the Wolves. Again, I admit this is pessimistic. OK, how about we win 48 and get the 8 seed? ------------------ Raef to Rocks in '01-'02!
All I want is for the Rockets to beat the crappy teams. They would have been better than the Wolves, Suns, Jazz, Mavs, and Blazers if they had beaten the crappy teams. Combine that, with improvement from Steve, Cuttino, and Mo, and the addition of Griffin, the Rockets should be able to beat some more playoff teams, and get a high seed. If they don't do that, there is something wrong. ------------------ Protrolls.com! Keep the ???? alive! The ZRBucks!
ZRB, no disrespect, but those fricking Clippers did the same song & dance to many of the top teams last year. With Brand, they will even be more UNPREDICTABLE this year. ------------------
Forthree whats your reasoning behind your 40-42 prediction,man? We have already improved with or without Dream,and as I see it we will sign SOMEONE to get some playing time at center,so how come we go down hill? If we sign Dream or any other capable starting center I can see the Rockets winning 50 but I think we will get that 7 or 8 spot with a 48 win season,and if we CANT get in the playoffs with 48 wins then the NBA needs some MAJOR realignment ------------------ AKA Rendiggler
One note of caution....I think it's WAY too early to assume that the Portland team we saw last year is any more a true representation of their talent than the year before when they rivaled the Lakers for best team in the game. Everyone is pretty much writing them off, but I think that that is seriously premature, especially when their problems (chemistry, pt distribution) can still be resolved reasonably easily.So, for all those who are automatically putting the Rocks ahead of the Blazers, I'd sound a note of caution. They're still stacked, talent-wise. ------------------
Hey everyone, I hate to be a little negative in my second post, but seeing our record against playoff teams made me remember something about last season. The Rockets went 25-5 against the East, a feat which I will be elated and shocked if it is repeated. I don't care how weak the East will be again next year, going 25-5 is next to impossible to repeat. I think if the Rockets win 46-48 games next season without Hakeem and slip into the 8th seed that they did an excellent job. The only way they can string together 50+ wins is to start showing some dominance against the stronger teams in the western conference. Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to be totally wrong about this and watch the Rockets get the 5th seed or better, I'm just trying to remind everyone of the extremity of the dominace against the eastern conference. ------------------ The world will not be saved by old minds with new programs. If the world is saved, it will be saved by new minds--with no programs.
