There really is no quick answer, no excuse why the Rockets lost. Not even AB and Yao could have changed the outcome. 2nd game of a back-to-back on the road against one of the hottest teams in the league. No way Rockets could've won this one.
LA wasnt taking us seriously...that should have been a 5, maybe 6 game series if we got hot....but to answer your question, we lost significant defensive players, too many of them. The more i think about it i can't believe Morey didn't see this being a problem, even with a healthy Yao. Anyone know what's the knock on Magnum Rolle? I keep asking around but no one has answered...don't want to start a thread just for that.
Battier was getting burned alot by Caron Butler Miller, Scola, C-Bud, and Martin are all liabilities on defense, they have to be some of the leagues worst... Texans Secondary>>>Rockets backcourt defense
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You hit the nail right on the head. And they play to many minutes on the floor to be a good defensive team. If we were to make an over haul, this team needs interior presence or two and 2-way players who are on the floor more often that play both sides. What is bad is Brooks/Martin/Scola/Bud/Miller are bad, bad for defense who eat most of the rotational minutes. In the playoffs you win with defense.
Yeah, that'll work. If memory serves, they (Rockets) were 0-5 with those two so I certainly don't see how adding them will make this team any more competitive. Look, it is simple: you have a team of backups playing one of the two top teams in the West - a team that just won 4 games in 5 days that was rested and ready while the Rockets who were playing the 2nd game of a back-to-back. Exactly, what did you folks expect to happen out there? Game 7 of the NBA Finals?
New Orleans is much stronger and Denver isn't folding as expected plus Phx and Portland aren't going away without a fight. Decemeber 20th should be about 3 weeks from today, lets say we go 5-6 from today to go 10-18. The team would need to go 37-17 to finish at 47 wins and give us a shot to get our ass handed to us by the Lakers. 40-14 if 50 is still the bench mark which I predict will be.
The way the team is constructed, it's all dependent on Yao being the lone defensive presence in the paint. I wish the Rockets would've pursuit Tyson Chandler a lot more aggressively during the offseason.
So far it doesn't look like that. West is really even it won be easy to have 11 50 win teams. So far 8 place is up for grabs.
I don't think there is one. Maybe a lingering knee problem from his college days? Some might think he's too fragile or injury prone. I wouldn't mind giving him a shot. IIRC, worzel gummidge had 'sign magnum rolle' in his sig for a while. The details are a little sketchy, but I think Indiana wanted to keep him, but he was released in a numbers game as the Pacers chose to keep Solomon Jones (a more established Nba player - relatively speaking) and didn't have enough room for Rolle. He was signed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers and might've gotten hurt too. As it stands now, he was playing decently in the d-league and got hurt, but his d-league team wants to pick him back up once he's ready to go again. Something about d-league teams not having room on their rosters to keep injured players...I don't know. I think he has a ways to go, but what have the Rockets got to lose...nothing imo....He could end up being our JaVale Mcgee.
It doesn't look like the Lakers is going get the first place. Mavs and SA have other thing on mind. Lakers don't look that strong this season.
The players are giving the effort. Look at how hard Chuck Hayes, Scola and the rest are out there trying. They simply aren't that good. Period. And no matter who you choose to blame, who comes off the end of the bench or whatever fantasy trade you may dream up, they won't be getting any better until DM, Les and RA come up with a new plan for this team because the wheels have come off on the old Yao + a superstar to be named later plan they have been milking since CD left.
Na unless we finish with the worst record we are not getting anything. We can get more by trading our players than rebuilding tru the draft.
Yeah I agree. Losing your two best players hurt...but I still feel like even with Brooks and Yao the losing will continue. We'll see if it continues. With Yao, well you always feel you only have him so long before he goes down again, if that is the case they might as well consider rebuilding. It's just frustrating to watch, and it looks like Battier, Hayes, Miller have no future with this team. If this continues I hope we can trade some of these guys for a decent prospect or a pick.
This team is better with AB and Kyle Lowry healthy and with AB as the starter. Lowry started the season hurt. Then AB went out and Lowry came in about a week later. This team really hasn't been healthy since the start of the season. Still, this team is still too focused on Yao to be competitive.
honestly we needed to bring in Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood, still don't understand why that trade didn't go down Haywood is a polished Jordan Hill and I doubt Butler's D is worse than Martin. We also should of kept Ariza and traded Battier, but we are all learning that Morey is human and wont always make the right moves.
