http://www.82games.com/0809/0809HOU.HTM We all cry about Yao lack of consistence, T-Mac injury, Artest and Rafer horrible offense but the numbers don't lie. When they are on Court/Off Court Houston are a different team. The are the only players that have a + on production when they are on/oof the floor. When one of them have miss a game Houston is 2-4 when they have played together 9-3. With all the complains this group are the only reason we have a winning record. Once they can play all together for a big stretch you will notice the difference. Once Battier get more games you will notice him as a difference maker too.
Next time those 5 guys step out on the court the stars and planets will have to be in alignment and a great eclipse will occur because they are the most unhealthy group I have ever seen. They should change the name of the Rockets to the Mayo Clinic.
I was just perusing this today - hard to get a good read on the Rockets without tons of data in thus far - just judging from the +/-, PER and Roland ratings - a few things are indicated thus far: http://www.82games.com/0809/0809HOU.HTM Artest is shutting his man down on defense. Landry is awesome on offense and awful on defense. Similar story to landry but not as exaggerated for Brooks. Similar story to landry but not as exaggerated for Scola. Hayes' defensive productivity looks uncharacteristically terrible this year. Barry is the worst regular by far this year, lending credence to the theory that his NBA career is completely over. The Rockets still need either Yao or McGrady on the court to have a chance. OVerall defensive performance is lacking with the exception of Artest, supporting the theory that the lessons of JVG = gone (or that Battier's glue factor on D is super high).These are all just quick impressions so if somebody (durvasa) has a better take I'd like to read it.
I like our team. I'm not to worry. I just want to see rafer shoot a higher percentage. And maybe some changes for Yao. I'm super optimistic for this team. Yes we have played almost 25% of the season. It was the same last year. Houston Rockets FTW
That's why I'm worried though - the whole "lethargy lethargy lethargy HEY ITS JANUARY AND NOW WE'RE AWESOME!" routine is not as easy as the Rockets have made it seem in the past few seasons. It's more like lethargy -> lottery.
Here's how I think the numbers line up with my observations so far on the team: - Barry is having a horrible start, but I think it can be excused to injuries affecting his shooting. He becomes a liability if he can't get his shot to fall due to his decreased athleticism, and between thumb and ankle injuries that has in fact been an issue. - Ron is still struggling to get integrated into the offense, but I think that will be fixed with time. Nevertheless he still impacts the team positively with sheer hustle especially on defense. - Completely agree with observations on Landry, Scola and Brooks. Landry seems to be improving somewhat in the past few games -- let's hope it's for real. - The decline in defense and offense can directly be attributed to Battier's absence, and even with limited minutes Battier's on/off impact is already astronomical (+16.5). - Even with a broken knee and declining production, McGrady still has a hugely positive impact on this team when he is on the court, and this team needs him to succeed. - But beyond all these, the biggest problem the Rockets have is that injuries have forced them to use so many different lineups already that the lack of continuity is drastically impacting the development of chemistry on the court. In fact, I'd say that the only reason the Rockets aren't tearing up the league like the Lakers, Celtics and Cavaliers are is this -- they haven't even had an opportunity to trot out their normal starting five yet, and it seems like every other game we're getting a new starting shooting guard (Wafer, Head, Battier, Barry). The plan should be to have all these issues, especially the last one, resolved by the end of January. Then the Rockets can stage one of their characteristic second half runs and this time carry the momentum through the playoffs into at least the WCF.
I think our record looks great given the things we've had to deal with. If you remember with the Celtics they were able to field the same team for the majority of the beginning of the season, preseason, and offseason. This overreaction with both Mcgrady, Artest and Yao is quite ridiculous. As BASKETBALL fans we should understand that chemistry and game takes time to build. I count two rotational players injured or hobbled and realistically we got three completely new rotation players (Artest, Brooks, Barry). If any of you have ever played basketball you should know it won't just click given these type of changes. I think we should call for patience but early signs have shown when Battier comes back things should be smoother
I wouldn't pay much attention to that Opponent's PER stat. We know, just from watching the games, that Chuck has played very good defense. I frankly don't even know how they calculate that number -- if you click Chuck's Production by Position tab, it shows some other numbers that suggest a different story. Further, its almost impossible to know, just from the play by play, which front court player Chuck was responsible for. 82games generates all these numbers in an automated fashion from the play by play.
First we should try this once mcgrady is back: Starters: Yao T-Mac Artest Battier Alston Bench: Scola, Brooks, Landry, Hayes, Barry If it doesn't work out... Starters: Yao T-Mac Scola Battier Alston Bench: Artest, Brooks, Landry, Hayes, Barry
