Recently, our role players suck! Even Yao + Tmac got 69 pts, rockets still lost. Does this mean our role players too bad? Honestly, at the beginning, I thought that is true. But, after thinking carefully, I have to say it is our leaders' problem. We all know that one indicator of a superstar is that he can make his teammates better. However, neither Yao or Tmac is able to do it currently. When I watch other teams' games, I find, usually, their leaders (e.g., Nash, Kobe) let their role players get hot in the first 2 quarters,and then take over the game in the 3 and 4 quarters. But for Rockets, Yao and Tmac take most of shots in the first two quarters, especially for Yao. This results in they don't have energy to take over the game in the 4th quarter and other role players are cold hands then, so we always lost games in the 4th quarter. I think coach A realize this, so sometimes he let all role players on the court during the 2nd quarter. But, those role players need a good playmaker to play with them on the court. I think Yao and Tmac should stop complaining their teammates, and take a superstar's responsibility.
Getting them wide open looks gives them a better chance to make the shot, thus making them better. T-Mac/Yao make our role players go from crap to suck.
Wide open looks, and wide open lanes. Why not take it all the way to the basket (strong), rather than stop at the baseline and float up a 8-10 footer.
"What's happening, Yao's not used to the speed and the number of (options). He sees the cutter, but he doesn't see the defense yet so he's making passes into the teeth of the defense, rather than seeing who's open because of that cut. That's what made Vlade and Brad and Chris (Webber) special. They would see the cut and they'd see the play and they'd throw it to the right guy. If a guy was open, he got it. If he wasn't, the next guy did. Yao threw two or three passes in the Clipper game he threw it right into the teeth of the defense when there were people open on the weak side. That's just a process he's got to go through, I think." Adelman said. I think this is a good suggestion, and Yao should take it. Yao should try to make his teammates to be better players rather than complain them. Vlade and Brad are probably not as good scorer as Yao is, but they are better playmaker. Of course, many people would say that Yao is a better player than them already, and he doesn't need to be any of them. That's true! But, Yao needs to be a true superstar to win a ring. To do that, he has to make his teammates to be better players.
No, if you watch lakers' games this season, you can find that usually Kobe makes plays for his teammates in the 1st half. Kobe is changing this two seasons.
I have seen a handful of games and my response is that it's too small a sample size for me to say that he's changed his stripes as of yet.
Wait, when did Yao and Tmac start blaming their teammates? Can you show me that? What more do you want them to do? Yao and Mcgrady accounts for 95%, directly or indirectly. Don't call them out and say they're not "leaders." Last time I checked Yao won us a couple of games by himself and Tmac saved our asses in the 4th quarter a couple of times this season too. We all need to calm down a bit and believe in this team, and eventually the gold will come out.
I'll tell you what a True Leader should have. 1. Heart ( Steve Francis ) 2. Skill ( T-mac (only when he's not shooting 30%fg) ) 3. Dedication ( Yao ) To bad it's split 3 ways on this team LOL
I disagree. If our role players, especially the two main bench players in james and wells could score, Coach would have no problems to rest Yao and tmac more (watch the first 3 or 4 games). Yao HAD to play 40+ minutes for several games. BTW, no matter what tmac and yao do, it's really hard to make our other 3 starters going offensively anyway.
If Yao stop doing this, then nobody is going to do it, then another six in row losing could come in, I am kidding, but it is a half kiding.
4. Smile ( Rafer ) 5. Humility ( Head) 6. Intelligence ( Battier) 7. Patience ( Bonzi ) 8. Commitment ( James ) 9. Energy ( Scola ) 10. Endurance ( Deke )
seems like every player that goes to the suns can potentially look like allstar diaw stoud marion bell and barbosa and this year with grant hill (everyone playing above their lvl with nash running pt) and every player that comes to rockets look like junks mj francis wells swift battier alston(he got junkier) nachbar glenrice wesley...etc dont know why and tmac and yao lacks kobe and lbj's leadership skills to lead bunch of scrubs
HERE IS A NICE ARTICLE ON LEADERSHIP Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE Date: SUN 04/18/1993 Section: Sports Page: 6 Edition: 3 STAR Rockets' lean years vanish in LA night By FRAN BLINEBURY Staff INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- It was right here in this building in 1986, at the other end of the floor from the visitors' bench, that Ralph Sampson's desperate last-second jump shot did a cute little tap dance around the rim and onto the heads of the reigning NBA champs, ushering in what was going to be the era of the Rockets. Now, seven years later, the Rockets finally have taken the second step. Their 100-84 victory Friday night over the Lakers at the scene of their past glory gave the Rockets a division title that was as sudden and unexpected as a lightning bolt from out of the blue, sending them into the playoffs crackling with electric possibilities for the first time in ages. "This is the way I thought it was going to always be during my career in the NBA," Hakeem Olajuwon said. "After we beat the Lakers in the playoffs in '86, I thought we were going to be a team that would be right there each year. I thought we would be competing for the championship. I thought we would be a team that was always one of the best. "But as the years went by, the idea of a championship became like making a basket from half-court. It was a very long shot. "Now, I would say that it's more like a free throw. We're getting closer." The Rockets are getting closer because of so many games like this one, in which Olajuwon played like the league's Most Valuable Player with 29 points and 14 rebounds, Vernon Maxwell continued to percolate with 17 points and the Rockets played with a sense of commitment on the backboards and a sense of purpose in their overall approach. How far they have come so quickly. It was just last summer that a lot of people believed Olajuwon would be playing for a championship contender this season, but few thought it would be the Rockets. Now here are the Rockets, having equaled the club record for wins (52) in a season with five games remaining and sprinting for the wire in a race with Seattle for the home-court advantage in a possible second-round playoff matchup. Here are the Rockets, a year after one of the ugliest feuds between a star player and management in the history of sports, happy and hungry. Olajuwon eventually got his $25 million contract extension, but what he is searching for is his first championship ring. A year ago, veteran Tree Rollins sat in the locker room on the day after the Rockets had failed to qualify for the playoffs and said this club was the most selfish, unmotivated, leaderless team he had ever seen. Now, even Rollins is shocked with the strides the Rockets have made. "I wouldn't have believed you if you told me a year ago this would happen," Rollins said. "I'd have said that the team definitely had the talent but wasn't sure it would ever have the maturity. All of a sudden, we have guys playing together and liking each other." The signs were there, Rollins said, early in the season. After every Rockets practice, it is customary for the team to come together at midcourt and for each man to put one hand into a huddle. But, after one workout, one of the Rockets did not enter the circle. "Hakeem walked up to him and told him to put his hand in," Rollins said. "He told the guy that we were a team, and we were going to do everything together. "To me, that was a sign of leadership from Hakeem. It was a commitment. A lot of guys saw that happen, and, from that day, nobody has ever missed being a part of the huddle." The sense of togetherness is evident in the way the Rockets unselfishly pass the ball until they find the man with the best shot. It was exemplified Saturday night against San Antonio when Olajuwon and Maxwell exchanged six passes to set up a dunk by Hakeem. This is a team that has come together under the firm leadership of coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who has molded the Rockets from an undisciplined bunch into a group that takes advantage of its wonderful individual talent but does not let any one player drift. "We were like a bunch of little kids last year," Rollins said. "We needed some direction. We needed to be told what to do. You've got to remember, pro athletes are like spoiled kids. We get everything handed to us for years, and there comes a time when need somebody to lay down the law. "Rudy has given us the tough approach we needed, and you can see what it's done for us." It brought them back to the Forum, back in front of the Laker Girls and the Hollywood crowd and the beautiful people, and it made the Rockets the star attractions again. Seven years later. "It's been a long time," Olajuwon said. Don't we know it.
and Rafer is the one who will construct a house for these 3 to live on and talk over all the problems
