Last Year We Saw the Same thing

That's what I'm saying. You put it well..."just ride it out."

Make another assessment at the end of the year.

 

I like the nice attitude you have on the situation, but what you're saying essentially solidifies the argument that Tracy and Yao are better off without each other, that they can't co-exist.

 

What's our record with both of them in the lineup versus just one of them?

 

I'm curious about that too actually.

 

It's really really really good with both in the lineup.

Decent with only T-Mac and up until this year terrible with only Yao...this is the 1st year this team has been able to win with just Yao and no T-Mac.

The above information is from memory and not fact checked.

 

Here is the tally (hopefully I didn't miscount). And I didn't disqualify games in which either player played only briefly.

Code:

         [B]with both   just Yao     just T-Mac   neither[/B]
04/05       48-28      2-2           1-1        0-0
05/06       21-10      6-10          6-10       1-18
06/07       30-11      2-5          20-10       0-4
07/08       17-12      8-7           0-1        0-0
Totals     116-61     18-24         27-22       1-22

1-22 without either T-Mac or Yao. And that one win probably cost us Brandon Roy. Yay!

 

I fully agree.

 

Thanks for your effort, Durvasa! 111-61 is 65.5% with both. Not bad. So we just need to keep both healthy.

 

The issue is, Yao appears to fit in the systems of both JVG and RA, that's why people think he is still needed even when Rox did well last year without him, and he has been improving and we likely still haven't seen his peak yet.

In contrast, Tmac apparently hasn't been looking very comfortable in RA's system. Even the team still won with him, the team appeared to regress back to the old form in his presence. While personally I think he is intelligent to adjust, it's not something sure at all. His physical conditions seem getting worse and worse as well. In other words Tmac's value is both going down and carries too much uncertainty.

So IF we can get a very borderline all-star type star player, who can make jumpshots with any consistency and play perimeter D (and has the personality to fit RA's system), I'd say go ahead. The problem is, right now Tmac's value is at the rock bottom (plus his fat contract) and I'm afraid he can't even get us that even a couple of solid players.

 

So we suffer two straight fourth quarter collapses, including one against a cruddy Eastern Conference team. And you consider winning four of five games, with wins over San Antonio and Portland, to be a regression?

 

As much as I hate that win (it was like Ryan Bowen and co vs Denver right?), I think it's sort of a myth that many of us hardcore fans buy into that it was at the expense of Brandon Roy.

I think if the Rockets had lost that game, they would have been tied with Minnesota in record, meaning that a coin flip (I'm not sure of this) would determine who picks 1st (or what was it, 7th or 8th back then).

So, it's more like that one win cost the Rockets a 50/50 chance at getting Roy, which they would have gotten instead of Battier...which probably would have lead to a lower seed last year, or maybe no homecourt vs Utah...but could have lead to a win over Utah.

Last year's playoffs problem in a nut shell: no offense creation outside of Yao and T-Mac leads Van Gundy sacrificing his principles to keep Yao on the court leading to the Rockets being exploited on defense vs the Jazz...also missed box outs and out hustles.

 

Woah, those are some GREAT stats Durv.

I mean we keep hearing about how bad the Rockets are without Tmac, but that includes the 1-22 without Yao too (which cost us Brandon Roy BTW).....so they are really only 18-24 without him....certainly bad, but not near as bad as the press has made it out to be.

And I concur with the OP, that the team is better with Tmac...once he finally gets it.......

If I were Adelman I would force the action some, get the ball and run it up, and get some early offense if Tmac is not across half court yet, so be it....you want the ball Tracy...move your arse....he will get the message....

DD

 

I would also like to keep both but we must not neglect the newly found form shown in the last game V GS.
Both Yao and Tracy have stamina limitations and I would still like to see Tracy not play the first qtr and Yao play limited minutes in the fourth qtr.This would mean that Yao could get the ball rolling and play well as we saw in his last game and then Tracy would be much fresher for the closing run in the fourth, in this way Yao could play harder in the middle of the game and not being worried about getting too tired for the fourth.

 

Yao fit way better in the JVG system (so far at least). In the JVG system we were able to get him the ball down low easily, and all he had to do was pop in a simple hook. But now, Yao has been getting the ball further and further out, which either causes a turnover or a bad fadeaway shot. We have had much more problems and turnovers getting him the ball also.

 

i thought we did a coin flip with minnesota for 8th and 9th, and we won.

 

The rox didn't have a win streak like that without hakeem. They won some games, but missed the playoffs. I remember people wanting seikely and rice for dream which was just dumb. just as dumb getting 2 good players for a star.

 

I'm personally opposed to any trades, but this is a flawed argument. If we were to trade T-Mac, we'd be getting player(s) back. So if you assume that someone like Luol Deng or Redd were on this team instead of T-Mac, are the Rockets better off?

 

in 90-91 olajuwon got hurt in the eye by cartwright and missed 25 games...the rockets went 15-10 without him but won 13 in a row as soon as he came back.

They finished with 52 wins and lost in the 1st round to lakers