there were tonnes of close games, but we just couldn't execute down the stretch. what we really need is a go to guy. then we'd definitely have been in the playoffs. playing team ball during the very last stages of a game isn't the way to go.
But we had talent and we also had hustle. Goran Dragic is the definition of that. It's just when we have no talent and no hustle when we lost...
I think this is an insightful saying but really over simplifies the issue. We lost to Phoenix, Utah, and Denver who are our closest peers and we didn't lose to these guys because they are better talent wise.
The only team that I would say that was clearly more talented than us during the losing streak was the Mavs. Maybe that jingle can be the gist of the whole season, but not that last losing streak. The 3rd qtr dry spells was our crux.
After reading the opening post I was ready to say exactly this. Okay not exactly and not as brilliantly. But the point is we didn't collapse. It's stupid tp say we collapsed when the reality is we played above ourselves most of the season and in the end Utah, Phoenix, Denver and Dallas were all just better than us. The best teams won. This presents a whole different problem for Moreyball and the Rockets. Morey continues to find Courtney Lees and Scolas and Parsons. Players who consistently above themselves, their talent level. Which gives us more wins in the regular but when the game is on the line is on the line. The reality is we overachieve in the regular season but we are not as good as many teams with lesser records. Which means we are being shortchanged for our efforts. We our probably closer to Golden State talent wise but we are not getting the benefit of the 8th draft pick. The only why to change this is go with youth over experience. To Dump Scola Martin, Dally, maybe even Camby. Sign Dragic , trade Lowry for the best draft pick we can get trade picks, players, whatever to move up and come out of the draft we two good picks. Set yourself up for the 2013 draft with a top five pick and a solid young free agent. Only Look only for youth in trades and only play youth.
The team just isn't good enough. We rely too much on perimeter shooting, and cold spells happen. We also can't stop teams who penetrate the paint. I would have liked to make the playoffs, and I think we had a punchers chance at winning a series or two, but we aren't championship material. We've waited and waited to turn our assets into a top tier player (or two), but it just hasn't happened. I dont' think we're gonna get Howard or DWilliams, and if we do, they won't stay. Unless we can find the deal we're looking for, I think it's time to parlay our assets into high draft picks. Whether it's this year's draft, or the next, or next, we need to draft a stud C/PF (prefer 6'10"minimum), and also try and find a stud SG/SF who can take the ball to the rim. Easier said than done, I know, but being a "pretty good team" isn't enough anymore. We know what it's like to be a premier team, and anything less is failure.
I think people forget this wasn't our only big losing streak of the season.. we had a few. We're just an inconsistent young team
Those six games didn't have something we have had all year: heroics from our PG position. In the begining Lowry was playing out of his mind. In the middle Dragic was playing out of his mind. In the ends, neither were playing out of thier mind.
+++++1 It was clear in the post-Yao era to blow up the damn team. (imo, by the second time the twig snapped and TMac got on his rag) With our assembly of random overacheiving talent with NO superstar/future potential, we're putting the cart behind the horse. I mean, even getting a sub-superstar, Carmelo-like talent, in the draft would not set us back 3 more years of lotto fail (the "Oklahoma excuse") just by virtue of Morey finding overacheivers. BUT WE'LL NEVER EVEN ATTEMPT THAT WITHOUT BLOWING UP THE TEAM FIRST. Whoever up top that's afraid of not being competitive needs to be locked up in a room and forced to watch all Rockets games for the last 3 years OVER and OVER again until they ****ing get it.
I think trying to incorperate Lowery back into the rotation caused a disruption in our team chemistery. Don't get me wrong, we had to do it; but it was a hitch in our giddy up.
This team showed what I'd thought they'd be the entire season - they're not a very good team. I was shocked they did as well as they did this season. As for talent and hustle, neither talent, hustle, nor a team of bow-legged blind players should lose or nearly lose to New Orleans or Golden State. This season almost seemed a choreographed disaster designed to destroy the hearts of loyal fans.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Kyle Lowry done for the season with groin injury and sports hernia. Expects to have surgery on sports hernia in the off-season.</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/194167249869877249" data-datetime="2012-04-22T20:54:14+00:00">April 22, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When Dragic was being forced to play big minutes he pushed things on the offensive end. Hustle on offense promotes hustle on defense. Lowry comes back and starts to slow the game back down to his speed which leads to more lapses on defense. It's difficult for a team that relies on ball and body movement to generate open looks on O to slow it down and expect to play with the same hustle on D. The collapse comes down to chemistry. Dragic forces us to hustle, Lowry doesn't.
Their not that good. When will they get better? When they stop shuffling the deck with role players and get a few studs in here. How are they going to do that? They have no idea. Wow, for a brief moment, I felt like Rocket River!
