I still blame Brandon Roy for Yao's injury against the Lakers. That one win would have made us 3rd seed and we would've met the Lakers in the WCF. Stupid Brandon Roy turnaround almost halfcourt gamewinner.
And now arguably the top players respectively at their positions that year are out of the league. Sad how quick an athletes career can end in an instant. I suppose it's somewhat better to live a brief, yet prolific career at a sport's highest league and level than to have made a mediocre or poor journeyman career?
The 08-09 team was better as of today, that team with a healthy Yao, a healthy Mutombo, and possibly a healthy McGrady would've taken down a pretty formidable version of the Lakers. This Rockets team as of right now, could not have taken the Lakers' team to 7 games. Bynum, Odom, and Gasol were a formidable front-line, while Kobe was in his prime, along Phil Jackson out-coaching McHale to no ends... a tough 6 game series.
This team is significantly better than the 08-09 team. They should at least make it to the second round, and have a decent chance to get further.
This team would do badly against the older team head to head, but I think this team will have a better record and better chance to advance further in the playoffs. For example, Yao owned Dwight head to head, but people forget how easily Yao got taken out of games by fronting with leads lost in the 4th quarter and no answer for it. And one of the main strengths of that Rockets squad was shutting down elite scoring wings, which just happens to be the biggest advantage this new squad has. Believe the new team is better overall, but the old team is tailor made to demolish the new one.
Having both Battier and Artest, when they were younger and still great if not elite wing defenders, was an awesome luxury to have! This year's team has Dwight and Asik to shut down the middle. I loved both Yao and Mutombo, but Dwight is a better defender than Yao was and Asik is much younger and a much better defender than Mutombo was at that point in his career. Which team was better? That is really hard to say. I think by the time of the 2009 season, I was already sick of saying every year that 'next year will be our year when both T-Mac and Yao are healthy!'...only to have them inevitable get hurt again. So I will have to say that I am more excited about this team.
Deke for the time he was on the floor was a very good defensive player. If both Deke at 50 and Asik now played five minutes I would take deke.
