Who is the key guy right now -- as in, he plays well, the team plays well, he doesn't, the team doesn't? Somewhat ironically, I would say that right now the key guy is Dream. All the retooling / rebuilding, the backcourt -- so far this year, when Dream has played well, the Rockets have won, and when he has struggled, so has the team. Particularly the last 10 games or so. Think about the blowout losses to Boston and SAC: Dream came out bricking and the Rockets never recovered. Portland on Saturday -- only 20 minutes for Dream. Against Denver -- stats weren't great but he kicked McDyess all over the court for the last couple of minutes of regulation and OT (except for the alley oop). ------------------
It's Steve, no question. When he comes out ready to play and looking to be aggressive offensively, the Rockets are pretty tough. Dream has actually been pretty consistent, and primarily gives the team rebounding and shot-blocking. I must admit, I've been a little disapointed in Steve at times this year because I'm waiting for him to realize that while it's great for him to get the others involved, Steve still needs to be the primary scorer and allow the others to play off of him. He defers too much to Cuttino offensively, and it's kills the offense at times. Cat is just not a good decision-maker nor has the play-making mentality necessary to be the primary offensive option. Steve is better at getting others involved and exhibits more patience than Cat, while Cat looks to score every time and only to score every time. Just look at the Portland game as evidence. Steve was sleep-walking for the first 2 1/2 quarters, then decided to take over offensively, became more definite with his moves and shots, and combined with some defensive adjustments the Rockets came roaring back and had a shot at pulling out the game. ------------------ "We make a lot, but we spend a lot." Patrick Ewing, alumnus, Georgetown University
Matt Bullard ------------------ When we tire of well-worn ways, we seek for new. This restless craving in the souls of men spurs them to climb, and to seek the mountain view. -- Ella Wheeler Wilcox
I agree that steve is the best player on the team, but so far this year I don't think the Rockets have won when he has played well and lost when he hasn't. Whereas with Dream, his bad games have all been losses (particularly since Cato went down). ------------------
