Too keep things in perspective, and preserve the calm and confident mental state of Rocket fans I somehow feel it would be very useful to compare these two teams... Lakers have great individual players, if there is such a thing, cause change is the only permanent thing in this world, and we may not be the same person in the next moment, however they obviously lack results in this part of the season... On the other side Rockets have far better score and they were in the game till the last minute of every game...for me as a Rockets fan I found no good reason to be unsatisfied.... thnx in advance for your insightful comments
Don't you think it's too soon to tell? I mean it's only few games...don't you think there is a good reason the season is 82 games long?
LOL ... apples and oranges. Lakers have 4 all-stars. They'll get their act together sooner or later. I don't know if the pieces mesh well enough to get them a finals appearance, but they will figure out how to win. The Rockets don't have enough talent. Our team last season had more talent. We have to win using cohesion and a good strategy. Sadly we don't have both.
On the other hand, if 4 all-stars with LOADS of experience STILL don't have their act together, why are people so surprised that a young team like the Rockets is still figuring out their chemistry? Same with the Brooklyn Nets? Or the Nuggets and their 1-3 record? So, the Lakers are loaded with future HOFers... but it's perfectly fine that they're slow to figure it out. But for one of the youngest teams in the NBA it's "Oh no! The Rockets are in trouble!" Patience.... it takes time to gel.
Lakers led by one of the greatest coaches Phil Jackson were swept by dallas 0:4... it was the same team even better cause the Kobe was younger and they had chemistry time and experience together and Odom...I don't think its the coach problem...
Who said it's perfectly fine for the Lakers to take their time in figuring it out? Mike Brown's son just got a death threat. Kobe is fuming. Most of LA is panicking. Only Howard thinks NBD.
Lakers -2 first ballot Hall of Famers -Most dominant center in the game -Best offensive post player in the game -Crazy guy/enforcer Rockets -5 first time or < 1 year starters
The LA fans are, most of the non-LA fans aren't even blinking. There's very few non-LA fans that STILL don't consider the Lakers a serious contender for the championship. Home fanbases love to over-react to the meaning of the early season. People here panic over the Rockets' lack of chemistry, or inconsistent play... but how many of those same fans actually believe that the Lakers' slow start means they're not legitimate championship contenders? As a Knicks's fan, I like to think I'm a little more objective when assessing other teams' real chances in the playoff/seeding races. I have less emotionally invested in win/losses, and as a stats and X's/O's geek, I'm more concerned with numerical data and on-court fluidity and decision making than how many times the ball goes into the hoop. I still believe the Lakers' are in the mix for a championship, whether they come in at 6th seed or 1st seed. I expect their chemistry will sort out. I still think the Rockets are in the game for a 7th or 8th seed, but I expect the first month or two to be rocky as heck. And I'm not worried about Lin's shooting, Harden's turnovers, Asik's missing at the basket, or inconsistency on the bench. Lin will get his shot back... his technique and form is correct. When technique is correct, the shot always works itself out. Harden is new to the team. His turnovers will be high until everyone learns how to get into good positions with eachother in terms of play off the ball. Asik's shooting will improve. Partially because it takes very little for him to shift from point blank layups to dunking. And more importantly because McHale is his Coach. McHale is a center... he's worked with rookies before. If anyone can accelerate Asik's growth curve, McHale is close to a perfect choice. The bench will sort itself out. Time, reps, practice and live games are all they need. We're not loaded with bad players on the bench. Most of them are decent picks so we know they have talent. I expect improvement over the next year to two years at a minimum. It will be inconsistent, and a tantalizing mix of bad play interspersed with moments of brilliance, but that's the nature of youth. My only real concern on the roster is Tony Douglas. He's just not the same since he had shoulder surgery. And his BBIQ wasn't all that high to start. However, if he keeps performing poorly I wouldn't be shocked if he ends up like he did on the Knicks... relegated to 3rd string PG, maybe even spending time in the D-League. Patience people. It takes time.
So you're comparing non-LA Lakers fans vs. homebase Rockets fans? That doesn't quite make sense. Why not homebase fan vs. homebase fans? Both LA and HOU homebase fans are panicking. Your point says more about the detached nature of non-homebase fans vs. homebase fanatics than it does about "patience." I understand your point and agree with you, but you're not articulating your argument very well.
Never said I was Tolstoy. :grin: All I'm getting at is if we step back a bit, it's really not as bad (or as good) as home fans usually think it is. Like alot of Knicks fans are looking at their 4-0 record and already declaring the Knicks as potential champions. Me? My first instinct is "SLOW DOWN".... it's a LONG season, and way too early to say much of anything. Don't let early season records sway us too much. It's early, and the team is far from a finished product.
Well Mike Brown has been fired so... about the Lakers not panicking, that might not be true. That said, their situation is wholly different from ours in many aspects. No pressure on McHale from the management/ownership.
ESPN Quote: "Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown has been fired after a 1-4 start to the season, a source tells ESPNLosAngeles.com's Ramona Shelburne. It is not known yet who will take over for him, but a source indicated that one of assistant coaches Bernie Bickerstaff or Chuck Person will take over on an interim basis. Sources had said earlier Friday that his job would be in jeopardy if the team did not perform well on its upcoming six-game homestand. The Lakers have had a healthy Steve Nash in the lineup for only 1½ of their five games so far thanks to a leg injury, while fellow newcomer Dwight Howard has acknowledged that he's still recovering from the back surgery that brought a premature end to his 2011-12 campaign and knocked him out of the London Olympics. Kobe Bryant has also been playing through a foot ailment. The Lakers are off to the worst start in the Western Conference despite carrying the league's largest payroll at just over $100 million, which would trigger an estimated luxury-tax bill at season's end of nearly $30 million. The team has also been trying to institute a form of the Princeton offense, a system that relies on reads and ball sharing in order to take some offensive load off Bryant. The results have been mixed so far." relatively we're doing really well compared to them. If you think we can't do any worse than McHale you've been proven wrong here, but McHale still sucks.