Instead of taking the easy route of "Fire JVG," "Trade Steve," and "Yao S**ks", why not give them the benefit of the doubt? It's still early in the season. Let's give them some time. Here comes the flood of rebuttals.
I think we will get better with time, and as much as i like the players we have as indivduals, we need more team chemistry. For whatever reason its just not working at the moment, even if our record so far doesnt look that bad, it probably says more about the teams we have been playing than the way we have been playing. The only way I can see us improving is with a trade. Don't know who and don't know when, but I think it is inevitable
I don't know- maybe I'm just not about getting too upset any more if the Rockets go through these lapses. The old Rockets went through a lot of swoons like this before they began to gell in 1993-1994. But you're right- maybe there does need to be a change of personnel. You can't really blow up a whole team, and I don't think that's what the Rockets necessarily need to do. Maybe just a bit of fine-tuning. And maybe a little lowering of expectations. Just a little.
No, lets do something now. This team is unwatchable and I would rather watch a monkey hump a basketball out there then the Rockets run their offense. The entertainment value is very low for this team, and unless your checking out the new arena it's not worth the money you spend for a ticket.
A week ago after we won against the Jazz, Hornets, Pistons, and Blazers but then lost to the Spurs twice, I was OK with "just giving it time." But take into account the EMBARRASSING losses to the Spurs and then to the T-wolves, it's obvious exactly where we stand. We are nowhere NEAR the level of the Lakers, Mavs, Spurs or T-wolves. We are in the exact position we were last year, in a gamble for the last playoff berth, and whether or not we win or lose against the rest of western teams just depends on the flow of the game that night. Change something. Change the offensive scheme, trade someone, do SOMETHING. The Rox are not good enough.
The Rockets began to gell in 1992-1993... To your point - back then, there were complaints that the Rockets were too predictable, always passing it into the post and people standing around too much. Ten years later, it's a lot of perimeter ISO and people standing around too much. The other problem is the animosity that exists between the Steve and Yao factions. The players themselves may not have a problem with each other, but the fans sure do. It's made these swings horrible! At least back then, the choice was obvious: live or die with Hakeem. And we don't have any smart, respected veterans. The front office has been too quiet; I could see a Cavs like trade coming where a few promising guys are sent off for veteran leadership. I don't think it's necessary, but in today's NBA there is no time to grow together.
I agree, More time is the only way i see any good coming out of it. We have been playing a very hard schedule, and still are feeling the effects of a depleted bench and a new system. I say give it atleast till the deadline
Excuses, excuses, excuses. A quarter of the way through the season is hardly "early." There are still sixty games to go, but remember that the last quarter twenty games are just as difficult (if not more so) than the first twenty.
Give them time, and just when they are about to turn the corner... let's fire the coach. yeah, that will solve everything.
Yao gets more time. Van Gundy gets more time. Steve Francis has had plenty of time so any bashing he gets is well deserved. With that said, the team needs some time this season to see if the offense can improve in a new system. The defense is there. If the Rockets can score 87 or more points a game, their defense will allow them to win most of the time. Right now the Rockets are having a difficult time breaking 80 points on most nights and that is not going to cut it long term. I think JVG has gotten the team to play good defense and is now sitting back waiting/hoping that Yao Ming will eventually mature into the weapon everyone suspects he can be. Yao's scoring around 17 a game right now. If he gets that up to 25 pts/night, that would help get the team scoring closer to a winning clip the way the team is playing defense. But in today's sports environment, you can't wait forever. The Rockets organization has been more patient than a lot of NBA franchises. Given the 3-year trial period the NBA gives to rookies , by the end of the third year, franchises are forced to make a decision with respect to their stars, should they pay them big money or trade them. The Rockets have all ready made a mistake in my opinion by giving Francis big time money that I just didn't think he was worth even though the contrary argument would be if the Rockets didn't pay him, someone would have (to which I would say, "Then trade him!"). The Rockets will have to make a decision again next year about Yao. After 3 years, if Yao is still too nice, not tough enough a realsitic question will be "Is he ever going to be?". $100million is a lot of money to tie up in one player much less two, much less two players that may be more hype than the real deal. So if people don't like the negative analyses of the team's stars, please realize that the reality of the business side of the sport does not give the required time for the kind of patience many of you would like to see.
I was in the give them more time camp but one problem with that is that Yao is getting more and more tired. Can Yao get stronger and in better condition as the season goes or will he just get weaker? In a Yao centered offense this is going to be the critical question.
How much more time do you give it? Another 1/4 of the season? We've seen what they can do when they put their heads to it. It just doesn't seem to suit them so they QUIT!!!!
