At the deadline and later on when we didn't buy anyone out, I really figured our soft interior would be too much for us to overcome this year. I still believe we need hardcore interior D and rebounding. That said, for this year, it appears as though we have enough to get the job done. CC's obviously starting to feel much better. There's that explosive quality coming back into his game....mix that with this natural progression/maturation ..and we have a guy that can get a good chunk of the job done now, but who is also BECOMING....what, we'll see. It appears the Rockets were laying in the weeds with Nene...resting him, having him ready to do what he's done of late. He can obviously still play at a pretty high level for stretches. These guys are making our previous weakness, at minimum sufficient, and in some ways a strength. (Combined numbers are getting nice) Great job by DM, MDA, and the whole staff. Now, we need RA to get healthy.
"mix that with this natural progression/maturation" - - perhaps, unnatural? Bigs do not typically mature at the rate CC is riding. I don't see him as joining the Unicorns but I do see see CC growing into a very credible big, a big asset. What means Ryno's injury? TA to the 4 w/Sammy getting big minutes? Trez getting run for long stretch-es while not being the stretch-4? Kyle get to while-a-way on the court any? More mins for EG and Lou? Mebbe give the Rox a chance to figure things out now while knowing how to adjust if it recurs in the long playoff run (we all aspire to; dream of).
Yeah, xiki. Unnatural IS more like it. When he came over, I figured he would be too raw..and look at what he did. Now, he's starting to eat it up again.. I guess, in all honesty, I'm really stung by Ryan's injury because we're ready to kick some serious @$$ as is...with momentum....great chemistry.. .We'll likely miss his floor spacing effecting chemistry.(plus I thought his shooting was coming around) This is the home stretch and there are enough differences between us and the perennial contenders...which dictate that we keep rolling like this. Roles change/trickle down effect..ie TA @ the 4...don't like it..After hitting HIS rookie wall, will Sam, come back around THIS year (I have BIG faith in him for the long haul) Trez hustles, but is undersized/isn't a PTP er....We were perfectly positioned, maybe still are, we'll see. This team needed to not be messed with IMO....
I have always liked Capela & I am thrilled we kept him long enough to grow. I hope he continues to progress &stays in RocketRed. Does anybody have the picture of him from he beginning of his 2nd season overlayed from his 1st season showing how much muscle he put on his shoulders & neck?
I'm not heavily concerned about Ryno's injury because I think we're probably a lock for #3 seed and what is most important now is that they don't rush him back too fast.
