Commentary: Rockets to be applauded By RICHARD JUSTICE Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle Aug. 29, 2009, 2:11AM Sometimes we learn more about sports franchises by how they handle tough times, and that's why this offseason says so many good things about the Rockets. They're not going to win a championship this season, and they might not even be a playoff team. They have no idea when or if Yao Ming will play again and don't know if Tracy McGrady is capable of playing at a high level. Championship talk has been replaced by the realization they'll have to fight and claw to make the playoffs. Yet they've made something out of nothing. Rather than stitch the roster together with old guys, they've constructed a team of speed, youth, defense and passion. If you love basketball, if you love a team that plays hard and competes and won't back down, you might love these Rockets. “We signed players not just for now, but for two steps down the road,” general manager Daryl Morey said. Who doesn't love Aaron Brooks? Remember the Rockets that stunned the Lakers twice in the playoffs? That's the team they want to be in 2009-10. “We're not going to lose because of a lack of effort,” Morey said. “If a team shows up and thinks it's going to win because it has better players than the Rockets, they're going to lose.” Popular concept It's funny how fans react when they perceive a franchise has a sensible plan and is willing to stick to it. The Rockets have sold more tickets than they had sold at this time last year. Morey decided against shortcuts and didn't fill out the roster with older players who might have been worth a couple of more victories this season. Yes, McGrady will be back at some point, and it's not out of the question that Yao could return this season. If they're back, fine. If they aren't, the Rockets will still be interesting. Brooks might emerge as the new face of the franchise. Kyle Lowry, Trevor Ariza, Carl Landry, etc., will play the up-tempo style Rick Adelman always has preferred. This time last year, the Rockets belonged to McGrady and Yao. Now their leaders are Shane Battier and Luis Scola. It's silly to discount the talent issue. None of the current Rockets has played in an All-Star Game, and while heart and youth are nice, talent wins. Still, Ariza makes the Rockets better next season and in the years to come. So do Chase Budinger and David Andersen. Morey believes he has assembled a nucleus of players capable of going deep into the playoffs if he can make an impact free-agent acquisition next summer and if Yao returns to play at a high level. Until then … “We're going to be up-tempo, fun to watch, young players easy to root for,” he said. “It's exciting. I think it'll be fun to watch the team group up and grow together, all in a style we're trying to move to. You're going to see us playing the way coach would rather play.” It's funny how coaches see this kind of team. They would rather have three All-Stars because it's good for business, but real coaches love the challenge of taking a young group and coaching it up. “The coaching staff is quietly excited,” Morey said. “They know they can have a big impact on this group. No one is going to pick us to win anything, and they think they can coach them up.” Yao's a professional Now about McGrady and Yao. Yao hasn't been officially counted out of the 2009-10 regular season. Considering the complexity of the surgical procedures on his left foot, the Rockets might decide not to let him play no matter what. But given Yao's work ethic, if doctors clear him to return to the floor, that's what he's going to do. “We may have to slow him down,” Morey said. Yao is handling this latest setback the way you'd think this role model of professionalism would. He's at Toyota Center most mornings around 8:30 to work on conditioning and chat up the guys. And then he goes to the practice court, sits in a chair and shoots dozens and dozens of shots. Regardless of how long he's gone, he doesn't want to lose the familiar feel of the basketball in his hand and the basket in his mind. Speaking of hard workers, McGrady appears to have worked harder than ever. He hired Chicago trainer Tim Grover, the man who became famous for his work with Michael Jordan. McGrady goes to work Grover is so demanding and intolerant of slackers that it speaks volumes about McGrady that he was willing to extend himself in a way he never has. When McGrady returns, he'll have to fit in, and he'll have plenty of relationships to mend because some of his teammates don't believe he gave his best effort last season. He's young enough (30) to be a good NBA player, and he could have the added motivation of being in the final year of his contract. He has been cleared to do whatever his left knee will allow him to do. The Rockets have been told he's not comfortable jumping off the knee, but with training camp a month away, there's plenty of time to get there. Wouldn't it be something if this turned out to be McGrady's finest hour, if he came back and played at a high level, and shared the ball and ran the floor and helped make everyone better? He's capable of doing all those things. We know this because we've seen it before. Regardless, the Rockets are prepared to move forward without him, and despite the loss of Yao and the reshaping of their goals, they've put something together they're proud of. And their fans might feel the same way. You're welcome
Either this has been posted before, or Richard Justice has written two eerily similar articles in the last week.
the coaching staff is quietly excited, as am i. rockets will be the best kept secret all year until we hit the playoffs.
man i love the rockets. It will be a hard season, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. If Yao is rested well enough and we get a good player in the 2010 thing, ahm wade, then we will be primed for another shot at the title. The young guys will have the experience under their belts. Our veterans will still be at the last year or years of their prime, with some added veteran swave, or how ever thats spelled. It is still good to be a rocket fan. We might go ahead and take our lumps and bumps this coming season, but the season after next will be very interesting.
Hmmmmmm, I got a wild theory, just here me out. Every year, the Rockets enter the season with expectations on winning a championship. You know, their slogans etc... So expectations are pretty high. Even though, they got out of the first round, they still fall short of those expectations. This is where it gets interesting. The Rockets are entering the season with low expectations, and Tmac is coming off surgery and Yao is out for the season. What if and it is a big IF, Tmac comes back strong early in the season and hopefully Yao comes back very late in the season, the other teams are gonna be thrown off and maybe, just MAYBE we can win it ALL! Call me a lunatic but hey someone's gotta say it. We will be there come playoff time! So if we just keep our expectations low and stay low on the radar, we pounce right when the time is right and well the rest will be history.
whats up with all these optomistic articles from the chron lately? not just about the rockets, theyre even callin for the texans to make the playoffs.
deja vu??? i think justice posted a very similar article some time ago....... r maybye its just me....
Mouthpiece is just laying down the place settings for Les' annual "Best Rockets Team Since I've Been Here" hogwash
Some of the comments posted by readers at the bottom of the article are freaking hillarious. I don't know any other owner that empowers his front office to go out and make things happen like Les does. He is a good owner in my book. As for our front office. I think, all things considered, that they have done an oustanding job of keeping the big picture in mind for the long run. They didn't plug in stop gaps for a few more measily wins.
Houston was voted by ESPN writers the 3rd most likely team to fall into turmoil after the Detroit Pistons and GState Warriors. Here's what they said about Houston. I would make a thread, but I can't.
