I think it's more of a balanced conference. Where last year you'd have less games to worry about great teams. This year you have more games to worry about good teams. Last year you could get up for great teams like Mavs, kings, and lakers but take the night off against denver, Golden State, and clippers. this year you have to be ready for a string of closely contested games, which is where intensity comes into play which is something we've sorely lacked night in and night out.
Donyell Marshall CAREER AVERAGES REBOUNDS PER GAME YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG 94-95 MIN 40 8 25.9 .374 .302 .680 1.60 3.30 4.90 1.4 .63 1.25 1.45 1.60 10.8 94-95 GSW 32 23 32.8 .413 .270 .640 2.30 4.30 6.50 1.5 .63 1.19 1.78 2.90 14.8 94-95 -- 72 31 29.0 .394 .284 .662 1.90 3.70 5.60 1.5 .63 1.22 1.60 2.20 12.6 95-96 GSW 62 6 15.1 .398 .298 .771 1.00 2.40 3.40 .8 .35 .50 .77 1.30 5.5 96-97 GSW 61 20 16.8 .413 .315 .622 1.50 3.00 4.50 .9 .41 .75 .90 1.60 7.3 97-98 GSW 73 73 35.8 .414 .313 .731 2.90 5.70 8.60 2.2 1.30 1.00 2.01 3.10 15.4 98-99 GSW 48 20 26.0 .421 .361 .727 2.40 4.70 7.10 1.4 .98 .77 1.67 2.60 11.0 99-00 GSW 64 51 32.4 .394 .355 .780 3.00 7.00 10.00 2.6 1.06 1.06 1.92 2.80 14.2 00-01 UTA 81 49 28.7 .503 .320 .751 2.10 4.90 7.00 1.6 1.05 .96 1.58 2.40 13.6 01-02 UTA 58 42 30.2 .519 .310 .708 2.70 4.90 7.60 1.7 .86 1.16 2.14 2.60 14.8 02-03 CHI 78 53 30.5 .459 .379 .756 3.00 6.00 9.00 1.8 1.22 1.09 1.73 3.00 13.4 03-04 CHI 16 8 25.5 .419 .407 .700 1.80 4.40 6.20 1.8 .81 1.25 1.38 2.90 8.7 03-04 TOR 65 65 39.1 .464 .393 .741 2.80 7.90 10.70 1.4 1.23 1.58 1.43 3.00 16.1 03-04 -- 81 73 36.4 .458 .394 .736 2.60 7.20 9.80 1.5 1.15 1.52 1.42 3.00 14.6 Career 678 418 28.6 .440 .336 .729 2.30 5.10 7.40 1.6 .92 1.03 1.58 2.50 12.4 Playoff 9 5 31.6 .413 .286 .760 3.00 4.70 7.70 2.1 .56 1.22 1.56 2.70 12.1 CAREER TOTALS
true although ivanyy makes a good point as well I think we have a good team considering the poor chemistry we work with on a nightly basis. Also, Steve Francis as much as I would hate to see him go, must I think. Now wheelchair man (mj) isn't the solution lol, but we saw how much smoother the offense runs with a purer pg. Maybe not jackson, but someone a little less Francis-like. (Aka bibby to sacramento , williams to grizzlies, right piece for sac, later the right piece for memphis)
All I can say is it's good to see we fired a legend to win 3 more games. Great long-term thinking there Le$. Nice to see you chiming in with a post like this more than a year too late.
This thread does not consider that although the Rockets missed the playoffs in 2003 - that did not make them almost a playoff team. At the close of 2003 Rockets were performing closer to a cellar dweller. Their record in the second half and the collapse in the battle for the playoffs supports that. FURTHER - the Rox have not been in Playoffs for FIVE (count'em FIVE) years. They had established a pattern of loosing that made them loosers. And PLEASE stop crying for Rudy - he is better off where he's at - he took on a greater challenge then coaching and overcame it - props to him and his family. It was a problem for the organization that they did not have an able replacement for Rudy ready to go - that really f#$*ed the Rox last year - but I don't blame Rudy for that. I am thankful for the efforts of the staff and players this year that has earned them a spot in the playoff. Now - I hope the team and organization can make the most of their opportunity and knock down the giant! Go Rox!!!!
OK, so now that the smoke has cleared, it will be the Rockets vs. the LA Lakers in Round 1. Unfortunately, it was the Rockets and not Dallas who mailed it in last night so they finish with a 45-37 record. I had predicted them to finish somewhere in the 40-48 win range so I was on target with my preseason prediction. I must admit that I am very disappointed with the marginal level of progress from this team. An increase of 2 wins is just not enough to hang your hat on when others in your division are posting greater levels of improvement. I know that a lot of folks here feel that teams like Memphis & Denver are flashes in the pan but they did go out and do it where it counts - on the court. That's a concept that this team still fails to grasp - you have to prove yourselves by doing it where it counts - ON THE COURT. This is not about potential - it's about RESULTS. Given the character and mental makeup of this team, they will be happy just to make the playoffs. It's this type of attitude that's holding them back. That's why this team has leveled off in the 40 wins range and that's why it will be very hard for them to push through to the next level as long as the status quo is in effect. When you settle for mediocrity what you end up getting is mediocrity.
I understand you're a big Rudy Fan, but his problem was more than team performance. He was a veteran's player coach, and he didn't seem to have any dicipline over this current squad.
Spilled milk ... Sentimental reason aside ... Logic indicates that Les did the right thing. How so, you ask? The proof is in what you said ... "firing a legend to win 3 more games" This statement says the legend did a lousy job if I can replace him with a moron and win 2,3 more games. Why in heck was he a legend in the 1st place?
A coach's ONLY problem is team performance. 'Discipline' is only a problem if it affects team performance. Apparently 'disciplining' these grown men hasn't improved their performance one bit, however.
This team is definitely on the right track. Steve and Yao are still adjusting to Van Gundy's system. A system that is known for defense not high scoring. I truly believe the phrase, defense wins championship. Since Steve and Yao's game is still maturing, there are planty of room for this team to improve. I would wait a couple year before any conclusion to be drawn.
This is small progress, but progress nonetheless. Francis is still hindering this team from taking the next step and it's paramount that he be move this off season if the rockets want to improve more.
My thing is good players should always be able to adjust and still be good players. When Brand left Bulls and many thought he would struggle, he still avg 19-11 and 2.5 blks. Francis game should have been elevated with the uprising of Ming, not go backwards. This team should have been a 50win team if the backcourt would avg less to's alone. If the backcourt could avgcould cut the to's from 6 down to 3 to go along with the poultry 9 they dish, this team would have more wins. I think change will happen this summer and with a guy like McGrady sitting out there more than increases the chances of it happening. What the Rockets can off compared to what other teams can is what will put them over the top in trade negotiations. Wuth a chance to get a 24yr old superstar in return only makes it better.
Nice to read some good posts. It has been a while. Nice posts Hillboy, ivanyy2000 , and Deuce. Deuce, I agree that there has been an accumulation of mediocre moves and bad luck that have stunted our growth. When you look at the long list of players that should be contributing to a better season, it is frightening. Thomas, Posey, Griffin, Nachbar. Our window of opportunity in the draft has slammed shut. We can't draft and wait for development any longer and we aren't going back to the lottery, so our problems will have to be solved via free agency and trade, like Jimmy Jackson. The thing that scares me about this scenario is that we could end up selling our soul even worse than we already have with Taylor, Norris, etc. When a team like the Rockets see that further improvement might require a bold move, the stakes go up and the possibility of a more serious mistake goes up as well... The Rockets have been taking on a lot of Knicks, and NY is the team that comes to mind when I say "sell your soul" because no one is in worse shape than them due to poor FA signings. That aside. The die-hard fan inside me wants to see SF show everyone he is a real gamer, and like Robert Horry before him, he just needs some post season motivation. I usually agree with Will, but I hope we aren't thinking "sell high" after the playoffs are over this year. Or worst case scenario... "sell low".
Well, this is JVG's first year. Look at Hubie's first year, it wasn't all that impressive. Hubie also had West make some tremendous acquisitions for them. Yao went from 13 and 8 to 18 and 9 this year. He played around 33 minutes I believe. Assuming he's able to improve very slightly and is also able to push those minutes up a bit, we're looking at Yao's first 20/10 season. That's huge IMO. Also, JVG hasn't really molded this roster yet. This is Rudy's roster with some JVG band-aids on it. Don't forget that we hold a 6.9M TE, meaning we're a 6.9M dollar player short right now. We can add a player with that contract for nothing, and that would add a game or two to our wins. This summer is huge. With the 6.9M we need someone who will be the glue of this team and do everything well as the 3rd wheel, and we need to have a clear 2nd option to Yao. If we trade Francis for someone that JVG wants, and acquire a good Forward with the 6.9M TE, who's to say we won't win 50 next season? I'm pretty sure we'll see a bigger improvement next season. This time around it was 3, and we can expect an additional 5 next season once JVG is done re-shaping this roster. IMO, if we don't see 50 wins next year, we should can JVG and CD together.
It good that the Rox have about the same record under JVG as they did under Rudy T but at the same time that isn't necessarily a good sign. Since getting Yao the Rox are a lot more talented team than the Grizzlies and more than likely if Rudy T had finished last season we probably would've made the playoffs. So for all the people who say Memphis's success vs. the Rox is due to Hubie Brown having two years wouldn't the Rox have probably done better with Yao and Co. having two years with Rudy? It might just be my own Rudy T bias but I've never been convinced that JVG is the right coach for the Rox and if Rudy T had coached this season we would've done about the same if not better as Rudy, Yao, Francis, Mobley and etc. got more comfortable working with each other. JVG seems too dogmatic and uninspiring for this team. Rudy T might not have brought enough discipline but I think he had a better sense of the natural talents and emotional makeup of the team.
The rockets biggest problems are the to's and the lack of depth. The rockets have damn near a 6 man rotation. Jackson, mobley, and francis all average an insane amount of minutes. The rockets dont need to get rid of Francis, but rather get a true point guard to start or come off the bench. Also a swing man to fill in some decent minutes. Consistency is a problem when the rockets are on they can play with anyone, Ever noticed how the seem to lose leads or dissapear from games in the 2nd half? It has much to do with fatigue being that there is really only a six man rotation. In the offseason if the rockets could get a PG, move SF to the 2 or have SF split time at the 2 and 1 the team would be a lot better. I think I am the only one who has seen significant improvement this year. JVG def brought some sense of organization to the team, there is considerably more ball movement than last year. I still the rockets are or the right track they just need to get someone to run the offense and a few bench players to keep mobley, jackson and francis from averaging 40+ min a game.
No matter what happens in the playoffs, Houston will be a VERY attractive place for free agents. With Yao, there is no better place in the NBA for a good player to go to try and leave his mark. What does every player in the NBA want (other than Shaquille Oneal)? The answer is Yao standing behind them correcting their defensive mistakes and Yao standing under the basket passing the ball in and out to them on offense. The other things they want are a good supporting cast, good coach, and good owner. Houston has all of those too. In fact, the only thing that Houston doesn't have is top quality fans. And when I say top quality fans, I don't mean us.... I mean those maniacs in Sacramento who make road teams miserable. We aren't going to have the same problem as Chicago. We will be able to spend our money. Let's hope we spend it well.
