The Rockets players/coaches/management/owner/fans have been falling for it for years now. Trade for Tracy Mcgrady - Rockets are almost there. They now have a top inside/outside tandem. They just need to be surrounded by some tough pit bulls. Let's surround them with over the hill players masquerading as tough guys. Playoff loss to Dallas in 7 games - So close. Replace Ryan Bowen and we are almost there. Never mind that it was a 40 point loss in game 7 and they lost a 2-0 lead in the series. New Season - Build upon the Dallas series. Jon Barry, in Rockets first home game, announcing to the world that Rockets have arrived and it will be a great great season. Tmac agrees. Hasn't he always? Why all the optimism? Because we lost to Dallas in the first round in 7 games but now we have *drum roll* Stromile Swift. Injury plagued season - We are told we right there. If injuries hadn't struck, we would be right in the hunt. How so? Not sure, but we would have been really close. Possible answer to the imaginary deep playoff run could be a glue guy. We are told we are trying to win right now, and thus, the justification for lottery pick sacrifice. No, it isn't the talent we are lacking. It's the glue. This off season - This is it! We have added Mike James, Scola, Steve Francis, Aaron Brooks, Landry. We have added a coach who knows offense. Morey is the new golden boy. Owner is ecstatic. Media thinks highly of us. Rockets believe "Its Time". They feel like they are going to be kings of the world. Fans believe it. Everyone is flying high and then...... Besides Scola none of those players have looked good. Mike James looks straight out of twilight zone. Francis looks like he should have retired long ago. Brooks is sent out to the NBDL and it isn't because we have had quality PG play on this team so far. Let's cut the crap. Why do we let these clowns keep deluding us? Why do we keep falling for it every year? Lets stop getting our hopes too high because Rockets have WEAKNESSES on this team. Rockets have PROBLEMS which are easily exploitable by other teams, especially in a 7 game playoff series. Here are some.... What were the biggest weaknesses on this team ever since Yao and Tracy Mcgrady tandem was formed? 1)Lack of a Point Guard 2)Lack of a Power Foward 3)Lack of reliable 3rd scorer What are the biggest weaknesses on this team today? At least two of the three with the only possible exception being the Power Forward if Scola continues to develop. What is going on here!? All these years and we cannot come up with one decent PG? Forget spectacular. How about just a decent option that wont be exploited by teams on offense by being left alone. How about someone who can stay in front of his man for once and not get our front court in foul trouble? Is it that hard to find a 3rd scorer in this league? We are in the best basketball league in the world, correct? Yet, we cannot find someone out there. Obviously draft is not how we do it. That's reserved for adhesive products. Three years down he road and we might finally have someone at the PF spot who could actually be useful on defense and offense for a change. Courtsey of Spurs mercy points. We still have the same problems we started of with when it all began. We still have no respect for talent. We are still in love with over the hill players who we think will miraculously turn it on for us. How about some more..... 4) Minimal Shot blocking presence. Let's get real. Teams are not afraid to drive on the Rockets. Yao is a decent shot blocking presence but he isn't intimidating enough to keep opposition away. If anything, most of these players are encouraged to go in there to draw fouls on the Rockets. 5) Lack of ball pressure. Lack of shot blocking could have been cured by on-the-ball pressure by our guards and forwards. Sadly, we don't have the cure. Our guards are most willing to lay down the red carpet and the carpet usually leads to Yao Ming waiting to accumulate his fouls. 6) Lack of shut down defender. Before you guys bring up Shane, he is not a shut down defender. He is a hardworking team defender but he also has a hard time shutting down anyone one on one. Our best perimeter shut down defender is McGrady who has minimal interest in defense most of the time. 7) Easy exploits on offense. I was watching the second half of Sixers game where Chuck Hayes caught the ball 2 feet away from the basket. He threw up a 5 foot floater which landed.....back into his own hands. Wow! How can you be in the NBA and pull that move off? I don't need to remind you guys about Rafer's FG% either. Rockets don't have one but TWO glaring exploitables in the starting lineup. This is just too juicy for the opposing coaches not to capitalize on. 8) Lack of playmakers. Mcgrady is the engine which makes the Rockets go. Cut off the engine and the train will go rolling downhill. It's that simple. Teams that double Mac and make him give up the ball early on in the shotclock have great success in stopping the Rockets. 9) Yao's turnovers. Get the ball to Yao in the right place and good things will happen...only if you can get to that point. Yao usually has to run an obstacle course just to get the ball. Too many variables for him to overcome, considering his lack of balance. He has better chance of turning the ball over in these situations, especially when the defense concentrates on him, and thus, is a potential liability in a close game. 10) McGrady's constant lovemaking to jumpshots. Give it up man. It's a waste of your talent. If this team were to win the championship, it would be nothing short of impressive, given the shortcomings they have. So, dear Rockets, Go f**k the carrot and fix some of the the problems. Of course, it all starts with a little and some
A great, great thread, everything is dead on. Without a very good PG, the team can go no way, even I know it when I play a game in YMCA.
Don't forget Derek Anderson. At the time everyone (the media and us) thought Anderson + Swift would take us over the top. I am going to go cry now.
Very insightfull and to the point of what troubles the Rockets. I don't think the solution can be made without a trade. I seeing what T-Mac is doing I hope Morey has a deal already in mind.
Great post, you hit some key elements. I agree with most of what you said. I would like to add one thing, "Fools Gold" Tracy "Fools Gold" Mcgrady. He is heartless and if there's one thing the people of Houston hate is a heartless player. I'd rather have average player that leaves it all on the court, these are the type of players that Houstonions can rally around. Ex. Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Noylan Ryan, Hakeem, Clyde and Mario Elie. Mario is a perfect example of a average player that left it all on court. Craig and Jeff are perfect examples of star players that never won big, but whether they were injured or not they would be on the field and never made excuses. It turns my gut to see Tracy "Fools Gold" McGrady acting like it's all on him, but very rarely shows up at the moment we need, only when he is comfortable. Don't mean to go on about about baseball here, but have a hard time hearing and feeling like Tracy is not getting the support he needs to win. I'm tired of chasing the carrot on the stick called Mcgrady. He's nothing more than "fool gold". Tracy "Fools Gold" McGrady. It's Time to send the fools gold packing for someone that has some heart.
squirrel balls well, this is a very good, straight to the point about the problem .. now we need the solution?? The solution is more important.
Great post and pics. Typical Zboy style. I am wondering why the balls of squirrel are bigger than our star players.
Les is unwilling to spend, and no major PG has been signed by anybody in recent years as FA. Each and every offseason, all we know we cant get over the salary cap, and we should by cautious spending MLE. The end result over the hill guys were snatched like they bargain, but in reality they arent that good anymore and sold for cheap for a reason. So year in and year out we are stuck with a squad with unatheletic bodies of old wash ups. It definitely is showing up in a tough schedule, dead legs, slow reaction. This put more load on our two stars, who are tissue soft in health, the polar opposite to the likes of Artest, AI. Derrick Anderson Bonzi Wells Steve Francis Mike James Bob Sura Jon Barry David Wesley Just name a few, are expected to play a significant role on this team, in this day and age it just wont cut it. All the major contenders, they have young fresh legs.
The only way we can get a starting caliber PG is by trading either Yao or T-Mac. Les hasn't been cheap. We haven't had the cap room to get one since the Francis/Mobley/Cato for Tracy/Juwan Howard trade. Morey did the best he could by getting James and Francis.
Excellent job, zboy. just nails it. The top priority is to find a PG (I dont think we need a 3rd scorer). If Rafer can shoot, u will see a new horizon of Rick Adelman's offense. *sigh*
Most teams have weaknesses going into every year. Only 3-4 teams are usually considered real contenders to win it all by the time the play offs start, and only one team ultimately does. Look at Dallas and Pheonix. They have been more successful than us basicly since Olajuwon left for Toronto, but have zero titles to show for it. The Jazz and Nuggets have never won a title. Ditto for New Orleans and Sacremento. The Lakers, Rockets and Spurs are the only western conference franchises to win titles in the last thirty years! Fans want all stars at every position, but the "suggestions" they have for acheiving that involve trading Rafer and Luther Head for Jason Kidd A star has a bad game and they want to trade TMac for Magette or Micheal Redd... Bottom line is people will whine unless we are winning championships, and there would probably still be people whining even then. Some of those complaints may be valid, but rarely are reasonable suggestions offered to fixing those problems.
Nice pictures! Yes I agree. Every year we think the Rockets are making solid improvements abut look like more of the same.
