Before I start, I am talking strictly basketball- no tmac drama or anything here... because I enjoy the part of the game that takes place during the 48 minutes of the game, not anything that happens outside of it. I am also assuming our players are healthy and tmac is near his form from the later parts of last year. Because he always comes around, we are capable of making a great run (see 22 games last season) and no clutchfans, the sky isn't falling. I don't post much, but I read daily, and it humors me to see how whiney our fan base is. When I became fond of this game, and of my rockets, I saw our players as the heroes, not the villans. Seems like yall want us to lose or something. Anyway to the topic- What do yall think every players role is on this team and what are some of your favorite combinations to see on the court? First this is how I think we should utilize our starters and which players should be in the regular rotation: Starting 5: PG- Rafer SG- T-Mac SF- Battier PF- Scola C-Yao Rotation: Wafer Barry Brooks Landry Artest Next I am listing the kind of guys that have a certain speciality vital to success during games. Offensive firepower: We will have 4 guys who can create their own points once T-Mac is back. That is Aaron Brooks, T Mac, Wafer, and Yao. Yao is a different kind of player so narrowing it down to three, one of those 3 guys should be on the court at all times. You will see our offensive production reduce greatly if brooks, t mac, and wafer are on the bench. Chances are, all 3 of those guys aren't going to be hot night in and night out, when late 3rd quarter and 4th quarter role around, you role with whats hot (minus tmac, because down the stretch in the 4th, he always makes the big shots... and that is while he is stil very valuable to this team). Granted, Brooks and Wafer are talented, but they are also not as consistent as tmac and yao, but still are very effective with their speed and athleticism. Defensive Guys: We have 4 guys that dominate on defense: Battier, Artest, Hayes, and Mutumbo. Hayes and Mutumbo should be used situationally due to their horrid offensive game. I don't think we should role with those guys all at once unless we are struggling defensively and want to knock a team off its rhythm. Smart Guys: We have 3 guys that are intelligent and can run the offense very effectively. That is Barry, TMAC, and Rafer. One of those guys should be on the court at all times. Not necessarily to take the ball up, but to be able to help dictate our offense on the floor. Mixing and matching these types of players will determine a W vs a L down the stretch against top teams in the NBA. Poor coaching and bad lineups will be overcome by our talent against the bad teams, but we cannot rely on that against the better teams in the nba, especially come playoff time. Also, the NBA is the only sport in which the playoffs are almost completely different than the regular season, because you get to know your opponent in the playoffs, whereas during the regular season night in and night out you are playing a different team and really don't have much of a gameplan, which brings me to my next point In order to be succesful in the playoffs, you CANNOT be one dimensional. One dimensional teams are able to make those runs in the regular season, but come playoff time a team recognizes their strength and does anything and everything to stop it, and without a backup plan that team crumbles. That is what you usually see when upsets occur in the playoffs. Last season, we had just ONE of those "offensive firepower" guys I listed earlier, and guess what, that is why we lost in the playoffs. Tracy McGrady was our bread and butter, and there are very very few players that have EVER played that can handle that kind of pressure. Kobe couldn't, Lebron almost did but fell short, Jordan is the only person I have ever seen single handedly do it. Back to the rockets, look what I listed earlier, we now have 4 guys that can create points on their own. That is why I have been so optimistic about this season, because I would much rather be short handed in december and january, then march and april. How can we be multidimensional? The bang it in to yao, and back out to our shooters is one effective approach. But another approach is running the offense through McGrady. One thing I was impressed was McGrady's passing ability and his ability to create for his teammates. I think he does this better than almost anyone in the league. His scoring will return, but the thing we need to appreciate is his experience and expertise on the offensive side of the court. One problem, is due to his lack of time on the court this season, we haven't had time for this to really gel, that’s why its crucial he is back playing every night at least a month or so before the playoffs. We also need to be able to adapt to the style of team we are playing. We now have the athleticism that we lacked so very much last season. Some effective lineups: -Starting lineup -Brooks, Wafer, Artest, Landry, Hayes is are most athletic lineup, and this team running the court is very scary for opposing teams. Maybe throw in Barry if our offense isn't running smoothly (see smart players). -Defensive: Rafer, Battier, Artest, Landry, Hayes- lack a scorer, Artest might be able to be a 5th guy to create on his own by the end of the season, but right now I see him more of a guy to hit his open shots, and make some ugly drives and trips to the FT line. Our players roles: Rafer Alston- Runs our offense well, solid defender, great ball handler, hits his OPEN shots. He needs to limit his shots when covered and continue to facilitate, because that is what we need him for. His drive with the tear drop is effective when the defense gives him that, but aside from that and taking open jump shots off double teams, he should not be relied upon to score Tracy McGrady- True leader of the team (on the court, remember on the court discussion). Needs to be able to drive to the basket, because that is when he is at his best whether its scoring, passing, or getting to the line. His jump shots will fall, but its his ability to create on his own, and make everyone better around him that holds value to the team. Can be a solid defender, he needs to put in the effort on defense and he will return to being our most valuable guy. Shane Battier- Our best 1on1 defender. Stick him on the other teams scorer. Smart player, can pass relatively well and knows when to take shots. He is a great guy you can count on to hit the open shot off the swing pass or double team. Luis Scola- Not the most athletic guy, but he is much improved from last season. His effectiveness is what helped us turn the corner last season. He is our guy to hit the mid range shots, and have those ugly european drives to the basket. Needs to work on his defense, does a great job hustling however. Yao Ming- He is what he is. Doing a better job at not turning the ball over and scoring down low, as well as passing out. Needs to work on conditioning because it seems when it’s a close game late in the 4th he tends to shy away. I would like to see him rebound more especially on the offensive end. Aaron Brooks- great spark off the bench, we have him here to come in and score. Once he learns the offense better and improves defensively, he can take over the starting role, but this year, I just want his scoring off the bench. Von Wafer- Young T-Mac. Raw talent, makes bad decisions occasionaly, but is awesome to watch. Him and Brooks are going to be tough to handle for opposing teams in the playoffs, because they also are going to be worrying about Tmac Yao Artest and the rest of the Rockets. Ron Artest- Reliable scorer, brings tenacity to our team. This guys heart and effort is going to be crucial down the stretch. Once his shooting improves he'll complete that big 3 we've been waiting for. Carl Landry- Great guy to have on our squad, awesome rebounder, solid defender, and very effective on the offensive end. Once he gains confidence and can expand his offensive game, I could see him taking Scolas spot for our starters, but I like how we are using him now. Chuck Hayes- Great defender, horrible on offense. Situational player, love the guy. Brent Barry- Smart player, great shooter, decent defender. Great vet to have on the bench. If we are struggling offensively I would like to turn to barry to start running our offense. Dikembe Mutumbo- taller, and a better shot blocking version of hayes. Used against bigger teams. If we matchup against the suns sometime in the playoffs, his value on the court will show. Same goes for the lakers. Luther Head- Keep him on the bench for now, however, if we have a night were wafer brooks and artest are all off and we are having trouble scoring, see if he can come and light a spark. He is capable of scoring in this league, he has showed that, just with the emergence of Wafer, his assistance isn't really needed. So basketball talk only please, no off the court stuff, what are your thoughts about our team and what aspects of our game need to improve for us to make a deep run in the playoffs?
I think you will see alot less one dimensional play once Adelman has a solid rotation. My hope is by after the allstar break all players are on the court and able to play for good.
1, scola/artest both can generate their own shots. They are better scorers. Count Von wafer out when Tmac/Ron back. He's too weak on defense. 2, Scola and Battier also are smart guys. Their BB IQ are off chart. Their offensive efficient are high. Actually I think people overestimate TMac BBIQ a little. If they are health and play together for a while. They definitely should win world champion this year. They are too many talents and hearts. Don't underestimate the hearts of Battier, scola, Rafer and Hayes. They are the best group of role players assembly to one team for a long time. During 22-win streak, How many games did Tmac win for Rockets?
