Rockets want Ming even if it means waiting a couple of years

If it's just a first round draft pick I'd say yeah. But it's the #1 pick, so there's no way to justify that. The last thing Rockets fans want is a 2 or 3 year "rebuilding program". I wonder if it's the Rockets way of saying "Look we'll do anything to get Ming, even wait several years to get him!".

 

Frankly I think it's a good thing.

The only way you ever get anything done in China is by kissing their ass and meeting every demand or playing hardball.

We can and should play hardball.

We only see what we lose. What we fail to realize is that they (the Chinese gov't and SHanghai Sharks) will lose a lot too, perhaps more so.

At some point they will realize that for every year Ming stays in China is less money for them.

Also, at some point it'll sink in that the Rockets will own the rights to Ming forever.

The Chinese don't want to play by the rules, they want to make the rules.

Frankly, I think we should stick with our principles that if you want to play in the NBA and we draft you, tough luck.

Above all else, the integrity of the league should be maintained. We should not be coerced into passing on him just to cowtow to some foreign government or team.

 

Say that happens, we draft Ming and he can't come over for a couple of years, so we probably suck very badly again! Doesn't our 1st rounder next year go to the Grizzlies no matter what? That WOULD suck since we'd probably be a lottery team again!

 

Yep, but apparently, Rudy and CD are head over heels about Yao and his very realistic risks. Fock next year, according to those two. They'll find away to give Memphis another pick, if they're actually thinking about it.

 

Of course, we won't have to wait years.

Its just a statement of how valuable the Rockets think Yao is.

 

Agreed! Go for broke! This is NO TIME to be faint of heart! Go get your guy RT and CD!!!

 

I believe! I believe!

 

man this guy better not be a bust,,,oh well, we all know we are gonna get yao now.

I wonder what gm's francis and mobley think about this?

 

As far as the comment goes, i.e., he's worth waiting for, that's just talk to say we won't be easily dissuaded, and to hell with Krause and Laomin(sp?) who have preconceived notions about where Yao will play.

It's a good starting point. If they actually believe they'd have to wait that long, and I don't think they do, then they can change their minds. Doesn't sound like they will.

As long as we improve our small forward problem, too, then I'm all for Ming. This lame-ass area doesn't get League Pass, and I won't buy a satellite dish, so Ming = ESPN/ABC/TNT TV time.

 

This kind of stuff causes me a lot of concerns. According to Jonathan Feigan's reports on 610, the Rockets truly believe that they are a playoff team and would have been if they hadnt had the rash of injuries this yr based on that 47-35 season. Thus, it seems to me that they are basically viewing this as a bonus pick, and they feel that even if Yao takes 3-4 yrs to develop, it wont be a string of lottery seasons.

I differ with this type of thinking. That 47-35 season had a whole lot to do with Hakeem Olajuwon having that real hot stretch, Walt Williams having an absolutely scalding stretch of shooting for a period of time and zones not existing. All three of these factors are long gone now. I think Mo Taylor will return to the form he was playing at in the 2nd half of that season, but the three huge pluses I noted are long gone. Thus, if Yao takes a while to develop which I think he will or worse yet the Rockets pick him and he doesnt come for a while as this article suggests they'd be willing to do, be ready for more lottery seasons. This team simply by getting healthy is not going to win 47 games. They need to trade the pick and get player(s) that can make a more immediate impact.

I am in no way trying to knock the Rockets talent evaluators. Its just very easy to overlook a players legit questions when you get caught up in the hype surrounding him. Think about it, the Rockets have watched Ming since he was 17, they must have seen him dominate the Chinese competition for 4 yrs seeing him do amazing things against them. The more you see this, the more you forget to ask the question "How will this translate into the NBA game? Will he really be able to do this against NBA talent?" A player may possess great skills, but if he cannot utilize them against NBA players, what difference does it make? For instance, lets say you have a skinny kid that has excellent all around offensive skills including a low post game and simply dominates against inferior competition. What good are these skills if this kid isnt strong enough to get low post position against NBA players? What if NBA player can prevent him from doing what he does best? Added to that, what if he simply gets overpowered by NBA players when he tries to defend them?

I have a whole lot of unanswered questions about Ming, and I am getting a real strong feeling that the Rockets just want him at all costs and their rational thinking has somewhat left them in this instance. They are really taken in by the hype esp the hope of selling a lot of tickets. Bottom line, though, another lottery season is not going to help fill seats in the new arena imo.

 

I think you are getting caught up in the anti-Ming Hype to an extent.....The Rockets are going to draft based on needs, not hype!

 

Mmanal,

You bring up good points but you are forgetting the added elements of Griffin and Oscar Torres, both of them have a full year under their belts and will be ready to contribute more this year. Also, KT is a lot better now then he was 2 years ago, so I think the Rockets are taking exactly the right approach.

Take Ming, and try to get him over here now, if he does not come, wait for him, all the while listening to trade offers for his rights of course.



The Rockets hold all the cards....this is reminiscint of the Spurs lucking out a few years ago to get Duncan.

Who says tanking does not pay off?

DaDakota

 

I think you are seriously underestimating the intelligence of the Rocket's staff MM.

 

Dakota,

Griffin still needs more time to be effective at the NBA level. I would give him probably another season before he starts making more significant contributions. According to a 610 interview with Jonathan Feigan, he was saying that the Rockets want to really wait till Griffin's 3rd season before they start throwing him into the low post. They feel that doing so too early would destroy his confidence b/c he'd get pushed around a lot. If you watched the games last year, you will notice that KT only got his increased stats b/c he got the ball more. Its not like he was hitting mid range shots like money within the flow of the offense. The guy would receive the ball on the perimeter, isolate and make a move to the basket. He wasnt making the players around him better. In addition this great rebounding KT fans kept talking about was greatly overrated, 7 RPG in 35 MPG is nothing to write home about. If KT is even on this team next yr, he is not going to get 14-7 if this team is healthy. KT's role along with Torres's role will decline a good bit next yr with a healthy Rockets squad. A lot of Torres's MPG came when Francis was hurt. I dont view them as difference makers for this team making the postseason or not.

Crisco, I am not underestimating the Rockets intelligence. I hold their talent evaluators in very high regard. Its just that when you see a player dominate so much even if its against inferior competition you tend to start forgetting about competition differences and such. Its very easy to assume "oh ya Ming can get inside position against NBA players" or "Ming wont get pushed around defensively" when these are not questions that can be so easily glossed over. Add in the fact that they believe it will become a marketing bonanza, and its very easy to overlook flaws and questions.

Bottom line for me is this is: If the Rockets go this Ming route they are simply not going to be in the playoffs next yr imo, and it is going to take a whole lot more losing and patience before this team becomes good. Ming is going to require a lot of time and a lot of patience, Im not ready for that; Im sick and tired of losing.

 

Mmanal,

They may not make the playoffs, and probably wouldn't if they had Odom either, it is just going to take some time for this team.

We have to get better, and some of the other teams in the Western conference need to get worse.

The Rockets are 3-4 years away from contending for a championship, which DOES bode well for Ming.

DaDakota

 

Dakota,

I think your timetable is off. The Rockets will be 3-4 yrs away from anything if they go this Ming route. To clarify, Im not even saying Ming will be an all out bust or anything. Im just not ready to wait so long for this team to get good (assuming Ming does develop) when an opportunity like this is avail. Also, Im just not sure Ming will provide this team the interior toughness they will need to win big playoff games and make serious runs. I dont feel comfortable blindly throwing all my eggs into the Ming basket.

If they pull off the Odom deal, I honestly believe this team is in the playoffs next season, and the season after will make a deep run as far as the WCF. After that point, they will be a legit title contendor year in and year out for a long long time. The reason I can be pretty sure of this (there are no guarantees ofcourse) is b/c I know what Odom can do at the NBA level, he's shown it to me. Ming is a big question mark in my book.

Also, one other thing Dakota. You have made threads before saying stuff like "Im sick and tired of losing, lets trade Francis for Miller." Why is it that our current players dont get this kind of patience and your willing to wait on Ming with no guarantees that he will even become the player you envision? Is it just dependent on what mood you are in at the time?

 

Mmanal, what you are also not taking into account is that Rudy has seen Ming perform against NBA all star talent. Rudy apparently was impressed. A good case can be made that this is a better more realistic tryout than virtually any other draft choice has had.

Granted Ming's stats weren't overwhwlming since he got in foul trouble, but the basics must have been there.

As for hype, Dunlevy with his father, Butler with his good run against non nba players in the NCAA's, and others have the hype factor working also.

 

MManal, I think losing has turned you to the darkside.

We haven't seen Ming enough, oh they've seen Ming enough, they've actually seen him too much. Oh he might not hold position against the one center in the NBA. Those four games this upcoming year mean Ming absolutely will not contribute any interior defense this entire season. Odom? Oh Odom solves all of our center problems, look here... he's a small forward that takes care of the fact that our pointer can't point. What were we talking about? Oh Centers. Well, let's just throw in a few picks here and there. Like 8 or 12 or something, yeah we can get both of those. So, now we have a straight edge small forward, oh don't you guys know he's totally changed? Yeah, he was busted four times, but he's totally different now. And we also have a couple of picks, 8 and 12, and I'm sure the Clippers will part with both. The #8? Oh, this totally resolute strong Wilcox who happens to be a lottery pick because everyone overestimated Jeffries' strength in the post. See how this works? We were wrong about Jeffries, we're right about Wilcox. So now we have a straight edge, yeah he's totally changed imho, small forward and the destined for stardom, if you watched 3 games in the NCAA turney this past spring, Wilcox. Oh Wilcox isn't a Center? So what, he's a big guy.

This is all of course better than the 7'5" Ming that every (real) expert in the NBA swears by, including our beloved leaders of the Rockets. They're all wrong and I am right, because I'm personally tired of losing.