well i'll be damned, i WAS bandwagoning all along. i must be very hot-headed. keep in mind i get VERY frustrated when i see the rox lose when i know they shouldn't....sorry about that. no more! but still, is there any way to increase these guy's b-ball IQ (steve and cuttino, ahem)? i'm afraid if this continues then yao will be wanting to go to another team when his time with the rox is up
For their age, Steve and Mobley are jsut a little behind the standard. Most every players takes time to really learn how to play to win in the NBA - Hakeem, Jordan, Isiah, etc. Now there are your few very special players, a Magic, Bird, Duncan, Kobe type, and I hesitate to put Kobe in their because with Shaq, it is just such an unstoppable combination that are able to win young. A few paths can be taken, imo. First - Constantly regurgitate your exciting young players for more mature, just as good players. The Rockets tried this with Barkley, and it didn't really work. My guess is they won't try it with Steve unless its the very last possibility. A slight derivation may involve Mobley going somewhere, but as much as he wants to believe he isn't, Mobley is a role player and trading him, imo, wouldn't be reguritating young talent for older talent, but rather, finding a more complimentary role player. Second - Live with the ups and downs with a young team. This is what the team and the fans are doing now. Third - Find a staff that is able to more forcefully deal with the tendencies of younger players. One fo the main problems with this, imo, is that a player who eventually gets it themselves is usually better than the player who is forced into getting it. Also, team-specific, it would mean getting rid of an otherwise great coach who could lead a slightly modified or older version of the current team to success somewhere down the road. What would I do? I am of the belief that the lineup will eventually have to be changed regardless. Every major player on our team except for Yao and Posey have the same flaw. Francis, Mobley, Griffin, Taylor and Moochie all are average to below average defenders and have similar offensive games. For that reason, I wouldn't be oppossed to more tinkering with the lineup through trades. If that still doesn't work, I think Rudy would have to go. As a last resort, I would look at trading Franchise, etc. Most likely, though, unless a great deal comes their way (getting a Brand type player or getting rid of a bloated contract for decent return), I see the Rockets standng pat and hoping the team somehow matures over the All-Star break enough to run through their road-heavy second half lineup.
