Well, I can't help it. I have finally started thinking the 'If' thoughts.. (And let me say, I still in my heart of hearts believe that the Rockets can still sneak into the playoffs, if they can just get their dang best players all out on the court at the same time.. but then the 'If' thoughts start again..) What if the Rockets never do manage to get out of the gate this year? What if TMac's back just needs to be shut down? What if Sura is truly done? What if Yao's foot problems are just the beginning? (no I am not even gonna GO there!!) *No playoffs, and a mid-to-low lottery pick. (So the question then becomes, who do the Rox target in the draft?) What happens to the franchise's 'fringe' players if this team continues at its current pace? * There are some players in their final years, and some players who might be about to retire.. Think of all the guys who probably would not have been back anyway, whether or not we have a good season: JB, Mooch, maybe Deke.. probably Baxter won't be back, it would be surprising if Sura is back next year (but wouldn't it be nice if he gets all better and can stay another year or two?) Will Bowen be back? And if this team truly blows up, Swift is one of the only truly trade-able commodities.. And DA's health does not bode well for his future either.. sigh. Worst-case scenario, this team has to start over from scratch, from a position of weakness to boot. Yao and TMac (and how's THAT do for your pleasant dreams - both of those buys are out hurt as well) are the cornerstones, and everything else is fair game. Ugh. I apologise, I don't mean for this to be negative, but man, can it get any worse? Watching TMac crumble to the floor last night, jeez, it's at this point in a video game where you pause the game and select 'Restart' if it's an option, because the Basketball Gods are definitely angry with the Rockets right now. Sad thing is, if this team could just get healthy, and play together for a little while, this team could beat anybody. Oh well. At least we can look ahead to the anticipation of the addition of the wonderfully mediocre Preston Wilson, followed by the HORRA of the Texans' huge mistake in drafting VY over Bush. Let's see, it's January 9th, and November 1st is only ten full months away, and we thought waiting all summer was bad enough. Who knows, maybe we will get a lucky ping-pong ball again, and pick up (ahem) Rudy Gay. Yeah, let's go out on the floor with Head and Gay. Maybe this is all a bad dream, and everything will still be ok this season, and this fretting feeling will all be for nothing. I'm depressed.
Don't worry, JVG still has a desperation trade at the deadline. Watch him pull a rabbit out of his hat! RRrrrRRRraW! Hmmm....must have been the other hat...
Yeah, but don't worry. T-Mac and Yao will become healthy. Sura will be back. Our old guys will get younger. Our current roster is great. I have no doubt they will make the playoff and clinch at least 7th or 8th seat regardless what their current record is (Who cares their record is much closer to Toronto's than the current 8th seats!) Oh, did I mention they can even make WCF this year? Tell you what, don't give me all the facts, I don't care anyway! I only believe what I want to believe. signed by A hopeless optimist who don't even have the courage to face reality.
-If they don't, it'll keep the pressure on the front office to bring in a better supporting cast (Head, Alston, and Swift are looking more like fair investments, but the backcourt is still an overall mess). -It just might need to be. The last thing anyone wants to see is Larry Johnson revisited. I want them to do everything possible to take care of him, even if that means pulling him for 6+ months. -He probably is. Don't count on him returning or being his former self. -Didn't you just go there then? I'm least concerned with that issue. It's not a structural problem and highly unlikely that it would be chronic (as in Shaq's arthritic big toe). Yes, this season may need to be written off. But sometimes you have to bear with a snakebit year. It helps shed the undesirable fairweather fans and bandwagon hoppers. Evan
I'm not sure if this season is over and even if things keep on going bad I don't think the Rox should tank. They are professionals and should be playing at least for pride and for the fans. That said the thought of a lottery season isn't that daunting to me. Yao and T-Mac are still relatively young. Even though T-Mac has a lot of wear and tear he's still got maybe 3-5 very productive years left. I think Head will end up being a solid player capable of playing the 1 and the 2 and Swift will get smarter and learn the system better. We're going to lose the older players sooner or later so even before this season I think it was a given that those guys would have to be replaced while Yao and T-Mac were still in their primes. Anyway I figure there are a lot of decent players who would want to come and play with those two. So our dreams of making a run for the Championship are very likely done but the Rox aren't done and even if we're in the lottery I believe we'll come back stronger next year.
What if we go all the way What if T-Macs back heals What is Yao comes back for the first time this seaosn at full strength and dominates What if The Texans select Vince Young
Man, I know everyone loves it when posters spout the same garbage over and over again As for the "what ifs" it's kind of pointless to wonder about them. There is no way we can ever see what would have happen. Right now the team just needs to think about the task at hand and do everything they can to get wins. Stro will get a major chance to shine, we'll see if he steps
I don't mean to add to your depression, but there is reason to doubt the above statement. This year's version of the Rocket's role players are, well, uninspiring. I don't see much to suggest that this year's team has been improved over last. Wesley, Barry, and Deke look older and slower. Howard is a journeyman that is fairly consistent, but no Mr. Excitement. Ryan Bowen is a church league player. Swift has his moments, but, overall, a huge disappointment. The Alston, James trade was clearly a disaster. Anderson is still made of glass. Head has shown some talent, but overall, the talent level of the team appears to have declined. When all back healthy, and playing together, this team still doesn't threaten the elite and represents a another first round exit if their lucky. The "trade and acquistion busts" frustrate me more than the injuries. Besides Ming and TMac, who are the consistent rebounders, shooters, or playmakers? Bottomline, this team lacks supporting talent and is really going nowhere until they get it.
